Parks Canada  Mr. Speaker, this week marked three years since the Phoenix pay system fiasco was rolled out. It is reported that it will take three to five years to clear the backlog and potentially 10 years until the system is fixed. In the meantime, Parks Canada employees continue to have p

National Defence Act  Madam Speaker, we are very much in favour of the bill, but we did propose an amendment and I would like to hear from the member why the government did not accept it. I want to read a quote from Sheila Fynes, who appeared as an individual before the committee. She said: ...it is

Housing  Madam Speaker, with the high cost of student loans, day care and rent, many young Canadians are finding it extremely difficult to achieve the dream of home ownership. Through a series of rule changes by the former Conservative government, the maximum term for insured mortgages w

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition today regarding protecting the future of Gatineau Park. I know Gatineau Park is near and dear to the hearts of many people here in the chamber. If any members have not been there, they really have to go. Over 1,600 people have signe

Rural Digital Infrastructure  Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to speak to the importance of high-speed Internet to the people living in my riding of Kootenay—Columbia, and to all Canadians. The Internet has become an integral part of modern life and an essential driver of the knowledge economy

Bud Abbott  Mr. Speaker, I want to share with members today the life of an amazing man. Bud Abbott was born on January 26, 1921. During his life, he was a British fighter pilot during World War II; a family man to his wife Linda, his children Louise, Christopher, Becky and Greg, and to his

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, Erin from the homeless outreach and homelessness prevention program in Cranbrook has sent me four pages of concerns that we have in the city of Cranbrook. I will just quickly cover three of them. A woman with a young baby had to suddenly flee her spouse after a se

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, my riding is adjacent to South Okanagan—West Kootenay, and my communities are experiencing the same kinds of issues and challenges. We have been members of Parliament now for three years, and in my riding of Kootenay—Columbia the situation continues to get worse. T

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I know my colleague across the floor cares about people. In that context, I would like to read something that I received from Cheryl Dowden, the co-chair of the Nelson Committee on Homelessness. Nelson is a community in my riding of Kootenay—Columbia. It states th

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank my colleague for her tireless advocacy for affordable housing across Canada. Yesterday was mental health awareness day and in question period, I raised the particular challenges faced by people with mental illnesses around housing. I met w

Health  Mr. Speaker, today is Bell Let's Talk Day, which encourages people to have conversations about mental health to raise awareness and reduce the stigma. A recent B.C. report has found that 20 to 40 year olds may suffer mental health impacts because of lower incomes, higher debt an

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, first, I would like to thank the member for visiting my riding last week. I hope she spent lots of money during her time there, supporting small businesses. The opposition day notice says “a written commitment” that the government will never raise taxes of any kin

Public Transportation  Mr. Speaker, last year, when Greyhound announced it was ceasing operations, constituents in my riding were rightfully worried about how they would get from town to town. Without reliable transit, people cannot access crucial services like health care, shelters for women fleeing v

Christmas  I would like to read my letter to Santa. Dear Santa, My name is Wayne, and I live in Kootenay—Columbia. I have tried to be a good boy this year, did not heckle even once in question period, but I did shake my head a lot of times. My Christmas list is short, but it means a lo

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, when I talk to people in my riding of Kootenay—Columbia, the things they would actually like to see in the budgets coming from the government, from any government, are universal affordable day care and getting to universal pharmacare. When is the Liberal government