SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 179 - Apr/18/23

Apr/18/23 10:48:05 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I think we need to support our law enforcement officials, including the RCMP. I would add that, as we have seen with the Mass Casualty Commission's report on the Nova Scotia shootings, we need to improve police and RCMP training in this country. I would also add that the RCMP Depot in Regina is the best place to do that. The proposal in the Mass Casualty Commission's report to shut down the depot in Regina is misguided, and we should be proud of our RCMP officers.

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Context: House Hansard - 179 - Apr/18/23

Mr. Darren Fisher (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors, Lib.)

Apr/18/23 11:50:54 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, before I begin, I want to say that I may be standing on the floor of the House of Commons, but my heart is back home with my fellow Nova Scotians. As we all know in this House, today marks the third anniversary of a brutal tragedy, where a gunman took 22 beautiful lives. They will never be forgotten. It is no secret that the past few years have brought unprecedented challenges, from a global pandemic to Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and global inflation. As a government and a country, we have tackled these challenges head-on together. We have delivered sensible and compassionate policies to ensure that Canada would not just weather these storms but also find its way through and grow stronger than before, with a stronger economy, a stronger social safety net and a stronger climate plan. Over the last year, economically, Canada has come out on top, delivering the strongest economic growth in the G7. There are nearly one million more Canadians working today than there were at the start of COVID. That means that 126% of the jobs that were lost have been recovered. Wages are outpacing inflation. Unemployment remains incredibly historically low, at 5%. There is one great challenge that I have to mention and that continues to test every single country around the world: climate change. Yes, climate change is an existential challenge, but it is also the one greatest opportunity of our generation. Despite the significant challenges that countries around the world are facing, there is now an unprecedented race to retool economies and rapidly build the net-zero industries of tomorrow. Madam Speaker, I have just been reminded that I will be sharing my time with the member for Toronto—Danforth. Businesses in Dartmouth—Cole Harbour already get the economic value that the clean technology industry provides, and they are providing good jobs for people right here at home. Such companies include CarbonCure, which has brilliant technology that captures carbon and recycles it, permanently trapping it in fresh, resilient concrete. There is also Rayleigh Solar Technologies, which develops lightweight, thin and flexible perovskite solar cells that can be installed on just about anything. We can install this thin material to harness the energy from the sun on whatever we build, whatever shape, straight or curved. As we can imagine, the sun is the limit. There are also companies like Graphite Innovation and Technologies, which attracts brilliant minds from around the world to beautiful Dartmouth—Cole Harbour. It has developed an incredible marine coating that reduces the drag on ships, significantly boosting their fuel efficiency. These are just a few examples of the many companies in Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, which is an incredible clean-tech hub. Now that we have tabled budget 2023, we have launched our “Made-in-Canada Plan” to support affordable energy, create good jobs and grow our clean economy. I think we can all agree that Canada has an abundance of the critical minerals needed for clean technology, such as batteries for electric vehicles and microchips for digital technology. As a government, we have built the strong environmental foundation needed to make sure we are ready for these projects. Since we have strengthened federal legislation for impact assessments and environmental regulations, we are ready and showing that we can sustainably lead the way to handle the full life cycle of this new technology. Another great example in Dartmouth—Cole Harbour is a brilliant company called Novonix, which is developing cutting-edge technology for electric vehicle batteries. We can develop the technology, provide the critical minerals required, manufacture the batteries and recycle them all here in Canada. This is just one example of many. Through budget 2023, we are making the sound investments needed to ensure that a clean Canadian economy will deliver prosperity, middle-class jobs and more vibrant communities all across our country. With smart measures like expanded clean technology tax credits, we are making sure that Canada is perfectly positioned to attract and grow businesses and jobs here at home. Back in 2021, we knew that we had a lot of educated and skilled workers who could not afford to go back out to work because day care costs in most parts of the country were just too expensive. These workers were disproportionately women. That is why we have inked deals with every province and territory across Canada through our Canada-wide early learning and child care plan. Of course, this plan is an absolute game changer for Canadian families. Day care fees have already been reduced by at least 50% across the country. This means that families are already saving thousands of dollars per year, and soon, fees at day cares across the country will be just $10 a day on average. Like I said, this is an amazing plan for families. However, it is also important for our economy. Just about every industry across the country has been facing a labour shortage. I am so proud of the new stats saying that 85.7% of women aged 25 to 54 are working. This means that since we launched our plan, almost 20% more women are working in Canada. I know that when the Nova Scotia government meets its commitment to increase the child care spaces, we will see even more women back to work in my home province. What I have shared today is exciting and positive news, but we know that global inflation has deeply impacted the most vulnerable people in our communities. It is why we launched our affordability plan, which is a suite of carefully targeted measures to help make life more affordable for millions of Canadians. From enhancements to the Canada workers' benefit to a 10% increase in old age security, as well as rent support, dental care and extra support through the GST credit, we have supports to help people make ends meet. Budget 2023 builds on these measures by introducing a new grocery rebate for those who need it most. Carefully targeted to provide inflation relief for 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians, the rebate will provide eligible couples with two kids with up to an extra $467 and single Canadians without kids with up to an extra $234. We are also introducing automatic tax filing for low-income Canadians to ensure that they get proper access to the benefits they are entitled to. We are also cracking down on hidden junk fees and predatory lending. I think we can all agree that the pandemic exacerbated the struggles facing our publicly funded health care system. Our system and our incredible health care workers are under enormous strain. Too many Nova Scotians are struggling to find a family doctor; wait times in emergency rooms are way too long, and folks spend too much time waiting for important surgeries and procedures. Yes, health care delivery is in the jurisdiction of each province, but it is up to all of us to uphold the Canada Health Act and make sure that every Canadian can access health care when they need it. Budget 2023 delivers an extra $195.8 billion to the provinces and territories for health care. This additional funding is incredible news. However, I firmly believe that more funding alone is not enough. That is why our government is requiring the provincial and territorial governments to provide proper data to measure and report progress in provincial health care systems. We will uphold the Canada Health Act and use new federal spending to strengthen Canada's public health care system because every Canadian deserves to get health care as and when they need it. More than 250,000 children under 12 years old across Canada have received the dental care that they need in the Canada dental benefit. However, we know that too many Canadians, especially seniors, are struggling to access dental care. I have heard from some seniors that they must choose between either paying their rent and bills or paying for their needed dental care. By the end of this year, we aim to improve access to dental care for Canada's seniors, people with disabilities and children under 18. Budget 2023 will launch the Canadian dental care plan; by the end of 2025, this plan will deliver dental care to uninsured Canadians with a family income of under $90,000. Budget 2023 helps deliver a healthy Canada, which is where the clean-technology industry thrives and smart businesses are figuring out ways to protect our environment while growing our economy. A healthy Canada will leave no one behind.

