Rachel Blaney

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

Madam Speaker, Bill C-51 is a huge concern across my riding. People are very passionate about it and have protested against it. I will stand here in the House and make sure that something is done.

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

Madam Speaker, I will always stand in absolute pride of the amazing work that people in my riding do. They are innovators. They are strong people. I am very impressed by the work that they do.

As I travel across the riding I am again humbled by the great innovation of communities. I would like to share the example of Powell River, where small businesses are collaborating. It is a community that can only be accessed by ferry or plane. The people have found a way to support each other and their economy.

I look at the communities of Port Alice, Port McNeil, and Port Hardy that came together and created a community forest. They are accessing some funds so that they can provide support for their communities as they face massive challenges.

I look at the 'Namgis first nation, which, with funding from multiple stakeholders including the federal government, is right now doing an on-land fish farm project. It is almost breaking even and looking at having a prosperous future.

We are excited to see these activities happening. I am excited to see a federal government that will work with them in a positive way and I will be here to make sure that happens.

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

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to remember the hard work that Libby Davies did for this party in bringing forth the need to have an inquiry on murdered and missing women.

We are happy to see that moving forward. It is a great story. However, what is important to our riding and to many remote ridings is how we ensure we connect to those remote communities so we get those stories heard.

We want to see a plan on how we will include the people who need to be part of this discussion. We are waiting for that. We have had the announcement and now we wait for what the actual structure will look like.

It is important that those voices are heard. It is important that we have a strategy that includes those communities. We look forward to working with our members to see that happen.

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

Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford on his excellent first speech in the House. It is great to work with such a talented parliamentarian.

I will start by thanking my constituents for putting their trust in me. I am grateful for the privilege of representing North Island—Powell River. I, like many of my fellow members, know that my riding is the most beautiful in all of the country.

I also take this opportunity to thank my family, which has shown such support for me in following my passion to this role. If it were not for Henry, Kai, Rebecca and Darren's support, I would certainly not be here today.

The riding I represent is the third largest in British Columbia. It includes North Vancouver Island and goes over to the mainland to Powell River and up part of the coast. A riding made of coastal communities, access is often by multiple ferries and some communities only by boat or float plane. It is one of the most amazing and challenging ridings to travel. It is also one of great diversity and includes over 20 Indigenous communities that span Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and Coast Salish territories.

Across my riding there are many communities, the largest being over 30,000 and the smallest comprised of just a small handful of people. Whether it be members living in Lund, Comox, Woss, Campbell River, Cortes Island, Port Hardy, Port Alice, and the many other communities of the riding I have the privilege to represent, the people are hard-working, dedicated to their communities and proud of the region we share.

Over the next four years in Parliament, I will work hard in my riding to be a strong voice for the people of my riding to Ottawa. North Island—Powell River has faced multiple challenges in the changing Canadian economy. The history of our region is built from resource-based economies: fishing, mining and forestry. The beauty of our region also welcomes tourists from across the country and around the world.

Through the changing global economy, the people in these communities have persevered. Whether it was municipalities and regional districts working toward creative solutions, one parent choosing to travel far away for work so the family could remain, or whether it was people creating small businesses, exploring new industries and creating innovative solutions with historic industries, the people of North Island—Powell River have rallied around one another. Through good times and hard times, the people of my riding know that we are all in this together. We take care of one another and work collaboratively to create long-term solutions. It is no wonder I am proud to stand here representing the riding in which I live.

North Island—Powell River has seen a decrease of good paying jobs and an increasing amount of people struggling to get ahead. Single people are stretching to afford housing and increasingly have to live in overcrowded situations. Child poverty is a major concern and too many children are going to school hungry. Too many parents are worried about where their next meal will come from. These are stories of families that have a parent or parents working more than one job and often more than two jobs. The cost of housing, child care, food and the basics of everyday life are adding up and it is becoming increasingly hard.

It is these hard-working people who are the backbone of our country and their continued struggle shows a lack of focused attention to this riding and to many of the small and rural communities across Canada which have been left behind.

