- Member of Parliament
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
- Liberal
- Pierrefonds—Dollard
- Quebec
- Voting Attendance: 66%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $116,520.48
- Government Page
- May/29/24 7:40:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, these are important matters. We must be discussing in the House the issues of discrimination, making sure that each and every Canadian is safe, secure and welcomed in each and every place in society.
Our government is committed to combatting hate in all its forms. We are committed to ensuring that everybody is safe at home, on the streets, in places of worship and in our communities. Budget 2024 proposes $273.6 million to combat hate. This includes $20.2 million for the hate crimes task force. It also includes $25 million for anti-hate programming and promoting intercultural ties and community-based activities.
We have many initiatives that address discrimination and anti-Semitism. We are committed to supporting Canadians and the betterment of society.
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- May/29/24 7:35:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for bringing up these important issues.
Standing up against hate is a fundamental Canadian principle that every member of the House stands firmly behind. We as a government also have this principle firmly embedded in our mission and mandate. It includes standing up against the recent rise of anti-Semitism. Everyone in this country has a right to live free of discrimination, no matter who they are.
Our government is taking meaningful measures to protect the Jewish communities from hate and discrimination. We have invested more than $200 million in Canadian anti-racism strategies. Budget 2024 proposes $173 million for Canada's very first action plan on combatting hate.
These programs provide crucial funding to support community projects that fight racism and hate. More than that, we must support work that is led by and shepherded by communities. It is through the work of intercultural and interfaith discussion that we find compassion and understanding for each other. It is by learning about one another that each of us is able to find common ground. Through this, we can also melt barriers. By promoting multiculturalism, we strengthen our society. That is what Canada is, and each and every member of the House stands firmly behind respect for diversity and addressing discrimination.
Canada's action plan on combatting hate is an important step toward a safer and more inclusive Canada.
Canada's action plan on combatting hate will support community outreach and law enforcement. It will tackle the rise in hate crimes. It will enhance community security. It will counter radicalization. It will increase support for victims.
To enhance our effort in combatting anti-Semitism, our government appointed Deborah Lyons as Canada's new special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting anti-Semitism. Engaging with communities on current issues and creating community-informed solutions are core aspects of the special envoy's mandate. To further support the special envoy in her work at home and abroad, we have increased her resources by an additional $7.3 million. This money will help her in her work.
Canada is a multicultural society built on the principles of inclusion and respect for diversity. We have learned that our differences do not have to divide us. Our government remains steadfast in combatting all forms of hate, racism, discrimination, intolerance and, in particular, anti-Semitism. All of us in the House are united in that.
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- May/28/24 2:52:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is firm in supporting persons with disabilities, be they travelling from point A to point B by air, by land, by sea and by all means of transport. That is why we held a disability summit, gathering together the airline industry and persons with disabilities to sharpen our pencils to make sure that persons with disabilities can travel with dignity. We are doing this work. We are making sure that Canadians can travel in a dignified fashion.
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- May/27/24 2:13:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this week is National AccessAbility Week.
I would like to recognize the incredible contributions made by people living with disabilities and the organizations that represent them.
Persons with disabilities, advocates and organizations work tirelessly to remove barriers. They ensure the full participation of more than eight million Canadians with disabilities. It is by working together with the disability community that we have made progress.
This year's theme is “Forward Together: Accessibility and Inclusion for All”.
Collective efforts are needed from all sectors of society. We need this in order to reach a barrier-free Canada by 2040. I invite my colleagues and all Canadians to celebrate the exceptional work being done by so many. Let us continue working toward a more accessible and inclusive society, a more accessible and inclusive Canada.
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- May/22/24 2:08:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, May 18, last Saturday, was Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day.
Fifteen years ago, on that same day, a large-scale massacre took place in Mullivaikkal.
Tens of thousands were tragically killed, despite the fact that the Sri Lankan government declared no-fire zones. Even today, many Tamils remain missing and displaced. In a day and age when 120 armed conflicts are currently ongoing in 35 countries, recognizing the Tamil genocide is absolutely essential.
To bring peace and stability, we need justice. It is for this reason that we recognize the Tamil genocide. It is for this reason that Canada last year applied strict sanctions against Sri Lankan officials. We all hope for a day when we have peace and security, when all live free of war.
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- May/10/24 11:46:39 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, our government has stepped up and has implemented the law. We have introduced the disability benefit. This benefit is the single-largest line item in the budget with $6.1 billion over six years.
