Fisheries Act  Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise in the House today to speak to Bill C-68 following the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans' review and analysis of this bill. We thank the committee members for their careful study of this legislation and their thoughtful amendments.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, we know that plastic waste and marine litter pose a growing threat to our oceans and marine life. The health of our oceans and seas is fundamental to the way of life of shoreline communities across the country. Healthy oceans help provide good jobs and support economic prosperity for all.

Interparliamentary Delegations  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, two reports from the delegation of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie. The first report is respecting its participation at the Bureau Meeting and the 43rd Ordinary Session of the APF, held in Luxembourg, Luxembourg, from July 6 to 11, and the second is respecting its participation at the Bureau Meeting of the APF, held in Paris, France, from January 31 to February 2.

Nova Scotia Writer  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Lesley Choyce on 40 years of publishing in Nova Scotia. He immigrated from the United States in 1978 and founded the Pottersfield Press publishing company. It is very impressive that he has published 60 first-time authors, most of whom wrote about various communities in Nova Scotia, including African Canadians.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I find it quite funny because one important part of the bill talks about indigenous people and how we find them in the court system and correction centres. However, I understand the problem of the opposition. It does not understand that indigenous people are extremely important Canadians.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, absolutely, because this is what this is all about. The Conservatives have been complaining now for a number of days about not having the opportunity to discuss and debate an important bill. Now that they have an opportunity to ask questions directly related to this, they refuse to do so and are talking about things that are not important here.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I represent the riding of Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook on the outskirts of Halifax and Dartmouth. It is a very nice community, with a great fishing industry. There are lots of beaches and lakes, of course. It is a nice community to visit. Last week was Tourism Week.

Impact Assessment Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his fine speech. He is always so full of energy and enthusiasm. He had an opportunity to talk about what he sees as positive things that happened under the Conservative government. I work with him on the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, and we have a good rapport.

An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers’ Health Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts  Madam Speaker, I do not have that $10 million in my pocket, for sure. Again, those are very important questions. There is always more that can be done, and funding is an important part, but there is also how we do things. Maybe we can do things differently and be more effective as well.

An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers’ Health Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts  Madam Speaker, my colleague's question is very important. As I said throughout my speech, I do not have a lot of experience in vapour products, but so far we know that they are less harmful. The question is how much less. As we move forward, we will need to do much more research, but at least the regulation now would force the industry to clearly stipulate or show evidence of how this is going to fall under the Food and Drugs Act and how it is therapeutic.

An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers’ Health Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts  Madam Speaker, there is no question that the investment is crucial. We must start somewhere, and we cannot make legislation without having financial support behind it. Is it only our investment? Again, we are a government that is evidence-based, and that is crucial, so we will not only invest here but we will also possibly have discussions with provincial ministers of health about how we can do this research and share all of the best practices.

An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers’ Health Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts  Madam Speaker, as far as we know, packaging is going to be a big benefit. We have seen enormous change in the last 10 years in tobacco products because we have made some changes. When we go to plain packaging, people are not even going to know the product. It is not going to be able to be included, so the packaging is going to be powerful.

An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers’ Health Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts  Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague. The work he does on the APF is always impressive. His speeches are always interesting, and so are his questions, as we can see. As my colleague mentioned, all the parties support this bill, which shows that we are on the right track.

An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers’ Health Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts  Madam Speaker, I am always very happy to stand in the House to represent the people of my riding of Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook. I describe the riding as a half-circle around the two big cities of Halifax and Dartmouth. The riding has a very large population of veterans and military members.

2018 Liberal National Convention  Mr. Speaker, it is a shame that you could not be with us in Nova Scotia for our convention. You would have seen the warm welcome we received as well as the new convention centre. You could have heard the mayor of Halifax talk about his city, heard the four premiers of the Atlantic provinces talk about their partnership, and seen all the networking that took place among Liberals.