Matt DeCourcey

[Income Tax Act, February 1st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, who has had a long and distinguished career in the House. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for him.

He spoke about the middle-class tax cut as one plank in an ambitious agenda that would provide economic and social support to Canada's middle class and those in more vulnerable situations struggling to join the middle class. How does this lay the groundwork for the ambitious agenda of this government? How would some of those other pieces fit together to help strengthen Canada from his home province of Prince Edward Island to the other end of the country?

[Income Tax Act, February 1st, 2016]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent speech this Monday afternoon.

I was disappointed to hear that the member does not agree with the idea of delivering upwards of hundreds of dollars, on average, to nine million Canadians, but I was pleased to hear that he agreed with our rolling back of the TFSA.

I wonder if the member agrees with our plan to deliver real change to Canadians by lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty through the Canada child benefit; if he agrees with the idea of investing at an historic rate in social, green, and public transit infrastructure, which we know lifts the health of people in communities and increases the quality of life and well-being; if he agrees with our leadership in health care, in helping to lower drug costs for Canadians; if he agrees with our leadership on home care delivery; and if he agrees with our resetting the relationship with indigenous Canadians.

Does the member see those as valuable plans that the government and this Parliament can move forward on?

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Saint John—Rothesay for his early success in developing a voice about the need to look to Saint John as a place where we can demonstrate a reduction in poverty, especially of young people. It is certainly an issue that is close to my heart professionally and in this activity now.

There is no doubt that as a government we need to support opportunities for community growth. In my community, we know that every dollar invested in infrastructure helps enhance the quality of life, well-being, and health of constituents.

I look forward to working with the member to identify opportunities for community development and growth through our infrastructure investments.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the leader of the Green Party that I have a great working relationship with the leader of the provincial Green Party, who holds a riding right in the middle of Fredericton. I look forward to working with him as well as the candidate for the Green Party in the election, Mary Lou Babineau, who ran a wonderful campaign. I share her collegiality in helping advance the situation of my community and province.

I could not agree more with the idea that this government is working with the provinces to address situations such as we have in New Brunswick, where we have an aging population, which, as I said in my speech, should be seen as an asset to our prosperity. We have tremendous people who are retiring with a wealth of experience, knowledge, and expertise to deliver back to our communities.

I am working with researchers, professionals, and members of all political parties to make sure that the community I have the honour of representing and our province are seen as a place to demonstrate innovations in health care administration and delivery that will serve as the basis for health care supports right across the country.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that after 10 years of having all of our eggs in one basket this government is prepared to diversify its approach to economic growth. That means looking at all different sectors of the economy to ensure that families, professionals, and people who go to work each day have an opportunity to share in the socio-economic wealth of our great country.

In the riding I have the honour of representing, we have a tremendous research and innovation capacity to build on new ideas and new technologies that help us advance in the information technology sector, the manufacturing sector, and the natural resource sector. We are close to markets all over the world. It is these types of approaches that make me proud to sit on this side of the floor and endorse a Speech from the Throne that, as I said, is as forward-thinking and forward-looking as it is realistic and ready to accomplish good things for all Canadians.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, thank you for the honour to rise again in this new year, in this new Parliament, this time in the true fashion of a maiden speech. It is truly an honour to represent the good people of Fredericton, New Maryland, Oromocto, the Grand Lake region and all the parts in between.

The opportunity to partake in such a privileged way to help govern and steer the course of our great country and provide voice for the region I represent is not only a true privilege but also stands as the realization of a lifelong dream for this young guy from Freddy Beach.

Over the past number of Saturdays at Fredericton's Boyce Farmers Market, I have been reminded just why I sought to find myself in this chamber in the first place. It has been encouraging to hear the many words from constituents eager to see the positive tone of inclusive leadership continue to pervade in the way we govern. These encounters, in addition to the 10 community round tables and town halls our office coordinated last week, have reminded me that we are here to build a Canada worthy of all those who we represent.

