44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 24, 2021 02:00PM
- Nov/24/21 10:52:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country.
I am grateful to rise in the House of Commons for the first time as the member of Parliament for Vancouver Granville, which is located on the traditional unceded territory of the Coast Salish first peoples, the Musqueam, the Squamish and the Tsleil-Waututh. I am grateful to represent the residents of this incredible riding and to work hard on their behalf every single day.
I also want to thank my parents, my partner, my sister, my family, my community and my volunteers, who worked so hard every day to make this possible.
Like many British Columbians, my heart is heavy tonight and has been for the last several days, as we see the devastation, loss and hardship caused by extreme weather events, with a loss of property, of life and indeed of a sense of security.
This evening, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who are doing what they can to support British Columbians while we are dealing with the shocking effects of the flooding, which has caused so much distress, destruction and devastation across British Columbia.
Our hearts and thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and those who are still missing.
It is a great comfort to know that in times like these, to echo what the Minister of National Defence said last week, Canadians will always come together to support one another. We have seen volunteers, first responders, everyday citizens and indeed our armed forces all step up to serve and support their fellow citizens.
We have already heard my colleague speak of the extraordinary efforts of our armed forces to help B.C. residents through this nightmare, evacuating people and pets to safety, delivering food and supplies, sustaining critical supply chains, supporting provincial planning and relief efforts, protecting and rebuilding critical infrastructure, roads and properties, and so much more. We know they will keep working to stabilize the situation for as long as they are needed. It is gratifying to know that we can count on the incredible men and women of our armed forces to come to the aid of Canadians, as they are doing right now in British Columbia and indeed as they have done across the country throughout the pandemic.
It is heartwarming to hear the stories of communities across our province rallying together, across difference, in support of their fellow citizens. I think of the Jewish Federation, which has raised almost $250,000; Islamic Relief Canada loading up vehicles with urgent supplies and providing emergency relief; the many gurdwaras across the province helping to feed thousands; and many more stories like this. This is the British Columbia of which we are so proud, and it is so good to know that at times like this we can count on one another.
It is almost eight o'clock in British Columbia tonight and there are people we all know who are not sitting down for dinner in their homes, who will not be settling in for a night in front of the television and who will not be picking up their kids from hockey or doing the normal everyday things they might have been doing. Instead, they are figuring out what comes next for them, their families and communities. I am so grateful that our government has stepped up, in partnership with the Province of British Columbia, to put in place the resources needed to support our fellow British Columbians.
Today we all stand united, regardless of political affiliation, in our desire to help British Columbians and our province get back on their feet and rebuild. We are all united in our desire to build back quickly and to help those affected.
The reality we face as British Columbians and as Canadians is that the growing number of forest fires we have seen in recent years and floods like this one will become the norm.
We cannot just rebuild and pretend it might not happen again for another year or two. The truth is that it will happen again, and it will continue to happen if we do not take vigorous steps to prevent further global warming.
Canada is warming at twice the global average. That is why acting now, as our government has pledged to do, is so important. If recent history, whether the forest fires or these floods, has taught us anything, it is that climate change is no longer an abstract phenomenon and is no longer something we can pretend will not affect us in our lifetime. It is and it will continue to, and it will require us all to work together so that we not only build more resilient infrastructure, but also make the tough decisions needed to fight climate change.
We must build back and we will, but we must build back in a way that allows us to withstand the onslaught of climate change even as we work to stop it. We must continue to invest in innovation and technology here in Canada that allow us to be at the forefront of the battle against climate change and that allow us to lead on building a green, sustainable economy for the decades ahead.
As we plan for the future, it is gratifying that the House stands united in its desire to work together to ensure that we build resilient communities and sustainable infrastructure, and that we make long-term investments in ensuring the safety and security of British Columbia and indeed all Canadians.
Our government has been seized with this task. In 2018, the Government of Canada launched the disaster mitigation and adaptation fund, committing $2 billion over 10 years to invest in structural and natural infrastructure projects to increase the resilience of communities that are impacted by natural disasters triggered by climate change. In budget 2021, an additional $1.375 billion over 12 years was announced to renew this fund.
This government has been there for British Columbians and all Canadians, and we will continue to be there for British Columbians as we rebuild from this crisis and as we do all we need to do to ensure that we are ready for the next one, even as we continue in the fight against climate change.
After every disaster, particularly ones as horrific as the one we are living in British Columbia right now, it is best practice to learn and to ensure that we are better equipped for the next one and better able to respond to serve those affected. Equally, we must look to the root cause of this crisis: climate change. In this case, working together in partnership to address climate change and acting boldly without making it a partisan issue is our easiest path to success.
Tonight, as we sit thousands of miles away from British Columbia, I want to express my gratitude to all members of the House for focusing their thoughts and attention on British Columbia, and for their commitment to working together to ensure that we are able to recover quickly from this tragedy.
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- Nov/24/21 11:00:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, when we talk about the Sumas Lake, I think of the guidance that was provided at the time to the first nations communities about what might happen in a situation like this. That said, we are where we are today, and of course the government has pledged to make sure that we are able to rebuild British Columbia and do our part by doing everything that is required to ensure that the province and the regions that are affected return. We must do the things that allow people to live the lives they need to live.
We will all work together to make sure that British Columbia and the regions that are affected are able to build back to make sure that communities are able to survive.
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- Nov/24/21 11:02:05 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, bold and decisive action means implementing a plan that was supported by Canadians in the last election, which is what we are here to do. Bold and responsible action is making sure that we are able to meet our targets, as we have committed to doing. Bold and decisive action means ensuring that we are working with all stakeholders, provinces and indigenous communities to make sure that we are able to take on the fight against climate change and deliver results for Canadians.
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- Nov/24/21 11:03:36 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, indeed the hon. member is right. In my riding of Vancouver Granville, constituents chose a plan that they knew made sense. They knew capping orphan wells was important and that not cutting funding to capping orphan wells was an irresponsible decision. They knew that making sure we transitioned away from fossil fuels was important and that investing in that appropriately was the right answer. They knew that investing in the right decisions to help our economy adapt and evolve into the greenest economy was the right answer, without compromising jobs and without compromising the economic safety and security of this country.
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