Chandra Arya

[Privilege, November 29th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, today is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Like the member, I too agree that we need all the hostages released, and all the remains of the hostage problems should be cleared. Along with several Jewish Canadians, there are many Palestinian Canadians who have lost their families among the 43,000 people killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom are women and children.

I would like to ask the member whether she has any tears or consolation for the Canadians who have lost their family in Gaza.

[Attack in Pakistan, November 25th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, on behalf of Shia Muslims across Canada, I condemn the recent deadly attack in Pakistan. On November 21, gunmen ambushed convoys of Shia Muslims in Kurram district, killing at least 38 individuals, including women and children.

Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims generally coexist peacefully in Pakistan. However, militant groups like Deobandi militant groups, Salafi extremist groups affiliated with the Islamic State, Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, and the Barelvi group's Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan indulge in the killing of Shia Muslims in Pakistan. Motivated by sectarian ideologies, these groups are responsible for numerous brutal incidents in recent years. They operate almost freely due to the absence of a political will to prosecute them.

I call on Canada to condemn the killings and to convey to Pakistan the deep concerns of Shia Muslims across Canada.

[Privilege, November 25th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the member referred to broader economic and social changes. He also referred to rents. With inflation falling to 2% and interest rates getting cut four times, the rents in places like Toronto and Vancouver are falling by over 9%, year over year. The member also talked about affordable housing. I would like to get his comments on the housing accelerator fund and whether he is in support of it even now.

[Privilege, November 22nd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentioned the national debt in his speech. However, the national net debt to GDP in Canada is among the best in the G7 countries. On the deficit to GDP, again, Canada is the best among the G7 countries. In terms of economic growth, the IMF projects that, in 2025, it will be the best among the G7 countries. Today, the Canadian consumer confidence index is at a 30-month high. Inflation, from its peak in June 2022, has come down to 2%, which is at the lower end of the Bank of Canada's preferred target range. The interest rates have been cut four times, and Canada has the best per capita foreign direct investment that we have had.

I would like to ask the hon. member this: Under what economic indicators is Canada lagging behind any of the G7 countries?

[Sri Lanka Election, November 20th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Canada's Sri Lankan diaspora, including both Sinhalese Canadians and Tamil Canadians, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Sri Lanka's President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and his progressive party, the National People's Power, on their historic majority in the parliamentary elections. This victory represents a mandate to implement the promised economic and constitutional reforms, including addressing long-standing demands, such as returning state-acquired lands in the north to their rightful owners.

The Sinhalese in the south, the Tamils in Jaffna in the north and all ethnic minorities, including Muslims and Malaiyaha Tamils, have expressed new-found trust in the government. I urge Canada to seize this opportunity to reset its approach, shifting away from influence of diaspora groups and a divisive agenda and focusing instead on fostering respectful and strengthened bilateral relations.

[Privacy, November 18th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, doxing is the unauthorized and malicious release of private information to harm or intimidate. It infringes on Canadians' rights to privacy and free expression, leaving victims vulnerable to threats, harassment and harm. Canadians targeted by doxing may face unjust penalties from employers, professional associations or regulatory bodies based on reputational harm rather than verified misconduct.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of expression, yet these rights are compromised when individuals face threats from doxing and intimidation. Protective legislation is necessary to penalize doxing perpetrators and deter these abuses, ensuring Canadians' rights and security in the digital age.

I call on Canada to criminalize doxing and prevent individuals from facing penalties solely because of reputational harm caused by doxing.

[Privilege, November 8th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member mentioned the experiences Canadians are having. Let me talk about that. Due to global inflation, Canadians have faced a lot of cost of living increases and affordability issues. While the Conservatives wanted us to have austerity measures, we continue to invest in Canadians, and our actions, our programs and our policies have helped Canadians. Inflation has come down to a historic low of 1.6%. The Canadian consumer price index has risen to a 30-month high. Interest rates have been cut four times. The stock exchange, where a lot of Canadians invest, which lost in 2022, year to date has made 18%.

Canadians did face a lot of issues due to global inflation, and our actions have brought back economic prosperity. Going forward, we are going to look much better, so that the IMF has projected that Canada will be the best-performing economy among all G7 countries. I would like to have the member's opinion on that.

[Privilege, November 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the hon. member whether the reason for filibustering the privilege motion by Conservatives is that they do not want to discuss economic issues within Canada.

Coincidentally, this filibuster started when the economy started rolling back. In fact, the Canadian consumer index reached a 30-month high when this debate started, and interest rates have been cut four times. The IMF has projected that Canada will be the best-performing economy in 2025. Rents, which were a major concern for affordability in Canada, started softening. In fact, they went down by over 9% in Toronto and Vancouver. Would my hon. colleague like to comment?

[Privilege, November 8th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I strongly object to the member telling another member not to speak in a loud voice. Tomorrow somebody may say that because a member speaks with an accent, the translator may not understand, or because their English is not good enough or has grammatical mistakes, the translator may not understand. This is what it leads to when we start indulging in this sort of stuff.

[Privilege, November 8th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member started his speech with the words, “After nine years, the evidence is clear”. Let me tell him what evidence is clear after nine years of our government.

We have created 1.1 million jobs since 2015. The inflation rate, at a high of 8.1% in June 2022, is now at 1.6%. The Canadian consumer index is at a 30-month high. We have the lowest deficit-to-GDP ratio among all the G7 countries. We have the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio among all the G7 countries.

I know the hon. member is knowledgeable. I would ask him to show one economic indicator where Canada is not the best among all G7 countries.