German Heritage Month  Guten Morgen und danke schön, Mr. Speaker. It is truly a pleasure and it gives me great pride to rise today in support of Motion No. 73, brought by my friend and colleague, the hon. member for Kitchener South—Hespeler. His motion seeks to declare the month of October as German h

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present my first petition in the House of Commons on behalf of the men's group of the Compass food bank in my riding of Mississauga—Lakeshore. This group represents, and is active in representing, low-income Canadians, their financial concerns, challe

Gender Equality Week Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend and hon. colleague, the member for Oakville North—Burlington, for her advocacy. I am very proud of the fact that she seconded the bill at first reading. I am grateful to her. The economic argument is incredibly powerful. In fact, just

Gender Equality Week Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague opposite for that very important question. The issue of pay equity is indeed probably the elephant in the room in addition to the issue of gender-based violence. Pay equity is as much an economic issue as it is a socio-historical issue. When my

Gender Equality Week Act  moved that Bill C-309, An Act to establish Gender Equality Week, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and a pleasure to rise today to speak about my private member's bill, Bill C-309, An Act to establish Gender Equality Week. First

United Way of Peel Region  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour Shelley White for her incredibly hard work and dedication to improving lives in my riding and in many neighbouring communities. As president and CEO of the United Way of Peel Region over the past 13 years, Shelley has focused on the prevention

German Unity Day  Mr. Speaker, the reunification of Germany took place on October 3, 1990, and since today is also my birthday, I am pleased to rise in the House to commemorate German Unity Day, which is now a national holiday. When my father brought our family from Germany to Canada, German reun

Gender Equality Week Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-309, An Act to establish Gender Equality Week. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to introduce my private member's bill, an act to establish gender equality week. The bill aims to establish the first week of October every year as gender equ

Citizenship Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my friend and hon. colleague from Etobicoke Centre for his excellent speech and his points on equality. I know him to be one of the House's most ardent and dedicated champions of democracy and human rights here at home and around the worl

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, more than 800,000 Canadians live with a visual impairment and around three million Canadians are print disabled, yet very few published books are ever made available in an accessible format, such as an audiobook or a Braille conversion. Could the Minister of Sport

The Compass  Mr. Speaker, in 2002, a number of local churches came together with a mission to provide help for today and hope for tomorrow for families and individuals in my riding of Mississauga—Lakeshore, who are in need, and so they founded The Compass food bank. Last year, The Compass d

Congress of Black Women of Canada  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to recognize the Congress of Black Women of Canada first founded in 1973 by Kay Livingstone. In 1985, my local Mississauga and area chapter was formed, and I am proud to say that more than 30 years later, two of the chapter's original foun

National Strategy for Safe Disposal of Lamps Containing Mercury Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my friend and colleague from Dartmouth—Cole Harbour for his excellent presentation and his private member's bill, and also for having secured the support of the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands and the express support from the last speaker

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, my first question is about international engagement and, in fact, the United Nations, which many of us hold dear in the House and across the country. Canada has a proud history of engagement with the United Nations. This is about sophistication, building relationships,

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, if I could ask a quick follow-up question on the reply from the hon. minister? As coalitions change, as coalitions broaden and new members are introduced with very different military cultures, political backgrounds, and conflicts that these members of their armed forc