Petitions  Mr. Speaker, my second petition is in regard to postal banking. Nearly two million Canadians desperately need an alternative to payday lenders that prey upon people in our communities, the marginalized, rural, and indigenous communities of Canada. We have 3,800 Canada Post outlets.

Canada Post  Mr. Speaker, in 2017, Canada Post's profits surged a whopping 78%. Business is booming, so it is time to make investments that ensure healthy profits are there for the future. Postal workers' pensions must be fully supported, and pay equity issues must be settled. Now is the time to implement postal banking.

Art Stewart  Mr. Speaker, it is hard to say goodbye to someone I admire, respect, and love. For those of us who knew Art Stewart, we choose to remember all that was good about Art, and there was so much that was good. Art was top-notch. He knew the importance of family and commitment to community.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today. The first petition is from Canadians who believe that VIA Rail should have a management strategy. It does not have a long-term plan and direction approved by government, thus it can unilaterally end service on any given route that affects thousands of Canadians.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from Canadians in support of postal banking. Nearly two million Canadians desperately need an alternative to payday lenders, whose crippling lending rates affect poor, marginalized, rural, and indigenous communities most. There are 3,800 Canada Post outlets already in rural areas, where there are few or no banks or credit unions.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from a group of Canadians who are very sad that the Canadian volunteer medal has ceased to exist. They are petitioning the government to create and issue a new Canadian military volunteer service medal to be designated the Canadian military volunteer service medal for volunteer service by Canadians in the regular forces, the reserves, the cadet corps, and support staff who have completed 365 days of uninterrupted honourable duty for Canada.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first is from a group of Canadians in support of postal banking. We know that nearly two million Canadians desperately need an alternative to payday lenders, because these predators are preying upon people with crippling lending rates that affect the poor, marginalized, rural, and indigenous communities the most.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first is a petition calling on the Government of Canada to keep its promise on electoral reform. The petitioners believe Canadians deserve a fair voting system, where every vote counts and their voices are heard. There were two-thirds of Canadians who voted for parties promising electoral reform in the last election, and nearly 90% of experts and public testimony at Parliament's consultations called for a proportional voting system.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from petitioners who support postal banking in Canada. Nearly two million Canadians desperately need an alternative to payday lenders. We have seen the impact of these heartless and terrible people who practise payday lending in our communities.

Canada Post  Mr. Speaker, on August 24, the Toronto–Dominion Bank plans to close the last remaining bank branch in Old East Village in London, leaving payday lenders free to prey on residents. My appeal to the minister when TD closed its Hamilton Road branch got a pathetic response. The government stands by and does nothing when the big banks abandon our communities, but New Democrats and Canadians know the solution is postal banking.

Petitions  Madam Speaker, I have two petitions today. The first is from a number of Canadians who wish to draw the attention of this House to the fact that there used to be a Canadian Volunteer Service Medal. It was presented to Canadians who served voluntarily in the Canadian Forces. This honourable and noteworthy acknowledgement of volunteerism by our veterans and troops stopped abruptly in March of 1947.

Petitions  Madam Speaker, the second petition is in regard to postal banking. Nearly two million Canadians desperately need an alternative to payday loan lenders. These are people who are crippling the poor and marginalized with usurious interest rates. There are 3,800 Canada Post outlets that already exist in rural and remote areas where there are no banks or credit unions.

Canada Post  Madam Speaker, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that she would introduce a bill to reinstate postal banking services in all 30,000 post offices in the United States. Here in Canada, hundreds of municipalities and organizations support postal banking, because they know it is not only viable and profitable, but essential for smaller and remote communities abandoned by big banks.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, in the past, the Conservative government stripped environmental protection regulations covered in the Navigable Waters Protection Act. I have many petitioners who are very concerned about that. They encourage the Liberal government to keep its promise to reinstate those environmental protections.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first is from a number of citizens ask the Government of Canada to reinstate the Canadian volunteer service medal. As members know, it was a medal that was available for the volunteer work done by our veterans and troops until March 1947.