House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2019, with 43% of the vote.
Government Appointments April 7th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, our government has adopted an appointment process that supports the recruitment and selection of high calibre candidates, that is open and transparent, merit-based and reflects Canada's diversity, including gender balance. These are eminently qualified individuals from legal, financial, community and academic backgrounds, and we are very pleased they have accepted these appointments.
The Environment April 3rd, 2017
Madam Speaker, as I said earlier, improving marine safety and formalizing an oil tanker moratorium are indeed priorities of this government. The minister and his officials travelled across the country from Haida Gwaii to Iqaluit to St. John's to hear Canadians' perspectives in their own communities and territories on an oil tanker moratorium and improving marine safety. He met with stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, other levels of government, and indigenous groups to listen and gather input. All of this is to say that we have worked very hard to make sure all the voices were heard.
We are delivering on these priorities by investing in long-needed coastal protections under the oceans protection plan and we will be introducing moratorium legislation later this year. These initiatives will make our coastlines safer, more vibrant, and better protected.
The Environment April 3rd, 2017
Madam Speaker, this plan will create a world-leading marine safety system, including new preventive and response measures to better protect our waters and coasts; restore and protect marine ecosystem and habitats; and strengthen partnerships with indigenous communities.
For example, we are going to ensure the Canadian Coast Guard has the equipment and tools it needs to better protect our waterways. That means more rescue stations and towing capacity to respond more quickly and effectively to save lives and protect the environment. We will also be supporting new and better methods for cleaning up oil spills, building local emergency response capacity, and strengthening our ability to move goods and resources safely.
On November 29, 2016, we also announced that the government is delivering on its commitment to Canadians to formalize a moratorium on crude oil tanker traffic on British Columbia's north coast. The Minister of Transport will be introducing legislation this year in order to provide a higher level of environmental protection for the Canadian coastline around Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait, and Queen Charlotte Sound. The moratorium area extends from the Canada-U.S. border in the north down to the point on B.C.'s mainland adjacent to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, and this also includes Haida Gwaii.
The moratorium will apply to the shipment of crude oil as defined by the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, but it will also apply to persistent oil products that are heavier and, when spilled, break up and dissipate slowly. These new initiatives will help us be better prepared and equipped to protect these sensitive coastal waters.
The Environment April 3rd, 2017
Madam Speaker, improving marine safety and formalizing an oil tanker moratorium on British Columbia's north coast are indeed priorities of this government.
On November 7, 2016, Prime Minister Trudeau announced the oceans protection plan. This comprehensive national plan is an investment of $1.5 billion over five years in long-needed coastal protections. This plan—
Operation UNIFIER March 20th, 2017
Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his question, because it is absolutely key to how we address situations like this in the future. It is not good enough just to talk about defence or just to talk about development or just to talk about diplomacy; we need all three pieces of the puzzle.
Thinking that there is just a military solution to this is a tad naive. We need to go past that. We need to plan a longer-term vision for the country and then bring all those resources, whether it is diplomacy, whether it is defence, whether it is development, to the fore and coordinate them so that we have a rational plan and a rational rollout on the ground.
Having a fragmented, uncoordinated approach has posed a problem in the past. I think we are doing a very good job to avoid that same challenge.
Operation UNIFIER March 20th, 2017
Mr. Chair, as I mentioned during my speech, there are advantages to being part of a team, to having a coordinated long-term vision and the idea that a team can work together to maximize and rationalize all the support and effort that it is putting forward. That is why this kind of teamwork approach, a multinational approach, is exactly the right one going forward to make sure that all of the effort is not just in one sector, that it is equally shared, and that each nation gets to provide those pieces of that puzzle that they are most efficient at.
Moving forward, it is this teamwork that is really going to make the difference in the long term.
Operation UNIFIER March 20th, 2017
Mr. Chair, I would like to reiterate that from the experience and training I have had in the past, I know that one of the keys to providing long-term stability in a country is to understand the networks of women. That is one of the reasons that a great deal of our developmental aid is focused on women. It is because once the fighting is done, it is the women who will knit these countries back together.
We are not only looking at where we are today, but we are trying to look to the longer term and look at not only defence but also at diplomacy and development. It is that very collaborative, co-operative, coordinated approach that will ultimately bring Ukraine back to a state of peace in the long term.