This is an important first step, a step that will help Canadians alleviate poverty. We need to build upon this.
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- May/7/24 1:53:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on April 16, we tabled budget 2024. The budget promotes a fair and inclusive economy, an economy for every generation.
Pierrefonds—Dollard is a diverse riding, and as parliamentary secretary for diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities, I am committed to advancing initiatives that promote inclusivity for all Canadians.
Today I will talk about the impact of the budget on my riding.
I will present how the budget promotes diversity and inclusion, how it addresses housing shortages and how it upholds international and humanitarian economic development.
The budget contributes to lowering the cost of living. Canada has a housing shortage. Our young people are also having a hard time buying a home. We are taking significant measures to address that. We are making housing more affordable for everyone. Budget 2024 seeks to use public lands.
We would create over three million new homes by 2031, and 250,000 of them would be on public property. In my own riding of Pierrefonds—Dollard, our government recently announced that we are building 393 homes or apartments by having a low-cost loan of $165 million. Those 393 homes represent a 1% increase in housing to the riding of Pierrefonds—Dollard. That is very important to address the housing crisis.
I want to say that I am sharing my time with the hon. member for Whitby.
Economists suggest that Canadians should not spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. We are tackling this housing crisis. Since 2015, nearly two million Canadians have found homes through federal initiatives. This is important. Our government is addressing this issue.
Also, on inclusive mortgages, the well-being of Canadians is important. It is critical to our government. We are doing two key initiatives to this effect.
The first is an inclusive and interest-free mortgage program. This program would allow Canadians of all backgrounds to enter the housing market. In particular, those of Muslim faith would have the chance to enter the market, whereas some did not in the past. This initiative would be open to all Canadians, regardless of background. It does look at the way in which mortgages are constructed to make it more inclusive. It is an important initiative in budget 2024.
We are also dealing with the security infrastructure program, also known as SIP. Our country has vivre-ensemble. We live well together. We have people from all backgrounds and from all faiths. However, unfortunately, there is hate and discrimination, which sometimes leads to violence toward property. That is why our government has the security infrastructure program, which protects synagogues, mosques and different community centres, including churches and other institutions.
This is, again, being financed within budget 2024 and would help to promote vivre-ensemble, to promote togetherness and to protect the security of all Canadians.
Budget 2024 also addresses diversity and inclusion. In particular, we have $273 million, over six years, which would go to Canada's action plan to combat hate. This would directly support community outreach. It would address discrimination also. These investments are important to social cohesion. They promote equity within society. This new legislation would dismantle barriers and would promotes togetherness.
Budget 2024 also announces a national food program. Over $1 billion, during five years, would help families in need. It would put food on the table. I remember, as a young person going to elementary school, I would receive a small milk carton. That was an aspect of a food program. We are committed to ensuring that all children, regardless of income, have food in their bellies so that they can learn well.
This program, the national food program, would help 400,000 children to have food in their stomachs. It would help a family with two children to get groceries, which represents $800 per year.
We also have the pharmacare initiative in budget 2024, which is critical. It would allocate $1.5 billion over the next five years to help people with diabetes pay for that medication and to help women who choose to use contraceptives to be able to have them. Those are important initiatives that our government is introducing.
Flooding also impacts my riding of Pierrefonds—Dollard. In 2017, we had devastating floods that ravaged our communities and that harmed families, and people lost their life savings.
Again, in 2019, we had flooding, unfortunately. This budget would help to address those concerns. In particular, we are offering a low-cost national flood insurance program. This would help 1.5 million homeowners be insured into the future. This is important, not only for my riding, but also for many communities that face flooding across the country.
I would like to give a shout-out to the Mayor of L'Île-Bizard—Sainte-Geneviève, Doug Hurley, and also to the Mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, Jim Beis, for the important work they do to protect residents from flooding.
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- Feb/9/24 11:17:50 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, February is Black History Month.
All year round, but in this month in particular, we highlight the contributions of Black Canadians and Black excellence. In Pierrefonds—Dollard, we have a number of luminaries. Joan Lee is the president of the West Island Black Community Association. Through her leadership, WIBCA continues to be at the forefront of serving the needs of Black West Islanders.
I would also like to acknowledge the work of Asmick Jean-Jacques, the director of La Corde youth centre.
The centre helps build strong and stable young people to build Canada's tomorrow.
Errol Johnson is a long-standing member of our community.
