SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 179 - Apr/18/23

Apr/18/23 1:36:14 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I do not know if the member still watches a black and white TV, but there are colour TVs now and we have moved forward as a country. I believe that seniors are extremely important. As I said, during the Harper days either, we never saw 1.5 million people at food banks. Quite frankly, I am not sure why we are talking about the past. Let us solve the problems today for all Canadians.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Apr/18/23 1:36:38 p.m.
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I want to remind members that if they want to have discussions or cross-talks, they should take them out to the lobby to allow respect for the person who has the floor. Resuming debate, the hon. member for Thornhill.

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Ms. Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, CPC)

Apr/18/23 1:37:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, today, I would like to add a voice that has been missing from this debate. We talk a lot about what is happening right now, what is going on in our modern political world, what the Prime Minister said yesterday or what was in the headlines this morning, but there is another perspective that we need to consider that is equally important. More than just thinking about the present, we need to think about the future once in a while. The choices we make here directly impact the country that we pass on to the next generation, the nation that it will grow up in, live in and inherit. In many ways, the biggest job is not the making the decisions that will impact us in the next 10 days, but rather the ones that are going to affect our country in the next 10 years. Our most sacred obligation is to build a country that is stronger than the one we have today, to build a future that is bright and that is prosperous and to leave the next generation unencumbered by bad decisions. To that end, the budget is one of the most important documents that we consider in Parliament because it sets out the long-term trajectory, or at least it is supposed to do that. However, it is clear that this is no plan for the future. It is clear that the Liberals are not even thinking about it. What do we see under the Prime Minister? We see record-high projected debt. We see record lows in projected growth, the lowest in the G7, the lowest in decades. We see record inaction in protecting our environment through some bizarre obsession of punishing the consumer; inaction on building new housing or preserving the most basic of freedoms, the freedom to work hard and get ahead. The finance minister had a brief epiphany months before presenting what was seemingly the opposite of what she presented weeks ago. Last year she said this, “Our economy will slow. There will be people whose mortgage rates will rise. Businesses will no longer be booming. Our unemployment rate will no longer be at its record low. That's going to be the case in Canada.” We agree. Then the budget happened. A reasonable prescription for slowing growth would of course be smaller deficits, lower taxes, more competition, less regulation, without massive subsidies. What we got, however, were bigger deficits, higher taxes, more regulation and more subsidies than this budget has pages. Less than half a year ago, the fall economic statement projected a deficit of $36-billion for this year, falling steadily over the next five years. There was even supposed to be a small surplus. Fast forward, the deficits are exceeding $40 billion over the next two years. There is no return to balance in sight. I get it. The Liberals do not think balance is their responsibility. They say instead that a declining debt-to-GDP ratio is the measure of success, but we did not get that either. That is going up. One in five Canadians are skipping meals because food price inflation is in the double digits. The average down payment needed for a home has doubled. It is the same for the average cost of rent and the average cost of a mortgage, which have all doubled. The cost of heating a home went up by 100% in some parts of our country. One in three Canadians say that they are struggling financially, 67% say they are cutting back and making sacrifices. Nine out of 10 young people do not ever believe they will own a home. People are out of money and they are out of hope. That is after eight year of the government. The government is putting its hands even deeper into the pockets of Canadians. That is what budget 2023 is: more taxes on pensions and El; more taxes on beer, wine, and spirits; more taxes on gas, groceries and home heating. It is painfully clear that the government does not understand the struggles of the middle class or even the simple principles that govern the country's economy, because its response is more of the same. It is more of the reckless, misguided, ineffective ideas that got us into this mess in the first place. Therefore, forgive me if I do not think the Liberals can fix this. We have the most unaffordable homes in the OECD. We have the second-biggest real estate bubble in the world. The theme of this budget is “Made in Canada”. It is right on the front page. What have the Liberals made in Canada? They have a made-in-Canada cost-of-living crisis, a made-in-Canada housing crisis, a made-in-Canada opioid and addiction crisis and a made-in-Canada violent crime crisis. That is their record over the last years. We cannot afford to spend billions of dollars with no plan to pay it back. Never in the history of our country has there been a prime minister, who has been in that chair for eight years, who has spent so much so much money to achieve so little. We cannot afford to pay the interest that the Liberals are racking up on the taxpayer credit card. This year, our debt will cost nearly $44 billion. In five years, it will be $50 billion. We cannot afford the cost of spending on consumption instead of spending on investments. We cannot stop. We cannot afford to not build new homes. We cannot afford to have an environment plan that is a tax plan that does not even lower emissions. What happens in 10 or 20 years when the bill comes due for a decade and a half of Liberal debt and deficit? What is going to happen when we have had 20 or 30 years of building four homes for every 10 new people in our country? What is going to happen when we have had 10 years of a carbon tax that keeps going up and emissions that have, so far, followed suit? More important, who is going to pay? I do not have the answer to that question, because I honestly do not know. However, what I do know is that it is not going to be the Prime Minister,. However, it will be a problem for the next generation, the young people who will want to buy a home, who will want to get a job, who will want to build a family; the people who are already struggling today; the people whom we are supposed to be leaving a bright, optimistic future, the ones we are supposed to be setting up for success. We have had eight years of the Prime Minister and the Liberals are leaving them with no hope, no money and no opportunity. We will be voting against budget 2023. We know that better is possible in our country. The Prime Minister said it himself, but that is not what he has delivered. We know that we can aim our sights higher than 0.3% real GDP growth. We know that we need to stand up for the common sense of the common people. We know that we need to be here to bring home a better, brighter future for Canadians. We are going to do that by creating powerful paycheques with lower taxes that make hard work pay again. We are going to do that by ending the inflationary debt and deficits once and for all, and to bring home lower prices and lower interest rates so hard-working families, hard-working people can save more of their own money. We are going to protect the future and the prosperity of the next generation by living within their means, something that the government has no idea how to do. We are going to bring homes that people can afford by removing those in the way and cutting the red tape to freeing up land so we can actually build housing. This is how we build a strong and prosperous country, with a small government that makes room for bigger people. We know that we have the best, the brightest and most talented individuals in our country who want to do well, who want to have better lives for their families and who want to work in their professions. We know that we are blessed to live in a country with fields full of wheat, with oceans full of fish, with reserves full of oil and with brains full of knowledge. We are squandering every single opportunity by eight years of the government's record. We know that we live in the best country on earth and we think it is time for Canadians to have a government that also believes so. It is time for change and it is time for a government that thinks about a budget focused on the future, focused on growth and not just focused on staying in power.

