- Member of Parliament
- Member of Parliament
- Liberal
- Nepean
- Ontario
- Voting Attendance: 67%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $104,578.46
- Government Page
- May/22/24 2:03:30 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, last weekend I had the pleasure of hosting Vesak day on Parliament Hill, celebrating Buddha Day along with hundreds of Buddhist Canadians. Vesak, also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is one of the most important Buddhist festivals. The festival commemorates the birth, enlightenment and passing of Gautama Buddha.
I would like to recognize and thank the spiritual leaders of Fo Guang Shan Temple of Ottawa, Ottawa Amitabha Buddhist Society of Canada and Hilda Jayewardenaramaya Buddhist Monastery for participating in and blessing the gathering. I give thanks for the artistic performances by groups from the Sinhalese Buddhist Congress of Canada and the Bangladeshi Canadian community. I also thank the children from Buddha's Light Dharma Drum Team and the choir group of the Buddha Light International Association for their wonderful performances.
136 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/16/24 2:02:26 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the month of April marks Sikh Heritage Month. It is an opportunity for us to reflect on, celebrate and educate future generations about the important role that Sikh Canadians have played, and continue to play, in communities across the country. Saturday, April 13, many of us celebrated Vaisakhi, which marks the creation of the Khalsa and the Sikh articles of faith.
Canada is the home to over 770,000 Sikh Canadians, making it one of the largest Sikh diasporas in the world. Since the arrival of Sikh immigrants in the late 19th century, Sikh Canadians have contributed immensely to Canada's social, economic, political and cultural fabric. This month and beyond, let us recognize and embrace the diversity that make our country strong and inclusive.
127 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/8/24 2:00:40 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, yesterday, April 7, marked a solemn occasion as we observed the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. This year, we also commemorated Kwibuka 30, the 30th anniversary of a tragedy where over 800,000 Tutsi were killed in 100 days of unimaginable violence.
Kwibuka means "to remember". It is a call to honour the victims, support survivors and educate us and others about the history and impact of the genocide. This day reminds us of the devastating consequences of hatred and intolerance, and urges us to reaffirm our dedication to preventing such atrocities.
Let us renew our commitment to a world where the lessons of the past guide us toward justice, compassion and a future free from such horrors.
128 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/15/24 1:24:03 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, in his speech, the hon. member mentioned the 31% increase in the number of Canadians using the assistance of this MAID legislation.
I know this number of a 31% jump, when seen in isolation, is big. However, does the member agree that, because the legislation is fairly new, all the people who had been waiting and suffering for such a long time started utilizing these MAID legislation provisions? Does he agree that, going forward, when these MAID provisions are normalized, the rate of growth he quoted will not be so huge in the future?
96 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Nov/3/23 10:59:53 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, every year, November is Hindu Heritage Month. This provides us the opportunity to recognize, preserve, celebrate and promote Hindu culture and heritage.
Hindus are close to one million strong in Canada. They have come to this wonderful country from all across the world. It is important for us to preserve our Hindu culture and heritage in Canada for our future generations. Hindu Canadians are the most peaceful, highly educated and hard-working community, and hence, it is a successful community. Hindu Canadians have significantly contributed and continue to do so for the socio-economic development of Canada. We have immensely enriched the rich Canadian multicultural fabric.
Though the ancient Hindu heritage is alive and growing, it freely adapts to any society or civilization and also gives to whoever it comes in contact with. I wish all members a happy Hindu Heritage Month.
144 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Oct/23/23 2:02:36 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, October is Latin American Heritage Month, a time to recognize the many contributions that Latin American communities have made and continue to make to the socio-economic development of Canada.
Canadians of Latin American descent have enhanced the cultural mosaic of Canada through their artistic and culinary traditions. This month, we had many opportunities to discover the long and rich history of the many Latin American communities here in Canada, and we celebrated their culture, resilience and heritage.
I would like to recognize Jaime Marulanda, editor of Eco Latino, and community leader Carolina Izaguirre-Campos for their services to the community. I would like to thank Professor Luis Abanto Rojas, chair of the University of Ottawa’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, for inviting me to a Latin American Heritage Day event.
136 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/13/23 12:36:58 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, the fact of the matter is, without anybody suggesting it, that the moment we came to power in 2015, from day one, we have focused on housing.
Our national housing strategy is a very defined strategy with various excellent programs. We have partnered with provincial authorities and governments, which have the major responsibility on housing, but we have not stopped telling them that it is their exclusive responsibility. We have stepped up with real money in the national housing strategy and various programs on the affordability crisis for Canadians.
