44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 24, 2021 02:00PM
- Nov/24/21 10:07:31 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I rise today as a proud member of Parliament from British Columbia to relay the impact that the recent extreme weather events have had on the lives of British Columbians.
As this is my first speech in this 44th parliamentary session, I want to begin by thanking my constituents in Surrey—Newton for placing their trust in me as their representative. I also want to acknowledge all of my supporters and volunteers for their dedication and unwavering support. Last but not least, I want to thank my family for all of their support, including my 82-year-old mother, Amarjit Kaur Dhaliwal, for all of her efforts and tireless campaigning throughout the many years I have been involved in public service.
I am fortunate to be returning as the member of Parliament for Surrey—Newton for a fifth term. As always, it is a role that I consider a true privilege and one that I will not ever take for granted.
I would like to begin by extending my deepest sympathies to those who have lost their homes and livelihoods and sharing my heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.
Before I delve into some of the Surrey—Newton stories and accounts that I have witnessed with community members stepping up for others, let me address a few things on behalf of our government.
I am pleased to relay that, last night, Canadian Armed Forces started to hit the ground in B.C. communities. There are many points along our supply chain that were impacted, with highways broken, communities cut off and people still stranded. The immediate response units that have arrived will be critical in restoring these important supply chain routes, making sure that people and animals are safe and have access to basic necessities.
This is particularly important as we wait for the atmospheric rivers to return over the coming days. Tonight will begin a new wave of storms, which are expected over the next week. By Friday night, anywhere between 40 to 80 millimetres of rain is expected. While these storms will be less intense than those we experienced 10 days ago, it is good to know that we have the armed forces on the ground to add extra capacity to our rescue and recovery efforts.
I also want to address the recent issues with the Canada Border Services Agency, where we saw several Canadians fined and improperly given quarantine instructions that were contrary to our government's changes announced over this past weekend. I have heard from several Surrey residents directly, as our city is one of those border communities to where the exemptions were directed. There were constituents of mine who were impacted with financial penalties and improper instructions. However, I am pleased to report that the minister has made immediate corrections to this unfortunate set of circumstances, and I am confident that no other issues will occur.
I am also very pleased that our government is working alongside the province of British Columbia to create the Supply Chain Recovery Working Group to bring together all key transportation and supply chain stakeholders. This approach will allow our province to find collaborative solutions that will work as effectively as possible to get food, medicines and other critical supplies back in the hands of British Columbians who have been cut off or impacted by shortages.
I want to share with the House today what has happened with our local residents in Surrey—Newton who, while not nearly affected by the floods like other communities, have shown extraordinary spirit in lending support to those in distress.
We have seen Gurdwaras and organizations across Surrey—Newton and Sikh Canadians throughout British Columbia prepare food around the clock, collect donations and most impressively helped to organize helicopters and planes paid for by various individuals and congregations to airlift food and supplies to affected areas.
Over the past few days, I have spoken to many of the executive members and volunteers within these efforts and the response from the community has been nothing short of incredible.
I have received hundreds of calls from people wishing to donate non-perishable food items, warm blankets and clothes. Others have reached out to express their desire to lend their time and manual labour, while some have pooled money among family and friends to contribute to these efforts. Of course, these efforts are not only within the Sikh community. People of all backgrounds and means have stepped up in British Columbia and from coast to coast to coast.
Take for example, the flights that are now operating 24-7, flying back and forth between Metro Vancouver and the interior of B.C. at the cost of volunteer pilots who are transporting the overwhelming amount of supplies. It is estimated that each flight costs roughly $300 in fuel alone. What started out as a few planes has now expanded into dozens of planes running day in and day out to get essential goods to the hundreds of people stranded across the province.
This is the kind of spirit that defines British Columbia. We are all connected no matter where people live in the province. We care about each other, offering outreach, help, support and compassion to those in distress. It makes me so proud of my province and fellow British Columbians.
There is one takeaway that I have gained in watching and interacting with those who are in the line of fire, either as victims of flooding or as a part of the mission to help, and I want to communicate that message to the House.
I hope British Columbia serves as a final wake-up call for every Canadian about the direct impact of climate change on our daily lives. Whereas once upon a time it was easy to say that natural disasters were something that happened in other parts of the country or the globe, British Columbia is now firmly entrenched in that club.
The heat dome, the wildfires and now these floods teach us that no one, no matter geography or political belief system, is entirely immune from the consequences of our carbon-heavy way of life. It is why our government has made tangible and swift climate action a top priority as evidenced in yesterday's Speech from the Throne.
Sincerely I hope that every member of the House, no matter what political affiliation or region, can offer sincerity in pledging to work together to tackle the greatest crisis we have seen in our lifetime. Our time is now.
Madam Speaker, thank you very much for giving me an opportunity and congratulations on your reappointment to the Chair.
1116 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/24/21 10:17:48 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate the member on his election to this House. I assure him that our government is committed to doing everything everywhere in Canada, from coast to coast to coast, if an emergency happens, and I am certain those processes are already under way.
48 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/24/21 10:18:52 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I would like to assure the member that dealing with the climate issues is the top priority of our government, and we have done so in the past many years. We are on track to get to net-zero emissions by 2050.
With respect to avoiding the fires the member talked about, we have dedicated $500 million to train 1,000 new community-based firefighters to ensure we are ready for future fire seasons, and will work with the provinces and territories to provide firefighters the equipment they need to fight fires and stay safe, like Canadian-made planes to increase provincial aerial firefighting capacity.
107 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/24/21 10:20:48 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, when it comes to emissions control, the projected Canadian emissions are 36% lower for 2030 compared to 2005 levels, which shows that our government is on the right track and by 2050 there will be net-zero emissions.
40 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
