House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 50% of the vote.
Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1 June 3rd, 2022
moved:
That Bill C-19, in Clause 135, be amended by adding after line 2 on page 256 the following:
“(2.1) Despite subsection (2), the provisions of the Select Luxury Items Tax Act, as enacted by subsection (1), that set out the tax on subject aircraft come into force on a day or days to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council, which day or days may not be fixed before September 1, 2022.”
The Economy June 1st, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I have to say that a culture change is going to take much better answers coming from the top than that.
Canadians certainly did not cause inflation, but they are paying for it. They are paying for it at the grocery store and now they are paying for it with another interest rate hike by the Bank of Canada. While there are things outside the government's control, there are things that it can do. Even Boris Johnson has seen fit to bring in a windfall tax on oil and gas companies making a ton of money on the backs of people during this period of inflation. That is money the government could use to double the GST credit and raise the Canada child benefit by $500.
Will the Prime Minister get up and commit to these things, instead of talking about what he did in 2016?
The Economy May 31st, 2022
Mr. Speaker, veterans need the government to get down that path a lot sooner.
Today, the Auditor General also said that Canadians in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis are not able to access the supports Liberals say are available to them, and made it clear that for these vulnerable Canadians the government does not even have a plan to help. A plan would look like supporting a motion to make profitable oil and gas companies pay their fair share, instead of voting against it. A plan would look like raising the GST rebate and declaring a low-income CERB repayment amnesty, instead of trying to collect debt from the poor.
When will we see a real plan from the government that includes the relief people need to feed their families and keep a roof over their head?
Taxation May 19th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that when we bring up inflation, the government likes to talk about things it did five or six years ago, but the fact of the matter is that we are experiencing record inflation now.
We are experiencing that in a context in which a number of companies, including oil and gas companies right now, are receiving huge windfalls. The question is this: Is the government prepared to tax that excess profit and return it to Canadians in the form of an additional GST rebate or not? Yesterday we saw the Liberals side with the Conservatives to vote against a measure like that.
We want to know, are the Liberals going to get with the program and provide relief to Canadians now?
Business of Supply May 10th, 2022
Madam Speaker, earlier in his speech, the member for Kingston and the Islands said there were a number of topics that the Bloc Québécois might have brought forward on an opposition day. I would certainly agree with the member for Kingston and the Islands that there are many ways in which the government has failed and is failing Canadians that would rightly be the subject of an opposition day motion.
I think of the Liberals' so-called climate plan, which is really based on a prayer. That is where a prayer should not be. We should have a much more concrete action plan with a far better hope of success.
I wonder if perhaps the member wants to speak to some of the ways the government has been failing Canada that might have been the proper object of an opposition day motion.
Business of Supply May 10th, 2022
Madam Speaker, another Bloc member earlier referred to Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor to bolster his argument in favour of state secularism. However, I think that Mr. Taylor would be one of the first to say that secularism can come in many forms.
The Bloc Québécois has proposed one solution today, but it has not considered the possibility of a real discussion on the different ways that secularism could be incorporated here. Instead, the Bloc has proposed a binary choice on how to incorporate secularism.
I would like to better understand the member's thoughts on this process.
Business of Supply May 10th, 2022
Madam Speaker, the motion before us today has to do with the prayer that is read at the start of every sitting of the House of Commons.
Earlier, the member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie spoke about the problems with the employment insurance system, which, unfortunately, seems to be designed on a hope and a prayer instead of on effective public administration principles.
What does my colleague from New Westminster—Burnaby think about that?
Business of Supply May 10th, 2022
Madam Speaker, I recognize the importance of faith and spirituality in Canadians' lives. I also recognize the importance of symbols here in the House of Commons.
However, I wonder why we are having a debate on an important symbol. If the goal was to reach consensus to make a change and steer clear of a divide, why did we only get one or two days' notice on a motion to change something that has symbolic importance, and then some?
In any event, in a few weeks, we will be having a debate on the Standing Orders of the House of Commons.
Business of Supply May 10th, 2022
Madam Speaker, I will say, for my part, that I do not want to diminish in any way the significance of the motion that is before us. I know that Canadians come from all walks of life and different faith traditions. Some are not people of faith at all, but they have their own senses of values and what is important to them. I think that symbols matter here, and the opening prayer has been a symbol.
I think it is appropriate for us to discuss this. However, if the goal is to make a change, I do not think the mechanism of an opposition day motion is wrong, but I would say that none of us came to Ottawa on Sunday knowing that this was something we were going to discuss. It has not been something that we have had an opportunity to discuss within our caucuses. It is not something we have had an opportunity to hear from our constituents on.
It seems to me that this is not a great process. Even if it was to be done by an opposition day, the lack of notice means that we have missed an opportunity to really engage with Canadians about what this symbol, if it is indeed an important symbol to them, means to them to make these changes.
Does the hon. member want to comment a little on the nature of the process that we are undergoing right now?
Petitions May 9th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to present a petition signed by many people in Winnipeg calling on the government to enact “just transition” legislation. Among other things, it calls for far more ambitious emissions reduction targets, getting rid of fossil fuel subsidies, creating new public economic institutions to assist in the transition toward the decarbonized economy, ensuring we are creating good jobs for workers in the context of that transition, protecting and strengthening human rights and indigenous rights in that effort while expanding our social safety net with new income supports and decarbonizing public housing, and paying for this transition by increasing taxes on the wealthiest and corporations and financing through a public national bank.