91 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/15/23 2:02:42 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Indian Arrival Day is celebrated on various days in May in many countries, including Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Grenada, Fiji, Mauritius, Suriname, and many other countries commemorating the arrival of people from the Indian subcontinent to their respective nations as indentured labourers brought by European colonial past authorities.
Last week, an international conference on indentureship was organized in Fiji by Global Girmit Institute. Canadians who have come to our wonderful land from all of these countries continue to mark this day. They have worked hard to preserve their history, their culture and their heritage, which also benefits future generations of Canadians.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the contributions of these Canadians to the socio-economic development of our country and for strengthening our rich, multicultural fabric.
133 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/9/23 1:59:50 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Vesak, also known as Buddha Jayanti or Buddha Purnima, the most important Buddhist festival, was celebrated on May 5 by Buddhists across the world. The festival commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha. I had the honour to host Vesak day on Parliament Hill last Sunday with several hundred Buddhist Canadians. Buddhist temples in Ottawa and their followers participated with chanting of prayers, beating of drums and cultural performances.
I am thankful to Fo Guang Shan Temple of Ottawa, Ottawa Amitabha Buddhist Society of Canada, Hilda Jayewardenaramaya Buddhist Monastery and Hieu Giang Vietnamese Buddhist Cultural Centre of Ottawa for their participation. In particular, I am thankful to June Sun of Fo Guang Shan Temple of Ottawa for her hard work to make this beautiful event a success.
131 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/1/23 2:06:42 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I extend my greetings to the Baha'i Community in Canada and across the world on the occasion of Ridvan.
Ridvan is a festival of great significance to the Baha'i community as it marks the birth of the Baha'i faith in 1863. Ridvan commemorates the vision of peace, unity and justice that Baha'u'llah, the prophet founder of the Baha'i Faith, shared with humanity. He said, “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.”
Baha'is come together to celebrate Ridvan through various activities such as devotional meetings, artistic and musical presentations, and community gatherings. This festival provides a time for reflection and contemplation on the teachings of Baha'u'llah and offers an opportunity for the Baha'i community to come together in unity.
144 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Richmond Hill.
I rise to speak to Bill C-42, which would implement a public and searchable beneficial ownership registry of corporations governed under the Canada Business Corporations Act.
We have an issue with money laundering and terrorist financing. To deal with this, we need tools and mechanisms in Canada that are in line with international best practices. Creating a public and searchable registry would increase the transparency of beneficial owners of federally regulated Canadian corporations, which would increase corporate accountability and improve public trust in corporate institutions.
These measures would help protect Canadians against money laundering and terrorist financing, deter tax evasion and tax avoidance, and make sure Canada remains an attractive place to conduct business.
I will take a moment to mention what corporations are. Corporations exist basically to allow individuals to channel their capital for the benefit of making profits. The corporation, as we know, came into existence in the 1844 act in Britain, and the shareholders were granted limited liabilities in 1855. In 1866, the United States court declared that a corporation is a natural person. Basically, while the corporation channels the resources for investment in a commercial enterprise, it limits the liability of the person to the capital contributed.
I will quote from an article published in New Internationalist:
What is a corporation? Ambrose Bierce's Devil's Dictionary defines it as “an ingenious device for obtaining profit without individual responsibility”. It is a legal construct, a charter granted by the state to a group of investors to gather private funds for a specific purpose. Originally, charters were granted in the service of a public purpose, and could be revoked if this were not fulfilled. The relationship between state and corporation is a complex one. Over the past 400 years corporations have conquered territory and brought in resources for the state, breaking laws put in place to constrain them and gaining in power and privilege. History shows a repetitive cycle of corporations over-reaching, causing such social turmoil that the state is forced to rein them back in through regulation.
Now, corporations are being created for no other purpose than to evade or avoid taxes. Supreme courts around the world have ruled on the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion, and mentioned that if there is any transaction followed by an individual or a corporation that does not have any impact or consequence other than to reduce or eliminate tax, the transaction can be declared null and void.
We need to take all steps to rein back and plug the loopholes that are exploited by individuals and corporations to avoid or evade paying their fair share of taxes.
In budget 2022, we committed to implementing a public and searchable registry of beneficial ownership information. The registry would cover corporations governed under the Canada Business Corporations Act and would be scalable to allow access to the beneficial ownership data held by provinces and territories that agree to participate. The objective of the registry is to provide relevant authorities with timely access to accurate and up-to-date information about the true controlling individuals of corporations in order to combat illegal activities, including money laundering, corruption and tax evasion.
