44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 14, 2022 02:00PM
- Dec/14/22 2:56:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for London West for her hard work on behalf of her constituents. I know that she will be pleased to welcome another strong advocate to the Ontario caucus in the newly elected Liberal member for Mississauga—Lakeshore.
Together, this government will continue to deliver results by putting more money back in the pockets of Canadians who need it most. People in Mississauga and across Canada reject the Conservative leader's reckless proposal to opt out of inflation with cryptocurrencies and are instead opting in to the government's plan to make life more affordable, to make our communities safer and to protect our environment.
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- Dec/14/22 4:38:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, entitled “Responding to the Calls for Justice: Addressing Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls in the Context of Resource Development Projects”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
I would like to take the opportunity to say thanks for the incredible work that was done by the staff in this committee, with a special thanks to Alexie Labelle. She has served as our clerk for two years and will be graduating out of FEWO and continuing on her great journey.
I thank so much Dominique and Clare, the analysts. It has been wonderful working with everybody, and I am so proud to table this report on behalf of the committee members.
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- Dec/14/22 4:49:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of Canadians. The petitioners are calling on Parliament to expeditiously pass legislation banning forced organ harvesting and trafficking.
This afternoon, this House unanimously passed such legislation, Bill S-223. I want to take this moment to commend Senator Salma Ataullahjan and the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan for their steadfast leadership. They are both great champions of human rights.
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- Dec/14/22 4:54:25 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, let me start by saying that we heard wonderful tributes by all parties to our former colleague, the late Jim Carr. I really appreciate all the comments made by members. It is a very acute reminder of the brevity of our time on this planet. I want to thank all members for choosing to take the time they have on this earth to serve their communities and this country. I hope that all members have a wonderful Christmas.
I thank you, Madam Speaker, the Speaker and the entire Speaker team, for all the work you do throughout the year.
I thank my other House leader counterparts, whom I have enjoyed working with. I thank the newly appointed House leader for the Conservatives from Regina—Qu'Appelle, whom I have enjoyed working with and I am looking forward to the year ahead.
I also want to thank the member for La Prairie, a wonderful person and friend. I thank him for all of his efforts. I am very grateful to him.
I also thank the hon. House leader for the NDP from New Westminster—Burnaby, who is an incredible gentleman as well and whom I appreciate working with.
I also thank our own whip, the member for Gatineau, and his extraordinary deputy, the member for Brampton North, for their remarkable work. I thank the whips of the other parties. I know, having done it for three years, what a tough job it is. I thank the member for South Surrey—White Rock, the member for Salaberry—Suroît and the NDP whip from North Island—Powell River for their excellent work. I have enjoyed working with her, and also with the member from the Bloc in my time as whip, and I appreciate all that they do.
I thank the staff who worked so tirelessly for this place, the Parliamentary Protective Service that keeps us safe, the Sergeant-at-Arms and his team, the table officers and all the branches of the House administration.
I save my final words for the Clerk, Mr. Charles Robert, with 42 years of remarkable dedicated service to the chamber. The flame of democracy is delicate and perhaps has never been more delicate than it has over the last number of years. The service that he has done to our democracy over that period of time is recognized, seen and sincerely appreciated.
We wish Mr. Clerk all the best in his future endeavours. We are greatly indebted to him for all the work that he did silently. I do not think anybody knows the fullness of not only his dedication to this place but the impact of his service, the impact of modernizing this place and his passion for the chamber. I thank Mr. Clerk on behalf of all parliamentarians for his service and wish him all the best in the future.
I wish all parliamentarians and everybody who hears this a very merry Christmas, and I hope everybody has a wonderful holiday. That includes the member across, absolutely.
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- Dec/14/22 4:57:50 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I do not want to sound too repetitive, but we are going to be thanking many of the same people. I, too, want to add my voice, on behalf of my colleagues, to wish everyone a merry Christmas around the parliamentary precinct.
It has been a tumultuous few years. The House has seen a lot and has had to grapple with a lot of challenges over the last few years. We are always served with such a high degree of professionalism and excellence by everyone around the precinct. This includes the procedural team at the table and the many people who work for them, like the Journals branch, Hansard, translation and security.
It takes a lot to allow the chamber to function and allow members of Parliament to represent their constituents and go about doing the people's work on their behalf.
I would like to add a special thanks to all the staff who work for members of Parliament. Our names and faces go on television, on campaign signs and on ballots, but we have a lot of people behind us helping us do our jobs. They are often the unsung heroes who are here late at night going through briefing materials and Auditor General reports, or translating things into one of the two official languages.
I know they will welcome the early adjournment this week and take a little time to recuperate. This has been a fairly lengthy stretch that is coming to a close now.
I would also like to thank my counterparts from the other parties. This is my second time serving as House leader for my party and the second time I have worked with the hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby.
It is my first time working with the hon. member for La Prairie.
Regardless of our party in the House, we all have the same motivation.
Regardless of which party members were elected as and regardless of our political philosophies, I have gotten to know over the years that members of Parliament are all motivated by the same thing. Even though we may disagree, and I may feel that some of my colleagues are misguided in their approaches, their motivation is to do what is right by their constituents and what is good for the country. This time of the season, it is a good opportunity for us to reflect on that and on the common bonds of humanity we all share.
Tragically, in the wake of a colleague's passing, and as we celebrate the birth of Christ and all the hope that brings to the world, it is a constant reminder that our time on this planet is short, so we should appreciate the best of each other.
As we enter into the Christmas break, we will all be attending events and visiting all corners of our constituencies. I hope it is a safe and happy holiday season. I know there will be a lot of travel back and forth. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas break and a very happy new year, and we will see everyone back here in January.
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