He is the deputy mayor of Dollard-des-Ormeaux and has been a city councillor for over 30 years.
He is the co-founder of the West Island Blues Festival and raises funds for non-profits.
There are so many others, like Malik Shaheed and Akilah Newton, who deserve to be mentioned. They have done excellent work. We salute them and we thank them for their service.
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- Jan/30/24 6:38:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to again thank the member for Kitchener Centre for his advocacy.
To pick up on the previous reply, we are currently collecting the responses of Canadians who have fed into the process thus far. They are being put into regulation. Those regulations will be first in draft form, when again Canadians will be able to reply to them and to improve them. The feedback we are getting across the country is being put into draft regulations, and Canadians will again have the chance to reflect on them before the benefit is rolled out. This benefit is being done in full consultation with the community following the principle of “nothing about us without us”, which means we can only get to this benefit hand in hand with the disability community.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Kitchener Centre for his important advocacy around the disability benefit, for highlighting concerns and bringing them to this House.
The disability community is keen and anxious to see that the benefit will be realized, and realized correctly.
We understand that many Canadians with disabilities need the additional support from the Canada disability benefit.
Our government is eager to get money into the pockets of those who need it most. We must get it right. The delivery of the benefit needs to be smooth, targeted, effective and possible.
While the previous Conservative government made promises to Canadians and to the disability community, we actually fulfilled these promises and are going to realize them. Our government has delivered to persons with disabilities. We will continue to do so.
We carefully crafted consultations with the disability community. I, myself, over the last five months of being parliamentary secretary to the minister, have learned about the disability community and have learned about the contours, the uniquenesses within the community, and there are many. The disability benefit will reflect these contours, the uniquenesses of the community.
Bill C-22 received royal assent on June 22, 2023. Immediately, within a month, we announced the start of meaningful consultations. These consultations are informing the design of the regulations to serve those in need. This is absolutely necessary.
The regulatory process is crucial and we must respect it.
There is no better way to get it right than to include those with lived experiences. Persons with disabilities need to have the opportunity to contribute to the design of the benefit's regulations. The disability community must have a say in how this benefit will look, and reflect those concerns. In fact, it is required by the Canada Disability Benefit Act.
The benefit has real potential to reduce and alleviate poverty and to support those who are seeking financial security, those who are of working age and Canadians with disabilities. We know what the target is. We will hit the mark.
Our latest engagement has been via an online tool, where Canadians throughout the country shared their thoughts on details of the benefit. We sought the advice also within key areas from experts, the disability community and advocates.
This addresses the member's question on how the application process should be structured. We are now analyzing those very responses from coast to coast from advocates, from people who are living with disabilities and from those with the variations of disabilities reflected within our country.
We are assessing those responses right now, and we are drafting the regulations. They are being put into the final stage. We are making sure obstacles are removed so Canadians, those with disabilities, will have access to this important benefit.
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- Jan/29/24 2:08:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, seven years ago, a heinous act took the lives of six men and injured 19 others at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec.
Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thatbi were fathers, husbands, brothers and loved ones. They were targeted simply because of their faith, simply because they were Muslim.
Unfortunately, Canada has also seen an alarming rise in discrimination as a result of the conflict in Gaza. People who are Muslim, Palestinian and Arab feel what is happening intensely. They are yelling on the inside but are asked to be patient and to endure. They are feeling their freedom of speech curtailed.
Last year, the government appointed the first special representative on combatting Islamophobia. She has done an excellent job in addressing the issues.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to again thank the member opposite for her advocacy.
We are moving quickly on historic investments and measures. The legislation, Bill C-22, which is now law, requires that we consult with the community in a fulsome fashion, and we are doing so. It requires that we make regulations to have the benefit realized, actualized and in people's pockets, and we are doing so. The benefit will reduce poverty and will increase financial security for those who need it most.
The Canada disability benefit is important to all of us. It is important to our government, it is important to the member opposite, it is important to me and it is important to Canadians. We are working with the community tirelessly.
We need to get this right and we will get it right. It will help create real change. It will transform the realities—
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- Dec/6/23 7:28:55 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would start off by thanking the member for Port Moody—Coquitlam for her advocacy for the disability community.
Since 2015, our government has worked tirelessly to lift millions of Canadians out of poverty. This includes persons with disabilities.
We know that too many people are facing additional costs related to their disability.
