Iqra Khalid

[Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson, October 8th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2023-24 annual report of the Office of the Taxpayers' Ombudsperson, entitled “Fair Access to Service”.

[Foreign Affairs, October 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, one year ago, over 1,000 Israelis were killed in a terror attack by Hamas. Since then, Netanyahu's regime has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and victimized hundreds of thousands in the region. As long as this continues, so too does the harm in our Canadian communities.

Over the past year, our local synagogue has had to ask police for support during Shabbat and this past weekend during Rosh Hashanah. Palestinian Canadians who have lost entire generations of family members are afraid to grieve openly and continue to be targeted for their heritage. This is unacceptable.

No matter one's identity, people deserve to feel safe and to be able to grieve in our country. This is not a political issue; this is a humanity issue. If members in this House continue to make this tragic loss a partisan issue, we risk losing a part of our own humanity.

Today is a horrific anniversary for Jewish and Palestinian Canadians alike. Today is a day of grief.

[50th Anniversary of Mississauga, October 4th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, today I recognize that my beloved hometown, the city of Mississauga, turns 50 this year. From humble beginnings, Mississauga has grown into one of the largest cities in Canada. It is known as one of the most diverse cities, with over 60% of the population a visible minority.

At the heart of Mississauga's success are hard-working people dedicated to ensuring our community is vibrant and welcoming to people from all walks of life. It is an honour and a privilege to represent the residents of Mississauga in the House.

Here is one more thing we are especially proud of. Since “Hurricane Hazel” McCallion was elected in 1978, our city has been proudly led by women, Mayor Bonnie Crombie and now Mayor Carolyn Parrish, and we love it that way.

Here is to another 50 years for the city of Mississauga.

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot even begin to imagine the terror young kids and innocent civilians feel when they hear the bombs and when they feel the bullets whizzing by. Our foreign affairs minister has spent the past number of weeks and months trying to really get Canadians to disseminate the message to please come home while there is still a chance.

I know that our government will do everything possible to make sure Canadians are able to come home. I know that the minister has spent a lot of time over the past number of weeks with the United Nations General Assembly to really talk about the issue and to play the role Canada needs to play to ensure that it is not just the safety of the Canadians there right now that we can protect but also the safety of all those people in the region.

I encourage the member to let all her constituents know how to access the resources available through the Government of Canada.

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important that we as parliamentarians, who deal with our constituents and have access to our constituents on a regular basis, do encourage them and their family members who are impacted in the region to come home as quickly as they can.

There are resources through the Government of Canada's website and the foreign affairs website, and all parliamentarians have access to that information. I think the more we can do to disseminate that information, to proactively encourage people to come back home if they are willing and able to, the better it is for all of us. That duty rests on all members of the House.

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I think that we as parliamentarians here in the House have an opportunity to express what our constituents express to us. We are representatives of our constituents.

The positions of our constituents are no different than the position of the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada is trying to find peace in a very difficult situation for so many different people. Whether it is providing humanitarian aid in the region or trying to build relationships, we are trying to work for humanity, and I look forward to working with the member on ensuring that all Canadians are kept safe.

[Situation in Lebanon and Israel, October 1st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a really heavy heart, but understanding how important it is for us to have this debate today to shed light on what is the living reality of millions of people in the Middle East. As we announce $10 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon and as I watch our government work really hard to try to make sure there is de-escalation and that we are finding a way forward to peace, I cannot help but think about a town hall I held in my riding over the summer. It was a round table on anti-Palestinian racism. Throughout the summer, I have continued to meet with Canadians of Middle Eastern decent, of Jewish decent. Throughout this whole process, one thing has stood out to me. It is the fear expressed by some residents, who are not Palestinian, that this war would escalate and draw in other nations in the Middle East, and that soon, no one would be safe. We are witnessing that escalation right now.

These indiscriminate attacks against the people of Lebanon, regardless of the intent to target terrorist Hezbollah, will only bring more war and more death to the region. They will endanger the lives of the people of Lebanon. Netanyahu's violence is now bringing retaliatory strikes that will lead to injury and death of the people of Israel as well.

Next week will mark an entire year of watching Netanyahu's campaign of violence against the people of Palestine in Gaza and the West Bank. It has been one year of death and violence and famine for over a million innocent Palestinian people. It has been one year since a raid by the terrorist group Hamas killed over 1,000 Israeli people and took hundreds hostage, some of whom have died, while others remain in captivity. What we have watched in the year since is a disproportionate, brutal and inhumane slaughter of innocent lives. It is not a targeted strike, but collective punishment for an entire culture for the actions of specific, extremist people. We have seen, and Netanyahu's regime has made it clear, that they do not see any difference between a terrorist aggressor and an innocent child playing in the street. There is no difference between the terrorist and the innocent and that all must be eliminated. This is how they spoke of Palestine and now how they speak of Lebanon.

We do not tolerate this type of behaviour from any nation. We must hold our friends to that same standard. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression and protest are protected, but we must ensure that we do not conflate fair criticism of the actions of Netanyahu and his regime in Israel with how it manifests within communities in Canada. Constituents in my riding have told me quite frankly that this concept of de-escalation through escalation is nonsense. It is warmongering, plain and simple.

I stood in the House six months ago and said that Canada is a friend to the people of Israel, but that does not mean that we must support or defend Netanyahu and his regime's horrific actions. Since then, Netanyahu has continued to slaughter Palestinians in Gaza and invaded the West Bank settlements and has now forged ahead another war with the people of Lebanon in the name of destroying terrorist Hezbollah.

