House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2021, with 40% of the vote.
Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's Report April 17th, 2018
Madam Speaker, I certainly have never been told I belong to an unholy alliance. It has been an interesting day for me in the House.
For me, this is a relatively simple question, and I appreciate the amendment. It talks about something that is fundamentally important, which is that we fix this loophole. Therefore, I would like the member to explain why fixing this loophole is such a burden to the government.
Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's Report April 17th, 2018
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for bringing up this very important issue.
The reality is that in the last election, the Liberals said that they were going to do things differently, that there was going to be more transparency, that there was going to be more accountability. However, what we are seeing is a serious loophole, which is that when they are given illegal gifts, they do not have to report them.
I think we have to come back to the basics here of accountability to Canadians. We have to stop having government members trying to say that everyday Canadians are interested in other things besides this. This is about the ethics of the leader of our country.
I would ask the member to talk a little bit about why this loophole is so huge and why the government is not taking steps to close it.
Firearms Act March 27th, 2018
Madam Speaker, through you, I want to express my absolute disappointment. As a person who represents a rural riding, I am doing my due diligence in talking to my constituents and gathering information. Having this debate shortened so dramatically leaves less time for us to have that robust discussion, send that information, and make sure that it is said in the House.
I really think it is important to point out that the Conservatives moved the motion to adjourn debate but the Liberals are the ones who voted to end the debate, so when we are talking about what happened here, I see two wrongs and they definitely do not make a right. Therefore, I would like the member to explain to my constituents why we are not being allowed to make sure their voices are heard in this place.
Pat Horgan and Jude Schooner March 26th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross said:
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.
In my riding, we have lost too many beautiful people. Today, I want to speak of two of them, Pat Horgan and Jude Schooner. Pat Horgan loved the true north island. He travelled between the communities, always looking for ways to help. With charm, humour, and principle, he lived by the creed that if one person is left behind, we are all left behind. Jude Schooner was the mayor of Tahsis. She loved her community and fought tirelessly for it. Her heart was big, full of kindness and generosity, and everything she did was with dedication and action. I am so proud to have called them my friends.
I thank Shirley, Kelly, Patrick, Sarah, and Aidan, and I thank Scott and Ben for sharing them with us. They were beautiful people, and their lives were such gifts to us all.
Postal Banking System March 26th, 2018
Madam Speaker, I am very happy to stand here today as the representative of North Island—Powell River to speak on Motion No. 166. This motion is important to my riding; it is to set a special committee to study postal banking and propose a system of delivery under Canada Post.
I would like to thank the member for London—Fanshawe for her hard work on this important file. I also want to recognize the postal workers across my riding who work hard every day to deliver the mail and make sure that people in our communities are connected, and say a special thanks to the CUPW members.
As a representative of a rural and remote community, I am often very disappointed by the lack of services to some of our more remote communities. I think of Holberg, Gold River, Sointula, and Tahsis, communities that are working very hard to be strong in a changing economy. I think of Gold River specifically, which lost access to banking in the community a while back, and soon after lost its grocery store.
If members come to my riding and see the vast numbers of people living in more rural and remote communities, look at the roads and the length of time it takes to get to a community, they will see that it can be a real barrier when there is no access to a bank. People who are struggling financially have to take that long journey to get food and to do their banking. It adds more stress to those communities. I think about how expensive gas is getting as well.
When we talk about what our public services provide, it is about looking at how we make services accessible, how we make sure that people do not get left behind, and how we remember that rural and remote communities have a right to exist. Our job is to look at how everyone across our country is doing and to make sure there are opportunities.
Small communities matter. We know that almost 1,200 communities across Canada have no bank at all and no credit union, but they do have a post office. This is a very important discussion about how we make sure those services are accessible, how we look at those small communities and their vitality, and what we can do to remove some of the burdens that are often placed on those communities.
It is also important to look at how we keep money in the community. Postal banking is working. It is a job. There are some communities that would benefit from having those jobs locally within their community. It is also working in other countries. Some examples are France, New Zealand, and Italy. The model is a little different for each country, looking at the needs they have, but they are successful. They are creating revenue, making sure that the services are more accessible to people across their countries, and to different groups.
Why not have an opportunity to look at creating a revenue stream for Canada Post, as well as looking at the opportunity to create meaningful work in some of our communities that so desperately need them?
Recently I went to Port Hardy and Port McNeill in my riding. I did another round of town halls on the disability tax credit. I have been very proud to do many of them across the riding, and I am looking forward to doing them in several other communities in the next few months. This is very important. One of the challenges that some of our smaller communities have is accessing the ability to save money through this program for their children, for themselves, to look to the future, putting away for their retirement savings. Part of it is their lack of banking services.
