44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 1, 2022 10:00AM
- Feb/1/22 4:22:18 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I note that I will be splitting my time with my colleague from Hamilton Mountain.
It is nice to be back in the House in this new year, and I wish my colleagues from all sides a belated happy new year and the best to them and their families this year.
It is a pleasure to rise in the House this afternoon to speak again on behalf of the wonderful residents of my riding of Vaughan—Woodbridge. These are residents who constantly engage me with their passionate and informed opinions, and for that I will always ensure that I continue to be their strong voice in this chamber and with our government.
I wish to send a quick hello back home to my family, especially to our little one of four months, Leia, who has brought so much joy to our family. She has truly captured our hearts and her smile brings light to my world at all times. I am very close to 50 years of age, and I never thought or dreamed that I would be blessed with a third child and now with three daughters. This divine intervention, as I refer to it with my friends, has humbled me and reminded me of the significance of the word “gratitude” and how much we are blessed with.
Coming back to our House of democracy here is always a privilege for all 338 parliamentarians. I will try not to repeat what many of my colleagues have commented regarding the protest we see outside, and I will say that the right to peaceful assembly and protest is sacred. However, what we saw and heard this weekend only makes me believe that we as parliamentarians, all 338, and 38 million Canadians must all redouble our efforts to pursue policies that ensure Canada is truly an inclusive country. We will always stand up for diversity and inclusion, and we will always condemn and push back on racism, hatred and discrimination in all its forms. That is who we are as a people. We are hard working, we sacrifice and we are passionate. We do what is right for our collective good. I fervently applaud all Canadians who have received their vaccination. I wish to thank the residents of the region of York, 90% of whom are now double-vaccinated.
We are all tired of the pandemic, but things are getting better. Kids are in school. Thankfully, two of my kids are in school, and I am pretty sure my wife is happy too. Sports activities will recommence in Ontario this weekend. Our economy has rebounded and is getting stronger, and vaccines are fuelling that. They are working, and with that we must be optimistic. I truly believe that brighter days are ahead for all Canadians. COVID has tested our mettle, but Canadians have risen to this challenge. We are resilient and, yes, we will exit stronger. The Speech from the Throne provides the pathway, and it is a moment in our nation's history that we must not lose sight of.
I do have some great news on the economy, and for those who know me after the six years I have been in the House, being elected three times, I am about the economy, I am about jobs and I am about creating better futures for young people and families from coast to coast to coast. It has been two years since our economy and the lives of all Canadians have been impacted by COVID-19. I am happy to report, via Statistics Canada this morning, on the Canadian economy as measured by employment levels, or jobs, and by output, or “gross domestic product”, the term used by economists. They are now both above their pre-pandemic levels. That speaks to the hard work, perseverance and grit, a word I love to use, of all our citizens. It also speaks to our government's unrelenting focus on having the backs of Canadian businesses, workers, families, seniors, students and all Canadians during the pandemic.
Our economy rebounded faster than many experts had predicted, and it did not happen by chance, coincidence or accident. Leadership was required, and the Prime Minister brought that leadership to Canadians, whether it was with the wage subsidy to ensure millions of workers remained attached to employers; the CEBA, which helped hundreds of thousands of businesses in every riding, all 338; the CERB; the benefits in place currently; or, of course, the procurement of vaccines that have saved lives and are allowing us to exit the pandemic. We were there for Canadians during the pandemic as they were there for their neighbours, friends and families.
I view the Speech from the Throne as continuing the work we began in the fall of 2015. With now three strong mandates from Canadians, we continue to build a strong middle class and support those working hard to join it.
With an economy that works for all Canadians through inclusive growth we have lifted hundreds of thousands of Canadians and hundreds of thousands of children all across this country out of poverty, created millions of jobs for Canadians and brought optimism to hard-working Canadian families that the future of our country is bright and remains bright. It is a throne speech that believes in and commits to a just and fair Canada, with not only a strong economy that attracts newcomers from all over the world, which we see on a daily basis, but one that strives to allow every single Canadian the opportunity to succeed.