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Ms. Leah Taylor Roy (Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, Lib.)

Apr/18/23 1:46:15 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments made by the member opposite, but I am confused. The program we have in place to fight climate change, the price on pollution, has shown to be the best market mechanism to actually combat greenhouse gas emissions. This is about the future, as is investing in clean tech. I am wondering why the member opposite believes that we are not focused on the future when this budget is all about the future.

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Ms. Melissa Lantsman

Apr/18/23 1:46:50 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, let me clear it up for the member. The carbon tax does not work; emissions have gone up. Canadians pay more than they get back. Therefore, the Liberals' claim that it is revenue neutral, both the parliamentary Budget Officer and the member's own Minister of Finance said the same thing. The carbon tax does not work. In fact, this is a government that reveres the President of the United States, who stood here and talked about a climate plan. The Liberals revere his climate plan, which has no consumer carbon tax. They should take a lesson from him.

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Ms. Monique Pauzé (Repentigny, BQ)

Apr/18/23 1:47:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. She began by saying that we need to think about the future. At the same time, she criticized the government for taking action on the environment. For the Bloc Québécois, both the future, and even the present, depend on a healthy planet. It means being able to breathe unpolluted air, protect biodiversity and not get sick because what we put in our bodies is polluted. This planet sustains us. There is no option B, that much is clear. The Bloc Québécois, unlike my colleague, feels that the government is not doing enough. My colleague ended her speech by saying that she wants to have oceans full of fish and reserves full of oil. There are oil spills in Alaska right now because of Imperial Oil. Indigenous communities have no fish to catch, and they are drinking contaminated water. Rising temperatures are destroying the oceans and therefore the fish. I would like a brief comment from my colleague on this.

