Mary Ng

[Diversity and Inclusion, June 16th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, the entrepreneurs and businesses of the 2SLGBTQI community contribute tremendously to Canada's economy, contributing $22 billion and employing half a million Canadians, yet they face discrimination. A third lose business because of who they are, and 40% are not able to get access to capital or funding.

Therefore, yesterday I announced $25 million to help these incredible business owners, businesses and entrepreneurs from the 2SLGBTQI community to empower them to grow their businesses across Canada and contribute—

[Canadian Heritage, June 1st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, 100 years ago, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in this Parliament. It stopped Chinese immigrants from coming to Canada, stopped families from reuniting, and caused racism and harm. These same Chinese immigrants helped build Canada's railway to connect our country from coast to coast to coast.

I pay tribute to those whose strong advocacy repealed that law, but it took 24 years. Our government is recognizing the centennial as an event of national historic significance and we are commemorating it with a plaque. We must ensure that this never happens again.

[Fisheries and Oceans, May 12th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the passion for fishermen, because we do too, on this side. We stand up for Canadian fishers. We stand up for Canadian industries. We have issued sanctions against Russia. We stand up for Ukraine. Absolutely, this is an issue that is on our radar.

I am not going to take any lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to good trade deals and standing strong so we can have terrific trade with our trading partners all around the world.

[International Trade, May 12th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, at the very heart of Canada's trade policy is an inclusive trade policy. At the very heart of our policy is responsible business conduct.

We, for the very first time, appointed an ombudsperson for corporate responsibility. She has set up shop, and she is doing her work. I look forward to working with my hon. colleague and all members to ensure that Canadian businesses operating anywhere around the world are operating with those high standards, led by Canadian values.

[International Trade, April 25th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we have stood up for Ukrainians against the illegal war by Russia perpetrated on Ukraine. We have initiated sanctions. We have pulled its MFN status. We have raised this issue with Japan, and Japan, too, I would say, has been a strong defender of Ukraine. We will continue to stand up for Canadian fishers.

[International Trade, April 18th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the environment and the economy go hand in hand. I saw this first-hand during a trade mission with 25 clean technology companies from Chile last week.

Consider, for example, the Quebec company Oneka, which uses ocean waves to create energy and desalinate seawater, or Summit Nanotech, a woman-led company that extracts lithium sustainably. That is why budget 2023 invests in the clean economy of tomorrow.

[Forestry Industry, March 23rd, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, that is an important question. My hon. colleague and I had a good conversation about this the other day.

I have been very clear about the forestry sector: We will always stand up for it and will always stand up for its workers. With respect to this issue, we have always said that we are ready to be at the table to negotiate, but we want a good deal, not just any deal.

[Women and Gender Equality, March 9th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Scarborough Centre for all of her hard work.

The women entrepreneurship strategy in Canada is working. Since 2018, our government has invested over $7 billion, and in Canada, women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses are growing, at 18% now, up from under 16%. Our ecosystem is helping Canadian women entrepreneurs grow. Over 10,000 new businesses have been started by women, and over 12,000 businesses have grown under the support of this government.

I want to thank all the incredible women entrepreneurs across the country on International Women's Day.

[Carbon Pricing, February 14th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell the hon. member what this side of the House does for small businesses. We have their backs every single time. During the pandemic, it was about keeping their employees on the payroll. It was about giving them a loan so they could get through every single day.

Now, it is about helping them get new customers by going through e-commerce. It is about helping those businesses get access to new markets all around the world. I might say that those businesses are doing terrific, because they are increasing their business and creating great jobs for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

[International Trade, February 9th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we will always defend Canadian industries. We will always defend the softwood lumber industry and that sector.

We just met with the American president not that long ago. We agreed that Canada and the United States have an important trading relationship. We do about four billion dollars' worth of trade a day. We are the most competitive in the world and we are fighting climate change.

When the Americans do business with Canada, workers benefit because of good-paying jobs in both countries. We are fighting climate change together. We are going to keep doing that.