Leviathan II  Mr. Speaker, as this is my first opportunity to rise in the House, I want to thank the people of Courtenay—Alberni for putting their faith and trust in me by electing me as their member of Parliament. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to congratulate you on your election as Speake

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, do the minister and Liberal government agree with the NDP that Canada must boost humanitarian aid in areas where there would be an immediate life-saving impact, including building winterized camps for refugees, with water, sanitation and hygiene, and providing health

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Pierrefonds—Dollard for trying to take a different approach to the Middle East. I appreciate the effort there. He talked about the root causes and tackling this problem on a multifaceted level. The parliamentary secretary, who spoke b

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, before I get started, I want to inform you that I am splitting my time with my colleague from Essex. As this is my first full speech in the House of Commons, I want to thank the great people of Courtenay—Alberni for electing me as their member of Parliament. It is t

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, in response to my friend from Winnipeg Centre, I want to outline that the court case is important. During the campaign the chief from Hesquiaht first nation, April Charleson, talked about the fact that the government has cut the welfare rate and income assistance r

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I have a personal connection to the forestry sector. My great-grandfather was a papermaker at a mill in Ocean Falls on the central coast of British Columbia. That town was a bustling community of 4,000 people. It produced Olympic swimmers back in the day. Today, that

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, of course we welcome giving money to people in need, especially parents and children who need help. I will give the House an example. I knocked on a woman's door in Parksville. Her name was Karlin. Karlin pulled out her child care bill and it was $750. She pulled out

Business of the House  Mr. Speaker, I would first like to congratulate my colleague on her maiden speech. I thank her for bringing forward her values, passion, and strong principles for the people of Essex and Canada. As I articulated earlier, in my riding Parksville has a median age of 58. When I was

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member for Edmonton Riverbend on his election and a great speech. I appreciate that he elaborated on important things like the future of our children and taking care of our grandparents and the mothers in our country. We have a lot in commo

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the hon. member for Sarnia—Lambton for her great opening speech and for her election. Just last week in my riding, gas prices hit an all-time high. In Qualicum Beach it was $1.16 a litre, and $1.12 in Parksville. It was the highest in t

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the hon. member from Gatineau on his election. I appreciate the member bringing forward concerns for seniors and families struggling to make ends meet. The latest Bank of Canada report shows the record low price of oil that has rocked Canada'

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I congratulate the hon. member for his passionate speech bringing forward the concerns of his region. Coming from a coastal community on Vancouver Island, I know that families, seniors, and small business people are having a harder and harder time making ends mee

Canadian Coast Guard  Mr. Speaker, the Conservative decision to close the Tofina MCTS centre in Ucluelet left coastal communities without protection. My community is still reeling from the sinking of the Leviathan II and the recent loss of lives. This tragedy underlined that having local eyes and ears

Income Tax Act  Madam Speaker, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, it is estimated that 17.9 million Canadians who will file income tax returns in 2016 fall within the first tax bracket of $45,282 or less. They are going to get nothing out of this tax break. What do the Liberals defi

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, before I start, I want to quickly wish my eldest daughter a happy 16th birthday today. In the member's speech, I did not hear a lot about Bill C-2. He talked about consultation with Canadians and going around the country. We know that the bill benefits 40% of Canadi