I am speaking of expenses limited to accessible housing, to accessible transportation and to disability supports, among many others. We know that a mix of poverty and disability can create physical and social isolation. The disability benefit is a major milestone in helping to alleviate poverty for those who have disabilities. We will not cut corners on meaningful consultation. We have committed to deliver this benefit quickly.
We know that the need is urgent.
Poverty is complex and multi-dimensional. The Canada disability benefit is meant to supplement income and not replace existing benefits. We want to make sure that its impact is felt and that it is real. Other levels of government and the private sector need to join us in this mission of eliminating poverty among persons with disabilities.
We need to recognize that decades of relentless advocacy on the part of the disability community have helped us get to the point we are at today. In the spirit of “Nothing Without Us”, we could not have gotten to the point where we are. “Nothing Without Us” means that we are working with the disability community to get to a point where this benefit will be realized and will help those who are impacted. Everything we have achieved thus far has been done by working with the community each and every step of the way.
The Canada disability benefit is a cornerstone of the disability inclusion action plan. The action plan includes key priorities identified by the disability community. Our government has held round table discussions with members of the community, with advocates and with experts. At the same time, community- and indigenous-led engagements have been held on separate tracks to make sure the action plan is comprehensive and effective. The next step is to make the Canada disability benefit a reality through regulations and implementation.
We will continue to work with the disability community, stakeholders, indigenous organizations and provinces and territories. We have started the engagement and the design of the regulations. We are confident that the benefit will help ease the stress and hardship of those who need it.
I want to again thank the disability community, advocates, actors and those who have been pushing to help us get to the point where this benefit will be fulsome, will be real and will help alleviate poverty. I also thank the member opposite for her advocacy.
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- Dec/6/23 2:13:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Sunday marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
The United Nations' theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities focuses on Sustainable Development Goals.
It is important that we make sustainable development a reality for persons with disabilities. The principle of “Nothing Without Us”, which means we work in partnership with the disability community, is what guides the government. It is what guides disability inclusion and helps us achieve our goal.
Recently we launched an online tool that will allow Canadians to give their input on how the regulations for the disability benefit will be implemented. The benefit is a cornerstone of our disability inclusion plan. It helps to reduce poverty. It will be a supplement to and will not replace existing supports.
Together, we will do this. We need to do this.
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- Dec/5/23 2:06:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, the leader of the Conservative Party said that what happened on the Rainbow Bridge was a terrorist attack. He was hasty and wrong. He misled Canadians and the House when he said that.
Again, the Conservative Party is seeking to heckle me as they did my colleague for Brampton Centre. He had to repeat his statement in the House five or six times. When the leader of the Conservative Party said that, as my colleague from Brampton Centre said, it evoked memories of the Harper government. I personally thought the Conservative Party was well beyond those sentiments and ideas of maligning minority communities. What happened was wrong. We cannot return to the stone age or to the Harper government's policies and rhetoric.
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- Dec/4/23 3:11:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member opposite for her advocacy and for raising the issue of disability.
This is a very important concern. Our government is seized by this issue. Thankfully, this Parliament passed the disability benefit and made it into law. We are working on the regulations, we are consulting the community fully, and this will happen.
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Mr. Speaker, I am so happy that our House, together, passed an important disability benefit with Bill C-22. We are committed to making sure that this benefit is realized, and that this will get dollars into the pockets of those who need it for Canadians who are with disability and who are of working age. This will help alleviate poverty and help Canadians who are looking forward to this benefit. We will do so properly and without delay.
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- Nov/24/23 2:12:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend, the member for Lac-Saint-Louis, for introducing this important bill.
This bill is very important. It would help Canada protect those who are facing severe floods. It would also give us a national strategy to address floods and drought forecasting. This, as we know, is the way of the future.
Climate change is real. It is impacts us throughout the country. We saw terrible forest fires in B.C. We saw flooding in my own riding of Pierrefonds—Dollard. We saw Nova Scotia, in July of this year, have terrible floods due to precipitation. As the member for Lac-Saint-Louis said, this strategy will help us forecast and see what is happening before it hits us.
I have taken considerable time to visit the flood areas in Pierrefonds—Dollard. I have toured the flood zones with the former Île Bizard mayor, Stéphane Côté, somebody I call a friend and who works extremely diligently for his community. He made sure that I was able to to see first-hand the infrastructure he was putting in place.
People in 2017 and 2019 were extremely stressed. They lost their property and their homes. They lost their life savings. They had to deal with trauma as a result of losing their life savings. I met residents whose households were suffering from the effects of flooding for years after. The echo effects due to loss of their entire properties included depression within their households and stress upon their families. It was extremely difficult for them to bear.
