Leah Taylor Roy

[Indigenous Affairs, December 4th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, on this 10th day of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, it is crucial to highlight that the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people is ongoing.

With the magnitude of this national tragedy, we must continue to work together on a comprehensive response and to addressing its root causes and the need for accountability.

Can the hon. Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations shed light on the specific actions the government is currently undertaking to address the ongoing crisis?

[Committees of the House, November 29th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I am also a member of the agriculture and agri-food committee, and I am very proud of Canadian farmers, having come from a farming family myself.

I want to ask the member opposite what she feels the impact of the increase in commodity prices has been, of oil and gas as well as grain, on food prices over the last several years. Do you feel that helping farmers to get off fossil fuels and adapt some of these new clean technologies, such as the hybrid heat pump drying system and the biomass-based heat pump systems, things being developed right to a commercial scale, would help farmers deal with these fluctuating oil and gas prices in the future?

[Peace Gathering in Richmond Hill, November 21st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend, I joined our community in Coming Together for Peace, a gathering hosted by Karen Dale of the Richmond Hill United Church. I would like to thank Doug Loweth and Marj Andre for organizing this evening. I would also like to thank Sarah Loretta Schuster of the Turtle Clan for the smudging and traditional hand drumming, pianist Barry Peters and violinist Nadine Bargout for the soulful music, and all the speakers and volunteers who rounded out the evening.

In candlelight, we came together to contemplate our common humanity through music, readings and times of silence. We gathered in response to the divisiveness and intense emotions in our community surrounding the war raging between Israel and Hamas. This beautiful evening brought together people of many faiths to focus on peace and have conversations to heal the divisions.

Change in a country begins with one person. We each have the power within ourselves to bring about massive change through immense love and peace within.

[Committees of the House, November 8th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite has been talking about trust quite a bit in his remarks. I am just curious why he thinks the Canadian people could trust the party opposite when we know the kinds of reckless ideas that they are putting forward, such as crypto, misogynistic hashtags, photos with illegal protesters, legislation that is trying to use backdoor methods to open up debate on a woman's right to choose, and all the other things that Canadians are very concerned about.

I just do not understand how the member could accuse this side of a lack of trust, when that party has been so reckless and is doing things which are of great risk to Canadians.

[Climate Change, November 8th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the planet is burning and 72% of Canadians are worried about climate change. Sadly, the Leader of the Opposition does not appear to be one of them. He stated that he will do nothing to reduce our emissions, nor work with the global community within the Paris accord to protect our future. In fact, just like Donald Trump, the Leader of the Opposition will take Canada out of the Paris accord.

The federal government is committed to net zero and has invested over $120 billion in a greener future. Will the government stand for future generations, unlike the reckless Conservatives with their—

[Help A Girl Out Program, November 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about an important issue that affects women and girls. It is an issue that is often shrouded in silence and shame: period poverty. It is the lack of access to sanitary products and facilities that prevent women and girls from participating in essential activities, like attending school, and has a profound impact on their futures. In Canada alone, 34% of women and girls have had to give up something else in their budget in order to afford menstrual products.

Today, I would like to highlight a champion: Yanique Brandford, founder and executive director of Help A Girl Out. Her reusable pad program is relieving period poverty sustainably. HAGO works with grassroots organizations, such as Compassionate York Region in my riding, that sew these reusable pads. Yanique has incredible community support. I was recently at a fundraiser. The federal Liberal government also helps, and I am so proud of that.

Period poverty is a barrier to female prosperity that needs to be addressed. I thank Yanique for tackling this global problem responsibly.

[Islamic History Month, October 30th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, as Islamic History Month comes to an end, I will be reflecting on it and indeed on history in general. My recent meetings with the Ismaili community at the Aga Khan Museum and Ismaili Centre allowed me to see first-hand the artistic, intellectual and scientific contributions of Islamic civilization throughout history. The celebration I joined with the Dawoodi Bohras community in our area also highlighted the overall human progress this Muslim community has made.

Islamic history is rich and varied, like the histories of all faiths, cultures and peoples. The brilliance and creativity of all beings create this history. At times it is for the common good and at other times it is not, because as humans we are both amazing and flawed.

As we write this next chapter of our history and histories, I pray that we will all join hands and work for the common good. Let us show that we have learned from the past and evolved. As Canadians, we must reach out to one another with understanding and acceptance to ensure that our actions create a chapter that we can all be proud of.

[Foreign Affairs, October 24th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I have heard from many constituents about their concerns regarding the recent events in the Middle East. Canada is a nation of peace and must do everything it can to find a way to end the bombardment of Gaza and the current conflict and continue to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those devastated by the violence.

Innocent Palestinians living in Gaza have the right to the essentials of life and the right to live in dignity. We support Israel in its drive to free hostages held by Hamas and to protect itself from further terrorist attacks within the limits of international and humanitarian law. At home, we must not entrench ourselves in positions pitted against one another. Reports of hate crimes, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia hurt us all. This is not the way to find peace and promote security, not in Israel and Palestine and certainly not here in Canada.

Peace be with us all. Shalom. Salaam.

[Corrections and Conditional Release Act, October 18th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I would like to change my vote on Bill C-325 from yea to nay.

[Persons Day, October 18th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, today is a special day for all of the women in this room and, indeed, across Canada. It is Persons Day.

On October 18, 1929, the Privy Council of England ruled that women are indeed persons under the law. This victory was the result of a long and courageous legal battle by Canadian women known as the Famous Five. This ruling allowed women to fully participate in political life. However, not all women were included. Indigenous, Black and Asian women were not included until much later, and women from diverse backgrounds faced discriminations that limited their ability to participate.

The struggle persists. Although we have made progress, women as a group, and, even more so, marginalized women, continue to be under-represented. Persons Day reminds us to continue the fight begun by the Famous Five until we achieve equal representation for all women and gender-diverse people, because there cannot be true democracy unless women's voices are clearly heard.