Government Business No. 1  Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester. I rise today to speak about the Canada recovery benefit legislation and the way in which it will positively impact the lives of Canadians across the country as we continue the process of restarting our economy.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I remember the last time I was in this House, the NDP had a chance with the Kelowna accord for indigenous people, the Kyoto accord for the environment, and the landmark child care agreements that Ken Dryden brought forward with all 10 provinces and the territories.

Forestry Industry  Madam Speaker, our government understands and appreciates the importance of Canada's forestry sector. Like many industries, the fallout from COVID-19 has hit forestry and its workers hard. The sector is looking for strategies to ensure our forestry sector is resilient and emerges stronger than ever.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member from the Bloc Québécois for raising the issue of small and medium-sized businesses. I myself have been a small business owner in my constituency for the last 25-some years, and I totally understand the needs of small businesses.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank the hon. member for his thoughts. When it comes to a housing strategy, our government has brought in a landmark plan, whether it is to have affordable housing or to help reduce homelessness by 25%, which we are going to keep working on until we bring it down by 50%.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour for the great work and for sharing his time. I would also like to thank each and every member of Parliament for the work that they have done during this pandemic in their constituencies. I rise today to speak in support of the throne speech, which introduced our government's vision for the future of Canada.

Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Bourassa for his hard work. My constituents know I have been a small business owner in the community of Surrey—Newton for many years. Thousands more Surrey residents have been able to take advantage of the wage subsidy that was provided.

Model United Nations  Mr. Speaker, on February 29, I had the opportunity to participate in the first annual model United Nations at Tamanawis Secondary School. Model UN provides youth a platform that magnifies leadership and teamwork. This event allowed delegates to nurture their skills in an active, comfortable and positive environment.

Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, young Canadians face bullying daily both in and out of school. An increasing amount of time is spent online, which means that people cannot escape harassment by simply walking away. This makes it even more important to stop the culture of bullying before it can spread.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, on this side, the Liberals will always defend our cultural sovereignty. We have always defended and stood up for cultural communities. I remember one instance in the previous Parliament when the international trade committee travelled to the United States. A former member of Parliament, Linda Lapointe, was on that committee.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I have talked to British Columbians and people in Surrey—Newton and they are very happy we concluded this agreement. It is very important that small and medium-sized businesses and workers have stability and predictability. It is not only for people in British Columbia, though.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, this is different because there is a new enforceable environment chapter included in CUSMA. This replaces the separate side agreement, and it protects air quality and fights marine pollution. We believe that commitments to high levels of environmental protection are an important part of this trade agreement, as they protect our workers and our planet.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, in my constituency, from one corner to the other, every business person and worker I met supported this deal. It is going to help Quebec by preserving $57.3 billion in exports to the U.S. from Quebec. It preserves the cultural exemption. It also preserves supply management, even though the U.S. was calling for a complete dismantle of it.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, I agree with the member on one aspect: We can always do things differently and do them better. That has never been denied by the Prime Minister or any member on this side. I want to remind the hon. member that we worked well with former NDP member Tracey Ramsey when she was on the international trade committee, and that is why this deal is good for the NDP.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, Canada is a trading nation and the Unites States is by far our largest trading partner. Of our exports, 75% go to the U.S., and 51% of our imports come from the U.S. Mexico is our fifth largest trading partner. In that context, I am happy to address the House today about the benefits of the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement and to encourage all members in the House to support Bill C-4.