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Hon. Omar Alghabra

Member of Parliament
Liberal

Mississauga Centre
Ontario
Voting Attendance: 64%
Expenses Last Quarter: $149,480.76

Government Page

Context: House Hansard - 217 - Jun/20/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transport, Lib.)

Jun/20/23 3:06:55 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-52

Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend is correct. The aviation sector around the world has experienced significant disruptions over the last couple of years, and Canadian workers and travellers have felt it here at home. We promised Canadians to take action on lessons learned. So far, we have strengthened passenger protection rights. We are working to modernize CATSA, and today I had the honour of tabling Bill C-52, which would enhance service standards for airports and airlines, and enhance transparency. This is great news for Canadians. I look forward to working with my colleagues on advancing this important legislation.

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Context: House Hansard - 217 - Jun/20/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transport, Lib.)

Jun/20/23 10:02:32 a.m.
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Re: Bill C-52

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-52, An Act to enact the Air Transportation Accountability Act and to amend the Canada Transportation Act and the Canada Marine Act.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:34:48 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, I often remind ports, including the Port of Vancouver, that they are public institutions. They are there to serve the public and they are there to ensure that they pay attention to their constituents and their stakeholders. This bill would do several things, but let me address a couple of points the bill proposes that could help with the matter that my hon. colleague has raised. First, the bill would require ports to establish advisory groups to ensure that local stakeholders are consulted formally and efficiently, instead of the ad hoc, insufficient ways that may have happened in the past. Second, the bill proposes that ports could create inland terminals. They would no longer have to build all their infrastructure on the coastline and would be able to look for other options.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:32:45 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, the democratic process will take its course in the House of Commons, but I wish the Conservatives were not filibustering. I wish the Conservatives were not putting obstacles against the interests of Canadians, against ensuring that ports are working better. Every party in this chamber claims to represent the interests of workers, but Canadians are smart and they know what people are saying. If we listen to the words of the Conservatives, they are the ones who want to ram agreements through the negotiating table instead of allowing unions to stand up for their rights. Instead of allowing unions to have a full process of negotiating a contract with their employers, they want to force it upon workers.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:30:24 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, let me make this point: I am enthusiastic about this bill, not because it is my baby, but because it would improve the lives of Canadians. It would get things done; it would improve the congestion at ports; it would improve accountability and transparency; and it would address the climate issue. To my hon. colleague's point, I certainly have had a discussion with him and other colleagues about whether there is a way for this, because some of the provisions of this bill are intended to add accountability and transparency to ensure the ports are doing their job in consultation with local communities. However, I accept the fact that there are different circumstances for smaller ports, and we need to find a way to ensure that we uphold the principle but do not overburden these smaller ports. I am willing to work with my hon. colleague and other members of Parliament to ensure we find that balance.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:28:13 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague. Those who work in the labour sector and represent workers have a unique perspective that can benefit the operations of our institutions, including ports. I want to express to my colleague my willingness and our government's willingness to work with him on advancing this principle he talked about. I am looking forward to sending this bill to committee, where we will get a chance to have a fulsome debate and look for opportunities to improve it, to ensure we address the point he is raising.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:26:14 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, I deeply respect my colleague. I know he, as the former critic of supply chain, worked hard on the fluidity and health of our supply chains. I am also concerned about the ongoing negotiations on the west coast with unions and the B.C. Maritime Employers Association. The last thing Canadians want is another disruption to our supply chain, but I believe the best way to avoid that disruption is to let the parties negotiate an agreement at the negotiating table, and we are not standing idly by. We are there. We will offer mediators at the table; in fact, federal mediators are helping, and we are reminding both sides of their obligations toward Canada, the Canadian economy and Canadians, but we believe it is best that the parties reach an agreement at the negotiating table on their own.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:24:09 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, it is really important to remind Canadians of what the Conservative Party stands for. The Conservative leader claims to speak on behalf of the working people. He claims to employ common sense. That could not be further from the truth. The Conservatives are trying to undermine the role of unions in protecting the interests of Canadian workers. As my hon. colleague commented in his quote, it is clear they support the idea of limiting the ability of unions to negotiate their own collective bargaining agreements. Our government has said before and will continue to say that we believe in the power of collective bargaining agreements. We believe that when the parties reach an agreement at the negotiating table it will last longer and be fairer for workers and our economy. That is our position. However, the Conservatives have revealed that they do not believe in the power of collective bargaining agreements.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:22:14 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, we would expect Conservatives to at least use some humility when they talk about time allocation, because we know what the Conservative Party did when it was in power. How many times did it use or misuse time allocation? Now it is upset to see different parties within this chamber working together on a plan to improve the lives of Canadians. If the Conservatives are serious about advancing the interests of Canadians, we would think that instead of filibustering for days on end they would focus on the agenda of Canadians. We would think they would work together with other MPs on making sure that the bills that come through the House of Commons are focused on what is best for Canada and Canadians. Therefore, while I understand they are the official opposition, I would ask them to show a little humility.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:19:35 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, I agree that this is not the idea of an eye for an eye at all. We continued to exhaust all options, including sitting until midnight. We have been providing members of Parliament here ample opportunities to debate, to express their opinion and express the opinion of their constituents on many occasions. MPs are working hard around the clock. We are also here in a minority Parliament; we need to work with other parties to advance the agenda of Canadians. That is why we have provided members of Parliament all opportunities to debate, to engage in a healthy and rigorous discussion. We are also working with our colleagues from other parties to advance and improve bills that go through the House to ensure that we address the pressing interests of Canadians today.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:16:57 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, I agree. Do not take it from me; it is the leader of the Conservative Party who has publicly been telling Canadians that he is going to filibuster and delay and cause havoc here in the House of Commons, instead of focusing on the country's business and on what Canadians need and deserve. This is an important bill for our supply chain. If hon. colleagues have any objection to some provisions of the bill, that is great; that is what the House of Commons debates are for and that is what committees debates are for. However, this is just to delay for the sake of delaying and just to filibuster for the sake of being unhappy about the fact that members of different parties are working together. What is wrong with that? When we see members from different parties working to advance the interests of Canadians, that is what Canadians expect.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:14:31 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, Canadians would take that member seriously if he knew what he was talking about. Canadians do not believe the Conservatives when they say the government is responsible for all of the problems happening around the world. I would take the member seriously if he could provide some common sense in his questions. Having said that, this bill has been tabled in the House of Commons for months. We continue to want to work with our colleagues across the aisle from all parties to make sure that the bill, when it is ready to pass in the House of Commons, has been fully debated. The committee would have the chance to welcome witnesses and experts to debate the bill. I am looking forward to having a constructive discussion not only with members of the NDP, the Bloc and the Green Party, but also with the Conservative Party. That is what Canadians expect of all of us.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:12:11 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for bringing this issue back into focus. Canadians know that over the last couple of years, because of COVID, extreme weather events, labour shortages and the illegal war in Ukraine, we have seen tremendous disruption in our supply chain. Our government established a supply chain task force last year, and it came back with a solid number of recommendations, 21 to be exact. Some of them were focused on port congestion. This bill would enhance the ability for ports to manage and ease congestion. In fact, it would enable ports to create inland terminals. Ports were not previously encouraged to do so. We are now empowering ports to manage vessel traffic in their jurisdictions. Those who live on the west coast know about the issue of traffic jams along the west coast, where for a long time no one has had the responsibility of managing traffic. This bill would create that ability. It would also enhance rail safety. This is an important bill for the safety of Canadians and for the resilience of our supply chain.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:10:28 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his work and diligence at the transport committee. As he is the transport critic for the NDP, we have been working together on advancing the public interests of all Canadians, including on safety in the rail network. I had conversations, including here in the House of Commons, in the chamber, during the first debate on Bill C-33 with my hon. colleague, the transport critic for the Conservatives. I encouraged him to work together on making sure that we pass a good bill for Canadians. Unfortunately, as my colleague said, I have seen no sign of their willingness to work together on a bill that is of paramount importance to Canadians and our supply chains.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

