Lobster Fishery  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in recognition of dumping day, in Nova Scotia. Dumping day marks the opening of the lobster fishing season in southern Nova Scotia and takes place on the last Monday of November. The brave captains and crew gather on the wharves, at daybreak,

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, it is the greatest honour to rise in the chamber today as the new member of Parliament for South Shore—St. Margarets in reply to the Speech from the Throne. I wish to sincerely thank the voters of the riding who have put their faith in me and have given me the mandat

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question and congratulate him on his election. We have made it very clear from the start that we are committed to helping grow the middle class. The tax cuts we make will help middle-income families put back into our economy, especial

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her comments and congratulate her on her re-election. In the platform during the election, the Liberal Party spelled out infrastructure funding that will be used to help fund low-income housing. That was one of our platform promises, an

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, South Shore—St. Margarets is an area that will definitely benefit from this. We have many young families who need extra help. We have struggling industries. We have a high unemployment rate. This child benefit will definitely help the people in South Shore—St. Margar

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I do not agree with the member. The money going to the families who need it will definitely be put back into the economy. The families are not able to make ends meet, therefore the money they receive in child benefits will go back into the eco

Canadian School Counselling Week  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize the week of February 1 to 5 as Canadian School Counselling Week. School counsellors are employed in public and private schools to help students reach their full potential. We all know school counsellors are actively committed to helping

World Sledge Hockey Challenge  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House today to share my congratulations for the Canadian sledge hockey team for its silver medal win at the World Sledge Hockey Challenge that took place last month in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. Sledge hockey is the paralympic version of ice

World Junior Curling Championships  Mr. Speaker, Mary Fay is welcomed back home to the village of Chester, Nova Scotia as a world champion. The 17-year-old curler skipped her Canadian team to victory at the World Junior Curling Championships in Denmark earlier this month. Mary and her Nova Scotia teammates, Kristi

School Science Fair Winners  Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize students in South Shore—St. Margarets for their science fair projects through South Shore Regional, Tri-County Regional, and Halifax Regional School Board science fairs. Projects included the effect of adverse weather condition

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize an extraordinary young woman from Upper LaHave, Nova Scotia, whose curiosity and drive is bringing attention to an important environmental issue. Stella Bowles has been testing the LaHave River for fecal coliform bacteria for a

Abandoned Vessels  moved That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) take meaningful steps to address the issue of abandoned and derelict vessels within six months of this motion being adopted by the House; (b) recognize the requirement for the prohibition against the abandonment

Abandoned Vessels  Mr. Speaker, the legislative framework is created in the motion, which is why I chose to put forward a motion. We currently spend a great deal of money on abandoned and derelict vessels, and the cost to clean and raise them can be in the millions of dollars. Motion No. 40 asks

Abandoned Vessels  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her question and for her continued work on helping with the issue of abandoned and derelict vessels. It is appropriate that we are debating this today during World Oceans Week. The environment is one of our government's to

Abandoned Vessels  Mr. Speaker, Motion No. 40 is actually about making owners more accountable. Taxpayers should not be on the hook for large cleanup costs. Saying that the Coast Guard should be responsible for all abandoned or derelict vessels is giving the owners a “get out of jail free” card. W