National Defence  Mr. Speaker, our government is proud to be taking action to grow and strengthen our armed forces, and we know that diversity is an essential factor in mission success. Women have proudly been serving in Canada's military for a century, and today they play a pivotal role in defend

Latin American Heritage Month  Mr. Speaker, ah ya yay. As we know, this month is the first time we are recognizing October as Latin American Heritage Month at the national level: Excellente. It is about time. We have the whole month to celebrate the magical stories, culture, traditions and contributions of the

National Defence Act  Madam Speaker, there are a couple of comments that the hon. member made, which I would like to respond to. My understanding is that there was a similar bill introduced under the former Harper Conservative government. However, it was introduced in the dying days of that governmen

National Defence Act  Madam Speaker, in terms of timing, I think we all wish things moved a lot faster in the government. All I say is that I am absolutely pleased that we finally have this before the House that we are finally strengthening victims rights within the military justice system. In terms

National Defence Act  Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the very fine and hon. colleague from Kingston and the Islands. It is an honour for me to once again rise in this honourable House to speak on behalf of the residents of my riding of Davenport on Bill C-77, which is an act to amend

Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, Davenport residents have let me know that their data privacy, their online information and the threat of hacking are a priority and a worry for them. Our government takes our responsibility to protect the private information of citizens and the integrity of our cri

Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, the government's public transit infrastructure investments are building stronger communities across Canada, including in my riding of Davenport. These investments are much needed and are critical to ensuring that commuters can get to work, school, and appointments qu

Portuguese Heritage Month  Mr. Speaker, boa tarde. Last month, during the state visit of the Portuguese prime minister, António Costa, both he and our Prime Minister paid tribute to the Portuguese community and its contributions to Canada. They both expressed pride that this year, for the first time ever

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, one of the key things we have put in place over the last year and a half is a new director of client services. I wonder if the minister could talk a little more about the director of client services. What is the ambition, and how are going to improve this system movi

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, I have been listening to the debate this evening, and there seems to be a lot of confusion. The immigration system and the asylum system are two different systems. They are resourced differently. They are processed differently. We have made enormous changes to the pr

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, maybe I did not say this very well earlier, so I will clarify. The opposition has said many times this evening that we have been hiving off a lot of our resources to process the asylum seekers we are seeing. However, all of my speech this evening has been about how

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, I want to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered here today on the traditional unceded lands of the Algonquin people. It is particularly meaningful for me to take part in today's conversation in committee of the whole as we consider the main estimates for 2018-

Latin American Heritage Month Act  Gracias, señor presidente. Buenas tardes. Mr. Speaker, it is pleasure for me to rise in the House to speak to Bill S-218, an act to designate October as Latin American heritage month. I want to thank the late Senator Tobias Enverga Jr., who left us way too soon late last year,

Hispanic Canadians  Mr. Speaker, today along with my colleague, the member for Honoré-Mercier, we are honoured to welcome 20 exceptional members of Canada's Hispanic and Latin American communities, including the winners of TD Bank's 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians award. They are neuroscienti

Health  Mr. Speaker, sadly, cancer continues to be the leading cause of death in Canada. In fact, nearly half of all Canadians will be affected in their lifetime. Cancer does not discriminate. It is just as likely to strike someone in Davenport, of whatever background and means, as it is