Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, it is great to see you again in the chair. It was very interesting to follow my colleague. He pointed out some of the finance challenges the country is going to face. I want to talk about my constituents and the people of Canada who are benefiting as a result of those investments.

Human Rights  Mr. Speaker, in 2002, I spoke at a press conference with former member of Parliament, Irwin Cotler, to denounce the abduction and unlawful detention of Dr. Wang Bingzhang by the Communist Party of China. Dr. Wang is the founder of the overseas Chinese democracy movement. A former Ph.D. student of medicine at McGill, he was inspired by Canada's democratic values and dreamed of a China where they could flourish.

ALS Treatment  Mr. Speaker, ALS patients in Canada suffer from a lack of access to new therapeutic treatments and a quarter of Canadian ALS patients do not have access to clinical trials within their own provinces. The current system is prohibitive to ALS patients who wish to access new therapies that could significantly improve their quality of life.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 107(3), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Liaison Committee, entitled “Committee Activities and Expenditures - April 1, 2019-September 11, 2019.”

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, over the last few weeks, the international trade committee studied the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement, and we have heard from many businesses and stakeholders about various aspects of the agreement and the importance of its impact on our communities. Can the Deputy Prime Minister tell us more about the next steps towards ratification and the importance of this agreement for all Canadians?

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the great work he did on the committee. He was a great member to work with, as were all the members on the committee. Not everything goes the way we all want it to go. At the committee level, in reference to the economic report we were waiting for, we did receive it quite late in the process.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, the fact that we have issues such as sexual identity, sexual harassment, the protection of the indigenous community and a variety of other things in a trade agreement is terrific. Would I like to see more? Yes, I would. I would also like to see these kinds of human rights issues embedded into trade agreements.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's acknowledgement very much. This NAFTA is clearly going to give what we heard is needed. Out of the 117 witnesses, I think at least 100 of them talked about the need for security and stability. They were very uneasy knowing these discussions had been going on for several years.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to join my colleagues today as we deal with Bill C-4, which is extremely important for us. We call it the CUSMA, or the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement. I am pleased with the work we did at committee on this particular issue. My committee colleagues from all parties showed their dedication to their constituents and their country while we did this study.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, the member is on our international trade committee and I appreciate his support and participation. Looking at the cultural exemption in particular, that is something very important to all of us and certainly to the government. It means that with this agreement we will be protecting a $53.8-billion industry, thousands of jobs across Canada, 75,000 of which are in the Quebec region.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, I am pleased the hon. member gave his first maiden speech. He did a fine job. I welcome him to the House. The member spoke of many issues and, in particular, aluminum. Getting 100% was impossible, but 70% certainly was achievable and has brought some stability to that industry.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize the fabulous work that the vice-chair did at the international trade committee. He was very helpful making the points that were necessary and with getting it through committee and back to the House now. We heard him mention the number of jobs that he was concerned about, as we all are.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition signed by residents of the GTA. The petitioners call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled along with Global Affairs Canada to issue a statement, with respect to South Korea's Moon Jae-in government, expressing denouncement and deep concern over the forcible repatriation of two North Korean defectors back to North Korea and urging the Moon government to take corrective actions ensuring that it will fully comply with international human rights laws; and, with respect to North Korea's Kim Jong-un's regime, urging the regime to disclose the whereabouts of the two North Korean defectors repatriated by South Korea's Moon government, and to treat them with humanity.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I wanted to applaud my colleague's courage and recognize that every word she spoke today is probably the same words that all of us as parliamentarians have spoken. Hope is eternal. Hope is what gives us all the energy to fight the battles we have in our lives and in our family's lives.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I certainly applaud the intent and where we are going with the changes to the legislation. At the end of the day, we pass a lot of money to the provinces and we expect them to do certain things with it. Ensuring that palliative care and all of the other services are available is important.