Raj Grewal

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member on his re-election to the House. It is an honour and a privilege to sit with all hon. colleagues in this House.

That was an excellent question on our commitment to helping the middle class and the introduction of the Canada child benefit, which will be introduced in the government's budget. The Canada child benefit will help raise an estimated 300,000 children across this nation out of poverty with a direct investment into their families' pockets. For example, a family with two children with a household income of $45,000 will receive cheques in the amount of $6,000, after tax. These are rough estimates.

I am pleased that the government has made a commitment to helping the middle class. This Canada child benefit will have a direct impact on the pockets of families all across this nation.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, December 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and privilege to rise in the House for the very first time.

Let me begin by thanking the wonderful people of Brampton East for giving me the opportunity to be their voice in Ottawa.

I also want to take a moment to thank the countless number of volunteers who put up signs, made phone calls, pounded the pavement, earning the trust of the people of Brampton East the old fashioned way, one house at a time and one vote at a time. I stand here because of their efforts. I will never forget the people who sent me here.

I have called Brampton East home for the past 24 years. My family's story is so similar to families all across our great nation. I am the proud son of a taxicab driver and a factory worker. My parents immigrated to our wonderful nation in the late seventies. They worked hard to achieve their very own Canadian dream. My mom even picked up an extra overtime shift to ensure that my sisters and I had the best of everything. What my parents realized was that anything was possible in this country with a bit of hope and a lot of hard work. It did not matter where one came from or what one looked like; if an individual worked hard, anything was possible. Only in the greatest nation in the world is my story even possible. Thirty-five years afer my parents immigrated to this country, I have had the opportunity to attend some of the best schools in this nation, be called to the Ontario bar, and take my seat as the member of Parliament for Brampton East. Only in Canada.

I was so proud to listen to the government's throne speech and its focus on helping Canadians, cutting taxes for the middle class, working with the provinces to enhance the Canada pension plan, making significant investments in public transit, green infrastructure, and social infrastructure, and ensuring that the government is more transparent and more accountable to Canadians.

Let us never forget the Canadians who have sent us here, fathers all across the country who drive taxis and trucks to ensure that their families have a better life, our single mothers who lift boxes in factories to put food on their family's table, the new immigrants who come to our nation in search of their very own opportunity to achieve the Canadian dream.

We need to ensure that the Canadian dream is alive and well for future generations, for they will judge us for our contributions. Were we nation-builders or did we play divide and conquer politics? Let us make this session of Parliament something special. Let us ensure that all Canadians have an equal opportunity to achieve their dreams. The best part is that we are all going to do it together.