Lois Brown

[Rise in anti-Semitism, February 24th, 2015]

Mr. Chair, I found it a little cool in here, so I went out to the lobby to grab my scarf. Perhaps it is serendipitous that I am wearing this one tonight because I call this my scarf of many colours. Maybe it is indicative that we stand in solidarity with our Jewish friends.

I am always very proud when I am able to have Seder dinner with my very good friends, Sam Goldstein and his wife, Shelly, or with my good friends Julius and Etta Suraski. It is always a pleasure when I am able to spend Second Seder with my good friends Carla and Robin Silver in Richmond Hill. It has been an education for me. They are always evenings of great delight and enjoyment, not only with food but also fellowship and new cultural experiences for me.

When I was first elected, I was part of an inquiry panel chaired by my good friend from Leeds—Grenville. It was a great investigation that we undertook. I will note from our report some comments by Rabbi Bulka. I have read this report several times through and I always come back to one part where he said:

How do we counter antisemitism? To me, the very simple answer is teach, teach, teach.... We need to create foot soldiers, and those foot soldiers are the children of the next generation. We owe it to them. We owe it to the legacy of our founding fathers and mothers that children going through any elementary or high school system will have been so inoculated against hate by the time they get to university that when they see it, they will reject it.

Could my colleague comment on his experience of how we can bring this education into our school curriculum so that as the rabbi said, children will recognize this as hatred and reject it?

[Charity Hockey Game, February 23rd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, February 15 was an exciting day in Newmarket—Aurora. Not only was it the 50th birthday of Canada's national flag, it was also the Battle of York charity hockey game between the Newmarket Hurricanes and the Aurora Tigers.

The annual matchup between the junior A hockey club rivals, hosted by the Newmarket Hurricanes, has raised an impressive $111,000 to date. Dozens of individuals donated their time and resources to make the Battle of York 2015 one of the most successful yet. This year's proceeds will go toward the cancer centre at Southlake Regional Health Centre.

It was a thrilling game, played during this Year of Sport in Canada. With hundreds of fans cheering players on both sides, it was more than just a game; it was sport at its finest, bringing hockey lovers and community together together for a tremendous cause.

I congratulate all the players involved and to the Newmarket Hurricanes and the Aurora Tigers junior A hockey clubs on a job well done.

[International Development, February 20th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for that question. Indeed, the conference is coming up in March in Kuwait. We are still in consideration of whether or not the minister is going to attend that. However, I can tell the House that Canada has been one of the largest donors. It is the third-largest donor to the World Food Programme, helping the people of Syria and helping the people who are most vulnerable.

We will continue to assess the situation with our allies and continue to work with our partners.

[Taxation, February 16th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, while the NDP and Liberals want to impose a job-killing carbon tax, our Conservative government is delivering the largest tax break in Canadian history.

Under our plan, 100% of families with children will have more money in their pockets to spend on their priorities as a family. Through our new tax breaks, the average benefit for each of these families will be more than $1,100.

We assured Canadians that we would lower taxes and put more of their hard-earned money back in their pockets. This is exactly what we are doing, and will continue to do.

[Taxation, December 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the new initiatives recently announced by our Prime Minister, every single family with children under 18 will benefit from our government's new measures to assist Canadian families.

Our family tax cut will benefit every family with kids by an average of $1,100 per year. Soon families in my riding of Newmarket—Aurora will receive just under $2,000 annually per child under the age of six. When added up, a family with five children will receive nearly $60,000 by the time their children turn six years old.

However, the Liberal leader ensured that he will take that money away from families and put it into administration, including the creation of new tax hikes.

We will never let that happen. Our government will continue to make life affordable for hard-working Canadians.

[Taxation, December 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, moms and dads should be able to make the important decisions that affect their own children. That is why our new family tax cut will give 100% of families with kids an average of more than $1,100 per year to spend on their own priorities. The majority of benefits flow to low- and middle-income families.

Our government trusts parents to invest in their children, but both opposition parties are against putting money back into the pockets of hard-working families. In fact, the Liberals have said they will reverse our tax cuts.

On this side of the House, we will not hike taxes, as the Liberals and the NDP propose to do; rather, we are proud to ensure that mom and dad have the final say in where their money is going.

[International Development, December 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it was a great weekend for Canada as one of our own was elected to lead la Francophonie. It was also an opportunity to highlight our government's continued leadership on maternal, newborn, and child health.

On the margins of la Francophonie summit, the Prime Minister announced an enormously important contribution that will enable the immunization of an additional 300 million children, and it aims to save the lives of up to six million.

This announcement signals Canada's continued leadership in global efforts to improve the lives and the health of moms and babies.

[International Development, December 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, under our government we as a country pay what we pledge. We are the third largest contributor to the situation in Syria and Iraq, and we will continue to examine ways that we can help more.

We are very concerned about the situation for the Syrian refugees. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that assistance gets there.

[International Development, December 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, what the United Nations actually said is that the problem really is that countries who have promised money are not actually paying. However, I am pleased to inform the House that Canada is the third largest donor to the World Food Programme and we are all paid up.

Nevertheless, we are very concerned about the reports today of a shortage at the World Food Programme and are urgently examining ways that Canada can continue to help with additional assistance to the World Food Programme and those affected populations in the region.

[Veterans' Week, November 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, during Veterans' Week, I encourage everyone in Newmarket—Aurora and, indeed, across Canada to remember those who defend our shared values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

Newmarket residents may pay their respects on November 9, at the Newmarket remembrance parade and ceremony. The march begins at 1:30 p.m. along Doug Duncan Drive to the cenotaph at D'Arcy Street for the official laying of the wreaths. There is also the Newmarket Veterans Association Remembrance Day service November 11, at the Newmarket Cemetery, at 10:30 a.m.

Aurorans can pay tribute November 9 at the Aurora legion's Remembrance Day parade. Marching off at 10:30 a.m. from Williams high school, the procession will end at the Aurora Cenotaph for a remembrance service. A service will also take place at the cenotaph on November 11, at 11 a.m.

These are just some of the ways we can remember the heavy price that has been paid to defend our cherished way of life.

Lest we forget.