SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 128

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 16, 2022 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 128 - Nov/16/22
Mr. Kevin Vuong (Spadina—Fort York, Ind.)
  • Nov/16/22 3:14:30 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, Izabela and many other parents from my riding are worried about the proliferation of illegal cannabis shops in our community, which specifically target children. They are selling copycat pot edibles that doctors say look like candy, but are poisoning kids. I also recently met with the Cannabis Council of Canada. It feels that a lack of enforcement on the many regulatory rules that legitimate businesses must follow allow black market operators to flourish. The millions of dollars gained from illegal cannabis selling is known to be used to buy firearms and fund organized crime. What is the government doing to stop these illegal pot shops?
107 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 128 - Nov/16/22
Mr. Kevin Vuong (Spadina—Fort York, Ind.)
  • Nov/16/22 7:07:29 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, in my question on September 28, I pointed out to the government that in Restaurants Canada's annual report, over the last 12 months 43% more restaurants had closed than opened. Additionally, the Business Development Bank of Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada report that our nation’s small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, are responsible for 10 million jobs in our country. Like all SMEs, restaurants help to employ 88.3% of Canada’s private labour force. However, all is far from well. In August 2022, for the first time in history, there were over 180,000 client visits in one month to the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto. In prepandemic times, just to put it in context, it would have had 60,000 client visits. If we fast-forward to January 2022, with the increases in inflation, there were 120,000 visits and, as mentioned earlier, in the most recent reported figure in August, that number has tripled, from 60,000 prepandemic to 180,000 client visits in one month. There is serious hardship here. Many Canadians face a really harsh winter. This reality is not some partisan thing; it is a very serious situation. It is one thing for a senior minister to suggest that it is not going to be an easy time for Canadians, that it is not going to be an easy time for Canada and that we have to make do with today’s realities. Does the government have any other viable plan, and if so, what is it?
265 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 128 - Nov/16/22
Mr. Kevin Vuong
  • Nov/16/22 7:13:13 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, I have two questions. One, does my hon. colleague believe that the government should be instituting a comprehensive plan to help Canadians cope with the record food costs and the high interest rates? Two, given how there are other metrics that lag, I would suggest that food bank usage is as close to a real-time indicator that really demonstrates or illustrates, quite frankly, how Canadians are doing, particularly those who are most vulnerable. It should be monitored and used to inform public policy. Would my hon. colleague agree that food bank usage is a metric the government should begin monitoring?
103 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border