House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2021, with 50% of the vote.
Finance December 17th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, if Conservatives want to talk about feminism, then let us look at some facts and some policies that actually support women across this country, policies like $10-a-day child care and policies like the national action plan to end gender-based violence, which was actually supported in our latest economic statement.
The Conservatives, by the way, opposed every single one of these measures. On this side of the House, we will always support women. Who knows what is going on over there?
Finance December 17th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives keep bandying about the word “feminism”, but let us talk about tangible policies for women that are offered in the fall economic statement: $50 million to build more shelter spaces across this country and $15 million for women's organizations whose goal it is to end gender-based violence, as well as permanent funding for the sexual and reproductive health fund.
This is what it looks like to have the backs of women. Conservatives know nothing about that.
Finance December 13th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, if the Conservatives want to talk about feminism, here are some policies that our government has to support women across this country. There are such policies as $10-a-day child care, which has thousands of women who have gone back to the workforce because they can now do so, and the national action plan to end gender-based violence, which is helping women get true freedom from those who would hurt them and harm them, true freedom and autonomy over our bodies. The Conservatives have opposed every single measure we have put forward to help women in this country, and they continue to do so.
Finance December 13th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, we hear the word “feminist” being thrown around this place in the most disrespectful way, and it is rich that the Conservative Party claims to care about women. Maybe its members should stand up to their own leader, who contributes to the misogyny that increases hate towards women by embedding misogynistic hashtags into his YouTube videos. We will not take any lessons from the party across the aisle.
École polytechnique de Montréal December 6th, 2024
Madam Speaker, 35 years ago, Canada was shaken to its core when a horrific act of gender-based violence devastated our country. On December 6, 1989, a gunman walked into a classroom at École polytechnique de Montréal, separated the women from the men, and brutally opened fire on the women. He took the lives of 14 young women and wounded 13 more simply because they were women.
On the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, we mourn the heartbreaking loss of these young women, whose promising futures were stolen from them. Today, we remember Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz. These were 14 brilliant lives cut tragically short.
They were students, daughters, sisters, wives and friends. They were athletes, musicians, artists, future engineers, nurses and so much more. Each had unique talents and passions they never got to share, and we all missed out on what they could have contributed to their communities.
Although they are no longer with us, their memory and influence remain.
Thirty-five years later, these young women are still changing the course of history as we take action against gender-based violence. On this day, and throughout the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, we acknowledge that the misogyny, sexism and hatred that motivated the tragedy at Polytechnique remains very much a real threat for women in Canada and around the world.
From 2011 to 2021, 1,125 women and girls were victims of gender-related homicide. Of these homicides, 93% were committed by a male intimate partner or family member. While indigenous women account for approximately 5% of all women and girls in Canada, they accounted for 23% of victims of homicide in 2021. In 2023, 187 women and girls were killed violently in Canada. That is one woman every two days.
Gender-based violence leaves lasting scars that affect all aspects of survivors' being, including their health, finances and future. When it starts early, it can echo through generations, trapping women in cycles of violence. We must engage young boys so that they know what healthy relationships look like, so we can create a world where lasting gender equality exists. We must break these cycles and create a world where every woman can live free from fear and full of opportunity.
We need to create a world where there is no place for gender-based violence.
We must also recognize the relationship between femicide and gun violence. According to the Canadian Women's Foundation, the single greatest risk factor of intimate partner violence becoming lethal is the presence of a gun in the home. Our government has always taken the issue of gun control seriously. We have banned 1,500 assault weapons, including the gun that was used at École Polytechnique. Just yesterday, our government announced additional measures. We are banning 324 more makes and models of assault-style rifles to keep our streets safer.
Despite all the efforts over the last 35 years, we still have more to do, but we cannot do it alone. That is why we worked with provinces and territories to launch a national action plan to end gender-based violence and put in place bilateral agreements totalling more than $500 million over four years, allowing each jurisdiction to address their respective priorities and challenges. We owe it to every life taken too soon to take a stand and fight for a future free from gender-based violence.
As we continue to address gender-based violence, we honour the lives taken at École Polytechnique, and we commit to doing more for those most at risk, including young women, indigenous women, Black and immigrant women, gender-diverse individuals, women with disabilities and those in rural communities. Today and every day, let us remember that we all have a role to play in creating a future where all women can live free of violence.
Women and Gender Equality December 6th, 2024
Madam Speaker, it has been 35 years since the École Polytechnique massacre, where 14 women were gunned down simply because they were women. This tragedy reminds us why we must stand against gender-based violence, so we can prevent femicides.
The greatest risk for intimate partner violence becoming lethal is a gun in the home. That is why we have banned more than 1,500 assault-style weapons, including the type of gun that was used at École Polytechnique. Yesterday we banned an additional 324 types.
