Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, actually, it was quite interesting when the member for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs gave a speech in Mohawk. It was interesting to note that when I placed my video online of me speaking Cree, no one took much notice at first. A few people were interested.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I move that the 66th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, presented on Tuesday, June 19, be concurred in. [Member spoke in Cree] I would like to share my time with the member for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River. I just said in Cree that I am extremely proud to be here and that we are all related.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Madam Speaker, it is quite interesting to note that the Conservatives want a balanced budget. Where are they exactly going to cut? I would remind the House that the balanced budget they had when they were in government was made on the backs of veterans, indigenous peoples and indigenous children.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I do not know about the government position. I do know there has been great discussion among members of the caucus here. If members of the opposition, the loyal opposition, as well as the third party, decided to support the bill, I suspect there might be enough members on this side of the House, whether the government supports it or not, to move it forward.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to mention that the bill also has the support of the Assembly of First Nations, as well as the FSIN from Saskatchewan, in resolutions that were passed in 2016 on the Niagara Falls Annual General Assembly of the Assembly of First Nations. Perry Bellegarde signed resolution, 26/2016, concerning his support for Bill S-215.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, there was some discussion, obviously, about the constitutionality of the bill. At the same time, it still passed through the Senate. I am not an expert in the justice system per se. I am not a lawyer; I am simply a gentleman with a PhD. I am sure there are people, who were at the justice committee, who are more qualified to answer that question.

Criminal Code  moved that Bill S-215, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sentencing for violent offences against Aboriginal women), be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, [Member spoke in Cree] [English] Bill S-215 has been meandering its way through Parliament.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the flip side is the Conservatives’ hidden agenda. To achieve a balanced budget, we would need to make cuts to indigenous infrastructure, as well as the Canada child benefit and affordable housing, which would affect Canadian families. Doug Ford and Manitoba’s Brian Pallister also have similar hack-and-slash agendas.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, when I was on the finance committee, I was adamant and always fighting for the people of my riding, as well as people across Canada, who are very poor. One of the issues was the Canada child benefit and how those benefits are clawed back from people on social assistance.

Elections Modernization Act  Mr. Speaker, [Member spoke in Cree] [English] I am very happy to have the chance to speak at last on Bill C-76, an act to amend the Canadian Elections Act. I remember meeting time and time again citizens from my riding, from my city, and more generally from my province of Manitoba in 2015 who were absolutely sick of the Harper Conservatives.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to present a petition on behalf of the people of Winnipeg Centre regarding Falun Dafa, which is practised in Canada and China. The petition calls on the Government of Canada to condemn the illegal arrests of Canadian citizens for practising Falun Dafa. It also calls for Canadian citizen Qian Sun to be released from prison.

Filipino Heritage Month  Madam Speaker, I would like to share my time with the hon. member for Steveston—Richmond East.

Filipino Heritage Month  Madam Speaker, [Member spoke in Tagalog and provided the following translation:] [English] Hello, I am the member for Winnipeg Centre. I am proud to represent my fellow Winnipeg citizens. They work hard. They make a difference. Filipinos are Winnipeg. The first Filipinos immigrated to Canada in the 1930s.

Elections Modernization Act  Mr. Speaker, the people of Winnipeg believe that the strength of our democracy depends on the participation of as many Canadians as possible. This bill would undo many of the unfair aspects of the Harper government's unfair elections act, as we would be making it easier and more convenient for Canadians to vote.

Request for Emergency Debate  Mr. Speaker, I humbly request the holding of an emergency debate in the House of Commons on the issue of drug addiction, and specifically on methamphetamine, commonly referred to as meth. We are facing a crisis in cities, rural communities and indigenous communities in the Prairies.