Tracey Ramsey

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, February 7th, 2019]

With respect to the federal agency Invest in Canada and its board of directors: (a) what is, to date, the total amount of expenses of the Chair of the board and the members of the board, broken down by type of expenditure; (b) what are the details of implementing a national strategy to attract foreign direct investment to Canada; (c) how many new partnerships have been created, to date, with the departments or agencies of any government in Canada, the private sector in Canada, or other Canadian stakeholders interested in foreign direct investment; (d) how many activities, events, conferences and programs to promote Canada as a destination for investors have so far been created; (e) how much information has so far been collected, prepared and disseminated to assist foreign investors in supporting their foreign direct investment decisions in Canada; (f) how many services have been provided to foreign investors, to date, in respect of their current or potential investments in Canada; (g) who are the foreign investors that the agency has met, to date; (h) what are the suppliers outside of the federal public administration which the agency has used to date; (i) what, to date, are the providers of legal services outside the federal public administration on which the agency has relied; and (j) what are the filters and anti-conflict-of-interest requirements to which the members of the board are subject?

[Automotive Industry, February 5th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, after being abandoned by GM, Oshawa's auto workers cannot help but feel abandoned by the Liberals too. Conservative and Liberal governments, like this one, have failed to protect Canadian jobs from corporate greed. Because of the Liberals' mistakes, thousands of workers are now fighting for their paycheques, fighting for the future of their families, fighting for their communities.

Where is the Prime Minister? It seems like he has given up. Why is the Liberal government letting GM get away with this betrayal?

[The Economy, February 1st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals just do not get it. Canadians are feeling let down by the Liberal government. They do not want to wait any longer and they should not have to wait for action on things that matter to them.

If the Prime Minister was on the side of Canadians, he would have invested in solutions that people need: housing, universal pharmacare and secure retirement. Instead, like the Conservatives, he chooses to give billions of dollars away to the rich while everyone else struggles.

If the Prime Minister is really proud, how can he stand up when Canadians are $200 away from bankruptcy?

[The Economy, February 1st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, the Liberals campaigned on a progressive platform. People expected change, but all they received from the Liberal government is an economy that just does not work for them. Plant closures and precarious work have left many people on shaky ground.

Today Canadians are faced with some of the biggest personal debt in decades, and instead of helping them get through it, the Liberals give billions of dollars away to corporations. How exactly is this a change from the Conservatives?

How can the Prime Minister pat himself on the back while Canadians are struggling to pay their bills?

[Housing, January 31st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the key was “in the future”.

Safe and affordable housing is a right. Skyrocketing rents and ballooning home prices in Essex are making it impossible for people to keep a roof over their heads. People like Crystal's brother Darell, who was living in a tent because he was not able to find affordable housing. People like Fred's daughter, who is a single mother with five kids and living with him. The kids are sleeping in his living room because she cannot find affordable housing.

Instead of making up numbers to make themselves look good, what will the Liberals do for people like Darell and Fred's daughter?

[Black History Month, January 31st, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, as Black History Month begins, the theme across Canada this year is “Black Canadian Youth: Boundless, Rooted and Proud”, highlighting the importance of providing youth with positive role models, celebrating the achievements of people of African descent throughout Canadian history and learning what we can from their stories of overcoming.

In our region of Windsor-Essex, we have a powerful history of more than 30,000 former enslaved people of African descent who freed themselves and made their way to freedom in Canada, sometimes with help from Underground Railroad operatives but often relying on their own intelligence, critical thinking, courage and determination.

Mary Ann Shadd, born a free person of African descent in Delaware, moved to Windsor in 1851, where she opened Windsor's first black school. She is the first woman in Canada, and the first woman of African descent in North America, to publish a newspaper, the Provincial Freeman.

Elijah McCoy, who was born to formerly enslaved parents in Colchester in 1843, went on to become one of North America's greatest inventors, with 57 patents in his name.

This year, we lost former New Democrat Dr. Howard McCurdy, who was Canada's second black member of Parliament.

This month, as we celebrate, I encourage all Canadians to learn about our rich black history by sharing stories of incredible Canadians.

[Business of Supply, January 31st, 2019]

I would just say, Madam Speaker, that everyone who is interested in Canada can just look at the story in the Star, “Did the federal government really help 1 million Canadians find housing?” by Alex Ballingall, posted Tuesday, January 29, 2019. Canadians can learn the truth for themselves.

[Business of Supply, January 31st, 2019]

Madam Speaker, Canadians are tired of politicians who are playing games and making up numbers in order to make themselves look good. This is why this article was published and why the attention is on this particular member, because he was not telling the truth. Canadians know this. Canadians are experiencing this. To be able to do this, in order to—

[Business of Supply, January 31st, 2019]

Madam Speaker, I referenced in my speech that I visited a shelter for homeless women. The shelters across our country do not feel that the Liberal government is funding them properly. Funding was severely cut under the former Conservative government. They have a petition going on right now trying to get money back into shelters for women across our country.

While the Liberals and my colleague would like to only talk about what the Conservatives have done and, again, not really talk about what the Liberals have not done, this has been a consistent problem with both parties. This is not a partisan issue, although my colleague is trying to make a partisan argument about what the Conservatives did not do. This requires all of us to work together to adopt a strategy and move forward to ensure that people are not experiencing homelessness, particularly with the weather that we currently have right now with this polar vortex that is working its way across our country.

Homelessness and the reduction of homelessness is something that the Liberals could act on. They could refund the shelters. They could increase shelter spaces. This is a way to address homelessness.

I would encourage my colleague to go to her minister, have that conversation and get that funding flowing this year in the budget.

[Business of Supply, January 31st, 2019]

Madam Speaker, this has to be approached from the perspective of all of those people on the spectrum of housing, so co-ops are certainly a part of that. We are talking about subsidization. We are talking about homelessness. We are talking about shelters. We are talking about people who have home ownership but who simply cannot afford the home that they are in.

Absolutely co-ops are a part of what we need to be looking at as a comprehensive plan to make sure that we are addressing this issue. However, we cannot look only at one component of that. All of those things have to be addressed and all of those things have to see improvement. What we have seen under the Liberal government over the past three years has been a complete lack of movement on this.

If I could ask a question back, I would be curious to see whether people in the hon. member's riding feel that co-ops under the Liberal government have improved.