On this side of the House, we will always prioritize the safety of women.
Finance December 6th, 2024
Madam Speaker, we look forward to answering our colleagues' questions, but I do feel it is important to recognize the gravity of this day. It is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Thirty-five years ago, 14 women's lives were cut short in a brutal act of violence at École Polytechnique. They were killed simply because they were women. Gender-based violence must not be tolerated in this country, and we all have a role to play in ending it.
Youth December 3rd, 2024
Mr. Speaker, it has been a tenet of our government to support young people and we have done that in so many ways. There are 70,000 young people who have benefited from the Canada summer jobs program. The Auditor General confirmed just this week that those young people who attend CSJ actually do better in the workforce after having done so. We have always supported young people and will continue to do so.
Women and Gender Equality December 2nd, 2024
Mr. Speaker, our theme, “Come Together, Act Now”, emphasizes that everyone plays a part, especially men and boys, in changing attitudes and behaviours that contribute to gender-based violence.
This dangerous behaviour is pervasive. Even the leader of the Conservative Party embedded misogynistic hashtags in his YouTube videos. Canadian women remember. Our government will never back down on supporting survivors. We created the first national action plan to end gender-based violence, backed by more than half a billion dollars. We will not relent until every woman is safe.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women November 25th, 2024
Mr. Speaker, today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we pause to reflect on the devastating issue of gender-based violence and its impact on individuals, families and communities right across Canada.
Everyone deserves to live free from violence, yet many people across the country experience it every single day because of their gender, gender expression, gender identity or how others perceive them. This is more than a violation of human rights; it is a painful reality that no one should have to face.
While anyone can become a victim of gender-based violence, data shows the most vulnerable groups include indigenous women and girls; Black and racialized women; immigrant and refugee women; 2SLGBTQI+ people; women with disabilities; and women living in northern, rural and remote communities.
Gender-based violence has had devastating impacts on individuals for far too long, hurting not just individuals but families and entire communities in Canada. For instance, 44% of women in Canada have experienced intimate partner violence at least once since the age of 15. In 2023, 187 women and girls in Canada were victims of gender-related homicide; that is one woman every two days. These are more than statistics; these are real women, women in our community, our colleagues, our sisters, mothers, daughters, each one deserving of justice and a life free from violence.
In recognition of this, we launched the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, commemorating 33 years of dedicated efforts to end gender-based violence in all its forms.
The 16 days of activism against gender-based violence was started by activists at the inaugural Women's Global Leadership Institute in 1991. Since then, the campaign has called on all Canadians to recognize and call out violence when they see it, to speak up and take action against it. However, there is still so much work ahead of us.
Today, we stand in solidarity with victims and survivors of gender-based violence and their families, and we commit to doing better.
In response, our government launched the federal, provincial and territorial national action plan to end gender-based violence in 2022. This 10-year plan is backed by a $525 million investment to support provinces and territories in addressing this critical issue. Agreements are in place with each province and territory to help them tackle their specific challenges and priorities, based on the five key areas of the national action plan.
Later this year, the first annual national progress report will be published. It will demonstrate the impacts that these investments have made under the national action plan to end gender-based violence.
In 2017, the Government of Canada launched “It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence.” Since its launch, the government has invested more than $800 million and $44 million annually for the following years. This includes $55 million for indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to offer gender-based violence prevention programs and $30 million for crisis hotlines to help manage the increased call volumes during the pandemic and prevent further escalation of gender-based violence.
Collaboration in the fight against gender-based violence goes beyond any single department or organization; it calls on all of us to step up.
This year, Indigenous Services Canada worked in collaboration with indigenous peoples and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to commit funding for the construction and operation of 19 emergency shelters and 16 transitional homes across Canada.
Justice Canada is supporting survivors by strengthening Canada's bail regime to better address intimate partner violence and by improving the law on publication bans.
Public Safety is strengthening Canada's response to human trafficking through the renewal of the national strategy to combat human trafficking.
The onus to fight gender-based violence cannot just fall on one government or one department. We are taking a holistic whole-of-government approach to address this issue. It is on all of us to prevent gender-based violence from happening.
That is why this year's theme for the 16 days of activism is “Come Together, Act Now”. It highlights how crucial everyone's involvement is in changing the social norms, attitudes and behaviours that contribute to gender-based violence. True change is only possible when we unite. That is why coming together and acting now is so important. It is not just about today, but about creating generational change that will last for years to come.
It is only possible by continuing to work across all levels of government and with community organizations that will take real action and tackle gender-based violence at its core. We owe it to every victim and survivor to bring them justice, to speak up and take action against gender-based violence in all its forms.