International Human Rights Day  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the people of my riding and my family. It is thanks to them that I am here before you today. I thank my beautiful grandmother, who I lost last year. She taught me how to stay brave and courageous in the face of adversity. Today, Canada joins t

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time today with my hon. colleague from La Prairie. First of all, I would like to say that I cannot find the words to thank the members of my family. They are my strength. They gave me the courage to fight to be here today in this venerable insti

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, job losses across Canada are a chronic problem and our government will be dealing with these losses through our infrastructure investments. These will create more jobs to make up for those losses and stimulate our economy. We will be giving more benefits to those w

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, not only is this an important question but an important comment: Put your money where your mouth is”. I think that is what my colleague is saying. That was not done in the past but it will happen under our government.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for that very important question. Over the past 99 days, our government has taken some very positive steps toward resolving this inequality. We will continue to work with first nations, the provinces, territories, and municipalities on resol

Women's Suffrage  Mr. Speaker, 100 years ago, Manitoban women won the right to vote for the first time. Nellie McClung and her fellow suffragettes devoted many years to the cause. Initially, their demands went unanswered, but they persisted. Finally, on January 28, 1916, the right to vote was gr

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Vancouver Quadra. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to participate in this important debate on pay equity. This side of the House supports the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. I a

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to having gender equality and gender parity in every aspect of the workforce, whether it be high-level or low-level positions. This is our commitment. We cannot get ahead by leaving half the population behind, so it is very important. It i

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, that is a very important question and it is very necessary to address. We welcomed the Auditor General's report on gender-based analysis in the federal government. Our government believes in accountability for our obligations to ensure that meaningful gender-based

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the comment that we do not need to send an invitation for other parties to get involved. This is an issue that affects every single person in this country, in this Parliament. We will welcome anybody's views and opinions to be shared with us so

Mary Travers aka La Bolduc  Mr. Speaker, last Saturday marked the 75th anniversary of the passing of a pioneer of Quebec song, Mary Travers, who is better known as “La Bolduc”. Ms. Travers was born in 1894 in the Gaspé in Newport, the same village where the Minister of National Revenue and the member for

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, last week, I was proud to be a part of Canada's delegation to the 60th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, led by the Minister of Status of Women. Canada was clear about the empowerment of women and girls; the equality of indigenous women and girls;

Vaisakhi  Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate Vaisakhi, the first time the Sikhs were baptized. One of the important aspects of this day is the reaffirmation of the equality of the sexes, as proclaimed by the first guru. When the 10th guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, created the holy bap

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I was honoured to be part of the Canadian delegation at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with other nations to give women and girls all over the world the tools they need

Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case  Mr. Speaker, this morning the Governor General handed out the 2015 Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case to five remarkable Canadian women. Those women are here with us today: the Honourable Monique Bégin, a respected politician, activist, and professor; Marie-Thérèse Chi