My measure of success for our government is very simple. It is how we take care of our most vulnerable in our society, how we ensure they have an optimistic future for them and their families. We have an obligation as a blessed people, as God has truly blessed this country, and our government will remain centred on this obligation.
It is a throne speech that charts a path together on reconciliation and a solemn responsibility to respond to the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Only a whole-of-government approach and breaking down barriers will allow us to do the work that is necessary. We are making progress in this journey with first nations, and we know that it will be a long journey. I have read the throne speech several times and these words of the Governor General struck me as being very poignant and probably the most important in the throne speech itself.
She said, “There is hope in the every day. Reconciliation is not a single act, nor does it have an end date. It is a lifelong journey of healing, respect and understanding.” This journey will continue unabated.
As one of the 338 MPs elected to serve, the responsibility given to us is a special one, a unique one and one that carries for me a deep sense of responsibility. We are not surgeons. We are not carpenters. We are not labourers. My father was a roofer. I do not know how to build a roof, but I tried to help him sometimes. My mother was a fish filleter. My brother is a first responder, but we are parliamentarians. The responsibility we have is that each of us is a community leader. Each of us has been sent here by our communities to lead, debate the issues and ensure that the laws that we make for our country strive to make our country a more just, more inclusive and more equitable place.
We are Canadians and we need to ensure we leave a clean environment and a strong economy for all our children. We must confront the challenges that face not only our country but the world with optimism and a sense of purpose, much like the waves of newcomers who have come to Canada for generations and who helped build this country.
On climate change, the transition to a low-carbon economy and the opportunities economically will be and currently are enormous. Canada is there. We were there placing a price on pollution. We were there in bringing forth and passing the first-ever Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, and we were there globally, whether at COP25 or COP26, with our partners. Our ongoing investments in a green economy are creating jobs, wealth for Canadians and ensuring a clean and healthy environment for all Canadians.
We are there investing in public transit. A $3-billion fund will be in place annually for public transit for all municipalities, so that Canadians can get to work faster and get back home to see their kids after school. Why? It is because it is the right thing to do and that is how we build a truly inclusive country.
We will ensure that we cap and reduce oil and gas sector emissions through innovation and working together with industry. As an economist and someone who grew up on the west coast before I moved to Ontario, I truly know there are hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers connected to the energy industry and we must work with them. We must work with industry. It is a fact that we are prosperous because of the resources that have been in this country for hundreds of years, that we have utilized and that we continue to utilize, and we must continue to work with industry to transition.
I visited the Alberta industrial heartland a few years ago in my first term. I was there by myself touring some of the plants. I covered much of the sector during my private sector years, and I see the tens of billions of dollars of new investments that have been announced for Alberta, all net zero, all not producing GHGs. That is transition. That is innovation. We must continue down that path. It was also great to see, in the last 24 hours, in the city of Vaughan, in Canada, that for the first time Volkswagen exported some of its new SUVs.
1678 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/1/22 4:33:44 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Battle River—Crowfoot for his question. I do enjoy listening to his speeches and comments regarding his constituency. My mandate here is to work together with all members on both sides of the aisle and listen to all Canadians. We must bring Canadians together. Over 90% of Canadians are vaccinated. We must listen to all Canadians.
With regard to the energy sector, our government purchased a pipeline. We are building that pipeline. We are ensuring our exports diversify from the United States. We are obviously heavily dependent on them. We know we have resources that are wanted. We know we have resources that are being utilized and will be used for many years to come. It is a fact. We need to make sure we put in place policies that encourage innovation within that sector to lower GHGs.
146 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/1/22 4:36:04 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I will say the answer to climate change is lowering our greenhouse gas emissions. Today, I read a report that in Norway almost 90% of vehicle sales this past month were electric. We need to get to that in Canada. We need to put in place those policies that will lower GHG emissions, but we must also understand there are literally hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers who work in the energy sector and there is going to be a transition. We want to make sure we are there for them and their families. They are hard-working and we will be there to support them as we go through this transition in the years ahead.
118 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/1/22 4:37:40 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, we will be there for seniors day in and day out. I suggest that any parliamentarian that needs to raise specific issues for specific constituents bring them forward to the pertinent PS and minister.
36 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