This endless cycle of violence and attack has lasted 75 years, and it has achieved nothing. The people of Palestine still live under oppression. The people of Israel and Lebanon still live in fear of rockets and air strikes. Extremism continues to grow and inflict terror, and we are no closer to peace in the Middle East. This way has not worked for 75 years and is not going to start working now.

Canada has to be a voice for peace, because this constant war, fear of attacks and inhumane living need to end for the good of the people of Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and all those who call the Middle East home.

As I said, I spent the summer talking to my constituents and learning from them. One of the biggest, most tragic moments I experienced was learning about immediate family members who have suffered. My constituents have lost their loved ones to this indiscriminate punishment. They are not terrorists. They are innocent people trying to live their lives. Entire generations have been wiped out.

I want to share some of the emails I have received from my constituents about this. The grief, dismay and anger are very real. Everybody in this chamber understands how they would feel if their loved ones were going through the same situation.

A constituent wrote, “Words are not enough to capture my sadness and disappointment when hearing about Israel's escalation in Lebanon that has already killed hundreds and injured thousands more. Through nearly a year of genocide in Gaza, we have learned that Israel does not value civilian life or infrastructure and instead wants to make its border regions unlivable for all Arab peoples.”

Another email stated, “My concerns are amplified when I hear that Canada continues to allow weapons transfers to Israel despite its war crimes and violations of international law in both Palestine and Lebanon, as well as its assassinations in Iran. To date, Canada has only suspended 30 out of over 250 active permits for weapons being shipped to Israel. This comes on the heels of the disturbing revelation that many Canadian companies are sneaking weapons to Israel through the U.S.”

There are a lot of concerns from constituents, not just mine but from across the country, who share their viewpoints on all sides of this. People are sharing how afraid they are of this war manifesting here within our communities in Canada. We are obligated, as Canadian parliamentarians, not just to ensure that Canadians are getting the correct information but also to ensure we continue to build bridges, to work hard and to make sure Canada lives up to its record and reputation of being a peacekeeper at home and abroad. We are a multicultural society, a mosaic that believes in diversity being our strength, and it is our strength.

The common ground between all of us is that we are all human. It does not matter what religion we are part of. It does not matter what creed we are or what colour our skin is. At the end of the day, human life is human life, whether it is in Israel, Palestine or Lebanon. We, as Canadians, need to do more. We need to ensure we build those bridges among Canadians and also among the world at large.

As I have done over the past couple of months, I will use my last minute to ask my constituents and all Canadians who are in Lebanon right now to please come home. It is not safe. We are here to provide support. I encourage those who are watching to reach out to their local members of Parliament, including me, to ensure they understand and have the support they need in this really difficult time we are all facing, not just as Canadians but as human beings all around the world.

I pray for peace, I pray for those who have been lost in this war and I pray that we find our humanity one more time.

[Points of Order, September 26th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on the same point of order that I raised a couple of days ago. The standing order specifically is Standing Order 116. That standing order was put in place with the express purpose of protecting the rights of committee members to participate in debate on motions before those motions are put to a vote. It does not matter if the chair claims he did not see my hand. The point of the matter is that my hand was raised and the onus was on the chair to canvass the room and make sure he was fulfilling his obligation as chair to ensure that debate had actually come to a complete conclusion.

The standing order in question is in place to protect the rights of members to speak to a motion before it is voted on, regardless of whether the chair accidentally or on purpose does not acknowledge the request of the member to speak. It is designed as a fail-safe to protect members. The onus is on the chair of committees to confirm there are no members wanting to participate in the debate before the question is called.

Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to add that to my original point of order.

[Vehicle Theft, September 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about an issue that is very important to the residents of Mississauga—Erin Mills: the concern of auto theft and its impact on the lives of my constituents. That is why the Liberal government is working across jurisdictions to enact real solutions to crack down on auto theft and make our communities safer.

Our national auto theft summit in February led to a national action plan, enhanced detection at major ports and stronger collaboration with local police. It is thanks to these collective efforts that auto thefts decreased by 17% in the first six months of 2024. This success is due in no small part to our local police forces, and I want to particularly highlight Chief Nishan Duraiappah, Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich and Peel Regional Police officers for their incredible efforts to arrest criminals and recover stolen vehicles through project odyssey and more initiatives. This is what real action looks like.

[Points of Order, September 23rd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order; specifically, it relates to Standing Orders 116(2)(a) and 116(2)(b). This is in relation to events that took place earlier today at the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

I understand that the Speaker does not normally become involved with the business of committees, but there are occasions when the Speaker has intervened. I think this may be one of those occasions.

During debate on a motion today in committee, my hand was up to speak prior to the vote being called, but the chair called the vote regardless. I immediately indicated that my hand was up to speak, but the chair ignored my request and proceeded to a vote. This exchange can be found in the videos of today's meeting.

As you know, Madam Speaker, Standing Order 116(2)(a) states:

Unless a time limit has been adopted by the committee or by the House, the Chair of a standing, special or legislative committee may not bring a debate to an end while there are members present who still wish to participate. A decision of the Chair in this regard may not be subject to an appeal to the committee.

Standing Order 116(2)(b) states:

A violation of paragraph (a) of this section may be brought to the attention of the Speaker by any member and the Speaker shall have the power to rule on the matter. If, in the opinion of the Speaker, such violation has occurred, the Speaker may order that all subsequent proceedings in relation to the said violation be nullified.

The exchange that happened in committee can be seen on video; not only this, but the rules of the House also apply at committee. In the House, we take members at their word. I state categorically that my hand was up to speak to the motion and that I had indicated it to the chair before the vote.

I would respectfully ask that the Speaker look into this, deem that the proceedings on the motion be nullified and allow the debate to continue so that I am able to speak, as I had indicated my desire to do so.