House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2025, with 18% of the vote.
Health October 28th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, Stephen Harper cut health care funding. The current Prime Minister maintained those cuts. As a result, long-term care facilities did not have the resources they needed during the first wave of COVID-19 and lives were lost.
Will the Prime Minister give us his word today that he will make sure they get the money they need to take care of our seniors?
Child Care October 27th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, Tunney's Pasture has a day care centre in Ottawa that is not for profit. Its landlord recently increased its rent to $14,000 a month, forcing this day care to close. However, here is the clincher. Guess who the landlord is. It is the Government of Canada. It is unbelievable that the government would allow this to happen. It really sucks when someone's day care centre shuts down in the middle of a pandemic.
Will the Prime Minister admit that his words on child care were, again, just empty promises?
Pharmacare October 27th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, today I met with FTQ leaders. They reiterated their demand for fully public universal pharmacare. They said that close to one million Quebeckers do not buy the medication they need because it costs too much.
Why is the Prime Minister dragging his heels instead of creating a fully public universal pharmacare program?
Indigenous Affairs October 26th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, for 25 years, the first nation of Neskantaga has not had access to clean drinking water. Five years ago, the Prime Minister promised all indigenous communities that they would have access to clean drinking water. Five years later the first nation of Neskantaga has had to evacuate during a pandemic. Will the Prime Minister admit today that this was just another empty promise that he had no intention of keeping?
Indigenous Affairs October 26th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, the Neskantaga First Nation has not had access to clean drinking water for 25 years. Five years ago, the Prime Minister promised clean drinking water to all indigenous communities. Five years have passed, and the people of Neskantaga have had to be evacuated during a pandemic because they do not have running water.
Will the Prime Minister admit today that he never intended to keep his promise?
Indigenous Affairs October 22nd, 2020
Mr. Speaker, what is happening right now in the Neskantaga First Nation is an example, a representation, of the abject failure of the government and the previous Conservative government to address a basic question of access to drinking water. The people of this community are being evacuated. Seniors are being evacuated. Chief Moonias describes the situation like this. He says, “Why is this not a public health emergency? Are we not important? Are we not human?”
When will the community get access to clean drinking water?
Indigenous Affairs October 22nd, 2020
Mr. Speaker, Neskantaga First Nation has not had clean drinking water for 25 years. Imagine not having access to clean water for 25 years. Residents do not have water to wash their hands or take a bath.
This is appalling. The Prime Minister promised clean water, but he has not kept that promise.
When will Neskantaga First Nation have access to clean drinking water?
Post-Secondary Education October 21st, 2020
Mr. Speaker, the entire WE scandal was based on trying to help students, and instead of helping students, the government helped its close friends at WE. Now it has become very clear that while students are struggling, while they are afraid, while they are worried, while they cannot pay their bills and while they are not sure if they will find jobs, the government would rather risk plunging our country into an election than help students.
Were they just empty words, as I said, when the Prime Minister promised to help students, or will the Prime Minister get to work and actually help those in need?
Post-Secondary Education October 21st, 2020
Mr. Speaker, the pandemic has created major challenges for students. Students are having a hard time paying tuition fees and finding work.
The Prime Minister promised $900 million to help students, but instead of helping them, he helped his good friends at WE Charity.
Would the Prime Minister rather trigger a federal election or help students who need help?
Lobster Fishery Dispute in Nova Scotia October 19th, 2020
Mr. Speaker, in response to that question, I ask a question of everyone in the House and to all Canadians who are listening. Imagine working in a community and a person's livelihood, what they rely on to put food on the table for their family and kids, is threatened by somebody. Those threats were specific: someone threatened to set fire to their place of work, where they earn a living for their family. What would the police response be? How would they feel if, after receiving that type of threat, being physically intimated and assaulted, their place of work was then set ablaze and they came to work and saw that it was destroyed?
That is what is going on here. It is absolutely an example of systemic racism in our policing. By the fact that the federal Liberal and Conservative governments have not acted to protect the Mi'kmaq people for over 21 years, they are also exhibiting the same behaviour of neglect and ignoring people who deserve respect and dignity, who fought for it and who won it in court but are not receiving it from governments.
This is a failure of the Liberal and Conservative governments, and that is why we are in this position right now.