Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table another petition in this House from Land Over Landings, an organization in my constituency. Since 1972, Land Over Landings and its predecessor, People over Planes, have advocated that the federal lands in Pickering be used for natural and agricu

Religious Freedom  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on e-petition 411, sponsored by the hon. member for Pierrefonds—Dollard. It calls on the House to condemn all forms of Islamophobia. I want to thank my colleague for his leadership. In 2008, Masjid Usman opened in Pickering and it has welcomed

Rick Johnson  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a former colleague of mine, Councillor Rick Johnson, who passed away suddenly at the age of 62. I served with Councillor Johnson on Pickering Council for a number of years, as did my hon. colleague from Ajax. Rick had a larger than

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, today is the first annual ENERGY STAR day in Canada. The ENERGY STAR symbol identifies high-efficiency products in lighting, appliances, electronics, and new homes. Would the hon. Minister of Natural Resources tell the House how the ENERGY STAR program contributes t

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, today, the Minister of Finance appeared before the finance committee to answer questions on the fall economic statement, which he delivered in the House of Commons yesterday. It was the first time such a statement has been given to Parliament in almost 10 years. Wo

Decorations for Bravery  Mr. Speaker, last month, I was honoured to have attended the Governor General's presentation of Decorations for Bravery. A constituent of mine, Daniel Patrick Greene, of Uxbridge, Ontario, was being honoured for his courageous actions on January 30, 2015. Daniel was in Trent Lak

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, our government committed to making it easier for Canadians to vote. Can the Minister of Democratic Institutions update this House on the next steps to ensure our elections are more open and inclusive?

Finance  Mr. Speaker, earlier today Statistics Canada released the quarterly GDP numbers for Canada. Would the Minister of Finance please update the House with what Canada's GDP performance was in this quarter of this year?

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Standing Committee on Finance in relation to the Canada pension plan child rearing and disability drop-out provisions. This bill is asking the government, at the next triennial meeting,

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time today with the member for Oakville North—Burlington. Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his motion. As the Prime Minister clearly stated yesterday in the House, the government is not considering taxing health care and dental plans. Ho

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is clear that our government, as stated in my speech, has in fact delivered on many of the commitments we made. Right away our first actions were on the Canada child benefit. It is more fair for Canadians. It is tax-free and does more for families. Another thing

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely correct in that I was not here during the previous government when it made those changes, but I was a member of a municipal government previously in Pickering in the riding that I represent. I often heard from seniors who had to choose betw

Genetic Non-Discrimination Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill S-201, an act to prohibit and prevent genetic discrimination. Many of my comments will be similar to those members have heard today, but I thought it important to add my voice to this debate. I want to thank the hon. member for Don Vall

Claremont Legion  Mr. Speaker, Earlier this month, I attended the Claremont beef dinner at Legion Branch 483, where I had the honour of announcing over $36,000 in support of an important local project. This funding, made possible through the enabling accessibility fund, will support the Legion as

Genetic Non-Discrimination Act  Madam Speaker, genetic testing can quite literally save lives. It allows Canadians who suspect that they might be at a higher risk for certain genetic diseases to take early preventive action. Unfortunately, under our current regime, Canadians often refuse to undergo a genetic te