Citizenship Act  Madam Speaker, I will answer the question two ways. First, my grandparents came to our country in the 1950s and they had a clear path to citizenship. Therefore, for me, part of the bill is about creating that clear path for citizenship. We are reducing the number of days that p

Citizenship Act  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today to speak to Bill C-6. Like my colleague from London North Centre, I too proudly come from immigrant parents, and so immigration policy that creates clear paths to citizenship is very important to me. It is a bill that I believe will positive

Davenport Portuguese Community  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the Portuguese community in my downtown riding of Davenport. They are the largest ethnic group, representing approximately 30% of my riding. The Portuguese culture is alive and well in Davenport and is being celebrated. Last month I had the ho

Justice  Mr. Speaker, as the aunt of a 15-year-old nephew, I am concerned about how easy it is for youth his age to obtain marijuana. What measures is the government taking to ensure that by legalizing marijuana we are making it more difficult for children and youth to access this substan

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, I will be speaking to Bill C-4 today. The Government of Canada believes that we should be treating our unions in a fair and balanced way. This is the principle behind repealing Bill C-377 and Bill C-525. The other reason we are also repealing this is the whole proces

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, part of the reason we are repealing this bill is that we believe that there was a huge issue around the process. The bill was highly discriminatory and deeply ideological. For it to go through a normal process, it has to be open, transparent, and consultative. The

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, we very much believe that for Canada to have a strong middle class and a strong economy, we need to have a strong labour movement. We believe that unions play an important role in protecting the rights of Canadian workers and helping unionized workers to access benef

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, I will follow the wonderful example of the hon. member for Kenora and start by giving members a bit about my background and some context. I first want to mention that before I became an MP, I was privileged to work as a director of a large corporation. I worked fo

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, Canadians right across Canada have been mobilizing, organizing, and raising funds to sponsor and welcome Syrian families to our fair land. The youth of our country have, not surprisingly, also stepped up to do their part. Millennium Kids, a movement of youth across

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, my understanding is that the middle-class tax cut would actually benefit those who earn between $45,000 and $89,000. Most of the constituents of Davenport are within this tax bracket, so I believe that most of them would benefit from it.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I would like to believe I have one of the most active ridings, made up of a lot of families, schools, groups, and communities who are stepping up to the plate and sponsoring Syrian refugees. There is a wonderful school, Dewson school, which has started what is cal

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, as I mentioned, jobs and the economy is probably the number one issue in the Davenport riding. I can assure members that this government will do everything it can to create a strong economy, to create more jobs, to invest in infrastructure and education, thereby cr

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, as this is my maiden speech in these hallowed chambers, I would like to begin by congratulating you on your appointment to your position, and to also extend sincere congratulations to all members present here this morning for winning their election. Canadians want