Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, unfortunately, whatever happens to the south of us ends up being duplicated here in Canada, whether it is a month later, six months later or two years later. When we look at the killings and those mass shootings in the schools, when there are 19 babies killed, those were not done with a handgun.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I want to acknowledge the continued great work that the member is doing as a member of Parliament. I was very focused on so many people in my particular riding who have been asking for such a long period of time for more to be done to eliminate handguns in our communities.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I am very proud to rise in this House today, especially following my illustrious colleague, who never seems to run out of words and manages to fill the time slot all the time. I represent a riding that, like many others in a large urban centre like Toronto, has a tendency to have a lot of violence, and the majority of that violence is gun violence, so I am very pleased that Bill C-21 is on the table.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 107(3), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the liaison committee, entitled “Committee Activities and Expenditures: April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022”. This report highlights the work and accomplishments of each committee, as well as detailing the budgets that fund the activities approved by committee members.

Sothymalar Paramsothy  Madam Speaker, today I would like to honour the memory of a passionate teacher, a dedicated volunteer and a great community leader, Ms. Sothymalar Paramsothy. Ms. Paramsothy arrived in Canada, along with her two sons, as a refugee. Like most Tamils, she balanced several jobs to make ends meet as she integrated into a new place.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that Bill C-21 has been introduced and very soon we could be dealing with the issues of firearms. As I indicated earlier, anyone who uses firearms in any kind of circumstances should receive much more of a penalty, not less.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, we have put millions of dollars into the issues of addictions and mental health in the last several years. I think we are finally recognizing that arresting people and putting them in jail is not going to help. I was recently in Vancouver and was absolutely blown away by the number of people I saw living on the street, suffering from mental illness.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, we are all doing what we are doing with the best of intentions, and in 2007, when mandatory minimums were introduced, many people thought they would really help to reduce crime and improve public safety. What we have seen is that they have done far more damage than good.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I absolutely agree. Those are the areas we are trying to work in. When there is an imbalance and we look at the fact that 9% of people who are in prison are indigenous, we have to ask why and look at the root cause. I agree with my colleague completely. That is why I said, in response to the previous speaker, that we could be sitting down, quite possibly around this beautiful table, figuring out how to solve some of these problems, doing it together.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the wonderful member for Lac-Saint-Louis. I am pleased to speak to Bill C-5. I have to reference the previous speaker's speech. All of us come to the House to make life better. We have different opinions on how we achieve that goal, but after listening to the previous speaker, so much of what is on this side of the House is on all sides of the House.

National Strategy for Eye Care Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-284, An Act to establish a national strategy for eye care. Mr. Speaker, I am very happy today to have the opportunity to introduce this bill calling for a national strategy on eye care, something that, for many years, Canadians have been calling for, and something that the government has promised many times before that.

Humber River Hospital  Madam Speaker, the past two years have been difficult, fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, but none more so than for our health care professionals, who have been challenged both personally and professionally. Situated in the traditional lands of the Anishinabe, Humber River Hospital has cared for more COVID patients than many other hospitals in Toronto.

Maulana Naseem Mahdi Sahid  Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today in memory of a great man, Maulana Naseem Mahdi Sahid, a dear friend of mine for over 30 years. He left this world last week. Naseem was a loyal and trusting friend that I, my husband Sam and the rest of our family are honoured to have known.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, entitled “Main Estimates 2022-23: Vote 1 under Canadian Commercial Corporation, Vote 1 under Invest in Canada Hub”.

Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to rise in the House today to welcome the Canada-Ukraine parliamentary program class of 2022 as it begins its first full week here in Ottawa. This program began in 1991 under the authority of the then Speaker of the House, John Allen Fraser, and happened every year until 2020, when it was put on hold due to COVID‑19.