Black History Month  Mr. Speaker, as February is Black History Month, I would like to recognize some great Canadians from Whitney Pier, Cape Breton. Clotilda Yakimchuk overcame discrimination by becoming one of the first Nova Scotia black nurses and started Cape Breton University's nursing program.

National Defence Act  Madam Speaker, the hon. member asks how we can help indigenous people in the armed forces, help them feel more comfortable and help them feel that they are part of the team. I see it right back in Cape Breton, where, as I said, we have the largest population in eastern Canada of

National Defence Act  Madam Speaker, I only have so much time, but it was alluded to that this might be my last year, after 19 years. I will let the House know that some of my most disappointing moments and most proud moments were in dealing with our Veterans Affairs office in Cape Breton. When the

National Defence Act  Madam Speaker, I am going to be sharing my time with the member for London North Centre. It is a pleasure to be here to speak to the bill, especially when I am from an area in Cape Breton that has had one of the highest contributions per capita in world wars and conflicts. We st

Scotties Tournament of Hearts  Mr. Speaker, over the past week in Sydney, Cape Bretoners have been hurrying hard to Centre 200 to take in the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Centre 200's hockey rink has been transformed into a curling sheet to host Canada's best women curlers as they compete for the righ

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 15th report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, which is a wonderful committee that gets a lot of work done. This is entitled “Section 232 of the United States Trade Expansion Act: Implicatio

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, it is not my first time in the House trying to get this through, and I appreciate the support from the NDP. My first private member's bill came through the House and failed. The Harper government cancelled it because it was a money bill, I guess, and needed a royal r

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, that is a good question. EI has different rules across the country. It depends on the unemployment in various areas. However, sickness benefits are the same across the country. The member mentioned the study, and it shows that this is helping people get through that

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, it all started when I became a member of Parliament. I did not even know what private members' bills were. I got up here and found out what they were, that it is when an MP wants to move something forward. At that time, there was a lady in my office who worked for m

Employment Insurance  moved: That, in the opinion of the House, the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities should examine the possibility and practicality of extending the maximum number of weeks of Employment Insurance sick b

Sydney Call Centre  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a resilient community in Cape Breton. Through recent tough times they persisted and kept their spirits high. That community is made up of the employees of the Sydney Call Centre. On December 6, just before Christmas, nearly 600 employees wer

Dutch Heritage Day  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the chamber to speak on Motion No. 207. Before I begin, I would like to commend the Speaker, the staff, the contractors and Parliament Hill security for this big endeavour to get us set up here in the time they had to do it. Just an hour ago, when w

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 14th report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, entitled “Canada and the Mercosur Countries: A Potential Agreement to Advance Trade Relations”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109 the committee

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have petitions signed by hundreds of Cape Bretoners who are very passionate about animals and how animals are treated. They ask the House to support Bill S-214 and ban the sale and/or manufacturing of animal-tested cosmetics and ingredients in Canada.

Gavinna MacKenzie  Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay my respects on the recent passing of Big Bras d'Or resident Gavinna MacKenzie. Gavinna was born in Black Rock, Victoria County, in 1922. While raising seven children, she worked as the central telephone operator in Boularderie. Gavinna was a f