Jinny Sims

[Public Safety, May 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, residents in Surrey are worried about their safety and gang violence continues to reach crisis levels. It is time for the government to stop stalling. Photo ops and recycled re-announcements will not cut it. The Conservatives' re-announcement will have no immediate impact. The community needs boots on the ground now. Surrey residents are waiting to hear clear timelines from the government about when additional boots will be on the ground.

Will the minister please tell us how soon the new RCMP officers will arrive in Surrey?

[Public Safety, May 14th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, a government that has a majority complaining it has not taken action. That is what our constituents want. They want safer streets, more youth gang prevention programs and they want the government to immediately approve the 100 new RCMP officers that the city and province have requested. There were 30 shootings in two months. Enough is enough.

The Conservatives cannot ignore this crisis any longer. Will the minister make a clear commitment today for 100 new RCMP officers and tell us exactly when they will arrive?

[Public Safety, May 14th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the people in our community do not want to hear more excuses from this majority Conservative government. They want action—

[Petitions, May 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is also from my constituents in Surrey, Newton and North Delta.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to make reuniting families a central priority in Canada's immigration system. They feel the government's two-year freeze on reunification applications for parents and grandparents was a misguided response to growing backlogs and that it weakened Canadian communities.

New Democrats agree that we should focus on family reunification to strengthen our communities and our economy by making Canada a more welcoming place for immigrants from around the world.

[Petitions, May 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions today. The first one is from my constituents in Surrey, Newton and North Delta.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to create a ministry for people with disabilities and mental health issues. Of those with mental health issues, only one-third who need services in Canada actually receive them.

The petitioners feel that creating a ministry for those people would build a healthier harm reduction solution that is much needed. New Democrats recognize the importance of ensuring that Canadians who are living with mental illness have access to the supports they need.

[Child Care, May 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the government talks about real Canadian families. Let me tell members that they are wanting affordable child care spaces. This past weekend, parents in Vancouver marched to demand more affordable child care. They are paying as much as $15,000 a year for child care, and they are fed up. The Liberals and the Conservatives have no plan to make child care more affordable, but the NDP will create child care spaces that will cost no more than $15 a day.

Why not listen to parents and adopt the NDP plan?

[Child Care, May 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is real Canadian families that are calling for regulated child care space. It is child care week and all across the country--

[Child Care, May 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, there are more than one million children without a regulated child care space. That is nothing to be proud of.

It is child care week, and across this country, moms and dads are participating in stroller brigades, picnics, pop-up play groups, and kitchen table conversations calling for more affordable child care. Parents are tired of paying fees that break the household budget.

Will the government listen and adopt the NDP plan to provide affordable child care at no more than $15 a day?

[Employment and Social Development, May 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, 80% of children do not have a space, and that government is congratulating itself for a job well done.

Across the country, child care is the single largest expense families face, more than food, clothing or a mortgage, yet the Conservatives and the Liberals have offered plans that will not create a single new affordable child care space.

Canadian parents are desperate for help. Why are Conservatives giving tax breaks to the wealthy few instead of helping parents by investing in affordable child care?

[Telecommunications, May 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, OMNI news was a key link for many new Canadians to each other, to their culture, to Canada, and to the Canadian way of life. Punjabi speakers in Surrey and across Canada are in shock.

News in Punjabi, Cantonese, or Mandarin engages new Canadians in our democracy. It builds bridges between our diverse cultures. OMNI's role is to foster multiculturalism. These cuts undermine the mandate the CRTC has given OMNI.

How will the government ensure that new Canadians who relied on OMNI stay connected and informed?