Kingston and the Islands  Mr. Speaker, as this is my first opportunity to rise in the House, I want to thank the great people of Kingston and the Islands for the privilege of following many notable parliamentarians from my riding, including Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, and, of cou

Master of Public Administration  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the approximately 60 students here from Queen's University who are visiting Parliament Hill today. These students are enrolled in the master of public administration program at Queen's, which is one of the leading poli

Kingston  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to help Canada and my own riding mark a special anniversary. Some 175 years ago, on February 10, 1841, Governor General Lord Sydenham announced that Kingston would be the first capital of the united province of Canada. In June 1841, ag

Canada's Contribution to the Effort to Combat ISIL  Mr. Speaker, we continue to hear a number of phrases being used by the members opposite, such as the weakening of our military contribution, and cutting and running. I fear this seriously diminishes Canada's contribution to this, and the strong contribution we continue to have. B

Canada's Contribution to the Effort to Combat ISIL  Madam Speaker, we have heard a number of times from both opposition parties today about some kind of lack of transparency with respect to our party's position during the election as to what we were planning on doing. There was some discussion, particularly from the NDP, about not

National Maternity Assistance Program Strategy Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-243, An Act respecting the development of a national maternity assistance program strategy and amending the Employment Insurance Act (maternity benefits). Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce my private member's bill. This bill has two parts

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of approximately 580 constituents in my riding, I am here to present a petition regarding a fair electoral representation. Petitioners are demanding a fair voting system. They want an equal and effective voice for their votes to be represented in Canada. Mo

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I will start with a comment about what we are discussing today and then go on to the less fortunate individuals in our society, as the member mentioned and pointed out so rightly. I will start by saying that this measure would put money into the pockets of nine mill

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I took particular note of the member's comments about infrastructure and the need for infrastructure renewal. I also represent a riding from Ontario, and having some experience in the municipal sector prior to this, I know that only seven or eight cents out of ever

Pita Pit  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate an entrepreneurial success story from my riding A franchise began in Kingston 21 years ago when two friends, John Sotiriadis and Nelson Lang, decided to open a fast food place that offered different and healthier

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to stand in the House today and talk about the budget, which I am extremely proud to support. Before becoming an MP, I was the mayor of the great city of Kingston. In this role, I learned quickly the importance of having strong, thriving local communit

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, let us not forget who put us on that wheel. It was the previous government, with $160 billion of debt that we are paying back. The previous member talked about how we have to try to get out of this deficit situation. It is a deficit situation that his previous govern

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, for clarification, the government has adjusted the way it is going to be handling the particular small business tax. It might not be as aggressive as my colleague would like to see, but let us not forget where we are investing and reducing taxes, and that is for the

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I noted in my colleague's speech that at one point she said that small business owners fall in the middle class. Would she not agree then that because we are giving a tax break to the middle class, in fact we are helping small businesses and not hurting them, as she

Candidate Gender Equity Act  Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that this particular government is committed to the ideals of gender-balanced representation, not just within cabinet but within the House. We are striving to do that. There are lots of opportunities, especially as we move toward the democrati