Bonita Zarrillo

[Affordable Housing and Groceries Act, September 26th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the member mentioned long-term effects. I want to ask the member this: Unlike the U.S., Canada has never broken up a corporation to protect Canadian consumers, yet the Competition Board has the authority to review beyond initial transactions. Does the Bloc see value in having the Competition Board review the Loblaws-Shoppers Drug Mart merger from 10 years ago?

[Diversity and Inclusion, September 26th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, people are seeing a rising tide of organized hate and hate-related violence. This week, a “Whites-only Moms and Tots” poster was put up at a bus stop in my community. The residents of Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra are outraged. They want the government to take stronger action against hate in their communities, yet the Liberals are nowhere to be found.

Will the government listen to Canadians and take concrete action to combat all forms of hate, discrimination, racism and violence?

[Affordable Housing and Groceries Act, September 25th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I just want to follow up on the message that my colleague from Edmonton Griesbach just shared with the House. CEOs in this country are making outsized incomes, and their corporations are making outsized profits. This is not actually helping Canadians get more affordable groceries and certainly not more affordable housing.

My question to the member is around rental housing and the GST rebate. How can Canadians be sure that any savings these developers are making, if there are developers involved, get passed down to their renters?

[Persons with Disabilities, September 21st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the government has turned it backs on persons with disabilities, who have endured a summer of skyrocketing housing prices, declining access to health care and increasing food prices.

Canadians with disabilities are already twice as likely to live below the poverty line, and the Liberals have not provided them adequate support. This has left Canadians with disabilities unable to pay their bills. These are not luxury items; these are basic needs.

Will the government finally create the disability emergency relief fund for which the community has been calling?

[Strengthening the Port System and Railway Safety in Canada Act, September 21st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I am going to follow up on comments made by my colleague.

I cannot believe that this speech was about the board and the focus of the board. Right now, what we are in need of is some management of the traffic in the port. The operations in the water need management. I was out on a port tour this summer in Vancouver, and it is the Wild West of port traffic. No one body has authority over that, and it certainly is not the boards or elected municipal politicians who are going to manage it.

This is a serious problem. This is a safety, transparency and equity problem. How is this bill going to increase equity, increase safety and improve governance at the ports?

[Strengthening the Port System and Railway Safety in Canada Act, September 21st, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I am from the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, and in 2016 the port authority stopped funding its enforcement team. Four hundred thousand dollars was pulled out of enforcement at the port. It is a gap that still remains today.

Could the member please let us know why the federal government is not funding additional enforcement when it knows there has not been enforcement in place for seven years?

[Petitions, September 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, this week is Gender Equality Week, and the fight continues for women's rights. Whether it is for political freedom or equal access to health care and reproductive rights, equity has still not been achieved.

Today, I table a petition related to state-funded paid leave for people who suffer from painful periods. Women, and all people who menstruate, continue to manage any pain during their menstrual cycle while having minimal accommodations at work. For those who experience painful periods, this has a negative effect on their health and the ability to have equity at work.

The undersigned petitioners are supportive of designated time off, three to five days a month, to manage period pain. This is not only a matter of compassion but also an equitable workplace strategy. By recognizing this, governments and employers can create a more inclusive and fair work environment.

[Allegations Against Government of India, September 19th, 2023]

Madam Chair, I want to thank the member for Vancouver East for always standing up for constituents and Canadians.

We know that in times of trouble, in times of necessity, we must come together. As the member said, it has been shown today that there is no solidarity from the Conservative Party here. I am not sure what the party's objectives are, but it certainly is not to stand up for the protection, safety, justice and democracy of Canada.

[Allegations Against Government of India, September 19th, 2023]

Madam Chair, as the member was asking me that question, I was thinking of all the mothers, grandmothers and all the women who have come to my office to talk about how their voices have been silenced across the globe. We know of the human rights infractions around women. This week is Gender Equality Week, I will mention. I think about the importance of standing up for human rights and of actually protecting our communities.

As a woman, I hear these stories and feel an obligation to protect our communities, and democracy is the way to do it. We do it with our votes and we do it with our pens. That is how we do it.

[Allegations Against Government of India, September 19th, 2023]

Madam Chair, every time I stand in the House, I stand for the constituents of my riding of Port Moody—Coquitlam, Anmore and Belcarra, and I expect that the Conservative do the same for their ridings. They come out to rallies, they talk about human rights and they like to filibuster committees. At the end of the day, they have a responsibility to stand in the House for the constituents in their ridings. I would say, as I stand in the House today: Do not elect a Conservative. If people want to be safe from foreign interference in this country, the Conservatives will not stand up for them.