There are, for example, our young indigenous leaders, including those receiving guidance and education from staff at Chief Harold Sappier Memorial Elementary School on the St. Mary's First Nation; our entrepreneurial and socially minded graduates of the University of New Brunswick, of my alma mater, St. Thomas University and of the New Brunswick Community College; a Canada worthy of our aging population who in New Brunswick we look to as an asset for our collective prosperity; and a Canada worthy of all constituents who provide varying points of view and expertise on a wide range of issues with which this Parliament must wrestle.

I would also like to thank everyone who worked tirelessly during my election campaign. Their smarts and foresight were of great help in getting me elected. As all members here know, the determination and passion of a team are crucial to winning an election. I would like to thank them all.

During the campaign, what was most inspiring to me was the engagement in leadership of young people in the democratic process. Their enthusiasm and wisdom are important to the well-being of our democracy and their continued engagement will be an important component of the government's commitment to reform and ensure relevancy of our democratic institutions.

I, along with them, pledge our support and collaboration to the important work of the Minister of Democratic Institutions. We all share a goal of making our country stronger and I intend to work hard for the people of Fredericton.

This community boasts of the title of Atlantic Canada's “most entrepreneurial city” and is among Canada's top 10 best places to live. It has also been recognized as one of the most cost-competitive places to do business in the Americas.

As the 2009 cultural capital of Canada, Fredericton boasts of a burgeoning and diverse artistic and cultural scene, a scene sure to be enhanced through the government's reinvestment in social infrastructure and in the arts.

As a startup capital and Canada's first wireless city, Fredericton's richness includes its two world-class universities, community colleges, its hub of smart, high-tech entrepreneurs and businesses which are eager to see the government move ahead with an ambitious research and innovation agenda.

The riding I represent boasts of Canada's largest military training base, Base Gagetown, which infuses over $500 million annually into New Brunswick's economy and employs over 4,500 permanent military personnel and 100 civilian staff who keep the lights on as military families come and go.

The Speech from the Throne was clear. Our government is focused. We have a plan that is forward-thinking as it is direct. The speech demonstrated, and this government so far has demonstrated, that we are ambitious when it comes to Canada's potential and, in fact, the potential of all Canadians.

At the same time, we have put forward a realistic plan that we know will deliver.

This plan is intended to ensure that all Canadians have a fair chance to succeed, and central to that success is a strong and growing middle class. The plan also indicates that the government will prove to Canadians and to the entire world that a clean environment and a strong economy go hand in hand. We cannot have one without the other.

To encourage economic growth, the government will make strategic investments in clean technologies, provide more support for companies seeking to export those technologies, and lead by example in their use. This can be done at our innovative research institutions in Fredericton.

Because it is both the right thing to do and a certain path to economic growth, the government will undertake to renew, nation-to-nation, the relationship between Canada and indigenous peoples, one based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership.

The government has committed to work with the provinces and communities to welcome and resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February. Not only has this commitment demonstrated the true character of Canada within its citizens from coast to coast, it has helped reintroduce the compassionate and caring Canada for which we were once renowned to the rest of the world.

No other event has given me so much pride and made me feel so privileged as the opportunity to welcome the first arrival of Syrian refugees at the Fredericton airport in December. The smiles on the faces of the two young boys and the 12-year-old's pronouncement that he would grow up in our community to be a bone doctor, an orthopaedic surgeon, is a moment I will not soon forget.

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has stated numerous times about how New Brunswickers have gone above and beyond to open their arms and hearts to refugees.

I wish to thank the greater Fredericton community, our multicultural association, and community groups, for their leadership in this process.

To support the health and well-being of all Canadians, the government will begin work with the provinces and territories to develop a new health accord. I want to point out that in Fredericton and in New Brunswick, we are counting on innovative health care. We want home care and mental health care to be more accessible, and we want mental health services to be of the highest quality for Canadians who need them, such as veterans and first responders.

