House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 31% of the vote.
The Environment May 16th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke at length about the environmental consequences if we do not wake up right now. The green, sustainable economy is the fastest-growing economy in the world. Given that the Liberal federal government is not doing much to go green, it seems to me that we are wasting a great opportunity, not just for the environment, but for the economy as well.
Does the member agree with me?
The Environment May 16th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, in her speech this morning, the Minister of Environment talked about a young Inuit boy she met who has been seriously affected by climate change.
When I visited Nunavik with my colleague from Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, many Inuit people told us that the thawing permafrost is causing the ground to sink in several villages and that many people would have to move out of their homes. This is having serious repercussions in the far north that are affecting indigenous peoples, yet there is absolutely nothing in the Liberal motion about indigenous peoples, unlike the NDP motion yesterday, which the Liberals voted against.
Why is there absolutely no mention of indigenous peoples in this motion?
The Environment May 16th, 2019
Madam Speaker, the government motion that we are debating today says that the government wants to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Speaking of wishy-washy, the Liberals did not give any deadline for achieving that goal. The NPD leader's motion that we debated yesterday was much more practical than this one. We set 2030 as the deadline for meeting that same goal.
Since this member is in favour of concrete action, will he vote in favour of the NDP's motion this afternoon, in just a few minutes?
The Environment May 16th, 2019
Madam Speaker, a few years ago, the Harper government, which the member was a part of, gutted environmental protection for thousands of Canadian lakes and rivers by amending the Navigable Waters Protection Act. The Conservatives even tried to hide the cuts in an omnibus bill so people would not notice.
Do they really expect us to believe that their ideas about the environment are completely different now? I do not believe them, and I do not think Canadians will believe them either.
Petitions May 16th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, the people who signed this petition want to draw the government's attention to the fact that, before the 2015 election, the Liberals promised that the defined pension benefit plan that people had already contributed to would not be retroactively changed into a target benefit plan. However, that is exactly what the finance minister's Bill C-27 does.
The petitioners are calling on the government to withdraw this unfair bill.
Indigenous Languages Act May 2nd, 2019
Mr. Speaker, at times it feels as though there are two parallel Conservative universes. The member who supports the bill talked about the importance of revitalizing indigenous languages and the profoundly negative consequences of residential schools. On that, I totally agree. However, from 2012 to 2015, Stephen Harper's Conservative government slashed $60 million from indigenous organizations.
To give a specific example, in the previous Parliament my community needed a document translated into Inuktitut to help maintain the health of Inuit women. I personally went to see the health minister at the time, Leona Aglukkaq, and she refused to help me. I am therefore having difficulty reconciling the two images.
I would like the member to explain to me how it is that the former Conservative government could do that, while the Conservatives now appear to think differently.
Indigenous Languages Act May 2nd, 2019
Mr. Speaker, Inuit communities are worried that this bill does not contain anything specific to their people. In Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, there is not a single Inuktitut school. This makes it hard for young people to learn their own language.
When I was a kid I did not speak English. My family moved to Ontario and I was able to attend École secondaire Étienne-Brûlé, a francophone high school in Toronto, and to live and learn in my own language. However, my brothers, Michel and Claude, did not have the same opportunity because there was no francophone school in our area for their level of education. There was no francophone school in our area. I fear that Inuit children in Iqaluit will have the same experience my brothers had in Ontario, since the bill does nothing to address this issue.
Why does this bill not contain any provisions specifically for Inuit communities?
Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1 April 30th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, given that my colleague is from the Montreal area, she surely knows that there are far more renters than homeowners in Montreal. The vacancy rate in that city is 1.9%, which is below the 3% balanced rate. Montreal has 25,000 people on the waiting list for social housing.
The budget includes a home buyer incentive for those who can afford to buy. However, there is nothing for the construction of new low-income housing, housing co-operatives or affordable rental housing.
I would like to know why the Liberals did not keep their promise to create half a million new affordable social housing units in 10 years.
Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1 April 30th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I too would like to congratulate my colleague, who is putting his earpiece in, on being elected and delivering his inaugural speech. That said, the questions that follow are always stressful.
The federal budget that we have been presented with falls well short of making our tax system fairer, and it continues to protect the richest members of our society, who are friends with the Liberals.
Does the member think that the stock option deduction for already wealthy CEOs should be eliminated entirely?
Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act April 9th, 2019
Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to see that Bill C-88 is revisiting the principle of self-determination of indigenous peoples. However, the concept of self-determination of indigenous peoples applies to many other areas, including housing, for example.
The minister responsible for housing put forward a housing strategy over a year ago, but we still do not have a targeted housing strategy for indigenous people. I would argue that self-determination should form the foundation of that strategy.
I would like to know whether my colleague would commit to putting some pressure on his colleague, the minister responsible for housing, first, to bring forward a targeted housing strategy for indigenous people, and second, to ensure that strategy is squarely based on self-determination.