House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 33% of the vote.
Petitions October 5th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present, on behalf of citizens of Nanaimo—Ladysmith, petitions indicating their opposition to the signing of the trans-Pacific partnership. They are concerned that it could cost tens of thousands of Canadian jobs, could lead to growing income inequality, increase the cost of pharmaceuticals, ease the path for foreign takeovers, potentially stifle innovation, and interfere with Canadian regulators' ability to regulate in the public interest.
Indigenous Affairs October 4th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, with respect to my colleague across the floor, he has not answered any of the questions that I asked tonight.
Again, I thought I was giving the government an opportunity to show us, to tell us how it had incorporated the feedback of these most valued partners.
For the government to say that a relationship with indigenous people is the most important relationship it has, but then not be able to say “These are the ways that we've incorporated their input” is very saddening.
We heard people on the front steps of the House of Commons today say that in Cree “sorry” means action. We heard survivors ask, inside the House of Commons, “How would you feel if it was your daughter who disappeared? Would you say that you had done enough?” They asked, “Where's the support for families, for trauma, for victims, for addictions?”. They said that they did not want to wait to the end of the inquiry to see real change. They very much wanted to know that their outstanding concerns about the inquiry had been addressed.
I will give the government a final time to brag about the good work it has done. I express my great hope that we can work together and achieve the result we need in our country for indigenous women and girls.
Indigenous Affairs October 4th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, today we recognize the Sisters in Spirit vigil on the front steps of the House of Commons and all across the country. Many survivors of violence against murdered and missing indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people are glad that the inquiry has started, but they are also expressing still a great deal of trauma and sadness. We still have such a long way to go to achieve closure for these families.
I really want to recognize in the House the advocacy and strength of the families and the indigenous organizations that have brought us to this point and that have pushed to make the inquiry a reality.
The inquiry was announced during the summer while the House was not in session. Indigenous organizations and representatives of families articulated five concerns about the terms of reference for the inquiry, and I would like to get on the record what the government's response was to those dissatisfactions. It may be that it tweaked the terms of reference or did incorporate those concerns.
The first one is that the murdered and missing indigenous women inquiry should have full access to trauma-informed and culturally appropriate counselling, and that would not be limited to the duration of their appearance before the commission. That is culturally appropriate support before, during, and following any testimony.
The second area of concern was whether the inquiry would compel the reopening of cold cases and cases that were dismissed maybe accidentally as accidents or suicides.
Third, what is the role of the police, the provinces, and the territories in the inquiry? We need full participation of those provincial agencies to know that we are getting at the child welfare problems, the domestic violence shelters, all of the police forces that are controlled either by provinces, territories, indigenous governments, or the federal government.
The fourth area of concern is that there was no explicit mention of the need to work with justice partners. Does our criminal justice system deal adequately, and what can we do to address the systemic discrimination that indigenous people have faced in the justice system?
Finally, there is the need for the addition of a sixth commissioner who is an Inuit woman. The president of Pauktuutit, Rebecca Kudloo, said:
For this inquiry to be of maximum benefit for Inuit it must be led by indigenous women including us as Inuit women. To me, this is a fundamental matter of principle, equality and trust.
I would like to hear from the government. How did it fill those gaps? How is it moving forward? I hope that some of these identified problems have been filled. We would all benefit from knowing that indigenous families and advocacy organizations were heard and that their concerns are now reflected in the final terms of reference for the inquiry now under way.
Paris Agreement October 4th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, many of us are concerned that the signing of the Kyoto accord in 1997 was a bit of a deathbed conversion. The full impact of our lack of action to reduce emissions following that was revealed in 2005, when the United Nations identified Canada as the country that had done the worst. In fact, our emissions had increased, not reduced as the Kyoto protocol required.
Although we support ratification of the Paris agreement, we are concerned that this is a bit of déjà vu.
Would the member explain exactly what his government is going to do, not the mantra about environment and economy, but exactly what actions it will take to really reduce emissions in a way that we can measure? I ask because we need this so badly in our country.
Paris Agreement October 4th, 2016
Madam Speaker, in 1992-93, I was part of a group of environmental organizations and industry organizations, a collaborative of TransAlta, oil companies, etc., working in the name of economic instruments. We were trying to design air quality regulations that would deal with a number of air pollution issues, including climate change. We were proposing economic instruments. We really hoped the Liberals, when they got elected, would take the legislation we had designed, but they did not. That is a very long time ago.
The Liberals were elected in 1993 on a platform of climate change action. Instead, they allowed emissions to increase by over 30%, and the UN reported that our pollution increased more than that of any other signatory to Kyoto.
