Parm Gill

[Taxation, April 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, my constituents in Brampton—Springdale are concerned about the Liberals' new mandatory pension payroll tax that could force a family of two workers in the home to pay as much as $3,200 per year. This is what Liberals consistently do: force Canadians to pay higher taxes.

We know the Liberal leader approves of the plan to raise payroll taxes. Our government does not believe in forcing Canadians into a single compulsory one-size-fits-all approach or reaching into the pockets of hard-working, middle-class Canadians and reducing their take-home pay.

Under our government, there will be no mandatory job-killing, economy-destabilizing or pension tax hike, not for employees, not for employers. We will continue to support the vital small business sector, the creation of jobs and growth with our low-tax, balanced budget.

[Taxation, April 22nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Finance tabled our plan for jobs and growth. This is a great budget for middle-class Canadians. For example, the new family tax cut and enhanced universal child care benefit will benefit 100% of families with kids, the vast majority of benefits going to low- and middle-income families.

The Liberals and the NDP will take all of these away. They want high taxes on middle-class families, high taxes on middle-class seniors and high taxes on middle-class consumers. That is their plan for the middle class. Our government's plan is reducing taxes on middle-class families.

Constituents in my riding of Brampton—Springdale are looking forward to the implementation of all of these benefits and support programs that are offered in this budget.

[Daundre Barnaby, March 31st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, l am deeply saddened by the news of the death of Canadian Olympian and Brampton resident Daundre Barnaby, while swimming in the ocean with his athletics teammates at a training camp on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts.

His impact can be seen in the outpouring of messages online from Daundre's teammates and all Canadians. Daundre wore the maple leaf with distinction while competing for Canada internationally, including at the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. I know his presence will continue to be felt by his teammates as they compete near his hometown this summer at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, I offer my sincere sympathies to Daundre's family, friends, and teammates and the whole Athletics Canada family. Our collective thoughts and prayers are with the family during this very difficult time.

[International Trade, March 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, today's announcement by Honda was made possible by the historic market access provided by the Canada-EU trade agreement, which is paving the way for increased Canadian exports to the world's largest integrated market.

This government's top priority is to create jobs and economic growth, which is why we have worked so hard to open new markets for Canadian companies and why we continue to support our exporters and manufacturers as part of the most ambitious pro-export, pro-jobs plan in Canadian history.

[Taxation, March 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, mothers and fathers should be able to make the important decisions that affect their own children. That is why our new family tax cut and enhanced universal child care benefit will give 100% of families with kids an average of more than $1,100 dollars per year to spend on their priorities. The majority of benefits flow to low- and middle-income families. Our government trusts parents to invest in their children.

The contrast is simple. The Liberals believe bureaucracy knows best when it comes to Canadian families. Both the Liberals and the NDP want to see this money back in the hands of bureaucrats. Moms and dads do not need to be told how to spend their money on their children.

[Taxation, March 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, mothers and fathers should be able to make the important decisions that affect their own children. That is why our new family tax cut and enhanced universal child care benefit will give 100% of families with kids an average of nearly $2,000 per child. That is nearly $12,000 per child over six years.

From that side of the House, we hear of new taxes, high debt and the removal of all of these benefits we have brought forward to help Canadian families. Canadians do not want their money funnelled into bureaucratic black holes. They do not want higher taxes.

Canadians need tax relief and support that they can use as they see fit, and that is exactly what we are delivering on this side of the House.

[Sex Education, February 20th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I recently attended a town hall meeting in Brampton, where parents were outraged by the Liberal Party policies that attack our family values.

The Liberals want to legalize marijuana, making it more accessible to our children. They want to legalize prostitution in our streets and in our neighbourhoods. Now the Liberals are determined to introduce a new sex-ed curriculum in Ontario with graphic and explicit sex education for children starting in grade 1.

As a father of three, I share the concerns of many of my constituents that these policies are dangerous, expose young children to sexually explicit behaviour, and teach concepts and practices that parents consider offensive and morally questionable.

The Liberals need to stop attacking our family values and instead focus on teaching our kids a curriculum that reflects the beliefs of parents.

[Public Safety, February 6th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Liberal member for York West demonstrated her party's ignorance on terrorism when she said that if ISIL attacked Canada, it was because the Prime Minister put us in that position.

Reports from last weekend state that while speaking at a Liberal training session in Toronto, the member for Trinity—Spadina said, “...we're dropping bombs on people instead of building civil society. That has to change”. He also called Canada a “war maker”.

On this side of the House, we do not believe defending against ISIL terror makes Canada a war maker. We also know we cannot build a society with terrorists. They are not civil.

In closing, the MP for Trinity—Spadina also noted that Canada needed to respond to world events in a mature and precise way. It is too bad the Liberal leader will not take his advice.

[Nach Balliye, February 4th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honour that I stand before you today to recognize the Nach Balliye organization, which comprises a strong, passionate and talented group of young women who are determined to empower girls and break the gender discrimination in the South Asian community.

Last week, I was privileged to attend the Lohri for Her 2015 event organized by Nach Balliye. Lohri is a festival that marks new beginnings and celebrates the gift of life traditionally for newborn boys.

Since December 2011, Nach Balliye has hosted annual Lohri for Her events which have received enormous encouragement and involvement from the community.

On the international day of the girl, I had an opportunity to participate in a Pink Ladoos event organized by Nach Balliye where we greeted parents of newborn babies and celebrated the birth of baby girls with Pink Ladoos at the Brampton Civic Hospital.

I want to congratulate the entire Nach Balliye team on the wonderful work they do to create more gender equality through their initiatives and I encourage them to continue being a great inspiration for girls around the world.

[International Trade, January 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that claim is completely false. Following the departure of the former CSR counsellor, the office continued to deliver on the mandate of CSR counsellor workshops and regular meetings with industry, academia, and civil society.

The search process to find a new counsellor is under way, with interviews scheduled for February. During the 13 years the Liberals were in power, they never had a CSR policy. It was this government that introduced this very important strategy.