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Context: House Hansard - 179 - Apr/18/23

Mr. Lloyd Longfield (Guelph, Lib.)

Apr/18/23 12:04:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour got my attention when he talked about the clean technology businesses in his riding. As he knows, we have a lot of clean technology happening in Guelph. The Nova Scotia Innovation Hub, according to its website, is one place that is capitalizing on opportunities created by growing global demand for low-carbon products and processes. Could the hon. member comment on the great opportunity we have that is being supported by this budget?

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Context: House Hansard - 179 - Apr/18/23

Mr. Stephen Ellis (Cumberland—Colchester, CPC)

Apr/18/23 2:10:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, April 18 and 19, 2020, are the days ingrained in the memories of all Nova Scotians, and indeed all Canadians. Today marks three years since an inexplicable madman inserted himself into the lives of 22 Nova Scotians and an unborn baby. The hurt and disbelief continue to be a part of everyday life. Events such as this do not happen in Canada, let alone in a small community such as Portapique, Nova Scotia. Words fail when we attempt to understand the gravity of the situation, when we attempt to grasp the ongoing rawness of emotions or attempt to understand how and why this happened. Our thoughts, at times, are frozen as we attempt to process, to interpret and to explain the shock, the horror and the sadness experienced by all affected. Those of us left behind need to continue to honour their memory, ensure the terrible events are not forgotten, and hold accountable the systems and institutions that failed these Canadians in their time of greatest need. I invite everyone in the House to keep all of those left behind, especially the families, in their thoughts and in their prayers.

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