Kate Young

[Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers Recipient, May 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge Beverley Thomson, a London West resident and recipient of the Governor General's Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers. As an official Canadian honour, the medal for volunteers recognizes the exceptional volunteer achievements of Canadians from across the country.

Beverley Thomson has spent many years helping those suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. She was a founding member of Westover Treatment Centre in Thamesville and executive director of St. Stephen's House, a recovery home for men in London. After decades of devotion to get local and affordable treatment programs in place for people battling alcohol and drug dependency, Bev Thomson is still championing addiction awareness today.

I thank Beverley for the lives she has touched and for all that she has done for southwestern Ontario. Her selflessness and dedication to service are truly an inspiration.

[Science and Research, March 29th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be proud that the world is once again looking to Canada as a leader in science. Top scientists and researchers from around the world want to come to Canada.

Last week, the Conservatives voted against investing to recruit the best and the brightest. We know that science and research help improve the lives of Canadians. Therefore, the member for Don Valley North and the Liberal caucus voted for that funding. This morning, we were proud to announce the Canada 150 research chairs. We look forward to their exciting new breakthroughs.

[Science and Research, March 29th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians can be proud that the world is once again looking to Canada as a leader in science. Top scientists and researchers from around the world want to come to Canada. Last week—

[Governor General's Award, March 29th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to take the time to congratulate Wyn Geleynse on being a recipient of the 2018 Governor General's Award in visual and media arts. These awards celebrate the remarkable careers of individuals in the Canadian visual and media arts community.

Wyn Geleynse is a London, Ontario artist whose work provokes, questions, and investigates the nature of our humanity. His work has been exhibited widely in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and will be on exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada beginning today. His is an incredible 40-year long career that deserves to be known and appreciated.

I applaud Wyn Geleynse for being one of the eight recipients this year receiving this prestigious award. I know his work will continue to engage and inspire audiences around the world.

[Let's Talk Science, February 12th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, scientists around the world mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. That is why, today, I would like to recognize the good work of Let's Talk Science, a national organization in my riding of London West.

Let's Talk Science gives youth the opportunity to see into the lives of real Canadians working in science, technology, engineering and math, otherwise known as STEM. They have 3,500 student volunteers at 45 universities and colleges across Canada, and over 60% of them are women. These young women work to actively make a difference as role models across the country.

Let's Talk Science works hard to engage and empower women and girls in the STEM fields, and I commend its work as it continues to inspire the next generation of female scientists.

[Science and Technology, February 9th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Scarborough—Agincourt for her hard work promoting Canada's AI strategy.

Our government is committed to supporting research and innovation to grow our economy and improve the lives of Canadians. We are building on Canada's international leadership in artificial intelligence by investing $125 million in a pan-Canadian strategy that is helping attract international investment, recruit and retain world-leading talent in Canada, and create new well-paying jobs for Canadians.

Centred around Canada's leading scientists who are working with industry partners and universities, our approach will help ensure all Canadians benefit from the exciting opportunities of this innovative sector.

[Canada Labour Code, January 29th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all our colleagues today for the very moving speeches about this very important topic. I know our staff members are very busy, but I hope they are able to hear what has been said in debate so they can see how important this is and know that harassment in this workplace, in any form, is unacceptable.

I remember when I was a young woman just getting into journalism. Back 45 years ago, we were told that if we wanted to work in a man's world we had to put up with almost everything. We did, and it was wrong. It was wrong in so many ways. We all have stories over the years of things we have had to put up with, but as the saying goes, “time is up” and we must move forward.

We cannot wait for the bill to go through. We must act now. Does the member have any advice as to what we can do now in our workplaces to ensure our employees feel safe?

[Science, November 24th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, well after a decade of neglect, our government is working to restore Canadian science. We started by unmuzzling our scientists, and then made historic investments, including $2 billion in research infrastructure and the largest investment in fundamental science in a decade.

Now we are taking action on fundamental science review recommendations and launching the Canada Research Coordinating Committee to improve coordination of the granting councils, and capping the tier 1 renewals for the Canada research chairs to ensure new opportunities for young researchers.

[Cannabis Act, November 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for raising that issue and for talking about the gateway drug.

Prior to getting into politics, I worked for a school board, and we would talk quite often about drugs in schools and how to combat them. It was very difficult. I was concerned about what schools my children were going to. I was hoping they would be in a school where there were no drugs. This was when my children were young. I spoke to both a trustee and one of the superintendents of that school. It was disheartening to hear them say that there are drugs in all schools.

That was years ago, and it has not gone away. If people think they can make sure their young people are not faced with this issue, they are really mistaken. Unfortunately, young people are getting drugs from people who have nothing but their own interests in mind. They want to make money, and they are making money illegally. The best thing for us to do is to legalize cannabis and make sure that we provide strategic education to make sure that our young people know the risks involved.

[Cannabis Act, November 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the member's point is well taken. We do need to educate, and we are doing that today. We need to make sure that our young people get the information, because the way they receive information is a lot different from how we used to receive information. We are going to start now in the House as we debate this legislation. We are going to talk about it.

We thank the Canadian Nurses Association for getting involved in this education campaign. We agree that we need to do even more, and that is why our government is committed to spending millions of dollars to educate people across Canada.