House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2025, with 56% of the vote.
Committees of the House November 3rd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the work that he does on behalf of veterans. I know we all care very much about this particular file.
I have to ask if the member is aware that there is a dedicated unit for the issue of francophone veterans who are coming back. There has been a significant increase in support in francophone areas, as well as a dedicated unit. Is he familiar with that? What are his thoughts on that dedicated unit, if he is aware of it?
Committees of the House November 3rd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate all of my colleagues in the House who sit at the veterans committee and do this important work.
Some years back, I was a critic and I had a great opportunity to learn about what was being provided and what was not being provided. I was quite appalled at the situation we were in. The fact that we are focusing on housing in this report, and that we are doing a concurrence motion, gives us a chance to talk about the good things we are doing and about where there are still unfilled gaps.
One of the programs that I helped create was called Helmets to Hardhats. I wonder if my colleague is familiar with it. It was specifically to help veterans position themselves when they came back to get into the construction industry, which had tremendous needs.
Could my colleague comment on that program?
Personal Protective Equipment Supplier November 1st, 2022
Mr. Speaker, we learned very early on in the COVID pandemic that masks save lives. As demand for life-saving masks spiked, we also learned valuable lessons about Canada’s supply chain for personal protective equipment. When COVID hit, we were not manufacturing medical-grade respirators in Canada, which were badly needed to protect our medical staff and essential workers. As Canadians do when faced with a challenge, we all got to work.
Today I want to thank 3M Canada and its employees for their incredible commitment to Canadians' health and well-being. During the heart of the pandemic, 3M Canada, with support from our government and the Province of Ontario, was able to increase the domestic manufacturing of critical N95 respirators right here in Brockville, Ontario. It continues to supply those masks today.
By manufacturing N95s here, 3M Canada has demonstrated true dedication to our country, to our frontline health care workers and essential workers, and to our economy, supporting good jobs across the country. Today I want to thank 3M and its employees for that.
Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act October 31st, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I agree that my hon. colleague's speech is not necessarily tied into Bill S-5, but all of it is extremely important. Bill S-5 is important, and all the comments my colleague has made are issues that we all have to be paying much more attention to than we have so far.
Certainly, at various committees, work is being done. I encourage the hon. member and I know how sincere she is with her concerns that at the committee level we will continue to work through some of these issues. However, I share concern on much of what she said about where we are going and whether we have enough time to get where we need to get with the concerns she has raised today.
Human Rights in Iran October 31st, 2022
Madam Speaker, on Saturday I joined the human chain in Toronto, holding hands with thousands of other Canadians across the country in solidarity with the Iranian people protesting for almost two months now. These ongoing rallies across Iranian cities and around the world demonstrate a great resistance to the suppression of democracy and human rights. I would like to acknowledge the tremendous courage, perseverance, sacrifice and selflessness of the Iranian people, who every day stand up against the Iranian regime, fighting for universal values of life and freedom.
The brutality of the regime in Iran has shown no limits. So far, hundreds of people have been killed and thousands have been arrested. We also see the Internet shutdown by the regime, accompanied by the non-stop disinformation and propaganda against dissidents and the opposition. However, mass rallies continue across Iran and around the globe.
The world shall not and cannot be silent. We all stand in solidarity with the Iranian people in their quest for freedom.
Committees of the House October 27th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to have the honour to present, on behalf of the international trade committee and in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, entitled “Canada–United States Relationship and its Impacts on the Electric Vehicle, Softwood Lumber and Other Sectors”.
Petitions October 24th, 2022
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to present this petition, especially following the discussion by my colleague on his concurrence motion pertaining to things that many of us in the House care about and would like to see an end to.
Canadian lawyer David Matas and former Canadian secretary of state for Asia-Pacific David Kilgour conducted an investigation and concluded that the Chinese regime and its agencies throughout China had put to death a large number, in the tens of thousands, of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience. Their vital organs were seized involuntarily for sale at a higher price. Therefore, the petitioners request the Canadian Parliament and government pass a resolution to establish measures to stop the Chinese Communist regime's crime of systemically murdering Falun Gong practitioners for their organs, to amend Canadian legislation to combat forced organ harvesting and to publicly call for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
World Sight Day October 4th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge October 13 as World Sight Day, reminding my colleagues in the House and every Canadian about the importance of eye health.
Unfortunately, we all take our eyesight for granted until it is often too late. There are 1.2 million Canadians who are currently blind or partially sighted and over eight million have an eye disease that puts them at risk for vision loss and blindness.
Losing one’s vision can be extremely physically and psychologically damaging. The impacts include increased risk of financial hardship, a loss of independence and mobility, an inability to live independently, to drive, to read or participate in physical activity, resulting in a loss of social interaction, which can often lead to depression and other mental illnesses. I ask my colleagues to simply close their eyes and ask how they would get out of this room.
I invite everyone in the House to come and have their eyes tested tonight, starting at 5 p.m., at the World Sight Day Hill reception that I have the honour of hosting at the Wellington Building, room 430. Everyone is welcome.
Human Rights in Iran September 27th, 2022
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to stand in solidarity with the people of Iran in the wake of the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, a beautiful 22-year-old woman who was arrested by the morality police on September 13. She was accused of violating the country’s strict codes on modest dress for women, and she was beaten to death while in detention.
Mahsa’s killing sparked a nationwide uprising that is continuing. Protests have spread to over 100 cities across Iran, demonstrating unprecedented solidarity among men and women, students and teachers, farmers and workers, and politicians, who are protesting side by side to demand accountability and justice.
No woman should be persecuted for choosing what to wear or standing up for her rights. Mahsa's murder is a symbol of 44 years of repression and brutality in Iran. Despite the Internet shutdown and the blocking of social media in the country, the uprising continues to this day. We stand, all of us, with the people of Iran, and we pray for them and their families. Godspeed to them.
Cost of Living Relief Act, No. 2 September 22nd, 2022
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his continued work in the House on behalf of all Canadians.
The whole issue of investing in people is an important part. We are investing in Canadians; we are not investing somewhere else. We are reinvesting tax dollars to help people have a better quality of life. When I think of the $10-a-day child care and why I am a huge supporter of that program, it is the fact that hundreds of single mothers have told me they cannot go anywhere or get an education because they cannot afford child care. Now their children are in child care and they are in school or getting jobs. They will not end up as seniors in poverty, because of having had access to these programs.