Housing  Mr. Speaker, in my riding of Richmond Hill we have numerous organizations that work tirelessly to provide housing for vulnerable populations. The staff at Blue Door, an emergency housing provider in York Region, have played an instrumental role in supporting individuals experienc

Economic and Fiscal Update Implementation Act, 2021  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague. We have the honour and privilege of being on the OGGO committee together. I would like to make a point on a comment my colleague made. She said, “ad hoc”. I do not think our measures, as they relate to COVID-19, have been ad hoc, especially t

Economic and Fiscal Update Implementation Act, 2021  Madam Speaker, as we all know, eight dollars out of every $10 that was spent on COVID-19 was provided by the federal government. Our government has been at the forefront of COVID-19 from day one. We also talked about how broad and how strategic this expenditure has been. As it r

Economic and Fiscal Update Implementation Act, 2021  Madam Speaker, housing and affordable housing have been the focus of our government since 2015. There has never been the amount of investment we have made in housing initiatives through our national housing strategy. Over $75 billion has been invested, or is planned to be spent,

Economic and Fiscal Update Implementation Act, 2021  Madam Speaker, as today marks the first time in the 44th Parliament that I am exercising my privilege to rise to speak on a government bill, I want to take a brief moment to acknowledge those who have helped to get me here to stand alongside my hon. colleagues and once again repr

Nowruz  Mr. Speaker, yesterday, on March 20, my family and I joined all who celebrate the joyous occasion of Nowruz, also known as the Persian new year, in gathering around our haft-seen table. As we marked the beginning of the spring by basking in the fresh smell of sabzeh and sonbol

International Women's Day  Madam Speaker, 43 years ago, on this date, I arrived in the great country of Canada as an international student, feeling excited for new opportunities but also alone. Today, I want to acknowledge the challenges faced by all who are compelled to leave their country of origin just

Lunar New Year  Mr. Speaker, representing Richmond Hill has given me the privilege to learn about different cultures, join in their celebrations and, most notably, enjoy a lot of delicious foods. I am delighted to rise today to acknowledge the beautiful celebration of lunar new year taking plac

Yalda  Mr. Speaker, [Member spoke in Farsi] [English] These lines are from noble Hafiz, a Persian poet whose renowned work, The Divan of Hafiz, is engaged for telling fortunes during the celebratory occasion of Yalda. On December 21, I will join fellow Persians within Richmond Hill

Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752  Madam Speaker, the downing of flight PS752 has struck a chord with my constituents and the Iranian Canadian community. The long road to have full accountability, justice and reparation has been challenging, with little transparency on the part of the government of Iran. Through

Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752  Madam Speaker, the downing of flight PS752 has struck a chord with my constituents and the Iranian Canadian community. The long road to have full accountably, justice and reparation has been challenging, with little transparency on the part of the Government of Iran. Throughout

Copyright Act  Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to virtually rise in the House today to speak on this important bill. However, before I begin, I would like to acknowledge the tragic news we heard last week of the discovery of 215 children's bodies at the Kamloops Indian Resident

Asian Heritage Month  Mr. Speaker, I rise virtually in the House today to share that my beautiful riding of Richmond Hill is home to vibrant members of the Asian community. As we all know, May is Asian Heritage Month. The York Region Liberal MPs are hosting a local appreciation event to celebrate th

Health  Mr. Speaker, while the pandemic has affected all Canadians, many Black, indigenous and racialized groups have been at the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, filling roles in health care, personal support work and other essential services. These groups have disproportionately f

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, there are a number of vibrant small and medium-sized businesses in my riding of Richmond Hill, some of which have been hit the hardest during the pandemic. Two weeks ago, the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade had a productive meetin