SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

Bonita Zarrillo

  • Member of Parliament
  • Member of Parliament
  • NDP
  • Port Moody—Coquitlam
  • British Columbia
  • Voting Attendance: 67%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $129,260.13

  • Government Page
  • May/9/24 9:07:51 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I know there has been a lot of rhetoric in this House from the Conservatives about declining productivity. That is of no surprise when the oil and gas industry in Canada, one of the largest contributors to the economy, is not reinvesting in R and D, is not reinvesting in innovation, but instead is skimming profits and redistributing them to wealthy shareholders. I am wondering what the member thinks about that.
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  • Feb/13/23 9:06:06 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-39 
Mr. Speaker, certainly I agree that there needs to be more investment in palliative care and it is a very important aspect of our society. Today, we are talking about mental health and MAID. We know that one of the pillars of recovery from mental illness is a financial pillar: the ability to have a house, to buy food and to get access to medication and supports. Does the member feel that a guaranteed livable basic income is something that could alleviate suffering in the wake of the mental health crisis in this country?
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  • Nov/23/23 1:14:38 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member talked about there being more funding this year than there was last year and how the current government and previous governments did not invest in housing. We know that housing is a human right. I very much appreciated the question today from my colleague from the Bloc, who talked about the urgency of this crisis. Why has it taken the government this long to get serious about investing in affordable housing?
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  • May/18/23 11:29:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, these are heartfelt realities that are happening to families across this country, and I am just so moved by the member's speech today. I am disappointed, though, in the Liberals and the Conservatives, in their actions over the last 30 years in regard to investments, which the member spoke about in her speech, like housing, pharmacare and all those investments that matter to the well-being of people. Could the member speak about the lack of investments and how it is affecting communities?
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  • Apr/27/23 7:15:50 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is probably not a good question to ask me, because no, I have not. Even though there has been investment in my community, we have lost housing at a rate of 15 to one. Affordable housing has come down, and luxury condos have gone up. Up to 20% of those condos are sitting empty, and our homelessness rate is rising, our mental health impacts are rising and our opioid overdoses are rising. We cannot sit in this House saying we are doing A, B and C, when the results are not happening on the ground, and I will say that the National Housing Council just came forward with a report that said the national housing strategy is not working.
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  • Apr/27/23 3:45:24 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member mentioned the lack of investments in housing and affordable housing. I wonder if he could share his thoughts around the fact that we are losing 15 affordable units to every one unit that is being built, yet the government continues to go forward with its market-driven lens on housing.
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  • Apr/25/23 12:33:54 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-47 
Mr. Speaker, although I thank the member for the comments on housing, the Liberal government is tinkering around the edges in a crisis. I am happy to see that there are structural investments in this budget around dental care, which will be long-standing and eternal for Canadians. However, what the government really missed was housing. Where is the investment in affordable housing in this budget? We knew operating agreements that were made 40 years ago were going to expire. Ten years ago, we should have had our eye on it. Municipalities had their eye on the fact that operating agreements were expiring this year, last year, next year and the next three or four years. Where is the investment in affordable housing in this budget?
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  • Apr/17/23 12:43:35 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have to speak to the missing part of the budget, which is any real investment in housing. In a release today, the National Housing Council is saying that the national housing strategy is not working. We are seeing very little investment in housing in the budget. Could the member speak to why?
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  • Jun/17/22 12:11:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canada has an equity problem. The Canadian Climate Institute reports that the Liberals are failing again to deliver needed infrastructure in the north. Decades of underfunding mean that people do not have the tools to face wildfires, floods and other extreme weather. Most indigenous and northern communities already lack access to safe drinking water, adequate housing and reliable roads. That is not fair. When will the Liberals finally make meaningful investments in infrastructure and stop neglecting people in the north?
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