This is also about looking at how we make sure these services that the federal government provides are delivered in many of the communities that desperately need them. It is wrong to have people who have already faced different challenges also lose this opportunity. We know that a lack of access to banking has a significant impact on the people who are the poorest in this country. If we are talking about improving access for women, and economic independence for them, we need to be looking at how this intersects with that reality.
Too many small communities continue to struggle. We know that what they need is a helping hand so they can look at the opportunities around them. However, if they are struggling with the main essentials of trying to find a way to have a bank, or losing their grocery stores, it makes it that much harder for small business to be successful.
It is about making sure that we are looking at fairness across our country as well. We know that payday lenders across Canada are problematic, because most of the people who access this service are usually low income and they can get further and further into debt. This is also about making sure that we have accessible services to people, that they are walkable. The last member talked about how a lot of post offices are not used in the same way. I have stood in many lineups in the post office in my riding, and it is a very busy place, with a lot of people accessing it. It is also close to downtown and close to buses. It is available for people who need it. This is an important thing to be looking at.
Small communities deserve and need more opportunities to thrive, and this will open many doors. We know that 29 municipalities across British Columbia have supported this type of banking. We know when municipalities are telling us that there is a gap, that there is a need that needs to be met, it is something we need to listen to. We are here in Ottawa. We are not there on the ground every day, as so many municipal leaders are. Working for and listening to municipalities makes plain sense to me.
I also want to briefly mention one of the postal offices in my riding, at the Merville General Store. When I look at this opportunity, I think about that store and how it has not been paid its rent in 53 months from Canada Post. There is a lot of work to do there. We want to make sure that people get paid their rent in a timely fashion. It is $210 a month to provide access to a service that is much needed in that area and makes sense. It does not make sense that Canada Post is not paying its bills.
There is a lot of work to be done here. We look at the banking opportunities, the realities of rural and remote communities, the realities of people who are struggling in poverty, feeling forced to use payday lenders. When we look at some communities that are very far away from a bank, even if it is in an urban setting, sometimes there are neighbourhoods where people cannot get to banks. We know that online banking is part of that. I appreciate the work being done there. At the same time, I think of so many communities I represent that have no access to Internet, or very limited access.
We have to look at those communities, because they do matter. We need to talk about them. We need to look at their needs and at how we can alleviate some of the stress, so they have opportunities to do better.
I hope that members in the House will put aside thoughts that are not looking at the needs of many communities across this country, ask this hard question, and let us do the research so we can have a plan that makes sense for everyday Canadians.
Committees of the House March 26th, 2018
Madam Speaker, I am rising on a point of order. There have been consultations, and I believe if you seek it you will find unanimous consent for the following motion:
That the membership of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs be amended as follows: Mr. Kennedy Stewart (Burnaby South) for Mr. David Christopherson (Hamilton Centre).
Postal Banking System March 26th, 2018
Madam Speaker, the reality for so many Canadians is that they do not have access to banking. I think of urban areas, where people who are really struggling financially are working with payday lenders as opposed to banks.
Communities, like the many I serve, that are rural and remote do not have banks. I think specifically of a community in my riding, Gold River, that lost its banking access and then soon after lost its grocery store, and people are now driving about an hour just to go to the bank and do their grocery shopping.
It seems to me that this is a practical solution, something that has worked in other countries. I would like the member to talk about why the motion is so important and why this is really about lifting people out of poverty and giving them opportunities. It is about remembering that small communities deserve it.
Mr. Speaker, I wanted to take this opportunity to make a short point of order, out of deep respect and thanks to all the people who are supporting us in doing this right now. The clerks have been amazing. I thank the staff in the restaurant, security, the bus services, the cameramen, and the interpreters. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their great work.
Petitions March 21st, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I am incredibly proud and honoured to be standing in the House today to present a petition from the Village of Gold River.
The petitioners, who are residents of the village of Gold River, British Columbia, request that the Government of Canada provide funding to support the installation and expansion of mobile phone networks in rural and remote communities, such as Gold River, including Highway 28, Campbell River to Gold River; the village of Tsawwassen; the village of Tahsis; and the Tree to Sea Drive between Gold River and Tahsis.
This is incredibly important to the people of my riding, and I am happy to present it today.
Canada Post March 21st, 2018
Mr. Speaker, there is nothing worse than not getting paid what one is owed. Actually, wait: There is nothing worse than being a small business that is not getting paid $29,000 by a crown corporation. That is right. Canada Post currently owes $29,000 in rent to a small Vancouver Island general store in my riding because it has not paid rent in 53 months. How much is that rent? It is $210 a month, and now it will not even negotiate with the owner.
When will the Liberals start standing up for small businesses and get this crown corporation to pay its bill?