House debate  Madam Chair, it is a pleasure to join the debate tonight on such an important topic. It is fitting that my first speech of the 44th Parliament is on a topic that is so dearly important to people in the Kenora riding and right across northern Ontario. The forestry industry is so important to Canada as a whole, and to Canada's economy.

House debate  Madam Chair, I appreciate the speech from the member opposite. I just want to bring this back to the workers, those on the ground whose lives are impacted by this, because this is something we have seen in the Kenora riding throughout the course of this dispute. Just a couple of years ago, Kenora Forest Products had to lay off over 100 workers when its parent company filed for bankruptcy, citing the ongoing softwood lumber dispute.

House debate  Mr. Chair, my colleague from Kelowna—Lake Country mentioned how important the industry is to British Columbia, and the local impact. An aspect we cannot stress enough is that these are jobs, these are livelihoods. It is more than just the overall economy that is at stake here. I am wondering if she can expand more on the local concerns, some of the things she has either heard from those in B.C. or heard from her colleagues on what is happening on the ground in their ridings.

House debate  Mr. Chair, I appreciate that the member mentioned the environmental benefits of forestry, especially Canadian forestry. We have one of the greenest, most environmentally friendly industry in the world. I wonder if he would comment further on the benefit of supporting Canadian forestry from the perspective of fighting climate change.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate a lot of the sentiments that the member for Winnipeg North shared. Of course, those in the riding of Kenora and across northern Ontario are looking for more than that. They are looking for results and they are looking for action. A question had been posed to the minister, a couple of times I believe, and she has not been able to answer.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, one thing the throne speech makes note of is the importance of reconciliation. Of course, in the Kenora riding and across northern Ontario, that is a very important issue. A big aspect of it regards boil water advisories on reserve. The government, despite some very positive progress, failed to meet the timelines it set in, I believe, the 2015 election.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, my colleague's speech was very enjoyable. One of the things he mentioned was inflation and the cost of living. That is a very important issue in northern Ontario and across the country. Does the member agree that it is time for the government to stop printing money, get spending under control and ensure it is doing what it can to address inflation?

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, the member opposite spoke a bit about reconciliation, which is very important to me, to the people of the Kenora riding and to those across northern Ontario. Of course, a major component of reconciliation is ensuring that all first nations have clean drinking water on reserve.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his election. I am looking forward to getting to know him and I look forward to working with him, going forward. My colleague mentioned child care, as many members of the government have been doing throughout the last couple of weeks.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I have heard from a lot of people in the Kenora riding and across northern Ontario who are feeling the crunch because of the cost of living. Inflation has been skyrocketing. It is important that the government spends responsibly, controls spending, and pays down the deficit in order to help address that.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I appreciate the topics the member spoke on. He talked about quite a few different topics. One was housing, which is very important for people in the Kenora riding and across northern Ontario, specifically with addressing the housing supply. It seems to be an issue that is impacting people across income levels and at different places in their life.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, the member mentioned climate action. I know that climate change is very important to her, but I note that the government is leading the G7 when it comes to emissions. I understand that it has not reached a single climate target thus far, despite its attacks on Canadian industry and Canadian energy in particular.

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his thoughts on this bill. I would like to once again congratulate on his re-election. In northern Ontario, in the Kenora riding, one of the greatest economic issues we are facing right now is a severe labour shortage. I do not believe there is much, if anything, in this bill that would address that.

Canada-U.S. Relations  Mr. Speaker, last week the Prime Minister visited Washington to meet with President Biden, and this week the U.S. has announced plans to double tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, threatening jobs in northern Ontario and across the country. It is either the Prime Minister does not care to stand up for Canadian workers or he is incapable of delivering results.

An Act to Provide Further Support in Response to COVID-19  Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your position. As well, I would like to offer my congratulations to the hon. minister not only on his appointment, but also for his election. I am looking forward to working with him for the first time in this upcoming Parliament. I appreciate a lot of what the minister had to say about tourism, considering that northern Ontario is home to many tourist operators and tourism is a big part of our economy.