Jun/12/23 12:08:48 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his work on the transport committee and his co-operative attitude in making sure that we work together collaboratively to ensure that all laws passed in the House of Commons, including Bill C-33, are intended to serve Canadians. To his question, the answer is obvious if we follow the words of the leader of the official opposition. He publicly said that he is going to use all tools, tactics and tricks to delay our agenda, which is necessary to serve Canadians, from passing through the House of Commons. If the leader of the Conservative Party were following a co-operative and positive attitude to vigorously debate bills but ensure that we pass them for the service of all Canadians, we would not be here.

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Context: House Hansard - 211 - Jun/12/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transport, Lib.)

Jun/12/23 12:06:45 p.m.
Watch
Re: Bill C-33

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the hon. member that each and every member of the House is elected by their constituents, and when the majority of the House of Commons is trying to advance bills that are in the best interests of Canadians, it is unfortunate that only the Conservative Party is standing in the way of this progress. Had the Conservative Party been more co-operative and willing to work together on advancing the public interests of Canadians, we would have seen the smoother passing and studying of bills. Today we are advancing an important bill for improving our supply chains and enhancing transparency for port management and port congestion, and I encourage all colleagues to work together on making sure that we pass a good bill for Canadians.

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Context: House Hansard - 206 - Jun/5/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transport, Lib.)

Jun/5/23 3:06:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last year, the Prime Minister announced the renewal of the oceans protection plan, which is the largest investment Canada has ever made in protecting our oceans and our waterways. Part of that plan is working collaboratively with coastal communities and indigenous communities to make sure that we maintain the health of our waterways, including collaboration on removal of abandoned vessels. We have been dedicating the resources to work with indigenous communities to do so, and we will continue to do so.

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Context: House Hansard - 204 - Jun/1/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transport, Lib.)

