- Member of Parliament
- Member of Parliament
- NDP
- South Okanagan—West Kootenay
- British Columbia
- Voting Attendance: 61%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $128,729.57
- Government Page
- Dec/12/23 1:46:14 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, the member is valuable member of the international trade committee. This issue of wartime insurance for Canadian companies is important. I do not believe it belongs in a free trade agreement, just as I do not believe that calls for more munitions to Ukraine or natural gas to Ukraine belong in a free trade agreement. These agreements are about taking tariffs off things and not about trying to promote one thing or the other.
This is something that the government should be looking into. This is an agreement that is supposed to help rebuild Ukraine and right now we are talking about issues within the war experience.
109 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Mr. Speaker, I am glad my colleague from North Okanagan—Shuswap brought up the example of the long-term care homes that have been so problematic in our valley and in our province of British Columbia. The company Anbang, through Cedar Tree and others, perpetuated a situation of very poor care for our seniors: mothers, fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers. The NDP put forward an amendment to make it such that, if a foreign government took over a company after a foreign company had been cleared, as was the case with Anbang Insurance, Canada should act. When the NDP amendment was put forward for this bill, the government members said we could already do that.
Could the member comment on that and whether the government should take immediate steps to take over the company that is taking care of our seniors, since we really do not trust it to do that?
151 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I am glad my colleague mentioned Anbang. Retirement Concepts is a company operating a retirement centre in my backyard, basically, in Summerland. It was in trouble before Anbang, a Chinese-owned insurance company, got involved; that was approved, as the member said, probably mistakenly. Then, Anbang was taken over by the Chinese government. The NDP put forward an amendment to the bill before us that would trigger a review, with a previously okayed deal, if there was a subsequent takeover by a state-owned enterprise.
Could the member comment on that and why the amendment did not pass through at committee?
103 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Sep/21/23 5:43:55 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I have been talking to the minister about the new insurance program that is being conceived. I look forward to seeing the details on that when it comes out, hopefully later this fall. I am also glad that the member mentioned earthquake insurance. It is not related to climate change obviously, but it is something that is of deep concern in coastal British Columbia.
However, it is clear that we really must recognize the devastating impacts of climate change on the lives of Canadians. To reduce the human and financial costs of these extreme weather events, we must make bolder investments to reduce our emissions and to prepare our homes, businesses and communities for future challenges. Over the coming years, these investments will save 10 times their cost in avoided damage and loss of personal property and will also allow us to live longer, healthier lives.
148 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/2/23 11:49:12 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, natural disasters, including wildfires and floods, fuelled by climate change are making it difficult to get home insurance. Canadians cannot buy a home when there is an active wildfire within 50 kilometres and that covers most of the summer in B.C., and 10% of Canadians cannot get flood insurance. Canada is the only major country where the government does not have a backstop for earthquake insurance.
Canadians cannot afford to wait while their homes and businesses are destroyed.
Will the Liberals act to make sure Canadians have the insurance protection they need?
95 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, one of the concerns the NDP and I have about this bill is that we should be looking more closely at transactions where a company is being taken over by a state-owned enterprise. The member for South Shore—St. Margarets mentioned Chinese investments. In British Columbia, we had a case where Anbang Insurance bought Retirement Concepts, a local British Columbia company that operates long-term care facilities in B.C. That company was then taken over by the Chinese government, yet there was no automatic trigger for an analysis there. We should have that in this bill for when there is a takeover by a foreign state-owned enterprise.
113 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