My riding wants to see tax cuts that benefit the most vulnerable of the country, a concrete housing strategy, to see the leadership of a $15 federal minimum wage, as too many Canadians are working full time and living below the poverty line. It is time to see tax dollars stop leaving the country through stock option loopholes and see that money being invested into preventing child poverty in our country. They are our future and we must support them.

In North Island—Powell River health care is a growing concern. Many of our communities struggle to secure family doctors and health care professionals. With long distances and multiple ferries, many of my constituents struggle to access the basic services they require.

We are looking to hear a commitment to cancelling the former government's plan to cut funding to health care and to see increased communication across federal and provincial governments to address the issues that are unique to small and remote communities in our country.

Seniors are very concerned about health care as well. They face challenges of affording prescriptions and in accessing the services they need in their community. Many of the seniors in my riding are feeling pressured to move to larger centres. As one constituent said to me, “If I move, who will help me? I have lived in this community for over 40 years, paid my taxes and worked hard. If I moved, I would be completely alone.”

My constituents are relying on me to work towards a strategy for seniors, a coordinated one that supports seniors in the care they need at home, in the hospital, in long-term care facilities through to palliative care. The life of seniors is becoming increasingly hard and poverty for this group is growing in my riding. It is time that there is an increase to the guaranteed income supplement to help lift many seniors from poverty and to support them in a way that they have supported this country.

The many indigenous communities across my riding are asking me questions. As one elder, Rupert Wilson, said to me, “Nation to nation, show me what that really means.” Across Canada we know that it is time to accept ownership of a history with indigenous people that is painful.

The process of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission must be used to increase understanding across Canada of the history of colonization and residential schools. To move forward toward reconciliation, it is time to commit to clarity on funding for first nation education. In North Island—Powell River, the history of the relationship between government and the communities has not been one that has built trust.

The lack of discussion in the House on Bill C-51 has not helped to increase this trust either. Both indigenous and non-indigenous communities are sharing concerns about the lack of commitment to action in this area. This bill must be reversed as it is an invasion of privacy and civil liberties.

In a riding full of raw nature, living with the changing tides of the ocean and the beauty of the forest, my constituents are concerned about the environment. Many people who have worked for years in resource industries are close watchers of the environment around them and they are concerned. The impacts of climate change are visible in our riding. We watch the amount of snow on the mountains in the summer, the number of salmon that return up the rivers, and the noticeable warming of the ocean. Young people have stopped me in the street to share concerns about the environment. They know that this is what they will inherit.

People in my riding know that the economy and the environment can and must work together. Practical, clear, and firm targets are important to us. It is time that Canada became a leader again in addressing climate change. It is time to set hard targets and meet them, to have an environmental assessment process that is rigorous and includes meaningful consultation with first nations, and a process to connect with the communities that will be impacted.

I am very proud to stand here as the voice of North Island—Powell River, and I will be a voice that represents the people I serve.

[Business of Supply, December 10th, 2015]

Madam Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate you for sitting in the chair today.

When the member was in the government and committed Canada to this mission, Conservatives did so without providing incremental funding to the armed forces to cover the costs of the mission. Therefore, the forces had to find the money by reallocating money from other departments and programs like the navy. Why was this mission not properly funded when the Conservatives originally committed Canada to it?

[Jimmy Allen “Ollie” Chickite, December 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as this is the first time that I rise in the House, I would like to thank the people of North Island—Powell River for sending me here. It is a great honour.

Sadly, on November 24, one of our communities lost an elder. Jimmy Allen Chickite, fondly known as Ollie, was a man of the ocean. From 1972 to 1986, a photo of his seiner with him on it was on it was on the back of the Canadian five dollar bill.

When I last spoke with Ollie, he shared with me his concern about the potential closure of the Comox Coast Guard. With his years on the water, he knew how important the Coast Guard was for the safety of people, the environment and the many isolated communities in my riding. He asked me to remind the government that B.C. needed the Coast Guard to be healthy and strong.

In remembrance of a great man, I am proud to be the voice of my riding and for Ollie. My thoughts are with his family and community during these hard days.