Operation UNIFIER March 20th, 2017
Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the member for Montarville for generously splitting his time with me tonight. I will build upon what he has already spoken this evening.
To assist Ukraine in driving its ambitious reform efforts forward, Canada helped the Government of Ukraine develop key reform plans, following the revolution of dignity, including constitutional, electoral, judicial, social policy, and health plans, under the rubric of the multinational joint commission. In addition, Canada deployed 80 technical experts to key government ministries to support the implementation of these reforms, and is continuing to provide this technical assistance as specific needs are identified.
For example, recognizing the risk that corruption poses to the overall progress of reforms, economic growth, and security in the country, Canada played a key role in advancing political finance legislation, which contributed to the establishment of the national agency for the prevention of corruption and the national anti-corruption bureau of Ukraine, two critical anti-corruption institutions.
Now, let us talk about media. Given the critical importance of independent and quality media for a successful democratic society, Canada supported the development of investigative journalism, which has already resulted in the dismissal of a dozen high-level bureaucrats involved in cases of alleged corruption. We also continue to build the capacity of media to resolve important policy issues, particularly related to Ukraine's conflict-affected population, promoting social cohesion, and tolerance. Canada has also helped institutionalize gender policies in targeted media outlets, which directly correlates to 100% of content being free of gender stereotypes and discrimination.
Having witnessed a significant surge in women's activism and civic movement during the revolution of dignity and women's response to the conflict in the east, including in volunteer combat roles, Canada emphasizes the importance of gender equality and women's empowerment for Ukraine's economic and social development. For instance, a past report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Europe listed Canada as the fourth largest donor to gender equality and women's empowerment, with Ukraine being one of the top 10 recipients of Canada's gender equality focused aid.
Canada has also strengthened women's political participation by improving the electoral environment and political party development, including through the women's leadership academy.
More than 65% of the participants trained by Canada applied its newly acquired knowledge during the October 2015 local elections, by running for local office or by working on local election campaigns.
Canada also promotes the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, including through the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement, ratified by the Ukrainian parliament in March of 2017. Canada's development assistance strengthens the capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises in Ukraine to be able to take advantage of increased trade flows between Canada and Ukraine, and the European Union. Small and medium-sized enterprises were severely affected by the war with Russia. They are less resilient than larger companies and therefore are in need of assistance to transition to the European and Canadian markets.
With Ukraine being called the bread basket of Europe, with its rich black soils, Canada provides significant support to introduce innovative, profitable, and environmentally sustainable practices to the agricultural sector.
Undertaking a comprehensive, sector-wide approach, Canada supported the development of the draft law on agricultural co-operatives and established a new master's program on co-operative management at two Ukrainian universities. For the first time, two regional unions of agriculture service co-operatives were created, improving the competitiveness of over 5,000 small-scale farmers. With the agricultural sector being dominated by men, Canada also specifically targeted and supported women-led farms, creating over 300 women-led businesses. We will continue to ensure that the empowerment of women and girls remains a key component in the support we provide.
Due to the complexity and increasingly protracted nature of the crisis in Ukraine, both humanitarian and longer-term development assistance focusing on democratic development and inclusive and environmentally sustainable growth will remain a cornerstone of our assistance to Ukraine.
National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act March 20th, 2017
It is always a balancing act, Mr. Speaker. It is about finding that best compromise, about trying to build that consensus.
The member is right that people do not get everything they want, but what we came up with is a compromise that would best suit Canada, that would best balance the need for national security oversight with rights and values and freedoms. We must remember that this legislation will be reviewed again in five years and that we will have learned lessons in those five years. There will be opportunities to improve if such improvements are needed.
This is just step one. There are many more steps ahead of us.
National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act March 20th, 2017
Mr. Speaker, we have missed having a committee that could do this kind of parliamentary oversight in terms of national security. What we have proposed is a committee that would be effective in being able to review and oversee national security. It is balanced. It is responsive to the security situation. It would be much less partisan, by virtue of what is at stake. It is a made-in-Canada solution, and I believe that is absolutely essential. Also, when we look at what we want to do with this committee, which is to keep Canada safe and at the same time protect our values, our rights, and our freedoms, we have hit the right balance.