David McGuinty

[St. Thomas the Apostle Nursery School, June 1st, 2018]

Madam Speaker, St. Thomas the Apostle Nursery School is a non-denominational, multicultural, community-based school located in Alta Vista, in the heart of my riding of Ottawa South.

I am honoured to rise in the House today to congratulate it on 50 years of service to thousands and thousands of local families. Its mission is to help children acquire a positive attitude toward school and learning, and it achieves this by providing a warm and nurturing learning environment where children can explore and experiment to develop a feeling of self-worth and independence.

I thank the staff, volunteers, parents, and board of directors for their dedication over the last half-century. I know all members will want to join me in congratulating the St. Thomas the Apostle Nursery School on this incredible milestone and wish it every success for the next 50 years.

[Petitions, May 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I rise today to table a petition regarding the former Bill C-51. Although the petitioners are from southern Ontario and not from my immediate riding of Ottawa South, I am tabling this petition on their behalf.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, two reports of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Respecting its participation.

The first is on the executive committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the High-Level Group on counterterrorism and violent extremism in Geneva, Switzerland, February 3 to 6, 2018.

The second is on the the meeting of the 12+ Group Steering Committee in Lisbon, Portugal on March 4 and 5, 2018.

[Petitions, April 27th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I rise today to table a second petition regarding Gatineau Park. The petition was organized by CPAWS, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and was signed by many local residents. I am pleased to table this petition, and I look forward to the government's response.

[The War Amps, April 27th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, since 1918, The War Amps has made a tremendous contribution by improving the lives of countless Canadians. Headquartered in my riding of Ottawa South, it relies on donations from the public through its key tag service, which was started by war amputees in 1946. To date, more than 1.5 million sets of lost keys have been reunited with their relieved owners.

In 2018, The War Amps is celebrating its 100th anniversary. To mark this milestone, The War Amps recently unveiled a Canada Post commemorative envelope. The envelope depicts how The War Amps has been a special part of Canada's history and showcases how the key tags have evolved over the years.

I know all members will want to join me in congratulating The War Amps on 100 years of terrific service and wishing it every continued success.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1, April 23rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I really want to commend my colleague from Pontiac. I had the privilege of chairing the national capital region caucus, which embraces his riding. It is a very beautiful place, but as he mentioned in his speech, there are a lot of needs, and there are a lot of folks who are on the edge, so to speak.

I want to ask him specifically about the Canada child benefit. Recently, I came across a constituent in tears in my riding, who said to me that without the Canada child benefit, she, a single mother of two, would not be receiving an additional $9,000 a year of tax-free support. We are trying as best we can to help eliminate the scourge of poverty. We are trying to reach up and meet the sustainable development goals, one of which is to leave no one behind. That is something very important. I believe that only a foolish society would let people slip further and further behind.

I want to ask my colleague how he feels about the Canada child benefit in the context of his beautiful riding of Pontiac and its needs.

[Petitions, March 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36 I rise today to table a petition regarding the beautiful Gatineau Park.

The petition was organized by CPAWS, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and is signed by dozens of local residents. I am pleased to table a petition and I look forward to the government's response.

[Petitions, February 28th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am tabling today my first electronic petition, petition e-1220, on the subject of project proposals for the disposal of radioactive waste and regarding future environmental assessment regulations. I would like to thank my constituent Lynn Jones for her tremendous leadership on this important initiative.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, January 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, a report of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union respecting its participation at the 137th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and related meetings in St. Petersburg, Russia, from October 14 to 18, 2017.

[Ottawa South, December 1st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, things are really cooking in my riding of Ottawa South. Last week, I had the privilege of joining my municipal colleagues to open Ottawa's first-ever community kitchen at the Albion-Heatherington recreation centre. The kitchen is traditionally the heart of a home, but this kitchen will become the heart of the community.

Canada's 150th birthday is a terrific time to celebrate the places across the country that unite and connect us. I was delighted to announce our government's contribution of $176,000 through the Canada 150 community infrastructure program. This state-of-the-art kitchen will bring neighbours together to learn new cooking skills, understand the importance of healthy eating, and will help foster community engagement.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this very worthwhile project.