Situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank  Mr. Chair, I remember fondly the member opposite and I would debate one another on a local Ottawa campus radio station some years ago. Since then he arrived here much sooner than I and made important contributions to our public discourse. The definition of genocide has a particularly important adjective: deliberate.

Situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank  Mr. Chair, the collective punishment is the collective punishment that Hamas is creating. The conditions that Hamas is creating is collective punishment on its own people and the people of Israel. I would ask my hon. colleague to reflect throughout this debate and afterward on what would happen should there be a ceasefire.

Situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank  Mr. Chair, I want to start by sharing a story. When I was a kid, my father would talk to me often about his life as a kid. Mostly they were positive stories filled with wisdom and great life lessons. However, one story he told took place at the Crescentwood Community Centre when he was about 12 years old.

Situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank  Mr. Chair, all week, since the events in Israel as a result of the terrorist attack by Hamas, I have been saying that we have to be able to condemn without the insertion of the word “but”. The leader of the NDP just began his speech, empathetic, so it seemed, to the victims of the terrorist attack by Hamas, only to insert the word “but”.

Situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank  Mr. Chair, does my hon. colleague think that the actions of the Israeli government constitute revenge?

Situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank  Mr. Chair, I would like to ask my hon. colleague if he could comment on the following two questions. First, what does he believe would happen should Hamas announce, at this moment, that they were releasing the hostages being held in Gaza? Second, what does he believe would happen in the region if Hamas were to change from its charter, its aim and its pursuit of the eradication of the Jewish people from the Earth?

Situation in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank  Mr. Chair, I want to thank my colleague from Thornhill, as well as colleagues on the opposition side, for their support for our community and me personally over the course of the past number of days. I have heard varying perspectives in this chamber today on the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the tragic loss of life at the hands of Hamas's evil has made us angry, sad and filled with unimaginable grief as we are left trying to comprehend the incomprehensible. These terror attacks are the cruellest against the Jewish people, my people, since the Holocaust.

Indigenous Affairs  Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, Canadians will recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It serves as a national moment of reflection on the horrors of our past and a collective call to action in our effort to chart a better future. I will be spending the morning with elders and indigenous leaders at the site of the former Assiniboia Residential School.

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his kind words. As I said earlier, these are global challenges that we are also facing in Canada. We have taken and will continue to take concrete action to ensure that grocery costs continue to drop. I would once again like to thank my colleague for his words.

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Mr. Speaker, I admit it was an egregious error not to begin my remarks by highlighting the fact that I have also been named, as he has, to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. I look forward to working with the member; as I mentioned earlier, the west is going to be at the forefront of change in this country, and the agricultural industry is critical to that change.

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Kingston and the Islands. On June 19, the people of Winnipeg South Centre put their trust in me to be their voice in this chamber. It is with the greatest sense of pride and humility that I rise today for my maiden speech as a member of Parliament.

Member for Winnipeg South Centre  Mr. Speaker, as I rise in this House for the first time, I am overcome by a profound sense of gratitude and responsibility. I want to thank the people of Winnipeg South Centre for putting their faith in me to reflect their voices in this chamber and beyond. Our community is diverse, vibrant and filled with people who aspire to have a better future.