Preclearance Act, 2016  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the hon. member's party is in favour of pre-clearance. The most important thing to consider is that at no time would U.S. border officers be carrying arms unless we, as Canadians, determined that Canadian border officers needed to carry arms. If we as Canadians made that determination, that would be the only time U.S. border services officers would be able to carry arms.

Preclearance Act, 2016  Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that a member of the Conservative Party is asking about time allocation. This is important legislation. It is important to Canadians. It is important to Canadian travellers and Canadian businesses, and we feel that this legislation needs to move through the House in a timely manner.

Preclearance Act, 2016  Mr. Speaker, what is important about this bill is that any Canadian traveller going to the United States with pre-clearance would be protected by our Canadian laws, our Constitution, and our human rights laws. If we do not have pre-clearance, those same travellers will go to the United States and have none of the protections they have in Canada.

Preclearance Act, 2016  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to discuss Bill C-23, which would allow for the expansion of pre-clearance operations. This is the system that, for over 60 years, has allowed travellers in Canadian airports, currently Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto Pearson, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax, to go through American customs and immigration procedures in Canada.

Federal Framework on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Act  Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank the member for Cariboo—Prince George for not only introducing this bill but for his tireless advocacy on this issue: the mental health of our veterans, public safety officers, and first responders. I would also like to thank the many people both here in the gallery and in our communities who have been advocates on this important issue.

Persons with Disabilities  Madam Speaker, recently I held a round table in my riding of Oakville North—Burlington about the challenges faced by people living with disabilities. I commend them for their courage and determination. The challenges related to accessibility and inclusion in workplaces and in our community are many.

National Flag of Canada Day  Mr. Speaker, on February 15, 1965, our national flag was raised for the first time on Parliament Hill. In 1996, February 15, was officially designated National Flag of Canada Day, thanks in large part to the advocacy of former MP for Parkdale—High Park and current Oakville North—Burlington resident Jesse Flis.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, like many ridings in Canada, Oakville North—Burlington is made stronger because of its diversity. Our post-secondary institutions, like Sheridan College in Oakville and DeGroote School of Business in Burlington, rank among the very best in the world, attracting students from around the world.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I do not think we have broken our promises. We are not taxing health and dental benefits. That was clear from the Prime Minister's comments yesterday. Having said that, when we talk about our indigenous communities, there is always more we can be doing for them. We are investing billions of dollars, but we can and we must do more to ensure that the children living in these communities do have access to health and dental services.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I have been out talking to the residents in my riding, and I have held town hall meetings. They have told me that what we have done is critically important, in particular, when it comes to youth employment and the impact that the Canada summer jobs program had. I think probably I have heard more from residents about the importance of jobs, particularly for young people, and that is something we are delivering on and will continue to deliver on.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, as a former municipal councillor, I take infrastructure very seriously. I have been working with my communities of Oakville and Burlington to ensure they are receiving the infrastructure funding they are looking for, for the community. While I was back in my riding, I attended the Oakville Chamber of Commerce RBC economic outlook breakfast.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Scarborough—Guildwood. It is my pleasure to rise in the House today to debate something that is so important to Canadians and the Canadian economy. I would first like to reassure the many residents of Oakville North—Burlington who have contacted me, the Oakville and Burlington Chambers of Commerce, and business and labour leaders, by reiterating what the Prime Minister stated yesterday.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this petition regarding access to the disability tax credit for people with hearing loss. The petition calls upon the Government of Canada to amend the Income Tax Act to change the requirements for a person with hearing loss, so they can qualify for the disability tax credit in the same manner as other persons with disabilities do.

Gender Equality Week Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Mississauga—Lakeshore for his advocacy and commitment to gender equality and for his vision to bring forward this private member's bill. I would love it if we had 52 weeks a year that were gender-equality weeks. However, it is a wonderful initiative to bring this forward so we do have a week where we can raise awareness about some of the issues we need to address in our society.

Tim Robertson  Mr. Speaker, our community recently lost an amazing father, son, husband, friend, hockey coach, volunteer, and advocate. Tim Robertson packed more into his 58 years than most of us will in a lifetime. He lived with ALS for almost 13 years, but this horrible disease never defined Tim.