National Strategy for Eye Care Act  Madam Speaker, I think one of the first things that have to happen as part of this framework is the establishment of someone from each province and territory who is going to sit down at the table with the federal government. Together they would move forward on how the framework will look and how it will establish the treatment opportunities for many people.

National Strategy for Eye Care Act  Madam Speaker, clearly it is the whole issue of awareness. We neglect far too many things, and eyes are another thing we neglect until we start to develop a problem, when it is often too late. Establishing a national eye care strategy with a framework would bring the provinces to the table with the federal government and other health officials to develop a plan to increase awareness and to make sure tests are available for people everywhere, so they do not develop glaucoma or macular degeneration.

National Strategy for Eye Care Act  Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague and I work very well together and advance a lot of good, important issues at the Standing Committee on International Trade. I have lobbied many of my colleagues over the last year and spoken to them about the bill. CNIB, Fighting Blindness Canada and the other 25 organizations that are supporting the bill have all sent letters, and they have all lobbied everybody.

National Strategy for Eye Care Act  moved: That Bill C-284, in Clause 2, be amended (a) by replacing, in the English version, line 10 on page 2 with the following: “(a) identify the needs of health care professionals and other professionals in relation to” (b) by replacing, in the English version, line 12 on page 2 with the following: “ment of eye disease and on vision rehabilitation;” The question was put on Motion No. 1 and it was agreed to on division.

National Strategy for Eye Care Act  moved that the bill, as amended, be concurred in at report stage with a further amendment.

National Strategy for Eye Care Act  moved that the bill be now read the third time and passed. Madam Speaker, I want to begin, as always, by acknowledging my colleagues who are here, because it takes all of us for anything to get passed in this House. Bill C-284 is important to me, but it is very important to the communities that we all represent: CNIB, Fighting Blindness and all of those organizations plus all of the people who are suffering from blindness and vision problems, and I know that there are many in this room itself.

Ernie Lustig  Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise in the House today to share the tragic passing of a great supporter of the Liberal Party and a truly great Canadian, Ernie Lustig. Ernie had been the riding president of Humber River—Black Creek since 1999. His contribution to the community and to my family and I was much appreciated.

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Madam Speaker, the whole issue is how we need to bring in foreign workers and temporary workers to be able to help pick the tomatoes, cucumbers and all the wonderful stuff we enjoy every day. Finding Canadians to do that is very difficult, so we all know that temporary foreign workers are a very important part of our economy.

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Madam Speaker, certainly the government is very concerned and investing a lot of money in opportunities in the agricultural community to ensure that farmers can have more than just a comfortable living, but that they can have a good quality of life. We know many of the farmers have their own families that intend to take over their farms when they retire.

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Madam Speaker, I do not think we should fool ourselves, and we should not be over the ceiling with anything. These are initiatives that are moving forward. I hope they will be able to materialize very quickly, but I think we have to be realistic. This is legislation that is coming in now.

Affordable Housing and Groceries Act  Madam Speaker, I am glad to have a moment to be able to get up and speak to Bill C-56, an issue that I know matters to all of us here in the House. On September 21, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance introduced an act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Competition Act.

ALS Advocacy and Awareness  Mr. Speaker, in a memorable viral moment, celebrities, athletes and even MPs dumped buckets of ice on their heads to raise awareness for ALS, a disease not many had heard of but one that impacts thousands of people, usually with a life expectancy of two to five years. This trend attracted worldwide attention and generated significant funding for ALS research.

Human Rights Advocate  Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to acknowledge Mr. Jimmy Lai, a 75-year-old U.K. citizen imprisoned in Hong Kong. Mr. Lai is a well-known supporter of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement and the founder and owner of Apple Daily, which was one of Hong Kong's most popular Chinese language newspapers until its forced closure in June 2021.

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, it is wonderful to be back here in the House. I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, entitled “Canadian Mining and Mineral Exploration Firms Operating Abroad: Impacts on the Natural Environment and Human Rights”.

Online News Act  Madam Speaker, it was interesting to listen to my hon. colleague's concerns and comments. First, I want to address the issue of the Senate, a place I have amazing respect for, regardless of who appointed the senators. I think everything they put forward is treated with respect and consideration.