When looking to innovate in health care, in its administration and its delivery, New Brunswick can lead. We are French, we are English, we are indigenous, we are newcomers, we are urban, we are rural, and we are close and well connected. We are convinced that our region can lead in this approach.

Let me reiterate that the Fredericton riding is home to leading institutions and high-quality research and innovation. We are home to a highly qualified, educated, and professional public service. We want to grow a stronger economy, and we need to invest in helping our businesses and entrepreneurs become even more innovative, competitive, and successful in order to retain our young, skilled, and bilingual talent.

In Fredericton, as well, we will focus on real change for our veterans, and we will ensure that the government unconditionally cares for every soldier who has unconditionally sacrificed his or her physical and mental well-being to protect our country. It is important to give veterans more compensation, more choice, and more support in planning their future. Canada must be a world leader in caring for and supporting our veterans. With Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, the research capacity of our universities, and robust clinical supports close at hand, the Fredericton riding is ideally suited to lead in an approach that will care for the physical and mental health of soldiers, veterans, and their families from the moment they enlist, during their service, and after they leave the Forces and return to civilian life.

I know the greatness that Fredericton, New Brunswick, and our great country are capable of, and I know that our success is not only about doing well for ourselves, but also about leaving a better, more peaceful, more prosperous world for our children.

[Resumption of debate on Address in Reply, January 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I was glad to hear my hon. colleague across the way end with Canada's reputation in the world. Frankly, it is a matter of great pride and privilege that I and my colleagues throughout the House have had the opportunity to be on hand to help welcome the tens of thousands, now over 13,000, refugees who have landed in our country. We have demonstrated to the world that a compassionate and caring Canada is back. We have demonstrated to citizens that they should be proud and inviting once again, that despite our differences, we are much stronger when we work together in communities, provinces, and throughout the country. In my mind, that has signalled to the world that Canada is willing to, once again, be a human rights leader, a promoter of peace and democracy building.

I would ask the member opposite what he thinks the invitation, welcoming, and resettlement effort for Syrian refugees speaks to as it relates to Canada's role in the world.

[Resumption of debate on Address in Reply, January 25th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. I heard my colleague opposite mention low-income families.

He talked about lower income families and the struggling situation in which some might find themselves. I wonder if the member opposite might share his view on the Liberal government's plan to invest in a new monthly tax-free Canada child benefit that will deliver the most to families who need it most, while also helping middle-class families, and asking those who have done very well over the years to contribute a little more so that families from the lower and middle income situations, and households right across the country, can help their young children grow and develop into happy and healthy citizens.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his speech.

I do take issue with a lot of what he had to say in his speech, but that is okay. It is important that we all sit here in the chamber and listen intently as members across the aisle speak their minds and represent their constituents. I am glad to see many of my hon. colleagues here doing the same with the respect that should be accorded in this place.

I was reminded last weekend in my community of Fredericton, at the Boyce farmers market, just how hopeful and positive people are with the tone of inclusive leadership, of collaboration, and of goodwill demonstrated on this side of the House toward Canadians and toward others in the chamber.

Does my colleague not also think that a tone of civility, collaboration, working together, and listening intently to the wisdom that is delivered when others are speaking is important, and will he commit to acting in such a way to make sure that we can be constructive and develop positive policies for Canadians?

[Fredericton, December 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise in the House today as the representative for the good people of Fredericton, Oromocto, New Maryland and the Grand Lake area. I will work hard to earn the trust of my constituents every day.

The opportunity to be in such a privileged position as to help direct the course of our great nation and to be a strong voice for my region is not just a veritable honour, but also a dream come true for this young lad from Freddy Beach.

I would also like to thank all the people who worked hard on my election campaign. Their intelligence and vision were major factors in my election win. As all members in this place know, it takes the determination and incredible passion of a team to win an election.