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Ms. Melissa Lantsman

Apr/18/23 1:48:25 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am not sure there was a question there, but I will certainly speak. The government does not have an environmental plan. It has a tax plan disguised as an environmental plan, which takes more money out of the pockets of Canadians and actually produces no results. The government has hung its hat on a consumer carbon tax that has increased emissions, that has taken more money out of the pockets of Canadians and that has raised the price of gas, groceries and home heating, and it has nothing to show for it. Members can forgive me if I do not think it is an environmental plan, because nobody else here does either.

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Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP)

Apr/18/23 1:49:06 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it should be pretty straightforward to take on the Liberals. Sometimes it is like wrestling with mediocre Teletubbies over there, but the Conservatives have to claim everything is propaganda, because they are offering nothing. The idea that the Conservatives care about a housing crisis is ridiculous. I was here for all the years of Stephen Harper, who did nothing. The idea that Pierre Elliott Trudeau's son caused the oxy crisis, when Stephen Harper did nothing on it, we know that is false. It is not propaganda; it is false. Then, on a climate plan, it is ridiculous to hear the Conservatives talk about a climate plan, when half their backbench believes the earth is flat. I would like to ask my hon. colleague why the Conservatives have to come up with the so-called gatekeepers and misinformation, when the fact is that building housing in Canada requires investments and money, and that is something they refuse, and have always refused, to put in. That is why we have the extent of the crisis we do now.

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Ms. Melissa Lantsman

Apr/18/23 1:50:09 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, when I was a young staffer here, I used to watch that member oppose the government before he decided to check his principles at the door, stop representing his constituents and join the government in ensuring that life was unaffordable for for Canadians. That member used to be a part of an opposition, before he joined the government. In terms of environmental plans or housing plans, that member opposite has not brought an idea to the floor on them. In fact, he has decided to support the government in everything it does, including by voting against ensuring that the government is held accountable at committees and in the House of Commons for all the scandals. The member opposite, who has joined that government, can join the scandal ridden government that we have today.

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Hon. Judy A. Sgro (Humber River—Black Creek, Lib.)