When we talk about legislation to create a national strategy around flooding and drought forecasting, it is about much more than protecting property and protecting people's homes. It also has mental health impacts for our society and community.
The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Louis has done extremely important work through the committee he chairs, the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. Through this committee, he has brought forth issues relating to water and the environment. That is why I am so happy to see him bring this legislation to the floor today, legislation that I hope this entire House will support together.
We heard from members of the other parties. They said that the Quebec government does not need the federal government's support.
That is not the case. Take, for example, the new protected space in Anticosti. This space has just been designated a UNESCO heritage site. That means Anticosti is protected. This is in contrast and contradiction, respectfully, to what the leader of the Bloc said recently, which is that the space in Anticosti should instead be a site for drilling oil. The site is in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The Liberal Party is seeking to protect land, seeking to protect against flooding and seeking to protect heritage sites. Going back to my riding in the area of West Island and to the Montreal area, the federal government has invested millions of dollars to prevent flooding and to protect the environment. We invested $50 million in the area of Pierrefonds to bring improvements to and protect a park called Grand parc de l’Ouest.
The human impacts of flooding are real. I have seen families that have been impacted. I have visited the sites within both Pierrefonds and Île-Bizard. In Île Mercier, which is a small island in Île-Bizard, and a beautiful space, the homes are also subject to potential flooding each and every year. As the spring waters come in, I have seen the anxiety of the residents who are looking, each and every day, at the water level as it rises. The forecasting this bill would bring would help alleviate that anxiety. It would help us plan better to avoid the loss of property and stress on individuals. The real-time data this legislation would provide would help Canada face climate change into the future. It would ensure that we are equipped and better able to adapt to the changing environment and the changes we fully expect to see.
Our government is committed to helping Canadians better adapt to extreme weather environments. This includes floods and droughts. It is already implementing key activities in relation to floods and drought forecasting. Take, for example, Environment and Climate Change Canada's meteorological service, the National Hydrological Service, which acts as the national authority responsible for the collection, interpretation and dissemination of standardized water resource data and information in Canada. It administers the national hydrometric programs by way of collaboration and cost-sharing with provinces and territories to help people. The national Hydrological Service operates 2,256 of the 2,922 water monitoring stations across the country. It also consolidates water quality data.
In closing, I want to express my clear support for the bill of my friend and colleague, my neighbouring member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis. I have learned so much from him with respect to this work. He has preceded me by many years, but I see how he serves his community diligently, and I take the example he offers. When it comes to protecting the environment and water, I know he is sincere in his work and is bringing forth legislation that would not only help benefit the residents of his riding and those being flooded throughout Quebec and other parts of the country, but also uplift our entire world by extension.
I hope all members of the House will support the bill.
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- Nov/24/23 11:07:53 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, recently, while going to the Fine Arts and Crafts Holiday Market at the DDO Civic Centre, I had the pleasure of meeting Zach Reisman. Zach is a talented artist.
Zach is a young adult with autism in my riding of Pierrefonds—Dollard.
Since 2018, Zach and his mom Lorri have operated Zach Designs. Their small business sells hand-illustrated greeting cards around the world. His cards are for every occasion, including Christmas and Hanukkah. They are a true work of art, and they are also cherished by our community. Everyone can find Zach's cards at zachdesigns.ca.
Through his small business, Zach not only earns a living but also donates 10% of his sales to The Liam Foundation. The foundation raises funds for mitochondrial disease awareness and research.
I am truly impressed by Zach, his art and his talent. I am truly moved by Lorri's perseverance and support of her son.
Since the holidays are coming, let us support Zach by buying some of his beautiful greeting cards.
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- Nov/22/23 8:08:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, we are moving as swiftly as possible on ensuring that the disability benefit is fulsome, is done in full consultation with the disability community and factors in the comments, feedback, expertise and lived experiences of the disability community. We are doing the work to make sure this is done properly, in a fulsome way, and done right.
From the beginning, our government has been committed to supporting Canadians with disabilities. We are filling in the gaps. Yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister tabled our government's next phase of a plan to help create good middle-class jobs and grow a strong, inclusive economy. The disability community is part of our society and economy.
We are making sure to get this done properly and in full consultation with the community. This is in the spirit of “Nothing Without Us”. It helps us ensure that all voices are included, especially the voices of those who have disabilities.
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