House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 43% of the vote.
Small Business February 10th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question, because it gives me an opportunity to remind the House that we have invested $12 million in Sarnia—Lambton, in Bioindustrial Innovation Canada, for 478 jobs. This is a pattern that is repeating itself across the country, with the innovation ministry, with the infrastructure ministry. We are investing in Canadian technology. We are creating Canadian jobs, including in Sarnia—Lambton.
Statistics Canada February 8th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, today Statistics Canada provided Canadians with a first glimpse of the latest national statistical portrait with the results of the 2016 census count on population and dwellings.
I am proud to be part of a government whose first action was to restore the mandatory long form census.
We made a commitment to bring back the long form census, and we kept that promise. This means that Canadians once again have access to reliable and accurate data.
Without this data, our communities could not plan ahead. Everything from transit planning to housing strategies, to support for new Canadians was made more difficult.
Results of today's release show that over 35 million people now call Canada home. This is 10 times greater than in 1871, when the first census after Confederation recorded 3.5 million people in Canada.
The information gathered through the census is central to our evidence-based—
Employment February 3rd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, once again, nothing could be further from the truth.
We are committed to the manufacturing sector. It is the cornerstone of our economy. It employs close to 1.7 million Canadians and accounts for more than 10% of our gross domestic product. We are investing in various sectors, including automotive, aerospace, life sciences, digital technology, and agrifood.
I can point out to the hon. member that we have invested $15 million in Hanwha L&C Canada in the London—Fanshawe riding to expand production and to manufacture a new line of high-quality stone slabs. That is 85 new jobs.
Industry February 3rd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, as a government, we are obviously concerned and extend our compassion to those impacted by job losses when economies are in transition. However, our government is funding jobs, programs, and skills training to help workers and their families affected by job losses. We will continue to work with our regional development agencies to make strategic investments to build on competitive regional advantages.
Industry February 3rd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. This government is creating jobs in the manufacturing sector, which is the cornerstone of our economy, employing close to 1.7 million Canadians.
In budget 2016, our government is making investments to help position Canadian manufacturing firms to grow and provide high-quality employment for the middle class. We have an innovation agenda. We are working on a Canadian free trade agreement. We have maintained jobs for Honda in Alliston, Ontario; Thomson Reuters, 1,500 jobs; GM Canada, 1,000 new engineering jobs in Ontario.
We have a darn good record.
Telecommunications February 2nd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, we all have a role to play in building Canada's digital future and ensuring that remote communities have their place in that future. We are well aware of the decision declaring high-speed Internet an essential service. The private sector, provincial and territorial governments, and federal departments can and are making significant efforts in this area.
Consider, for example, the federal and provincial contribution of $180 million for high-speed Internet services in southwestern Ontario, a project led by the Western Ontario Warden's Caucus and supported by our government and the Government of Ontario. That is an example of what we can do when we work together to identify the challenges—
Telecommunications February 2nd, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to respond to the remarks made earlier by the hon. member for North Island—Powell River on the importance of broadband service for the rural regions of Canada.
Broadband networks are the very foundation of the competitive digital economy we are building. This broadband infrastructure affords access to digital tools, global markets, and employment opportunities. This same infrastructure opens new avenues of education and training, spreads our Canadian culture throughout the country and the world, and, lastly, connects us to our friends and families.
We are therefore in full agreement with the hon. member on the importance of broadband service. It is a critical service for the digital future of Canada. It is essential that the rural regions and remote communities have their full place in that future.
During our consultations on support for the program an inclusive innovation agenda: the state of play, Canadians emphasized the importance of upgrading high-speed broadband coverage.
New statistics published last October show a permanent improvement in Canada’s broadband networks: 96% of Canadians now have access to Internet service at speeds of five megabits per second or more; 75% of Canadian households have Internet access at speeds of 100 megabits per second or more. The private sector is also announcing investments in its gigabit network that will literally transform our digital landscape.
While these statistics are encouraging, they also underscore the digital divide between the rural regions and the rest of Canada, which can only be deplored. However it is true that the economic barriers to the distribution of digital service are far greater in rural and remote regions than in the urban regions. These difficulties are compounded by the far greater needs of rural communities.
For some of our more remote rural regions and communities, which lack medical facilities and educational institutions and do not have a solid labour market, the business opportunities for digital solutions are limitless. That is why we feel that our government has a role to play in collaborating with private sector partners and other levels of government to improve the community.
The connecting Canadians program is an initiative that can bridge the digital divide. Projects announced in 2015 and 2016 will benefit 300,000 households in the rural and remote regions of Canada. In December, our government was pleased to launch a new program known as an inclusive innovation agenda: the state of play, which will provide up to $500 million to build high-quality broadband networks in underserved regions.
In co-operation with partners all across Canada, we are investing to bring transformative change to our rural and remote communities.
Statistics Act January 30th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, once again, I thank my hon. colleague for her question.
My colleague is talking about the methodology used for any survey. We will give the chief statistician and his advisors, as well as his department, the authority to take such practical matters into consideration. Such things should not be up to the government because they have to do with methodology. We will delegate decisions about methodology to the department under the leadership of the chief statistician, and we will count on the expertise there. Practical matters that should be delegated will be, and that process will be transparent.
Statistics Act January 30th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. We are indeed talking about two chief statisticians, not just one, because there are two who resigned. The first, Munir Sheikh, was consulted throughout the process. We took his recommendations into consideration. That does not mean that we accepted all of them, but we consulted him.
The second chief statistician, Wayne Smith, was also part of the reform initiated by our government. He therefore played a role in the process. Once again, I am not going to say that he completely agrees with the recommendations contained in the bill, but some aspects of it reflect his views.
Statistics Act January 30th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, I do not have the chief statistician's CV in front of me.
What we hope to do in this legislation is improve the quality of the chief statistician. How? It would be by subjecting the appointment of the chief statistician to our Governor in Council appointment process, which we have revised to make into a process of the highest quality and the highest transparency to get the single most qualified person in the job.