Black History Month  Mr. Speaker, throughout February, I participated in several Black History Month events. At one such event, I was alongside the parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister and colleagues from London West, Fleetwood—Port Kells and Steveston—Richmond East, and local leaders. It i

Long Service Congratulations  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a Canadian Armed Forces veteran and my constituent, Mr. Kenneth Andersen, for his 40 years of service with the B.C. Corps of Commissionaires. Ken first joined the commissionaires in May 1982, serving until August 1995. Following a short bre

Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Nunavut has said it all. I support her on this one, and I am sure the advisory council would be very diverse in its background and would also be inclusive with indigenous membership.

Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act  Mr. Speaker, I can say that the system we are building is an affordable and inclusive system. I gave the example earlier that in British Columbia alone, the capacity has gone from 6,500 to 12,500 spaces across the province, and I am sure other provinces are following the lead tha

Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act  Mr. Speaker, Quebec has led the way for many, many years when it comes to child care, and I have to give it credit. We continue to learn from the Quebec model on this particular issue. We are glad that the other provinces and territories are now following Quebec's lead by partner

Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act  Mr. Speaker, in September 2020, the Governor General delivered the Speech from the Throne that outlined our government's intention to create a Canada-wide early learning and child care system with provinces, territories and indigenous partners. That was the start of our journey t

Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the hon. member for not only his speech but, in fact, his support for early learning and child care. That is very important. I remember when the first agreement was signed with British Columbia when the minister was out in B.C. It included not

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to join the third reading debate on Bill C-291, an act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other acts, regarding child sexual abuse and exploitation material, which was introduced on June 17, 2022, by the member for

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, before I continue, I also want to express my sincere condolences to the family of our hon. friend Jim Carr, who we lost. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and constituents. When we talk about this bill, the protection of children against sexual

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, this includes materials such as works of fiction that promote the sexual abuse of children, as well as the sexualized portrayal of adults as children. I am pleased that the new term was adopted unanimously by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and H

Marine Transportation  Mr. Speaker, keeping our oceans safe and clean is a top priority for many British Columbians. With dozens of vessels transiting every day in B.C. waters, protecting our oceans is of utmost importance to British Columbians. Can the hon. minister inform the House of further ways t

Air Transportation  Mr. Speaker, many of my constituents in Surrey—Newton travel regularly to India to visit loved ones. Some of them are presently in Ottawa. The pandemic put a pause on many of these international trips. My constituents are now looking to reconnect with family and friends. Would t

Blood Donation by Sikh Nation  Mr. Speaker, 23 years ago a group of dedicated volunteers held their first blood donation event in Surrey to commemorate the lives of Sikhs brutally killed in India in 1984. Since then, the Blood Donation by Sikh Nation annual campaign has expanded to include donation events ac

Retirement Congratulations  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate an amazing run of 32 years for the City of Surrey’s manager of culture Liane Davison, who retired earlier this year. As Surrey has grown from a rural community to one that will soon become British Columbia's largest city, Liane's dedicatio

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Special Committee on Afghanistan, entitled “Honouring Canada’s Legacy in Afghanistan: Responding to the Humanitarian Crisis and Helping People Reach Safety”. In accordance with the moti