Tax Convention and Arrangement Implementation Act, 2016  Madam Speaker, we in the NDP support the harmonization and simplification of tax legislation. We do not want to see companies paying double tax. When I heard the member say that they were supporting this bill, it was going great until I heard him starting to talk about the midd

Tax Convention and Arrangement Implementation Act, 2016  Madam Speaker, my colleague from Timmins—James Bay talked about the Canada–Barbados tax treaty, which is similar. What safeguards will be put in place so that we will not see recurring what we have seen happening with the Canada–Barbados trade agreement? We are seeing a $5 billio

Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, one thing my friend and colleague did not talk about much was that CETA will lead to increased costs of prescription drugs for Canadians. In fact, Jim Keon, president of the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association said: A study prepared for the CGPA by two l

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition on behalf of residents of Courtenay—Alberni and Vancouver Island calling for fair electoral representation. The petition is to ensure that Canadians have a fair electoral system. Our winner-take-all voting system results in a House

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, this week the Liberal government betrayed the people of Vancouver Island. The Prime Minister says he is a grandson of British Columbia, so maybe he can understand. Our economy is tied to our ocean. Our culture is rooted to the sea. The health of the coast is the he

Financial Institutions  Mr. Speaker, Canadian small business owners pay among the highest fees in the world for credit card transactions. The government appears to understand this is a problem, as one of its own MPs tabled a bill to reinforce the government's power to regulate these fees. However, the d

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to deliver two petitions in opposition to the Kinder Morgan pipeline. They have been signed by constituents of Courtenay—Alberni, coastal British Columbia, and people from coast to coast. Petitioners point out that Kinder Morgan is planni

Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, one thing my colleague did not talk about in his speech was prescription drugs, despite 25% of this agreement covering prescription drugs. I am sure that one thing we have in common and that touches us both is that when people, seniors especially, cannot afford to bu

Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague, whom I serve as co-chair of the all party entrepreneur caucus with. We have heard Conservatives talk about the 50-plus trade deals they have done over the last decade. What we have seen in the last decade in my riding of Courtenay

Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for his speech and for breaking down the history of his party working on this deal. Before I move forward with my question, I would ask the member to join me in shouting out to the lighthouse keeper who saved a life off Denman Island thi

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, dangerous debris from a cargo ship is washing up on the west coast, posing serious threats to our sensitive ecosystems. It has been almost a week since this began, and there is still no real action by the federal government. We know its response to the Bella Bella

Housing  Mr. Speaker, we are so fortunate to live in Canada, where we aspire to be a nation that takes care of each other. In Courtenay—Alberni, access to affordable housing has become an urgent and desperate matter. The situation is critical. People are living in unsafe derelict boats

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, the member talked about this budget as being people centred. Well, the budget forgets a lot of people. I will start with the middle-class tax break. This line in the budget benefits one-third of Canadians. Two-third of Canadians, 17.9 million Canadians, do not get a

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Burnaby South for standing up for coastal British Columbians. The member understands how important social licence is in British Columbia. Where I come from, he knows in my community 25 years ago there was a plan to log 90% of Meares Isl

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for his speech and for talking about investments in mitigating the impact of climate change in particular. Right now, heavy rainfall has led to a state of emergency at the Tseshaht First Nation in Port Alberni. These flood warnings are exp