Jun/1/23 2:39:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of accessible and affordable air transportation to many regions of Canada, including the north. We have been working diligently with the airline and the territories to ensure that the airline is able to maintain viable, efficient transportation. This will ensure that people who live in the north are able to access that critical service.

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Context: House Hansard - 192 - May/8/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra

May/8/23 12:13:00 p.m.
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moved: That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms), be disposed of as follows: (a) it be an instruction to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, that during its consideration of the bill, the committee be granted the power to expand its scope, including that it applies to all proceedings that have taken place prior to the adoption of this order, to: (i) address unlawfully manufactured, unserialized and untraceable firearms, electronic in nature or otherwise, including their parts, that can be purchased online and/or assembled at home by amending the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act, (ii) address the illegal acquisition of cartridge magazines by requiring a Possession and Acquisition License to purchase cartridge magazines, (iii) amend the definition of “prohibition order” and provisions relating to prohibition orders (sections 109 and 110) to include prohibiting a person from possessing any firearm, crossbow, prohibited weapon, restricted weapon, prohibited device, firearms part, ammunition, prohibited ammunition, or explosive substance, or all such things, (iv) amend the definition of “prohibited firearm” in the Criminal Code to include a further technical description for an assault-style firearm and criteria that includes any unlawfully manufactured firearms, (v) allow for an amendment that will ensure a statutory review of the technical definition proposed in paragraph (iv) above, (vi) amend the Criminal Code as it relates to the proposed definition of prohibited firearm, (vii) add a definition of “firearm part”, which means to include a barrel for a firearm, a slide for a handgun and any other prescribed part, but does not include, unless otherwise prescribed, a barrel for a firearm or a slide for a handgun if that barrel or slide is designed exclusively for use on a firearm that is deemed under section 84(3) not to be a firearm, (vii.1) add new offences, and exceptions to the offences, relating to a firearm part or relating to computer data and provide for their enforcement and provide for the court to impose restrictions in relation to firearm parts; (vii.2) expand the concept of orders under section 117.011 to include orders in respect of access to a firearm part, (viii) add a new definition of “semi-automatic”, which, in respect of a firearm, means that the firearm to include a firearm that is equipped with a mechanism that, following the discharge of a cartridge, automatically operates to complete any part of the reloading cycle necessary to prepare for the discharge of the next cartridge, (ix) add a non-derogation clause affirming the rights enshrined under section 35 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, (x) allow for the addition of a regulation-making authority and definition respecting unregulated firearms, (xi) make any consequential or technical amendments; (b) during consideration of the bill by the committee: (i) the committee shall have the first priority for the use of House resources for committee meetings, (ii) amendments filed by independent members shall be deemed to have been proposed during the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill, (iii) not more than 20 minutes be allotted for debate on any clause or any amendment moved, to be divided to a maximum of five minutes per party, unless unanimous consent is granted to extend debate on a specific amendment, and at the expiry of the time provided for debate on an amendment, the Chair shall put every question to dispose of the amendment, forthwith and successively without further debate, (iv) the committee shall meet between 3:30 p.m. and midnight on the two further days following the adoption of this order, (v) if the committee has not completed the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill by 11:59 p.m. on the second day, all remaining amendments submitted to the committee shall be deemed moved, the Chair shall put the question, forthwith and successively without further debate on all remaining clauses and amendments submitted to the committee as well as each and every question necessary to dispose of the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill, and the committee shall not adjourn the meeting until it has disposed of the bill, (vi) a member of the committee may report the bill to the House by depositing it with the Acting Clerk of the House, who shall notify the House leaders of the recognized parties and independent members, and if the House stands adjourned, the report shall be deemed to have been duly presented to the House during the previous sitting for the purpose of Standing Order 76.1(1); (c) not more than one sitting day shall be allotted to the consideration of the bill at report stage and on that day the ordinary hour of daily adjournment shall be midnight, and, not later than 11:59 p.m. or when no member rises to speak, whichever is earlier, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the bill shall be put forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment; (d) not more than one sitting day shall be allotted to the consideration of the bill at the third reading stage and on that day the ordinary hour of daily adjournment shall be midnight, and that, not later than 11:59 p.m. or when no member rises to speak, whichever is earlier, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the bill shall be put forthwith and successively, without further debate or amendment; and (e) on the sitting days the bill is considered at report stage and the third reading stage, after 6:30 p.m., no quorum calls, dilatory motions or requests for unanimous consent shall be received by the Chair.

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Context: House Hansard - 186 - Apr/27/23

Hon. Omar Alghabra (Minister of Transport, Lib.)

Apr/27/23 3:02:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I announced in the House of Commons here last week, the Minister of Natural Resources and I informed Canadians that we have declared that the Roberts Bank terminal expansion is in the national interest. We have obligated the port with 370 conditions. I know the member opposite has read the entire number of conditions and how strict they are and how focused they are in ensuring that we are protecting the environment. We have committed to Canadians that the best way to develop and grow our economy is having an environmental plan. We are showing Canadians how the economy and the environment go hand in hand.

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Member of Parliament

Hon. Omar Alghabra