Heart of Orléans BIA  Mr. Speaker, last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of joining small business owners from the Heart of Orléans BIA to host a town hall and discuss the crucial measures our federal government was bringing in to spur growth. During an engaging evening discussion, these local leaders shared their thoughts and enthusiasm for the future of Canada's small businesses as we look ahead to the end of the pandemic.

National Nursing Week  Mr. Speaker, this is National Nursing Week, and today being International Nurses Day, I would like to thank nurses in Orleans and across Canada for their hard work and sacrifices not only this week, but every day of the year. Thank you for continuing to play an essential role in the fight against COVID-19.

COVID-19 in Alberta  Madam Speaker, thank you for recognizing me. I am very pleased to speak in the House this evening. First, I want to say my thoughts are with the people of Alberta. I think this is an important debate and I certainly would like to share a few thoughts. Particularly, I would like to focus my time on our vaccine and our vaccine rollout that began at the end of December and is currently picking up speed.

Roda Muse  Mr. Speaker, I recently had the honour of congratulating an exceptional woman from Orléans, Roda Muse, on her appointment as Secretary General of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. Her career as a school board trustee, vice-chair of the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario and lifelong public servant has earned her many accolades, including the “professional award” at the 2020 Soirée Saphir gala, an awards ceremony that recognizes female leadership in Ontario.

Women's Entrepreneurship  Mr. Speaker, on Friday, I was thrilled to take part in a panel discussion as part of the Inspiration conference series presented by the University of Ottawa, along with my colleague from Ottawa—Vanier. The theme was “Getting Things Done on the Hill...au féminin!”. I want to thank the entire organization for the invitation and for this great initiative.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I am proud to be able to answer my colleague because this is yet another demonstration of the partisan ploys we are dealing with. From the outset, we have done whatever it took for Canadians. Let us remember what we were hearing in our ridings. Canadians were faced with an unprecedented pandemic.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I salute my dear colleague. We are both members of this all-party caucus, and it is always a pleasure. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our actions have prioritized the health and safety of Canadians. Our border measures are among the safest for people, and we have added or enhanced a number of measures in recent months in response to these variants from overseas.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I have mixed feelings about my colleague's question and his proposed solution. I am proud that our country, Canada, has contributed over $220 million to the COVAX program to honour its commitment to help other countries. I know that Minister Gould and our government—

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I would like to inform the House that I will be sharing my time with the member for Central Nova. I would like to begin by thanking all the residents of Orléans for the support, strength and community spirit they have shown in the past year. I know that the pandemic has been difficult.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, I too respect my colleague on the veterans committee. I know this is something that she has brought up time and time again. I certainly appreciate her perspective. I would somewhat echo what she is saying. The government needs to come together. We need to find the right balance and the right solution, and I am happy to work with her.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, our government has been working hard to find the right balance and solution on this. I have to remind my hon. colleague of all the actions this government has taken since early on in this pandemic. Without those measures, many businesses would not have been able to stay afloat.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to discuss a bit of my history before I entered politics. I worked with seniors for 20 years. I would like to remind my colleague about the Liberal government's efforts and its commitment to helping seniors in recent years.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, I am happy to be speaking today, and I would like to inform members that I will be sharing my time with the member for Lac-Saint-Louis. At the beginning of this crisis, the government took swift action to protect people from a devastating illness. The government members knew their efforts would need to protect not only their physical health, but their economic health.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

Government Response to Petitions  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 11 petitions. These responses will be tabled in an electronic format.