Apr/18/23 1:51:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to find a few minutes to join my colleagues. It is always interesting following my colleague from Thornhill, who is my riding's representative. I think we are all here for the same reason, which is that we want to make a difference in the lives of many people. We may come from different sides of the equation on a variety of issues, but other than that, outside the House I think all of us get along quite well and are actually working at trying to get along better, in spite of all the things that get said here in the House. I am pleased to have a few minutes to comment on the budget and its importance. I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Parkdale—High Park. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance introduced budget 2023, called “A Made-in-Canada Plan: Strong Middle Class, Affordable Economy, Healthy Future”, and I think those are the words that talk about all of us Canadians and what we want, where we want to go and the kind of Canada we want to see. Canadians are clear: They want good jobs. They want clean air. They want a strong economy where everyone has a fair and real chance of success. Our government, I believe, is providing just that. In the months and years to come, we need to seize the remarkable opportunity before us. There are two fundamental shifts in the global economy. The first is the race to build clean economies of the 21st century. Clearly, when we look at climate change, the impact on the environment and what has happened this year in North America when it comes to storms and tornadoes and so on, these are pure examples of the need for investment in fighting climate change. Second, our allies are accelerating efforts to friendshore their economies by building their critical supply chains through democracies like our own. These are two great opportunities to move Canada forward and make the world a better place. At a challenging time and in a challenging world, budget 2023 will ensure that Canadians can continue to count on their government to be there for them in good times and in bad. Budget 2023 is focused on making life more affordable and making housing more affordable. I think we have heard about housing all day today, which is great, because for years we were not talking about housing. We knew there was a tremendous need. Our national housing strategy and the investment of billions of dollars that our government has made over the years ensure that affordable housing is being built and that seniors and others have access to good-quality housing. Focusing on making life more affordable, for the middle class as well, includes investing in growing the economy and also strengthening Canada's social safety net. I am very proud to have seen what our government has done, through the difficulty with the pandemic and so on. Budget 2023 is also delivering new measures for support for the most vulnerable Canadians with respect to the cost of living. Particularly, budget 2023 offers a one-time grocery rebate. It is a bit interesting to call it a grocery rebate, as my colleague pointed out earlier, but that is what it is. It is to help offset a few dollars of the cost of living, which seniors and many people on limited incomes are struggling with. The budget provided, again, $2.5 billion. That may sound like a little bit of money when one talks about a grocery rebate, but when one is looking at the overall costs to the tax envelope, $2.5 billion is a considerable amount of money, and that is targeted inflation assistance for over 11 million low- and middle-income Canadians and families. Moreover, this year's budget introduces automatic tax filing for low-income Canadians. My office, for the last 15 or 16 years, has provided four Saturdays each year to give income tax support to low-income constituents in Humber River—Black Creek. This coming Saturday will be the fourth one we are doing. My staff come in on those four Saturdays and spend the day, along with registered accountants who come in and volunteer their time as well. The fact that, in the future, some of these constituents will have their taxes done automatically will be a big help, because there is also a group of people who do not file, for a variety of reasons, and they are missing out on resources and money that they very much could use. I am always encouraging them to make sure that everybody files their income taxes. People say it is too cumbersome and too difficult, so we as a government are going to try to relieve that as well. Another issue we continue to hear a lot about is education. All of us hear from student associations from the different universities and colleges. For many years, they have come to see us, asking about relief for their loans and about increasing their capacity. Now that students do not have to pay interest on their loans, that makes a huge difference for them. They will not be graduating from college or university with a $30,000 debt. The debt will be much lower than that and much more easily paid back after they have become employed and not before. I have to say that I was really pleased to get some of the updated numbers for the year. In my riding itself, over $23 million was given out through the Canada child benefit. That is an important amount of money. Approximately $8,000 went to many individual families with children, and that makes a huge difference. When we see these families with backpacks, proper clothes and the like, we can tell that they have been receiving that extra support. I will talk about the dental plan. Already 4,000 children have benefited from the new Canada dental program. We are talking not only about investing in the large items in the budget, but also about investing in people and making a difference in the lives of so many who are important. We talked about the dental program being expanded. I recall many times when I was knocking on doors talking to seniors who complained about the issue of dental costs. We cannot control what dentists charge. It is expensive, but seniors need dental care and do not have the money for it. With this dental program, they are going to be able to go to the dentist and get the kind of help they need as seniors, without having to put out thousands of dollars. They will get a degree of assistance that will make it more affordable. Some of these measures are in place. Now I will talk about the tax-free home savings plan. Most of us have children who want to buy a home. As of April 1, the tax-free first home savings account is now available to my grandchildren to help them purchase their first home, which is critically important for them. We all talk about people getting their foot in the market, and that is what this is intended to do. It will help as they go through the system. Now I will get into the health care issue. As many members in the House did, I met with members of the Canadian Cancer Society today and heard first-hand about its challenges. Although we think we are moving ahead so quickly to solve problems, I listened to three women who told me of the difficulties they have had, of having to put out their own money for basic support within the Cancer Society and the health care system. They did not have sufficient income. They had to rely on being able to go to work to keep their health care, because there were no resources for them to access the necessary supports or mental health support. They talked about the length of time they had to wait to get treatment and about the issue of genetic testing, which we know is out there and available today, but was not available to many of these people. It took many years before they had the chance to get that, which was probably very late. A lot of the stories I heard this morning from these women show us clearly that there are huge gaps in our health care system. More money has to be put into it, and, yes, it will be transferred to the provinces. We have to ensure the provinces are going to provide the services required, so at the federal level we have put in an additional $198 billion over 10 years, including $46 billion in new funding for provinces and territories that we want to see get transferred to our hospital system and our health care workers.

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Ms. Lena Metlege Diab (Halifax West, Lib.)

