- Member of Parliament
- Member of the Subcommittee on Review of Parliament’s involvement with associations and recognized Interparliamentary groups
Deputy House leader of the New Democratic Party
- NDP
- London—Fanshawe
- Ontario
- Voting Attendance: 66%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $131,911.16
- Government Page
- Dec/5/23 12:09:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I understand that this has been called into question. The department could not be sure of who was part of that survey or ensure that veterans' groups were in fact polled in the way the member is suggesting. The fact, again, that the government set up an expert jury who had done that consultation as well and rejected the findings of that expert jury is extremely questionable.
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- Dec/5/23 12:07:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's trying to stand up for things that are happening in his community. I have certainly done that, and I have worked very hard to try to find supports for other institutions that are commemorating veterans in our community. I have the 427 Wing, which was actually just awarded the Veterans Ombudsman Commendation for service to its community. I have the Victory Legion in London; it and all legions across the country do incredible work. They need supports from the federal government in terms of their places and infrastructure. The government can do a lot to support the institutions that help veterans in our communities.
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-362, An Act to establish the Office of the Ombud for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces, to make related amendments to the Contraventions Act and to make consequential amendments to certain Acts.
She said: Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce my private member's bill to give the Office of the Ombud for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces more independence.
I would like to thank the member for North Island—Powell River for seconding this bill. She does a tremendous job as NDP critic for veterans.
Over two decades, many Canadians have raised serious concerns about Canada's military culture, including cases of sexual misconduct. Despite the Deschamps and Arbour reports, hearings in Parliament and appeals from survivors, the Liberals have failed to address these systemic problems.
My bill would establish that the Office of the Ombud would report directly to Parliament and not the Minister of Defence. This independence is essential to ensuring that Canadian Forces personnel and DND employees can trust in the process and receive help. Importantly, Canada's current military ombudsman has asked this government to make his office completely independent.
The Liberals have refused to take action, but we have done enormous work to address the challenges within the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. This bill is an essential step.
I thank the advocates who have helped to get us to this point, and I encourage the government to support this bill.
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- Jun/6/23 2:15:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on June 6, we celebrate the courage of Canadians who took part in the Normandy landings with the goal to free Europe from the grips of an extremist right-wing regime. It has been 79 years since Canadian soldiers took part in the landing, where many soldiers gave their lives to build a more peaceful, just world. We must honour their fight and their sacrifice. They put everything on the line at Juno Beach so we could stand here today, freely, with all the privileges we have.
More than 20 years ago, I too stood on that beach and visited the cemetery at Beny-Sur-Mer. I walked among the graves of those who never came home, and it was something that I will never forget.
On behalf of the New Democrats, on the anniversary of D-Day, we commemorate the courage shown against such destructive forces, we thank the veterans and their families for their sacrifice and we vow to hold true to the values for which they fought: justice, equality and democracy. We will remember them.
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- Oct/25/22 4:54:22 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the conversation today, although I may not agree with it or with having it at this time. This is not necessarily the time.
One thing that I keep questioning myself about as we debate this motion, which we will be voting on at some point, is what a lot of the people in my riding will think about this. I think about the veterans whom I talk to on numerous occasions. In the next few weeks, we are going to be commemorating and remembering what they provided to this country in fighting for freedom. I think of how incredibly proud they are as part of our democracy in fighting for that within the institutions, whether one agrees with them or not, and how they link that to the monarchy.
How would the member have me explain that to veterans who put so much emphasis and pride into fighting for what Canada represents, including the monarchy?
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- Sep/23/22 11:44:51 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government paid Mr. Zourdoumis, a veteran, incorrectly and is now demanding that money back. Not only is Veterans Affairs Canada trying to make Mr. Zourdoumis pay for its mistake, it is putting the onus on him to navigate the bureaucracy of CRA. When he reached out for help from VAC, it would not even return his calls.
Will the minister apologize and take steps to ensure this never happens again?
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- May/31/22 2:54:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today's Auditor General's report confirms Canadian veterans are still waiting months or even years to access disability benefits and says better data is desperately needed. This has been an issue since 2014, but the government continues to fail Canadian veterans. It is completely unacceptable that veterans are forced to do without the supports and services they need because the government has not fixed the problems. It has been eight years.
What will it take for the minister to finally get Canadian veterans the help they deserve?
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