The Economy  Mr. Speaker, I recognize the hon. member's passion for her province, her community and her constituents. I applaud her for that. I want to assure her of our government's support for Albertans. We recognize Albertans want to use their own resourcefulness and talents to grow and diversify the western economy and indeed the Canadian economy.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, as this is the first time I rise in this House, I want to thank the amazing people of Winnipeg South for their continued support. I promise them that I will do my very best to serve them well over the next number of years. I want to congratulate the hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona on her election.

Fisheries Act  Mr. Speaker, it is nice to know there is a fellow zoologist in the House with me. I call myself an environmental biologist by trade. I wonder if the hon. member would reflect back on some of the dark days that my colleague from Winnipeg North and others have mentioned. We had a fisheries department and a Fisheries Act that were very much guided by science and evidence.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Scarborough—Agincourt for her question and for her tireless advocacy. Our government is focused on gender equality and economic security by creating the Canada child benefit, by creating 40,000 child care spaces, by supporting women in STEM and in the skilled trades and by ensuring equal pay for work of equal value.

Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, my colleague is the member for the riding adjacent to mine, and I am often in his riding, because I travel Highway 75 south to places like Morris, which has great curling facilities. He knows that I am a big curling fan. I am a little puzzled when the member talks about the border and security.

Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I would argue that the current system is very flexible. Men and women can share parental leave. What we have done is added an extra five weeks for a second parent. Often that time would be taken by fathers. This is a well-trodden path in Scandinavian countries and in Quebec.

Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, we have made a number of improvements to the EI system since we were elected in 2015. I participated in some of those when I was the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Families. We have increased flexibility, and maternity and parental leave benefits have been improved.

Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I just remembered the second attribute of Manitoba. It is the curling capital of the world, not just Canada. I am going to share my time with my good friend, the hon. member for Winnipeg North, whom I have known for 33 years. He had a lot more hair back then, but he is wiser.

Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, there are two things that I think the hon. member and I agree on. One is that Manitoba is the friendliest province in the entire confederation and the second is that we are friendly to immigration. I would ask the hon. member to reflect on the immigration and refugee policy of the previous government.

Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for her remarks, as well as for her terrific work on the status of women standing committee, particularly her work in advancing the cause of senior women. Manitoba is home to 63 first nations. It is the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, Maya Angelou once said, “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” This week in Vancouver, thousands of women and people of all genders are doing just that. They are standing up at Women Deliver and some of its side events: Feminists Deliver and the pre-conference on indigenous women and girls.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, once again, there is very good news for gender equality and the sustainability of the women's movement. The new partnerships with the Community Foundations of Canada, the Canadian Women's Foundation and Grand Challenges Canada will bring funding to women's organizations to a level never reached before.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Scarborough Centre for her question and her advocacy. Women Deliver is not just a conference; it is a movement to advance gender equality worldwide. It brings together thousands of people from across the globe to find solutions to the barriers still faced by women, girls and gender-diverse people everywhere.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, we should be using every technology known to humankind to address our carbon footprint and bringing it to this fight of our lives. My understanding is that there has been federal support in the past for a number of the projects the member mentioned, and I welcome his comments.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to inform you that I will be splitting my time with the member for Repentigny. Climate change is real. It is an urgent problem driven by human activity. Scientific data presented in the recent “Canada's Changing Climate Report” makes it clear that our country is warming at twice the global rate.