Robert Gordon Kitchen

[Committees of the House, June 1st, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's quite forthright talk about the challenge that Ukraine had in joining NATO so many years ago.

Our colleague asked a question on Turkey, and we now see challenges for Finland and Sweden and the steps that need to be taken along those lines.

I am wondering if the member could talk a little more about that, because both of these countries are basically Arctic countries and are very much affiliated with and close to Canada. What steps can we as Canadians take to further encourage that and encourage Turkey to further support them?

[Committees of the House, June 1st, 2022]

Madam Speaker, the member talked a little about Latvia, about our military and their great military. My father was a major general in the Canadian Forces. My brother was a colonel. My sister was a nurse. My brother-in-law was a full a colonel. My nephews are presently serving in the Canadian Forces, and they do tremendous work. They do tremendous work with our allies in Finland and Sweden.

We have talked about how unreservedly we are here to try to support that. However, as my colleague from the Bloc has indicated, and as I think people have heard, there are concerns about how quickly this could be expedited and how quickly we can step forward with these moves that we need to do.

I am wondering if the member could indicate if there is strong support, at least within his caucus, to push this forward as quickly as possible.

[Committees of the House, June 1st, 2022]

Madam Speaker, my colleague from the Bloc touched on one of my questions. I am just wondering if the member might be able to expand a little bit more on that aspect. We see what is going on here with the great nations of Sweden and Finland. We would love to see them as part of NATO. We want them to be together. Those steps need to be done.

The member indicated that we are going to act on this as quickly as possible. I wonder if there is any way that he can possibly give us a timeline or some information about how quickly that might be.

[Business of Supply, May 19th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, for many things, the member and I have some agreement on. He talked about foreseeable and anticipated aspects of things, and he is right. Being proactive is one thing the government has failed to do.

One of the comments the member made was that, unfortunately, people who were in line three weeks ago for their passports have not gotten them. They are not even in line at airports at this point in time.

The member also talked a bit about evidence and science, which are very important and are in my background. Ultimately, my question for him, because I have not gotten a clear answer from him, is this. Does he not feel that evidence and science should be presented to Canadians today and that a plan based on them should be put forward to Canadians today?

[Committees of the House, May 19th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, entitled “Main Estimates 2022-23”.

[2022 Centennial Cup, May 18th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow officially marks the start of Canada's National Junior A Championship, the 2022 Centennial Cup, taking place in my hometown of Estevan, Saskatchewan, and the excitement is definitely in the air. This year's tournament will run for 11 days and feature 10 teams from nine JHL leagues across the country. It also marks the 50th anniversary of the Centennial Cup event, so it is an honour to be able to host the tournament in Estevan and celebrate the milestone.

The Flin Flon Bombers, Summerside Western Capitals, Ottawa Junior “A” Senators, Soo Thunderbirds, Dauphin Kings, Pickering Panthers, Red Lake Miners, Collège Français de Longueuil, Brooks Bandits, and the SJHL champions, the Estevan Bruins, will play some of the best hockey in this country, and I encourage everyone to show support by coming in person to watch a game or tuning in online.

Of course, I myself will be rooting for the Estevan Bruins, but I wish the best of luck to all participants for a successful and memorable Centennial Cup, and I say, “Go, Bruins, go.”

[Health, May 13th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian travellers returning to Canada are still required to use the ArriveCAN app and disclose their personal data to the government, whether they like it or not. The app asks where someone has been, where they are going and whether they have any health-related symptoms, answers that could easily be stated to an agent at customs.

We know the government has been using COVID as an excuse to track Canadian data, and the minister repeatedly claims that the app protects Canadians. My question is, how?

[Business of Supply, May 12th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, throughout the debate today, I have heard a lot of conversation about Huawei, Canadian security and issues along those lines. One of the issues that we came across in the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates was the purchasing of scanners for our embassies. In particular, the company Nuctech is a Chinese company that has a connection with high-ranking officials in China.

We still need those scanners, and I would like to hear how the member feels. Might this be something the committee would also consider pursuing?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 9th, 2022]

With regard to electric vehicle charging stations located on property owned by the government, including Parliament Hill, or by government agencies such as Parks Canada: what was the daily average number of cars that used each charging station, broken down by month, since January 1, 2020, and by location of the charging station?

[Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1, May 5th, 2022]

Madam Speaker, the member is right. She points out things that are very important as the population ages and as we see disabled people within this country having multiple challenges in order to move forward.

The member mentioned the issue of home renovation tax credits that were there. That is a huge issue, because the reality is that, with the way it is set up, the government has not even put in place people who can assess whether they need those renovations. A disabled person who knows they need to put in new windows cannot even touch that until such time as somebody has come, which is taking forever because those people are not available.