Terrorist Attack in Tehran  Mr. Speaker, everyone in this House was shocked and saddened to hear of the brutal terrorist attack in Tehran yesterday. The 12 dead and dozens injured were peace-loving mothers, wives, and sisters and innocent fathers, brothers, and sons. Today we remember them, as we do all vic

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Democratic Institutions introduced legislation to make political fundraising more open and transparent. All members in the House fully appreciate that Canadians should have a right to access more information about political fundraising event

Nowruz  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise in the House today to mark Nowruz, celebrated by 300 million people with cultural roots in western and central Asia. This joyous holiday is a festive occasion that brings together people of different cultures and languages to welcome the spring.

National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act  Mr. Speaker, there were many consultations that went on. On top of that, we have parliamentary groups that looked into this issue. As I highlighted during my portion of the speech, there were many recommendations that were adopted and are very much reflected in the legislation th

National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act  Mr. Speaker, as I noted in my speech, there was a gaping hole, and it was incumbent upon our government to act on its platform and also to scrutinize regimes that were in place among our five allies. In doing so, we have come up with legislation which very wisely enhances our nat

National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act  Mr. Speaker, of course this is an incredibly important issue. Because of that, as members know full well, as it was part of our platform, we have consulted with numerous Canadians along the way and we have consulted with experts. This is an ongoing consultation, and the reason fo

National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to once again rise in the House to discuss Bill C-22, an act to establish the national security and intelligence committee of parliamentarians and to make consequential amendments to certain acts. We on this side of the House pride ourselves in avoi

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise today and present a petition spearheaded by RESULTS Canada and signed by dozens of Canadians from coast to coast to coast, which challenges our government to allocate 0.7% of gross national income towards official development assistance

Children's Breakfast Club  Mr. Speaker, last week, over 150 students, teachers, and staff descended upon Ottawa to take part in the Children's Breakfast Club's annual visit to Parliament Hill to mark Black History Month. As with last year, I had the honour of co-hosting this event with the members for Sc

Human Rights  Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, residents of Willowdale were shocked and appalled to learn of a cowardly, anti-Semitic hate crime. Incidents such as these, in which hateful notes were left at the doorsteps of residents, and mezuzahs were destroyed in an act of senseless vandali

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, obviously, all of us as members of this House would like to see collective attention brought to this issue. If there was consensus that there is the issue of Islamophobia, that it is an issue we have to take seriously, that it is an issue that we have to examine, and

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I obviously understand the sentiments that are animating my good friend across the aisle. However, it seems pretty clear to me that as members of Parliament we are supposed to actually bring clarity to issues. We are supposed to try to identify those issues that dema

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Brampton North. It is a great honour to rise again in the House to discuss the Conservative motion put before us today. As the member of Parliament for Willowdale, I am fortunate enough to represent one of Canada's m

Court Challenges Program  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to congratulate the Ministers of Canadian Heritage and Justice for their inspired announcement this week to reinstate and modernize the landmark court challenges program. While this instrumental program was unceremoniously shuttered by t

Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Yes, Madam Speaker, I have examined chapter 11. The member can rest assured that not only NAFTA but the CETA provides government sovereign powers to protect the environment. There is nothing in these agreements that undermines the government's ability to introduce progressive env