Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I do not remember that advertisement from 1988. I was 13 years old and was not paying attention to what was going on in here. I respect the fact that the opposition members are suggesting that the NAFTA came from Brian Mulroney; however, that was a Progressive Con

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, let us just look at the facts. In 2005, we had a trade surplus of $46.1 billion per year. By 2015, that was down to $10.9 billion per year. The previous government and its “let us just get a deal” approach did not get us anywhere. Even after the recession, we conti

Fight Against Food Waste Act  Mr. Speaker, I applaud my colleague for bringing the bill forward. I think that, as we have seen from the different movements throughout Europe, and France in particular, about being more cautious about the way we treat wasted food, that the bill is extremely timely. I am glad we

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, we have spent a great deal of time tonight discussing the important issue of the main estimates for the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence. I would like to contribute to this debate by saying a few words on what our men and women in uniform

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, we know that in order to do this work, our Canadian Armed Forces will have to be compatible and work with our other departments throughout our government. Could the minister expand a little on how that works, and how the departments work together in time of need, as we

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, could the minister also expand on the training that is involved with our Canadian Armed Forces in preparing to assist with natural disasters or emergencies at home?

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, following up on that, could the minister describe how the defence of Canada will play into the defence policy review?

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I would like to change gears to our reservists. We rely on many reservists during a time of need at home. I am from a riding that has if not the oldest then one of the oldest reserve units, which is the PWOR, the Princess of Wales' Own Regiment. Its members have appro

National Maternity Assistance Program Strategy Act  moved that Bill C-243, An Act respecting the development of a national maternity assistance program strategy and amending the Employment Insurance Act (maternity benefits), be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak t

National Maternity Assistance Program Strategy Act  Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. The problem that we are facing right now is that the current system we have is actually providing a disincentive. Women, who are passionate about being a welder or a plumber or some other form of work but also think that they want to become pregnant and h

National Maternity Assistance Program Strategy Act  Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is well aware, one of the challenging parts of putting forward a private member's bill is an inability to introduce new spending. I would have loved to shape this bill in such a way as to make it more like the model that exists in Quebec. However, bec

National Maternity Assistance Program Strategy Act  Mr. Speaker, all I want to add about this is that we have to remember this. Women who are seeking to get into these lines of work in these non-traditional jobs are already going out on a ledge or taking a step forward by trying to get into these professions. They are already faci

Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, in 2010, the Conservative government of the time closed several prison farms throughout the country, without doing proper consultation into the usefulness and viability of providing essential skills for inmates. In my riding of Kingston and the Islands two prison fa

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his comments on this particular budget and the debate we are having today. I heard with great interest the discussion he mentioned about being with children and talking about the debt, and them questioning how we get out of so much debt. I

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, this summer my family welcomed our new son, Francesco. Sunny ways was followed by a baby boom on this side of the aisle. Stability and support for families is paramount to my young family, as it is for so many others throughout my community and our country. Familie