Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today on the opposition motion brought forward by my Conservative colleague from Abbotsford. Members may have noticed that there is an unmistakable air of non-partisanship in the House today and all throughout Ottawa. It is in this positive an

Emergencies Act  Mr. Speaker, I have not had the pleasure of meeting the member yet, but I look forward to meeting him and working with him productively in the House. I thank him for his invitation to vote against the motion confirming the declaration of emergency, but I must assure him that I w

Emergencies Act  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my remarks, the interim chief of police in Ottawa was very clear in stating that he was unable to do his job without the act. We have seen the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police underscore that same truth: that this act was a required action t

Emergencies Act  Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member that multiple premiers across the country reached out and asked for help. When that happened, the government got busy invoking the act. It was very important to give the provincial governments the required time and space to act under their o

Emergencies Act  Mr. Speaker, we all have stories about how the lockdown here and the blockades elsewhere have had a personal impact, but I want to address the part of the question about the interruption of trade, the job losses, the shuttering of automobile factories in Canada and the loss of wa

Emergencies Act  Mr. Speaker, I cannot discern a sensible question, but the member did mention political rhetoric. I note that the interim leader of the member's party stated recently, “It’s time for MPs to return to the House and restore unity, wholeness and hope back to our nation.” I would sug

Emergencies Act  Mr. Speaker, when historians write this chapter of the Canadian story, what will they say about the protest? I do not question that for some it was about vaccine requirements for truckers crossing the U.S.-Canada border, nor do I question that others came here earnestly to protes

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to table a petition signed by over 100 Canadians, including many from my own riding of Halifax. The petitioners call upon the government to reduce emissions and fossil-fuel subsidies, create green jobs for affected workers and invest in publ

COVID-19 Protests  Mr. Speaker, I just want to tell the member for Ottawa Centre that my heart is breaking for him and for his constituents. It is hard to imagine taking what is happening here in Ottawa and putting it in Halifax, a city that I love as much has he loves his city, and seeing this ter

COVID-19 Protests  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Burnaby South for instigating this debate tonight and for his remarks. The member for Kildonan—St. Paul knows that the interim Conservative leader, the member for Portage—Lisgar, encouraged her party to not discourage protesters from l

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, as our government has stated from the outset of the pandemic, we will be there for Canadians for whatever they need, for as long as they need. Included in that is the necessity of transfers to the provinces. Health care transfers have increased to provide PPE and oth

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Parry Sound—Muskoka for his passion around the issue. I share that passion with him. Unfortunately, the strain that he is feeling in his riding is shared in my riding and across the country. This national housing strategy that we began some y

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his kind words and remembrance of Alexa McDonough. She truly was a pioneer and remarkable leader in Canada. It is tragedy whenever anybody gets sick, temporary foreign workers included. Temporary foreign workers are an important part of our se

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I always love an opportunity to talk about building communities and making them stronger, including parks. Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes is the future national urban park in Halifax. We look forward to working with the government and the community to get it right. T

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a privilege to address the House today from my hometown of Halifax. I will be splitting my time today with the member for Vancouver Granville. As this is the first opportunity I have had to offer extended remarks in the 44th Parliament, I wish to extend