Greater transparency would also improve corporate accountability more generally and thus help protect the public, improve trust in corporate institutions and ensure a well-functioning marketplace. As it currently stands, corporations are already obligated to compile some beneficial ownership information. Upon the entering into force of this new piece of legislation, corporations would need to collect additional information from their beneficial owners, like citizenship and residential address, and send the information in their register of individuals with significant control to Corporations Canada on an annual basis and within 15 days of the day on which a change is recorded in their register.
There are a couple of shortcomings in the current bill, which can be overcome. One is with respect to fully publicly disclosing the names and citizenship of shareholders or members of corporations. The fundamental question is this: Why should the public not be aware of who is investing in a corporation, including their citizenship being known? It is not the fundamental right of any individual that he or she can be a shareholder. It is a privilege offered by the state through various acts, so why should the public not be aware of individuals who are shareholders, including their citizenship?
I do understand the need for their privacy of information like the address of the shareholder, which is something that has been addressed, but there is no reason why the names and citizenship of the shareholders of any corporation should be kept from becoming public. Especially, we Canadians should be aware of foreign nationals investing in Canadian corporations; disclosing their citizenship is a must.
There is another solution, which is that the information may be disclosed only if a threshold of ownership is significant and exceeds a certain mark. For significant shareholding, the threshold is 25% in some jurisdictions and 10% in other jurisdictions. However, using a threshold to limit disclosure requirements creates a loophole that can easily be exploited. If the threshold is fixed at 25%, five people could form a corporation with 20% each or 11 people could form a corporation if the threshold is 10%.
On the positive side, through this bill, we have sought to limit administrative burden by leveraging existing intake and reporting mechanisms that federal corporations are already familiar with. For example, federal corporations are already required to update Corporations Canada within 15 days after a change of directors occurs and to file an annual return.
We have carefully considered domestic and international best practices in developing the proposed beneficial ownership registry regime, including the U.K. system. We also made sure the proposed model would meet and exceed the standards for beneficial ownership transparency maintained by the Financial Action Task Force, a global anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing body of which Canada is a founding member.
In closing, I want to reiterate that this is a good bill that is very much required. We have to bring Canadian standards in line with international best practices. However, there are certain shortcomings, which I think should and must be addressed at the committee stage. I am sure that with the co-operation of all parties in this House, this bill will get passed and will become legislation sooner rather than later.
1089 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/17/23 2:10:48 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, April is Sikh Heritage Month, which recognizes the immense contributions that Sikh Canadians have made to Canadian society. We also celebrated Vaisakhi, which marks the creation of the Khalsa and the Sikh articles of faith. Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, is an important festival for many Hindus, too.
This month I had the honour to host two Ugadi events on Parliament Hill. Ugadi, which was on March 22, is the new year for the Kannada- and Telugu-speaking Hindu communities. On April 14, Tamil Hindu Canadians celebrated their new year, Puthandu.
I wish all of these communities a very happy and prosperous new year. It is a privilege to live in this wonderful country where we can celebrate and share our faiths and our festivals.
127 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/30/22 2:09:37 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, this Canadian Jewish Heritage Month I would like to recognize and celebrate Jewish culture, heritage and history in Canada. Jewish Canadians have made and continue to make important contributions to the socio-economic development of Canada. I would like to recognize and thank Rabbi Mendel Blum of Ottawa Torah Centre and the leadership team at Congregation Beit Tikvah of Ottawa for their services to the Jewish community and beyond in Ottawa.
I would like to recognize and thank Andrea Freedman of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa for her services to the Jewish Canadian community. I also would like to recognize and thank Corey Balsam for his hard work representing Independent Jewish Voices Canada.
115 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/2/22 11:20:42 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, there are several federal government programs that allow multicultural communities to celebrate various events. At Canadian Heritage, for example, I know there are funds for The Great India Festival, a three-day festival that is organized every year in Ottawa. Like many other kinds of heritage, the Indo-Canadian or Hindu heritage is also promoted. In addition, there is one specific program that every not-for-profit organization can use, which is the Canada summer jobs program, where students from the community can be employed to help organize the various events that are happening in their communities.
99 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- May/2/22 11:19:10 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, Quebec has always shown welcome to Hindu Canadians. In fact, less than two weeks ago, I was in Montreal celebrating a Hindu-Canadian festive event.
November is a holy month. Mid-October to mid-November is the time when major Hindu festivals, such as Diwali and Navratri, are celebrated, so we thought November would be an appropriate month for Hindu heritage to be celebrated in Canada.
68 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