Apr/18/23 2:01:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, in the heart of Halifax West is a pristine piece of nature that calls to visitors from near and far: the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area. Long before I became an MP, I would hear about how significant this natural gem is to residents in my community. In October 2021, a meeting with the Friends of Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes was my very first meeting as a member of Parliament. We pored over maps of the area and talked about the exciting opportunity for a national urban park that lay ahead. Since then, Parks Canada has worked with stakeholder groups, other levels of government and the Mi’kmaq to conserve nature and support reconciliation at Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes. I thank everyone whose advocacy and partnership have helped us get to this point today. I am looking forward to sharing more on our progress soon, as we work toward making Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes the first national urban park in Atlantic Canada.

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Mr. Dan Albas (Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, CPC)

Apr/18/23 2:02:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, cancer is a life-altering experience, which, unfortunately, too many Canadians have gone through. It remains the leading cause of death in Canada. In April, the Canadian Cancer Society runs the daffodil campaign. Let us not forget to recognize and support the society's admirable work for patients, survivors and loved ones affected by cancer. We in this place have joined forces with the Canadian Cancer Society through an all-party parliamentary caucus so that parliamentarians can better address this disease, which affects one out of every four Canadians. Many of my Conservative colleagues are excited to be part of this caucus and will firmly support the society's goal to increase access to palliative care across Canada. This is just one example of how we can take further action. Last, let us thank the many researchers, patients, survivors, donors and volunteers who assist in the fight against cancer and in preventing the disease. Many are here in Ottawa today and we thank them for their efforts. As Canadians, let us work together and make a difference for everyone.

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Mr. Taleeb Noormohamed (Vancouver Granville, Lib.)

Apr/18/23 2:03:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this April marks the beginning of the Canadian Cancer Society's daffodil campaign, which raises awareness of and funding for Canadians who have been diagnosed with cancer, and for cancer research. We all know someone who has been affected by cancer: a friend, a parent, a child or a neighbour. Those affected are almost 50% of Canadians, young or old and from all backgrounds. This is why it is so important to make sure we do all that we can to support preventative care, research and treatment in the fight against cancer. The daffodil campaign's impact can be felt from coast to coast to coast as it supports nationwide support systems and helps to support world-class research right here in Canada. Across Canada, Canadians are stepping up. In my own community of Vancouver this weekend, the Canadian Cancer Society hosted the Daffodil Ball to raise money in support of cancer research in B.C. and across Canada. This year it raised $3 million. I urge all my colleagues to support the Canadian Cancer Society's daffodil campaign, wear their daffodil pins and continue to fight against cancer.

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Mrs. Claude DeBellefeuille (Salaberry—Suroît, BQ)

Apr/18/23 2:04:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to pay tribute to a talented artist from Salaberry—Suroît, Claude Thivierge. His latest accomplishment speaks for itself. Mr. Thivierge designed a coin that portrays a grey wolf in black and gold, evoking a yin and yang motif. This majestic coin won a Coin of the Year award at an international competition. What an incredible achievement. As an artist living in Rivière‑Beaudette, Mr. Thivierge is inspired by wildlife. The duality of our wild and human nature serves as a muse for this very prolific artist, who is keen to share his talent. Along with his colleague Madeleine Turgeon, he recently unveiled nine colourful works of art created to adorn the walls of the pediatric unit of the Suroît Hospital, much to the delight of patients, their loved ones and health care staff. Congratulations to Claude Thivierge. This award is a testament to his talent. Well done, Claude.

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Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde (Orléans, Lib.)

Apr/18/23 2:05:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to stand up today and acknowledge rising star and Orléans ambassador Sophie Grenier. Sophie just won season nine of the Quebec television program La Voix. From the very start, she wowed the show's coaches and fans with her powerful voice and emotional delivery. She owes her win not only to her own talent, of course, but also to years of vocal training at Orléans' Sing House Studios, where she has studied singing since early childhood under the supervision of owner Chantal Hackett. Sing House Studios is a small business that provides young Franco-Ontarians with a musical education and is active in the community. I am proud to pay tribute to Sophie Grenier, and I thank her for representing the Franco-Ontarian community in music and song across Quebec, Canada and the world.

