Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1  Madam Speaker, if I had had two or three hours, I certainly would have been able to address more within the budget. Time constraints limited me. I can tell members that I have many more notes I would have liked to have spoken to in terms of things we would have liked to have seen with EI and sick leave.

Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1  Madam Speaker, the best strategy for a national plan is that it be universally accessible. We saw our previous premier Rachel Notley put a plan in place in Alberta for $25-a-day daycare. It was a massive success, and it contributed to cutting child poverty in half in the province.

Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1  Madam Speaker, first of all, I have to apologize to you. I do seem to struggle to remember that the Prime Minister shall not be referred to by name. The question that the member brought up today is problematic for me because it talks a lot about the commitments that the government has made.

Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1  Madam Speaker, it is an honour to join all of my colleagues in the House, albeit virtually from my riding in Edmonton Strathcona. Today, we are talking about Bill C-30 and the budget that the Liberal government has brought forward. I will begin by talking about the things that I support and was happy to see within the budget.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, this member started his discussion today by talking about being crystal clear. He then went on and talked about how the committee can do this work, even though the Liberals are filibustering it. I have a very simple question for this member. Yes or no: Will he very clearly commit, 100%, that the Liberal Party will not trigger an election unless it loses a confidence vote?

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Bloc for bringing forward this motion; I think it is vitally important. My colleague from La Prairie talked just now about the emergency debate we had in the House of Commons regarding the COVID-19 situation in Alberta. It is very scary and very dire here right now.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the opioid crisis is one of the most deadly public health emergencies of our lifetime. Heartbreakingly, the death toll has soared in 2020 and 2021, with twice as many overdoses. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Alberta has seen overdose deaths outpace COVID deaths.

Government Programs  Madam Speaker, that response was absolutely outrageous. How am I supposed to go back to the guys on the picket line at CESSCO and tell them that this was the response when I said that there was a problem with the program, and I have raised it time and time again. I guess the government is not going to fix this issue.

Government Programs  Madam Speaker, the Canada emergency wage subsidy was intended to help both employers and workers, allowing businesses to retain workers on their payroll when they lost revenue due to COVID-19 and allowing workers to maintain employment during the public health crisis. As members know, my colleagues and I from the NDP were, and continue to be, ardent supporters of the wage subsidy.

Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1  Madam Speaker, my colleague's intervention was very illuminating as to his perspective on things. He expressed a lot of concerns about the budget and, of course, I have concerns with it as well. I suspect that our concerns are very different. I am concerned that people will not thrive as we finish the third wave.

Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his intervention. Of course he is my neighbour in Edmonton, so it is nice to see him virtually since we cannot see each other face to face. He spoke a bit about the plan the Liberals have. I have concerns as well that the government does not have a good plan going forward.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, I was absolutely delighted yesterday to hear that the U.S. government has recognized the extraordinary realities of COVID-19 and has committed to waiving intellectual property rights, putting the lives of millions of people ahead of big profits for pharmaceutical companies, yet we have heard nothing but platitudes, half promises and deflection from the Liberals.

Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I was happy to hear my colleague talk about the tourism sector as well, because in Edmonton Strathcona we are the heart of the tourism sector in Edmonton and have tons of restaurants. I have spent a lot of time meeting with restaurant owners, servers, bartenders and other people in the sector.

Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow up on the question that was asked by my colleague. The member spoke about supports for young people in his intervention. He spoke about the brain drain, about losing young people as they are leaving our country, and how desperate that situation is.

COVID-19 in Alberta  Mr. Speaker, I know that the member is not from Alberta and her focus is clearly on Ontario. I have to say I am extremely frustrated when I sit in this House and listen to the Conservatives blaming the Liberals and the Liberals blaming the Conservatives, back and forth, with me being stuck in Alberta trying to get anyone to do something for Albertans instead of blaming each other, instead of just telling each other they are asking the wrong questions or doing the wrong things.