Colin Carrie

[Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1, May 6th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, one thing the parliamentary secretary missed was the investments in growth.

Both Robert Asselin, the former adviser to Mr. Morneau, the previous finance minister, and David Dodge said that the budget had no answers for investment and growth.

I am worried about the brain drain in Oshawa. We have Ontario Tech, and to get out of this pandemic, we need to make investments in the technological jobs of the future. A study by Brock University basically said that in 2018, 65% of engineers, technological engineers, software engineers, left the country as soon as they graduated.

Could the parliamentary secretary point out where the investments in growth are in this budget to keep our youngest and brightest in our country?

[Public Safety, May 3rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, Durham region was shaken by two shootings in Ajax last week, which appear to be gang related. According to Statistics Canada, the number of gang-related murders since the Liberals first took office has been higher ever single year than any year under the previous Conservative government. The Liberal government's soft-on-crime approach through bills like Bill C-22 and Bill C-75 has made Canada a safe haven for gang activity.

When will caring about gang violence, the true source of gun crime in Canada, become a priority for the Liberal government?

[The Budget, April 26th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary mentioned the Liberal child care and day care program. The Liberals have been promising this since 1993. There is an old saying: “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me six, seven or eight times, shame on me.”

We really do not believe they are going to come through with this. Their plan does not take into account the difference between rural and urban and the cultural differences in Canada. Some parents want to do things a bit differently.

Does she not agree that it would be better, instead of waiting years to develop this program, to give the money directly to parents so that parents have a choice in the raising of their children?

[The Budget, April 26th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, the member did give some solutions and when we talk about the budget, it is really important. One of the things I am hearing from economists is that this budget has an extra $100 billion of stimulus in it that the economy may not need right now, especially with the Americans' spending. I am worried about the quantitative easing, the stimulus and the concern about inflation.

I remember when friends of mine who graduated just four years earlier than I did paid $100,000 less for a home. Could he comment on this extra amount of stimulus and the idea of hyperinflation?

[The Budget, April 26th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the leader of the Green Party for her service. I had the honour of working with her on her bill about Lyme disease, and one thing that has always impressed me is her ability to bring people together.

I was talking to a constituent of mine named Maurice on the phone. He was asking me about seniors, and he wanted to know how this budget was going to affect them. He mentioned that about a month ago, a bill was brought forward in the House that the Bloc, the NDP and the Conservatives supported. It was for an increase in OAS of $110 per month. This budget, unfortunately, instead of bringing people together like the leader of the Green Party has done, is almost like the politics of division. The Liberals are treating seniors over the age of 75 differently from those under 75.

I wonder if the member could comment on this. Is there a way we could fix that?

[The Budget, April 26th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I am getting calls from constituents in Oshawa who remember Pierre Elliott Trudeau and what happened when he left office. I remember it was Jean Chrétien who said, “We left the cupboard bare”. My concern is that we seem to have maxed out our credit card, our kids' credit card and now it seems to be the grandkids' credit card.

When does the government plan to return to a balanced budget?

[Mental Health, April 21st, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, improving access to mental health care is essential for all Canadians, now more than ever, especially for our youth.

Right behind me is Simcoe Street United Church, home of the Back Door Mission. Since COVID, those seeking help are younger than ever, as young as 15 years old, and almost all are struggling with mental health issues. Clarence Keesman, head of The Refuge Youth Outreach Centre, said that this week they lost another of their beloved youth. That brings the total deaths to five since last fall.

My daughter Grace, like too many young women, has seen the prolonged COVID shutdowns play havoc on her mental and physical health, jeopardizing her education and healthy future. She asks, “For young people is the cure worse than the disease?”

I am very thankful to the Oshawa organizations that are working every day to help these young people, but they cannot do it alone. Access to mental health care must be a priority. Let us set aside the politics of division and recognize our common humanity. Let us stand together and improve access to mental health care for all Canadians.

[Business of Supply, March 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to my colleague from Kingston and the Islands. I am on the ethics committee, where we would like to get the study over and done with. Much information has come out in the last few months, but I want to focus on the comments by my NDP colleague from Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke. The government has given us no other choice.

The member held himself up as a mayor of Kingston and said that when somebody made a mistake, he would take responsibility for that. This motion would allow the Prime Minister, instead of staff, to take responsibility and speak for the government on these very important issues. Will the member hold his current boss to the same standard he held himself, or is he going to continue to cover up for the government's ethical breaches?

[Business of Supply, March 25th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleague a question based on her experience as former chair of the ethics committee. The Prime Minister lent his name to the for-profit wing of the WE organization, and I have not been able to get an answer on this.

ME to WE sold sponsorships worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for WE Day. Does my colleague think it is appropriate for a prime minister or any member of Parliament to use their office or position to forward the private interests of a for-profit organization such as WE, and why is it so important that we get the Prime Minister or his staff in front of the committee to answer these very, very troubling questions?

[Business of Supply, March 22nd, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague and the NDP for bringing this issue forward. Like many other Canadians, my mum is in a long-term care residence, and I think this issue is a very important debate to have today.

I do want to follow up with what my Liberal colleague was saying, though, because we do want to make sure that these standards are effective. When bringing up a topic of national standards, it can be very complicated.

I wonder what my colleague would say would be an NDP plan to respect the diverse needs and challenges of our vastly unique country in bringing forward these standards for Canada.