Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, certainly FedNor plays a critical role in the economic development of northern Ontario. In the past two years, we have reinvested in FedNor to the tune of around $10 million a year, after investment was reduced by almost 50% by the previous government. As well, in the last debate, the Conservatives actually voted against more investment in our regional development agencies.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, this is a budget. In a budget, there are many items that we need to go into to move things forward. Investments in Canada are not just on the tax side; we need to invest on a broad spectrum, and that is what we are doing here. At the same time, one of the tenets, which I briefly mentioned, is with respect to gender equity and equal pay for equal work.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, as I said in my speech, in my area alone, private international businesses are investing over $3 billion in the mining sector, in the natural resources sector. They made a decision on where to invest around the world, and they decided to invest in Canada because the economic conditions in Canada make it the best place to invest.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak today on budget 2018. I am very proud to be in the House to speak about this budget, which provides a lot of investments to Canadians. However, before I talk about the budget, I will talk about the overall economy. We have heard many times in the House a debate about where the economy is going, but the facts are unprecedented growth in Canada and almost the lowest unemployment rates in Canada in my lifetime.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, in Ontario, 25 remote first nations communities depend on diesel as their sole source of electricity. This source is neither viable nor reliable. It is also extremely expensive. Recently, the hon. Minister of Indigenous Services announced a historic partnership that would not only allow for reliable and clean power generation but would also contribute to economic development and infrastructure opportunities in first nations communities.

Accomplished Black Canadian Women Award  Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I speak in this House about Dr. Remi Ogundimu. Dr. Ogundimu spent her formative years in Nigeria, and served in rural Nigeria as a medical officer for the National Youth Service Corps. Later, she moved with her family to my riding of Sudbury, under the Ontario under-serviced areas program, where she worked as a pediatrician, a much-needed specialty.

Reesor Siding Strike  Mr. Speaker, February 10, 2018, marked the 55th anniversary of the terrible tragedy that happened in a community not too far from my hometown of Kapuskasing called Reesor Siding. Eleven union workers were shot during the Reesor Siding strike of 1963, and three of them lost their lives during a confrontation which happened that very night.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, last election, we ran on a platform to help the middle class and those working hard to join it, including middle-class families like those in my riding of Sudbury. We put in place the Canada child benefit, which puts more money, tax-free, into the hands of nine out of 10 families.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, we know there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to first nations education. We also know that the best way to improve first nations education outcomes is to support indigenous-led initiatives, and to respect first nations control of their education. Could the minister update the House on the government's progress toward supporting first nations communities in assuming jurisdiction over their own education systems?

Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 2  Madam Speaker, clearly the hon. member forgets the last 10 years when no pipelines were built by the previous government. We are on the cusp, and have certainly allowed Trans Mountain to move forward. We need to realize that industry will decide if it wants to invest in pipelines across this country.

Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 2  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his important question. With regard to the investments that we proposed in budget 2016-17, I would like to say that, when we talk about superclusters, we are talking about economic sectors that we want to transform in order to make them greener and more successful.

Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 2  Madam Speaker, this is an ambitious bill because there are a number of things that need to be accomplished. We made promises to Canadians during the last election. We need to make sure that we meet those objectives, and that is what this bill does.

Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 2  Madam Speaker, today I have the great honour and pleasure to speak to Bill C-63, the budget implementation act, 2017, no. 2. In recent days, we have seen that there is a great deal of interest in the budget, and for good reason. In 2015, Canadians made a choice. They could choose between a government that would continue to slash investments in Canadians or a government that would invest in Canadians.

Paulette Gagnon  Mr. Speaker, my riding of Sudbury is the future home of Place des arts, the largest cultural centre that Canada has seen in the past 25 years . The very accomplished, clever leader behind this project was a remarkable figure in the cultural community, my friend Paulette Gagnon.

Movember  Mr. Speaker, the Movember campaign begins today. The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, men's mental health, and suicide prevention. These are important issues for all of us, considering that one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and one in of 10 men will suffer from serious depression.