Knowing the member's commitment to the issue, I am hoping he can tell me what has changed. What lessons have the Liberals learned from making deep commitments that they cannot fulfill?
Indigenous Affairs October 4th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, today Canadians across the country are standing with Sisters in Spirit to honour murdered and missing indigenous women. Families of victims are calling out the government for failing to deliver on its promise for action. They are calling this place the House of broken promises. Families cannot wait until the end of the inquiry before they see real change.
What action will the government take right now to ensure we have no more stolen sisters?
Women's History Month October 3rd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, standing today to mark Women's History Month, I am reminded of the lineage of women who have made it possible for me to take this seat here. I think of my Aunt Kim Malcolmson, who has been mixing it up all of her life. She was a pay equity officer in Ontario when I was starting high school. She has been a very good influence on me.
I think also of Rosemary Brown, the first black woman to fill a seat in any legislature in Canada, and her wise words, “We must open the doors and we must see to it they remain open, so that others can pass through”, and we have. Over the last 100 years, we have won the federal right to vote, the right to run for office. Women have won the right to serve in the army. Women's equality is now in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Yet there is so much to do. It is all hands on deck to address the ecological and inequality emergencies that our planet and our country face. Women's rights and social justice are key to global sustainable solutions.
I am inspired by the women who are making history right now. We need the ingenuity, creativity, and social justice commitment that young women bring and are bringing right now to our country and our political life. I am deeply inspired by these strong young women, and I see them making history right now as we speak.
I think of the 338 women who have contributed and been part of the Daughters of the Vote process that Equal Voice imagined. They are going to take their seats in Parliament next March on International Women's Day, future leaders of our country.
I think of Melissa Mollen Dupuis, a young Innu performance artist, a Québécois, one of the co-founders of the Quebec movement of Idle No More. It is very inspiring work.
I think of the Olympic women medalists who really blew the men out of the park and the rest of the country as well. We are so proud of them and their leadership. Again, they are making Canadian history as we speak.
I think of my friend and comrade, Avery Valerio from Nanaimo. She is 19 years old and is talking with young women, millennial feminists, across the province and the country about what this next wave of the women's movement looks like and how they themselves will make their mark on history.
For the rest of my time, I am going to share Avery's words. She writes:
“So how do we belong? How do we make Canada somewhere where half of the population can find a place for themselves? A place free of violence and plentiful of opportunity. How do we heal, how do we move forward? We do it together. We do it through education, through legislation and through conversation. We do it not because it makes for good politics or because it's the flavour of the month. We do it because it's the right thing to do, because it's the responsible thing to do. Because democracies are supposed to be representative of their nations. Because everyone deserves to live a life free of violence. We do it because everyone deserves equal opportunities. Because we cannot wait to do it any longer. It was Emily Murphy who said that there was never a country better adapted to produce a great race of women than this Canada of ours, nor a race of women better adapted to make a great country. And so together it is up to us to move forward, as Canadians it is up to us to continue to work on building a feminist country. It is up to us to build a Canada where everyone belongs.”
The Environment September 30th, 2016
Madam Speaker, if the environment minister were standing up for the environment instead of paving the way for development, we would all feel better.
On Wednesday, the Union of BC Municipalities passed two resolutions calling on the government to deal with an improved oil spill response in the marine environment, but the Liberals seem to be in favour of tanker increases that will further threaten those coasts. We have a continued legacy of serious gaps in our oil spill response capacity. Local governments are alarmed. Our local coastal environment and economy are at risk.
I want to know what the government will do.
The Environment September 29th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Union of B.C. Municipalities called upon the government to deal with abandoned vessels.
Earlier this year, I introduced Bill C-219 that would create a federal responsibility for dealing with these vessels, which are a black mark on our local environment and economy. We need to stop passing the buck to local governments. We need federal leadership.
Will the government support my bill and get to work cleaning up abandoned vessels?
The Environment September 29th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I bring good news from Nanaimo—Ladysmith. Climate action is a win-win for our local economy and our global environment. We are innovating and cutting greenhouse gas emissions while adding well-paying jobs.
Two groups are building affordable housing with energy conservation in Nanaimo. VIU carpentry students have dedicated 5,000 hours of work to Habitat for Humanity's new build. The Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre is building affordable housing using a passive energy design that uses 80% less energy.
This is good news countrywide. Canada's green-building industry employs more direct full-time workers than the forestry, mining, and the oil and gas industries combined.
On November 10, we will celebrate climate solutions, innovation, and job creation at Nanaimo's John Barsby school. The climate fair is at 5:30 p.m., and the forum is at 7:00 p.m. I invite all members to come and add their voices on climate solutions that add green jobs.