Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, this is a huge priority, not just for our government but for me as a front-line MP. I see the problems associated with the decline in affordable housing stock, particularly in the city of Toronto. This is an enormous problem. As I mentioned, 97,000 families, not indi

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, as I said at the start of my speech, I am spending a lot of time in my community listening to people's reactions to our budget and to the plan we promised and are putting into action now. I have to say that I am hearing from the middle-class families in my riding, I

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I can answer the member's question unequivocally. I have heard from people from across my riding and across my city. In fact, I have heard input from Canadians across the country who understand that in today's world, economic growth and environmental protection must

Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, Canada's diversity is a source of strength and pride. Sadly, minority communities are sometimes targeted for attack, including recent incidents in Toronto, Ottawa, and Regina. Groups like the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs have been calling for improved suppor

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present my first petition in the House of Commons on behalf of the students at Madonna Catholic Secondary School in my riding of York Centre. The petitioners advocate for a peaceful end to the ongoing war in Syria. They call upon the government to wor

Ephraim's Place  Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight an organization at the heart of the York Centre community, Ephraim's Place. Named in memory of 11-year-old Ephraim Brown, who was tragically caught in the crossfire of a gang shooting and killed in 2007, Ephraim's Place community centre wa

Racism  Mr. Speaker, this past Friday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a sombre anniversary when we remember the murder of more than six million Jews at the hands of the Nazis during the Second World War. It is also a day when we recognize and remember the indomitable spirit

Anti-Semitism  Mr. Speaker, on February 6, a McGill student society representative incited violence against Jewish students, tweeting “punch a Zionist today”. On February 19, mezuzahs were ripped off door frames, and anti-Semitic messages were found in Toronto. On February 22, a swastika and th

Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month  Mr. Speaker, today I stand in this House to recognize the most heinous of all crimes: genocide. This House has recognized six genocides: the Holocaust; the Holodomor; and the Armenian, Bosnian, Rwandan, and Yazidi genocides. What these genocides have in common is not only their h

Jewish Heritage Month  Mr. Speaker, May is Jewish Heritage Month in Ontario, a month when we can all take great pride in celebrating the accomplishments of Jewish Canadians in communities big and small across the province, including in my own riding of York Centre. This month recognizes the important c

Human Rights  Mr. Speaker, in September 2015, Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López was sentenced to 14 years on politically motivated charges. Today, his wife and mother, Lilian Tintori and Antonieta Mendoza de López, are in Ottawa to speak about his plight, a fate shared by far too man

Canadian Jewish Heritage Month  moved for leave to introduce Bill S-232, An Act respecting Canadian Jewish Heritage Month. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour to give first reading to Bill S-232, an act respecting Canadian Jewish heritage month. I want to thank my hon. colleagues, the members for Thornhill and E

Cannabis Act  Mr. Speaker, we see priority areas, not just for this government but for Canadians, in each one of these titles. We see it in the performance of each one of these women, what they are performing, and the sense of duty they bring to these jobs. I have to concur that their effort l

Cannabis Act  Mr. Speaker, we have a feminist Prime Minister. We have laid out gender equity as a priority for our government. It is a priority for Canadians. We have a gender-balanced cabinet. We have a pay equity bill. Why should the Minister of Status of Women not be on a par with other min

Cannabis Act  Mr. Speaker, different governments have different priorities. We have been very clear. The Prime Minister was very clear right from the beginning when cabinet was first appointed that the ministers would be on an equal footing. This is bringing that about. We have set out our pri