Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, the Atlantic growth strategy was not something that actively formed part of the election platform, though I would say it certainly jives very nicely with the theme of helping the middle class and campaigning on the basis of things that will actually h

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to point out that I do plan to share my time with the hon. member for Long Range Mountains who is sitting just to my right. It is always an honour to rise to speak in the House on any issue that has the importance to get to the floor, bu

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present two petitions to the House of Commons today, the first of which comes from constituents in Sheet Harbour and elsewhere along the eastern shore. It is identical in content to that presented by my colleague from Burlington earlier this morning.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from the very engaged communities of Pictou and River John. The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to work with the provinces and territories to develop an anti-poverty strategy based on human rights, reducing homelessness, and pro

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her remarks, in particular at the outset when she summarized what I think every member of this House would agree is completely abhorrent behaviour on the part of ISIS, ISIL, Daesh, however one may refer to this terrorist grou

Air Canada Public Participation Act  Mr. Speaker, I was planning on sharing my time with my colleague from Laurentides—Labelle. However, today we will not necessarily even get to the end of my own remarks. Today we are debating an important economic bill in a high-value strategic industry. I was hoping to provide

Science and Innovation  Madam Speaker, we all know the importance of Canadian research to the national economy. Science and innovation help create economic growth, foster a positive environment for entrepreneurs, and find new solutions for sustainable economic development. For these advancements to take

Antigonish Highland Games  Mr. Speaker, this weekend marked the 270th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden, and this May will mark the 35th anniversary of the celebration in my riding. In the aftermath of this historic and deadly battle, a handful of surviving Scots emigrated from Britain to northern No

Pictou County Fundraiser  Mr. Speaker, I rise to inform the chamber of an investment so fruitful that I am sure all members of the House will lend their support. This investment is a community organization that we all know as Big Brothers Big Sisters. That is right: for every $1 that is invested in this o

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I cannot stand here and say that 360 hours is absolutely inappropriate either. One of the points that I tried to emphasize during my remarks is that there are positive ongoing initiatives that are conducting a review of the system at present, both through the ministe

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the question from the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, who I will note has some experience in Central Nova as a candidate in a prior election. Income inequality is one of the major economic problems that our country, in fact the developed world in

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. The minister has identified a key sector of the population that is present across our country, and certainly within my riding as well. One of the pieces of the greater EI program that I find quite exciting is the focus on skills developmen

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the employment insurance file is an important one across our entire country, and is of particular significance in the small towns and rural communities in my home riding of Central Nova. There is some common ground between the proposed motion and my views. In fact,

Black History Month  Mr. Speaker, as we continue to celebrate Black History Month, I wish to draw attention to two Canadian civil rights icons from my riding who helped promote equality across this great country. The first of these two civil rights champions is Ms. Viola Desmond, who was arrested i

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, in the last election, our government was in no small part elected based on its plan to make a serious and historic investment in infrastructure to drive growth. The plan was to drive growth so that over time we can look at the long term and balance the federal budget