Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, certainly, on this side of the House we are all in favour of trade. We have shown that many times throughout our time in government, and before. However, one of the comments my colleague made was about the support for small and medium-sized businesses. We certainly have shown our support for SMEs on this side.

Justice  Madam Speaker, there are many things the Liberal government has failed on: balancing the budget, cutting taxes for the middle class, and maintaining Canada's strong presence on the world stage. What it has not failed on is standing up for the rights of criminals over the rights of victims.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Madam Speaker, I listened to the member speak about all the expenses and so-called investments the government is making. Certainly the Liberals are good at spending. We have seen that through the last number of budgets. What they are not so good at is balancing the budget. The member said that Canadians chose the Liberals' plan over our plan.

Points of Order  Mr. Speaker, I certainly do not profess to have the procedural acumen that my colleagues have, but over the almost 13 years I have been in Parliament, I have had the privilege of serving on a number of committees for interparliamentary groups, such as the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association, the Canada-Armenia Friendship Group, and the Canada-Germany Interparliamentary Group.

Mental Health  Madam Speaker, last Friday, I participated in the Bridges of Hope project when it launched at the Hartman Bridge in New Hamburg. Bridges of Hope is an initiative launched locally by two inspirational grade 12 students from my riding, Gretta Dotzert and Olivia Miller. Their mission is simple: to break the stigma surrounding mental illness by attaching uplifting and positive messages to three frequently travelled pedestrian bridges in the Waterloo region, such as “Your life matters”, “You are not alone”, and “Tomorrow needs you”.

Elections Modernization Act  Madam Speaker, there is no more sacred obligation than to ensure our citizens have the opportunity to vote privately in a democratic election and to ensure their identities are who they say they are. However, the government is implying that the voter information cards mailed out to Canadians are identification cards.

Elections Modernization Act  Mr. Speaker, throughout the member's speech today, on at least three occasions, maybe more, he used the term “voter ID card”. There is no such thing as a voter ID card. It is a voter information card. My colleague is fully aware of that. There is an attempt, I believe, to try to mislead people to think that this little card that comes in the mail with one's information on it is for identification purposes, and it is not.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by many residents of Canada. They are drawing to the attention of the House of Commons that at one time, the Sikhs and Hindus of Afghanistan numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and today fewer than 5,000 remain. They point out to the minister that he already has the power, through legislation, to allow vulnerable minorities to come to Canada as privately sponsored refugees directly from the country where they face persecution.

Corrections and Conditional Release Act  Mr. Speaker, many times throughout this debate we have asked the governing party why it did not consult with correctional officers, who have some serious concerns about their own safety while providing the kind of services they do for all Canadians. My question this time is more related to the member's inference that a committee will study this legislation and that amendments will be presented at committee.

Corrections and Conditional Release Act  Mr. Speaker, we heard our colleague reference the importance of our correctional officers and the work they do, and I could not agree more. Earlier today, on two occasions, I asked government members whether meaningful consultations had occurred with corrections officers. To this point, after a number of hours, we have no answer to that.

Corrections and Conditional Release Act  Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House I am glad there is someone who is standing up on the side of victims, because clearly the other side is more concerned about the criminals than they are about the victims. Previously today, on two occasions, I asked members of the governing party whether or not they had consulted with the corrections officers with respect to the implementation of this bill.

Corrections and Conditional Release Act  Mr. Speaker, my question will be very short and the answer could be even shorter. Has the government consulted our correctional officers on the implementation of the bill as it relates to their safety?

Corrections and Conditional Release Act  Mr. Speaker, a pilot project was recently announced that indicated there would be a needle exchange program available in certain prisons across Canada. One of those prisons is in my area, in the Waterloo region. It is the Grand Valley Institution for Women. We know the correctional officers at these facilities are very much opposed to the idea of a needle exchange program, and that they were basically not consulted on having the program implemented.

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, this is three in a row now where we have had commitments to the words of the bill, which we all agree with. We want this serious matter to be addressed clearly. My colleague said different times that actions speak clearly and loudly and that regulations alone will not solve the problem.

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for tagging onto the comments made by his colleague, the member for Cambridge. I asked the question of his colleague, and it certainly applies to the recent comments by my colleague across the way. We agree that we need to take action on this.