Pat Finnigan

[Community Leaders, November 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to rise today to highlight some of the great men and women who live in my riding of Miramichi—Grand Lake. Last week, I was honoured to award sesquicentennial pins to 20 well-deserving community leaders.

The honourees demonstrated what being Canadian is really all about and used their exceptional leadership abilities to make a major contribution to their community. I am honoured to represent this diverse group of people who have given so much of themselves to their community.

The list of honourees included volunteer firefighters, those involved with the Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association, local artists, authors, historians, immigrants, champions of the LGBTQ community, and two first nation chiefs.

Recognizing this fantastic group of Canadians was one of the greatest pleasures and privileges I have had since being elected. I continue to be inspired by the constituents of Miramichi—Grand Lake.

[National Security Act, 2017, November 20th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, we know that CSE provides foreign intelligence to a number of Government of Canada departments and agencies to help keep Canada and Canadians safe.

CSE's activities have played an integral role in helping to protect Canada and Canadians against foreign-based terrorism, foreign espionage, cyber-attacks, kidnappings of Canadians abroad, and other serious threats, which has helped to ensure our nation's prosperity, security and stability.

However, the technological world that CSE operates in has changed considerably since its existence was enshrined in legislation in 2001 with the passing of the Anti-terrorism Act. Since then, we have seen the emergence of new threats, as well as changes in the traditional methods and techniques of threat actors. Today there is no shortage of threats to defend against, and every day this dynamic threat environment grows in scale and complexity.

Canadians want and expect their government to protect them from threats. At the same time, they want the agencies charged with protecting them to be more accountable and transparent.

How will the proposed legislation enable CSE to continue to protect Canada and Canadians, and how does it address public demand for increased accountability and transparency on national security?

[Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 2, November 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I salute my colleague, the member for Berthier—Maskinongé. She also sits on the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. I want to thank her for her hard work.

Let us look at our budget since we have been in power. There are still many things we would like to do, this I know. There is obviously still much to be done.

We increased the Canada child benefit, which was great. We increased the old age security pension, which was also great. Then, we lowered the retirement age from 67 to 65. On the agriculture front, we allocated $250 million to producers and $100 million to processors.

These are some of the positive things we have done in the past two years. There is much to do, of course, but will my colleague at least acknowledge that our government has been very busy? We still have a lot left to do. Does she have anything to say about that?

[Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 2, November 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague across the way for her speech. She is also a member of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food, and I thank her for her excellent work.

My colleague said that we stole their ideas. It is all well and good to have an idea, but putting it into action is another thing altogether. I think the government should be very proud of doing that successfully.

I have a question for my colleague regarding our budget and the great things we have done. Take summer jobs for example. Last summer, I had the opportunity to travel around my riding and meet with students and employers. They had good things to say, since we doubled the number of jobs.

I would like to ask my colleague if she had an opportunity to travel around her riding and hear from students and employers, knowing that we doubled the number of jobs.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 2, November 6th, 2017]

Earlier, Mr. Speaker, we heard our colleague opposite speak of the recession that happened when his party formed the government. Back then, revenues were at an all-time high. Oil was selling at $110 a barrel. All of these resources boosted revenues. Now that oil is selling at $40 or $50 a barrel, sound management was needed in order to provide Canadians all of the benefits we have been able to offer. I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.

[Committees of the House, November 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food entitled “Non-Tariff Trade Barriers to the Sale of Agricultural Products in Relation to Free Trade Agreements”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

[Lloyd Cameron, October 30th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, it is with honour and sadness that I rise in the house today to commemorate the life of Lloyd Cameron, or “Mr. C”, as he was known as to his many students.

A lifelong resident of Miramichi, Lloyd taught for more than 33 years and had an immense impact on his students as both an English teacher and director of the drama department. Lloyd was a champion of local theatre and the arts. One of his last roles was playing Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. MacDonald.

Whether it was lending me his family's tartan or giving up his seat on a tall ship for my wife, I have personally experienced the kindness and caring that Lloyd embodied, as have many others. He gave of himself to his community, to his church, to his students, and to his neighbours. He inspired those around him to do better and be better.

My heartfelt condolences go to Lloyd's family, his friends, and the entire Miramichi community. Lloyd was truly one of a kind and he will be missed.

[Fisheries and Oceans, September 27th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we all know that our oceans are absolutely essential to our planet's health.

As Canadians, we are all connected to our oceans, which are significant to our heritage, our culture, and of course our economy. Canada is committed to protecting 5% of our marine and coastal areas by the end of this year, and 10% by 2020.

Can the Prime Minister update this House on the government's progress toward these targets?

[Gender Equality Week Act, June 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to speak to gender equality.

The Government of Canada is committed to making gender equality a priority. Gender equality is about more than just equality between women and men. Indeed, every individual should enjoy the same rights and opportunities, regardless of their gender.

We are proud to support the creation of gender equality week, and we invite all Canadians to join us in this celebration.

Despite increased prosperity, women continue to face key barriers linked to gender inequality. Women with disabilities, indigenous women, senior women, and women who are members of visible minority groups are also particularly vulnerable to inequality. Furthermore, transgender and non-conforming individuals face further marginalization due to prevailing gender norms and attitudes within Canadian society.

The intention of gender equality week is to recognize aspects of Canadian society where women have not achieved equality and to promote awareness of these inequalities. The week would also serve to educate Canadians on opportunities to promote gender equality and actively address issues that may contribute to inequality.

Gender equality week would also serve to educate Canadians on the non-binary nature of gender and provide information on issues facing gender-diverse individuals.

From a public policy perspective, gender equality week would provide additional opportunity for the Government of Canada to underscore the importance of gender equality and the ongoing need for gender-based analysis in the development of government programs and services.

October is currently celebrated as Women’s History Month in Canada and includes International Day of the Girl on October 11 and Persons Day on October 18.

Recognizing gender equality week in September could be an opportunity to generate and sustain awareness on gender equality issues more broadly. There are no anticipated legal, financial or federal-provincial-territorial implications associated with this bill.

By the first week of October, educators and students will have settled into their fall routines. This presents an opportunity for thoughtful and robust engagement on the subject of gender equality in Canada. Bill C-309 also complements Women's History Month, in that it highlights the important work that remains ahead of us.

Canadians will have an opportunity to address these challenges, since the federal government cannot solve all of them alone. Bill C-309 encourages all levels of government, indigenous communities and organizations, academia, the private sector, not-for-profits, the media, and civil society at large to participate in a national conversation to raise collective awareness of these challenges and to identify constructive solutions.

In addition to national engagement on these issues, it is hoped that engagement in gender equality week will take on a local character through community-based activities ranging from town halls and research proposals to fundraising initiatives.

It will thereby serve as an effective vehicle for members of Parliament to build and strengthen relationships within their communities. This bill creates an annual platform that encourages all Canadians to recognize gender equality as a fundamental human rights issue linked to other policy areas, such as health care, crime, poverty, discrimination, and inequality.

We intend for Bill C-309 to complement and work in tandem with our government's plan to address these challenges by building momentum around achieving true gender equality in Canadian society.

My party and I will certainly support such a worthwhile bill.

[Committees of the House, June 19th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food regarding its study on debt in the agriculture sector and its effects.