Health  Madam Speaker, before I begin, I hope you will not mind indulging me for one quick moment. On Monday, my oma, at 96 years of age, passed away. She left an amazing legacy: 14 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. She was a constant in my life and just an absolutely wonderful human being.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, today, I rise on behalf of residents of Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon who are frustrated with Canada's handling of plastic waste. In 2020, the member for York—Simcoe tabled Bill C-204, which was passed by the House but died on the Order Paper when the last Parliament was dissolved.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, today I rise to table a petition on behalf of British Columbians who are calling for more support and better governance in the village of Lytton. On June 30, 2021, wildfires engulfed the village of Lytton and surrounding areas, destroying the town and displacing hundreds of residents.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, I was honoured to attend the Agassiz Fall Fair and Corn Festival. Congratulations go to Mr. Vander Wyk on being crowned this year's Corn King. As many farmers shared, the NDP-Liberal government is attacking one of the primary tools to produce quality food in Canada: fertilizer.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, all I can say is that it is too little and too late. We can ask any member of the Liberal caucus who was elected in the 2015 general election if they could have imagined the Canada we have today. We can look at a home in Abbotsford that could have been bought for a price of under $400,000 in 2015 and fast-forward eight years to see that very house on the market today for $1.3 million to $1.4 million.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, it is nice to see you in the chair this evening. After the last election, the Prime Minister said in this House on numerous occasions that “the Conservatives' plan on housing...was to give tax breaks to wealthy landlords”. He typecast all landlords as wealthy crooks, while ignoring key barriers to building new and affordable rental units.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of residents in Lillooet, British Columbia. More and more small business owners are being forced to significantly reduce their services or shut down entirely due to labour shortages. Last year, Statistics Canada reported that there were an overwhelming one million job vacancies across the country.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon. Petitioners are calling for a change to the way CRA recognizes partner separations. As it stands, former partners who continue to reside at the same residence are still recognized as couples, which can affect benefit eligibility, especially in cases where children may be involved.

Carbon Pricing  Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal government, Canadians are seeing record inflation as grocery prices skyrocket, thanks to the carbon tax. Tiff Macklem, the Bank of Canada governor, agrees that Trudeau's tax on gas and groceries increases inflation. In the case of onions, the cost is up 69%.

Strengthening the Port System and Railway Safety in Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, I have not seen the amendments of the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands yet, but I hope in good spirit, if they are there to improve the flow of goods in Canada, they may be something I could support if I were on the transportation committee. I will note, representing the Ashcroft Terminal, that they had three specific concerns that they wanted to see addressed in the legislation, as follows: the inclusion of intermodal containers in the final arbitration process, the continuation of extended interswitching and the contracting terms of the shipper contracts provided in the CTA, which may hurt shipper remedy rights moving forward.

Strengthening the Port System and Railway Safety in Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, until the major issues are unstuck, as the report from the national task force clearly outlines, I do not think the bill can be supported. The minister had an opportunity when he tabled this legislation to rely upon the expert advice he sought in the first place. It would be irresponsible for me to support this legislation in its current format, because the minister himself did not take the recommendations he sought from an expert panel in the first place.

Strengthening the Port System and Railway Safety in Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, I do believe that we need to hear about the challenges that the Nunavummiut face with respect to port access, and that is a very legitimate concern that I think should be addressed in the legislation. Canada is an Arctic nation, and I hope that we give it the attention it deserves at the committee stage.

Strengthening the Port System and Railway Safety in Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, as the member mentioned, I also heard the port directors say that their perspective was not included in the bill. I hope that the government will listen to the private sector and the port directors at committee stage so that we can improve the bill and promote our economy.

Strengthening the Port System and Railway Safety in Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek. One of the most defining moments since I was elected was when the rail lines in my riding, both the CN and CP rail lines, were washed out. There were over 30 wash-outs in the Fraser Canyon. In fact, one day in November two years ago, I was in a meeting with the minister of emergency preparedness.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, petitioners in Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon who paid into the U.K. social security regime are asking the Government of Canada, in any negotiations related to a Canada-U.K. free trade agreement, to address the discriminatory practice of freezing U.K. pensions in Canada.