Arab Heritage Month Act  Mr. Speaker, I will use this short answer to commemorate my good friend Arnold Chan, a young man who I actually drafted into public life. He was a very fine and decent man. I would recommend everybody watch the video. It was one of his final speeches and, in fact, a very moving i

Arab Heritage Month Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for a thoughtful and important question. I see my Arab Canadian neighbours and friends. I see the entrepreneurs and the investors. I see Arab Canadians in senior ranks of the public service, in Parliament, in medicine, in law, in engineering, run

Arab Heritage Month Act  Mr. Speaker, what I would like to see is shawarma in the House of Commons lobbies so we can all enjoy a tasty meal. The good thing about a month like this is that it will enable Canadian Heritage to plan and financially support celebrations across Canada in small communities and

Arab Heritage Month Act  Mr. Speaker, that is a profoundly important question, and one that is steeped in truth. It is clear that we have seen all kinds of abuse, all kinds of profiling and all kinds of hatred directed at different parts of Canadian society, including our Arab Canadian neighbours and com

Arab Heritage Month Act  moved that Bill C-232, an act respecting Arab heritage month, be read a second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, it is an honour and a privilege to rise in the House this evening to begin the debate on my private member's bill, which would establish the month of A

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, in 2014, I had the distinct privilege of conducting a pre-election assessment for the entire country of Ukraine for the National Democratic Institute in Washington, D.C. I was part of a delegation of five or six members. At that time, it was clear to us that Ukrain

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Many business owners from my riding of Ottawa South had to close their downtown establishments in the face of the illegal blockades. The occupation carried

Arab Heritage Month Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-232, An Act respecting Arab Heritage Month. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed an honour and a privilege to rise in the House of Commons to introduce my private member's bill, which would establish the month of April in Canada as Arab heritage month.

Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Madam Speaker, the answer is yes, we are treating this as a health issue. Yes, this government remains open to the concept of decriminalization based on evidence and comparative experience, and I would encourage the member to bring that evidence forward to committee when this bil

Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Madam Speaker, although I am desirous of seeing the kind of consistency the member alludes to, one size does not fit all. When there is a crime being adjudicated in a court, judges have a specific responsibility to adduce and hear all of the evidence; to consider it; and to take

Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Madam Speaker, I want to pick up, if I could, where I left off, and that is the role and purpose of judges and the difficult role they fulfill when they sit as triers of fact. I remember when I began my career as a young articling student with a criminal law firm, and I was str

Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Madam Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the voters of Ottawa South. This is my seventh consecutive election. I am honoured and privileged to represent such a magnificent riding, a very diverse riding, with over 82 languages spoken and over 160 countries of origin. I like to de

Michael O'Reilly  Mr. Speaker, Ottawa has lost a true legend. Michael O'Reilly, the remarkable local artist, musician and comedian, has passed away. Born in England to a Canadian World War II serviceman and a Devonshire girl, Mike was raised in Ottawa. He studied at Glebe Collegiate, the Universit

Metro Dry Cleaners  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to congratulate my constituent and a true community builder, Mrs. Lamia Dib, on the 50th anniversary of her outstanding local business, Metro Dry Cleaners. In 1958, Lamia came from Lebanon to join her siblings in Canada. In 1962, she married Maurice

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, we recently tabled the most small business-friendly budget in Canadian history. Last Friday, our government made an announcement to significantly increase rapid testing for businesses and their workers across Canada. Could the Minister of Small Business, Export Prom