Human Rights  Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to rise today to commemorate the 12th international day against homophobia and transphobia. There is much to celebrate when we think about the progress that has been made in this country, from 1979, when Svend Robinson became the first MP to come out

Housing  Mr. Speaker, on March 11, in the wake of a horrifying incident where two homeless people from Saskatchewan were put on a bus to B.C., I asked the government to commit to a national housing strategy that would end homelessness in communities across Canada. I was encouraged to see

Housing  Mr. Speaker, I have a couple of things I would like to ask my hon. colleague to immediately start. I totally understand that housing is a partnership between the federal and provincial governments, and I welcome the consultations between those two levels. I want to see the feder

Labour  Mr. Speaker, the right to refuse unsafe work is one of the three basic health and safety rights achieved by the labour movement, along with the right to know about the hazards in one's workplace and the right to participate in workplace health and safety decisions. While procedur

Labour  Mr. Speaker, I do want to thank my hon. colleague for his comments and for his government's leadership in that very early period of stepping out of the gate when becoming a new government and focusing on some very important legislation that, for workers, was important to get chan

Status of Women  Madam Speaker, after decades of talking about pay equity, Canadian women are no closer to achieving it. When we asked if the Liberals would introduce proactive legislation needed to respect women's rights and close the gap, not one single Liberal minister said yes. Canadian wome

YWCA Women of Distinction Awards  Mr. Speaker, it is a tremendous honour to rise in the House today and recognize Ms. Maria Jane Linklater, an elder, mentor, cultural leader, and residential school survivor, living and teaching in Saskatoon West. Maria was born on Thunderchild First Nation, is proudly Plains Cr

Marijuana  Mr. Speaker, after the Liberal leader promised he would be the pro-pot Prime Minister, Canadians are becoming increasingly concerned about the Liberals' rightward shift. They appointed a former police chief to handle the issue, who then encouraged police to crack down on marijuan

Canada Labour Code  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-292, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (occupational disease and accident registry). Mr. Speaker, I am honoured today to introduce a bill that was tabled in the previous Parliament by my colleague the member for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskas

Labour  Mr. Speaker, the previous Conservative government attacked collective bargaining and weakened worker protection for the public service. In January, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour tabled a bill to repeal some of the Conservatives' anti-worker legislat

Pay Equity  Mr. Speaker, the Special Committee on Pay Equity has just tabled its report on the implementation of a proactive pay equity regime. On behalf of Canada's women, who have been waiting too long, I urge the government to act immediately. Women should receive the same pay and benefit

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1  Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to talk today about this important issue. Bill C-5 is one step on a long road to recovery for Canadian public service workers, and more generally, for the rights of all Canadian workers. The previous government's concerted assault on the rights of

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1  Madam Speaker, it is a first step for the government to tell the world, either new employees or current public servants, that there is a different feeling in the workplace. That the government is looking to respect workers and their skills and treat them fairly and humanely is a

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for her comments, her passion, and for sharing what is important to her and our brothers and sisters in the union movement and those who work in our neighbourhoods. It is important to me that we continue to believe in the governme

Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1  Madam Speaker, a lot of times people create problems where they do not exist. I commented on the parliamentary budget officer's reports around sick leave and the cost to taxpayers. They were not, as the government suggested, out of control and costing us millions and billions. Th