Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas  Mr. Speaker, on October 30, Sikhs, Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists around the world will gather to celebrate Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas. This festival of light is a triumphant representation of good over evil, hope over despair, and knowledge over ignorance. For the over one mil

International Adoptions  Mr. Speaker, soon after being elected last October, I came to learn of the plight of many Canadian families who had adopted children from the Democratic Republic of Congo but faced obstacles that prevented the families from uniting. By the end of March of this year, Rachelle an

Science  Mr. Speaker, this year's G7 science meeting was held in Tsukuba, Japan, and it was the first time in three years that Canada has attended such a gathering. As we have seen across government, Canada can make an important international contribution by choosing to engage on the worl

Komagata Maru  Mr. Speaker, yesterday marked an important moment in the history of this country. It recognized that Canada does not have a perfect history, that we have on occasion stumbled and been unjust. It also recognized that healing wounds is important, that being an example to the rest o

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1.  Mr. Speaker, as we heard this morning, Canadians have been talking about what is in the budget since the beginning of the campaign. We were elected to bring forward the many commitments included in Bill C-15. There has been a lot of discussion. Members have been talking about thi

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1.  Mr. Speaker, as I noted, there has been discussion on the items contained within the budget. For me, a really critical piece is the Canada child benefit. My understanding is that the legislation needs to be passed for that program to roll out. In my riding of Cloverdale—Langley

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1.  Mr. Speaker, in continuing to address Bill C-15, it is not every day that I begin by speaking about feminine hygiene products. However, the redressing of unequal taxation of essential goods is an important issue for all Canadians. Currently, feminine hygiene products are subject

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today in support of Bill C-15, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 22, 2016 and other measures. The much-needed budget 2016 is an essential step to growing the middle class and revitalizing the Ca

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the committee to listen to the comments that are being put forward, both the questions and concerns, and attempt to have witnesses who can address those, as the special joint committee had done. Then we will be able to weigh through the evidence, as

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, as was stated by one of my colleagues earlier, the comment is that the provinces and territories will end up dealing with this issue of conscientious objection. The colleges will need to deal with referral. I have spoken to people within my home province of British C

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I believe very much that we have a good piece of legislation. As I said in my comments, it is a starting piece for a very difficult subject. Our government has been very clear that we have legislation that has been put forward. We are in the consultation stage righ

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today in support of Bill C-14, an act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other acts, also known as medical assistance in dying. In January, I was appointed to the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying and I

Volunteerism  Mr. Speaker, I recently met two amazing volunteers in Langley City. The first is Pauline Knight, who turned 100 in February. Pauline still volunteers for the Langley Senior Resources Society in Langley City, as she has done for 24 years. The second volunteer is Rob Ross. Child

Citizenship Act  Mr. Speaker, governments change and times change. We are committed under this bill to ensuring that Canadians are able to get their citizenship as quickly as possible under the rules that we have established. We have taken off 14 years under the current legislation. We feel it i

Citizenship Act  Mr. Speaker, the minister spoke in the House about the need to improve the processing times. We saw them languish under the previous government. We are committed to helping immigrants attain their citizenship as expeditiously as possible. The idea of being able to move through