International Development  Mr. Speaker, there is a serious food crisis in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. At present, more than 20 million people are at risk of starvation as a result of severe drought and ongoing conflicts. Today, our government made an important announcement in that regard. Could the minister explain to the House how Canada plans to increase its contribution and further help the most vulnerable populations, who are the victims of this terrible crisis?

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to rise in the House today to present an e-petition that was initiated by Ken Robertson, an urban aboriginal autism activist and a constituent of mine in my riding of Davenport. This e-petition calls on the federal government to gather data on urban aboriginal children with autism and the length of the wait list for support for off-reserve children.

Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, a historic $180 billion has been committed to building much-needed infrastructure in communities right across Canada. Residents in my downtown Toronto riding of Davenport are looking forward to public transit projects, such as the relief line. They are also looking forward to more bike infrastructure, such as the further expansion of the West Toronto Railpath and the creation of the green line.

Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, the reason I am talking about pipelines is that budget 2017 is very much about growing our economy, providing more opportunities for the middle class and for workers across this country, both today and tomorrow. In answer to the original question from the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, I have comfort in the fact that we have put a new process in place that takes both environmental and economic concerns into account.

Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, first, I do not agree with the premise that this budget bill is an omnibus bill. I do not believe that to be so. Everything in the budget is about the budget. I personally do not support omnibus bills, so I do not agree that this is the case. Second, with respect to the infrastructure bank, I believe we are now up to about $180 billion over 12 years in investment in infrastructure.

Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I have a bit of a confession to make. A number of people In my riding of Davenport are not big supporters of pipeline approval. I have explained to them that I fully support the approval of pipelines. We have to support the economy of Canada. We are a resource-based economy.

Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I do not know all the details of all the pipelines that have been approved. I know two have been approved. They are very positive in bringing our resources to tidewater, bringing in trade jobs, and being helpful to the overall economy.

Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my hon. colleague from Alfred-Pellan. It is such a pleasure to rise in the House to speak on behalf of the residents of my riding of Davenport on budget 2017, which was released on March 22. It is a good budget and a lot of positive benefit is in it for the people in my riding.

Canada-Mexico Relations  Mr. Speaker, I am blessed to be a Canadian with two distinct cultural backgrounds. My last name, Dzerowicz, betrays me as Ukrainian, but what is hidden is my Mexican heritage. My mother is Mexican, and thus I am also a proud Mexican Canadian. I mention all this as background to acknowledge the hard work of His Excellency Agustin Garcia Lopez.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, housing is a key issue of concern for the residents of my riding. Affordable housing, co-operative housing, social housing, and housing for our aging and ethnic populations are top of mind for Davenport residents. Our government has taken important measures to answer the housing needs in this country by investing $2.3 billion in budget 2016 and has introduced a much-needed $11.2 billion for the national housing strategy in budget 2017.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, when I was canvassing in the last election, I spoke to many families and many youth. They told me that education is expensive and that life is expensive. They were very much attracted to the Liberal team, which is now the government, because of its desire to invest in the middle class, to invest in youth, and to invest in our future.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is such a pleasure to answer that question. I do not agree with the member's premise that we are trying to favour large corporations over small businesses. What we are trying to do is create a strong economy in Canada so that it is beneficial for all businesses. We are also trying to create a strong middle class, and those who are trying to join it, because the stronger they are, the stronger our overall economy will be.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I apologize. It is such a pleasure to rise in the House this afternoon to speak to the opposition day motion on budget 2017, a budget which is to be announced tomorrow at 4 p.m., by our Minister of Finance. One part of the opposition motion being debated in this venerable House today focuses on youth.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is such a pleasure to rise in the House this afternoon to speak on the opposition day motion on budget 2017, a budget that is to be announced tomorrow by our hon. Minister of Finance, Bill Morneau, at 4:00 p.m. Oops, sorry. One part of the opposition motion being debated—

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to rise in the House today to present a petition spearheaded by the Ecuadorians in my downtown riding of Davenport. To date, it has received over 1,500 signatures. The petitioners are calling for the Parliament of Canada to pass a motion allowing the opening of a special immigration program and to fast-track the processing of sponsorship applications for those residing in the Ecuadorian provinces of Manabi and Esmeraldas who were victims of the earthquake of April 2016.