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Mr. Robert Kitchen (Souris—Moose Mountain, CPC)

Apr/18/23 2:06:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while Canadians from across the country are struggling to make ends meet thanks to inflation and the skyrocketing costs of living, the Prime Minister and his Liberal cronies have never had it so good. Despite the fact that the Prime Minister has been found guilty of breaking ethics laws twice, and his party has been found guilty of breaking ethics laws six times, violations continue to run rampant. Not only did the trade minister give her best friend a $23,000 contract, but the housing minister then gave a whopping $93,000 to his senior staff's PR firm. All this is happening while Canadians have never struggled more. Across this country, including in Saskatchewan, 20% of people are skipping meals as they simply cannot afford them, more than half the population is paying over $200 monthly on home heating and the carbon tax is making things even worse. The corrupt, out-of-touch Liberals are thriving while they sit on Canadians' backs and watch them suffer. It is time to make Canada proud, honoured and respected once again. It is time for a new Conservative government.

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Mr. Shafqat Ali (Brampton Centre, Lib.)

Apr/18/23 2:08:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this Friday, April 21, or Saturday, April 22, based on the moon sighting, Muslims across the world, including myself, several members of this House and many of my constituents in Brampton Centre, will celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the month of Ramadan where Muslims fast daily from dawn to dusk, participate in communal prayers and give back to their communities. Eid celebrations traditionally last three days, starting with a special prayer on Eid morning. The festivities also include sharing meals, giving gifts and spending time with family, friends and community. To all of the Muslims who will be celebrating Eid al-Fitr this weekend, from my family to theirs, Eid Mubarak.

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Ms. Ya'ara Saks (York Centre, Lib.)

Apr/18/23 2:08:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every April, the Canadian Cancer Society hosts its daffodil campaign, a symbol of strength, resilience and courage for those living with cancer. Today, cancer survivors have come to Ottawa to share their experiences and advocate for better cancer care. Cancer is the leading cause of death for Canadians. Nearly half of us can expect to be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives, and if not ourselves, then we will be affected by the toll on family and friends in supporting someone we know and love who is going through their fight against cancer, like mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, siblings and friends. We all know someone who is bravely meeting the fight or, in some cases, mourning the loss of a loved one. We also have hope. We proudly wear daffodil pins in support of those affected by cancer and recognize the incredible research and progress that is under way to accelerate change. Many cancers are no longer the death sentence that they once were. With more research and treatments, more preventative screenings and palliative care, each day we are closer to the goal of saving lives. Together, we can and will continue to work toward a brighter, cancer-free future for all Canadians.

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Mr. Stephen Ellis (Cumberland—Colchester, CPC)

Apr/18/23 2:10:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, April 18 and 19, 2020, are the days ingrained in the memories of all Nova Scotians, and indeed all Canadians. Today marks three years since an inexplicable madman inserted himself into the lives of 22 Nova Scotians and an unborn baby. The hurt and disbelief continue to be a part of everyday life. Events such as this do not happen in Canada, let alone in a small community such as Portapique, Nova Scotia. Words fail when we attempt to understand the gravity of the situation, when we attempt to grasp the ongoing rawness of emotions or attempt to understand how and why this happened. Our thoughts, at times, are frozen as we attempt to process, to interpret and to explain the shock, the horror and the sadness experienced by all affected. Those of us left behind need to continue to honour their memory, ensure the terrible events are not forgotten, and hold accountable the systems and institutions that failed these Canadians in their time of greatest need. I invite everyone in the House to keep all of those left behind, especially the families, in their thoughts and in their prayers.

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Ms. Julie Dabrusin (Toronto—Danforth, Lib.)

Apr/18/23 2:11:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is over 27,000 kilometres, connects us from coast to coast to coast, and travels through urban, rural, wild lands and waterways? It is the Trans Canada Trail. It is a beautiful pathway that connects us all. It is something where we can all go out, no matter what our ability, and explore the world around us. Last year, we made the largest single investment in the Trans Canada Trail. It goes toward enhancements, maintenance and expansion, and it is something that we can all enjoy together. My favourite part is the ravines around the Don Valley and along the waterways. In all of our backyards, there is a place for us to be able to explore. I invite everyone to check out the Trans Canada Trail. Let us celebrate this wonderful network that connects us all.

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