SoVote

Ms. Leslyn Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk, CPC)

Jan/31/22 12:17:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a representative of the riding of Haldimand—Norfolk. Before I begin my thoughts on the Speech from the Throne, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to the people of Haldimand—Norfolk for electing me. I am here today, and every day of Parliament, to speak on their behalf and look out for their interests. It is my sincerest hope that they will see and hear in me a strong voice that represents their interests. I want to thank my staff, volunteers and supporters who helped me to get here. Specifically, I would like to thank my mentor, Diane Finley, for the time she invested in me over the past year. I would also like to thank my family and friends for the love and support they have shown me. My thoughts in response to the Speech from the Throne begin with the need for unity in the House and in the country. It may seem rather cliché to talk about unity, especially from the benches of the opposition, but I remind those in the House that we are in fact referred to as “Her Majesty's loyal opposition”. We may act in opposition to the government, but only out of loyalty to our country. We oppose only because we are attempting to provide a check upon government when it drifts from the mandate of working on behalf of all Canadians. I believe that in the House we should be united in our zeal to work for the betterment of all Canadians. I am deeply concerned that we Canadians are in peril of a house divided, not just in this House, but across our entire nation. This is a vast country with many regional differences that make us unique. Those differences can make us stronger when we are united. However, when we are divided, those differences will tear us apart. Sadly, the actions of the government over the past several years have only furthered the divisions in this country. We have paid Canadians to stay home while local restaurants and businesses close due to shortages of staff. Canadian family businesses are dying. Many small business owners are living off of their credit cards. So many Canadians cannot afford food or a decent place to live. We, to this day, push legal refugees to the back of the line while opening the gates to illegal border crossers at Roxham Road. We are letting people who are safe in a country such as the United States jump the line ahead of those facing real persecution and death in their homelands. People who could be killed just for being a member of the LGBTQ+ community in their country, for their faith, or for simply criticizing government or media are now pushed to the back of the line. We make grand speeches condemning atrocities like slavery and racism against indigenous people, and we then tell thousands of indigenous women sold into sex trafficking that it is called “sex work” and that it is empowering. We say we honour veterans, but force veterans who were injured while serving our country to requalify for disability once they return home. Instead of providing decent housing and pensions for our veterans, we have the nerve to tell them that they are asking for too much. We praise our seniors for building this country, but leave them with less money than we are paying a 20-year-old student to not go to work. We also condemn Canadian oil and gas and fossil fuels, but import endless crude oil from nations with poor human rights and disastrous environmental records. We say we are for women's choice, but then threaten to defund centres that care for pregnant women in crisis if those women do not make a choice that we agree with. We recognize the need to prevent protesters from interrupting and blocking critical care facilities like hospitals, but not railroads. We show up at protests and take a knee, but hide from 100,000 truckers and citizens who are rallying for democracy. We call for reconciliation with indigenous communities and an end to protesting, but fail to realize that we too can extend the simple olive branch of providing clean water on reserves. Perhaps this good-faith gesture may be the first step toward resolving some of the discontent and inequality felt by people living on reserves. In the end, everybody suffers when we fail to take steps to resolve critical disputes, like the blockades on the Six Nations reserve in Caledonia. Our House in Canada is not just divided; it is becoming fractured. Wedge political issues have resulted in pitting Canadians against each other. Environmental protection is pitted against economic sustainability. Vaccinated Canadians are pitted against unvaccinated Canadians. Urban Canadians are pitted against rural Canadians, including farmers and law-abiding firearms owners. These are some of the divisions that serve to further divide our national House. This divided House of Commons is in danger of losing the confidence and support of the Canadian people, one-third of whom chose not to vote in the last federal election. I am very concerned that one of the biggest challenges facing our future will be the restoration of public confidence in institutions such as the media and government. A divided Canada, divided among racial, regional and generational lines, is in danger of losing its purpose. It is in danger of losing its capacity to deal with national issues, from economic growth to environmental protection to health care and the protection of basic human rights. This may all sound bleak, but I did not get into politics because I lacked faith in Canadians. In fact, I have a great deal of hope in the future of our nation. I believe that we can make great strides to regain national unity if we put Canadians first. The past few years have seen our regions being torn apart, set against each other, with the end result being regional discontent. This is what happens when politicians see distinct regions of our country as political opportunities. Only by recognizing what makes each region of Canada unique and special will we begin to unite this country once again. Outside of Parliament today, we see hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of people across this nation united to rally for democracy and end discriminatory mandates. A House divided cannot stand, so today I call upon our friends in the House from all parties to unite in fighting issues that go beyond partisanship, because together and united we can truly be a nation strong and free.

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Context: House Hansard - 20 - Jan/31/22

Ms. Leslyn Lewis

Jan/31/22 12:28:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, division does not only exist within our nation. We aspire for unity of all regions. Division does not only exist within my party. It exists within the Liberal Party too. I remind the member opposite of what happened to the hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould and the hon. Dr. Philpott, and how the Liberals treated those members of Parliament. Division is not something that happens within just one party. We could also highlight the last leadership race and the last election for the Green Party's leader, and the way the Green Party leader was treated. This is not based in just one party or one aspect of the country. The antidote of unity is something we must all aspire to.

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Context: House Hansard - 20 - Jan/31/22

Ms. Leslyn Lewis

Jan/31/22 12:30:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with respect to transfer payments in provincial-federal jurisdiction, the health care system is something every Canadian deserves equal access to. It is very important that the federal government maintains basic standards and maintains the standards that all provinces must adhere to. Just last year, we witnessed the deplorable standards in long-term health care facilities and the conditions that our most precious seniors had to endure. We need national standards to make sure that every province has a minimum level to adhere to and that all Canadians are treated with equal dignity within a health care system that meets their health care needs.

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Context: House Hansard - 20 - Jan/31/22

Ms. Leslyn Lewis

Jan/31/22 12:32:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, income inequality is something we should all aspire to eliminate, but the best way to eliminate income inequality is to cut red tape and get businesses back to work. There are so many businesses that have been devastated by this pandemic. If we had policies that would incentivize and assist these small businesses, which employ over 80% of Canadians, we would get people back to work. That would assist in reducing income inequality.

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