Tagged with: House of Commons


June 11, 2017 | No Comments

Pleased to participate in the UK Election Assessment mission

I had a truly amazing experience travelling to London and Manchester UK to be part of a Commonwealth UK election assessment observer team along with my MP colleague Matt Jeneroux and more than 30 other Commonwealth parliamentarians and officials.

Our preliminary report on the June 8 election is online now and a final report will be out in the coming weeks.

Thanks to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK for the training and for being great hosts.

 





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May 18, 2017 | No Comments

Today we commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the Crimean Tatar deportation

Today marks the 73rd anniversary of the Crimean Tatar Deportation.

The same evil ideology is at play in both the Soviet regime’s brutal deportation of an entire nation, and in Vladimir Putin’s unending war against Ukraine.

This Liberal government must do more to stop Liberal aggression.

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May 18, 2017 | No Comments

Today marks the 73rd anniversary of the Crimean Tatar deportation

On May 18, 1944, the Soviet secret police forces dragged thousands of Crimean Tatars from their homes, packed them into cattle cars, and deported this entire nation to a remote corner of Central Asia.

Today is the 73rd anniversary of this brutal crime, an attempt to wipe a small nation from the face of the Earth. Last year, the House debated my bill which would have recognized this atrocity as genocide, but the Liberal government shamefully ordered Liberal MPs to vote against it in an attempt to appease Russia. The Liberals’ efforts to please Vladimir Putin were repaid with a smear campaign against their foreign minister, showing the futility of this approach.

Today, the Crimean Tatars face renewed peril at the hands of Vladimir Putin’s illegal occupation of Crimea. They are denied freedom of speech, the freedom to practice their faith, and are subject to harassment, assault and kidnappings simply because of their nationality.

The same evil ideology is at play in both the Soviet regime’s brutal deportation of an entire nation, and in Vladimir Putin’s unending war against Ukraine.

Canada has always been a friend to Ukraine, and today’s anniversary is a reminder of why we stand with Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars to defend our values against the brutality of regimes like that of Vladimir Putin.

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May 3, 2017 | No Comments

Did you know that Canada has the highest rate of MS in the world?

May is multiple sclerosis (MS) awareness month.

MS is an unpredictable and often disabling disease of the central nervous system.

This week, I was honoured to be the Conservative champion for the MS Society.

And today my colleagues and I wore carnations to show solidarity with the entire MS community.

Visit the MS Society’s website to learn more about MS and the important work they do to help all those who #LiveWithMS. https://mssociety.ca

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March 31, 2017 | No Comments

Robust discussions on supervised injections sites at town hall meeting

An overflowing crowd jammed a Boyle Street Plaza room for my town hall on supervised injection sites. There was great, diverse opinions and respectful listening.

Thanks again to our expert panel and to all attendees.

As the Member of Parliament for Edmonton Griesbach, I’m glad to support you in your need to have your opinions heard.

I welcome more comments on this important issue.



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March 28, 2017 | No Comments

Update on motion M-103

Canadians value the rights and freedoms guaranteed to them in our free and democratic society – rights like freedom of religion and freedom of expression.

Our country’s continued strength and stability is dependent on our shared commitment to safeguard these rights.

On March 23, 2017, the House of Commons voted on M-103, a controversial private member’s motion introduced by Iqra Khalid, Liberal Member of Parliament for Mississauga – Erin Mills.

This motion passed.

I voted against M-103, you can see the recorded vote here.

I came to this decision after careful examination of the text of the motion and after considering the concerns raised by the vast majority of my constituents who reached out to me on the topic.

I had supported an earlier Conservative motion that was more inclusive. It condemned racism and discrimination towards Muslims and all religious groups. It’s curious that the Liberals played politics by not supporting that earlier motion.

The Liberal motion M-103 reads:

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) recognize the need to quell the increasing public climate of hate and fear; (b) condemn Islamophobia and all forms of systemic racism and religious discrimination and take note of House of Commons’ petition e-411 and the issues raised by it; and (c) request that the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage undertake a study on how the government could (i) develop a whole-of-government approach to reducing or eliminating systemic racism and religious discrimination including Islamophobia, in Canada, while ensuring a community-centered focus with a holistic response through evidence-based policy-making, (ii) collect data to contextualize hate crime reports and to conduct needs assessments for impacted communities, and that the Committee should present its findings and recommendations to the House no later than 240 calendar days from the adoption of this motion, provided that in its report, the Committee should make recommendations that the government may use to better reflect the enshrined rights and freedoms in the Constitution Acts, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

This motion singles out Islam without reaffirming religious freedom for all faith groups.

It also focuses on a controversial term – Islamophobia – without defining it.

This raises a genuine concern that this motion could be a first step towards restricting legitimate freedom of speech and shut down reasonable debate rather than encourage it.

I strongly condemn all forms of systemic racism, religious intolerance, and discrimination against any religious community.

Unfortunately, any attempts to amend the wording of this motion were rejected.

That’s why David Anderson, Member of Parliament for Cypress Hills – Grasslands, introduced a similar motion on our Conservative Opposition day, which I supported and the Liberals rejected.

That motion reads:

That the House: (a) recognize that Canadian society is not immune to the climate of hate and fear exemplified by the recent and senseless violent acts at a Quebec City mosque; (b) condemn all forms of systemic racism, religious intolerance, and discrimination of Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, and other religious communities; and (c) instruct the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to undertake a study on how the government could (i) develop a whole-of-government approach to reducing or eliminating all types of discrimination in Canada, while ensuring a community-centered focus with a holistic response through evidence-based policy-making, (ii) collect data to contextualize hate crime reports and to conduct needs assessments for impacted communities; and that the Committee report its findings and recommendations to the House no later than 240 calendar days from the adoption of this motion, provided that in its report, the Committee should make recommendations that the government may use to better reflect the enshrined rights and freedoms in the Constitution Acts, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

It’s unfortunate that despite the support of all other parties, the Liberals voted against this motion and defeated it.

Every Canadian has the right to religious freedom – to be able practice their faith without fear of intimidation, coercion or violence.

Freedom of expression – so long as it isn’t violent or threatening – is also a sacred right.

As the Member of Parliament for Edmonton Griesbach, I’m committed to protecting these rights.  

It’s my sincere hope that any dialogue and studies in response to M-103 will be inclusive and protect all the rights that we value as Canadians.

© Library of Parliament

© Library of Parliament

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March 23, 2017 | No Comments

Let’s talk supervised injections sites

Safeguarding the health and safety of our community is paramount.

There are four safe injection sites being proposed in Edmonton including one in our community of Edmonton Griesbach.

It’s important that you’re kept informed of the process and that you have the opportunity to voice your views and concerns.

I hope you can join me for my town hall on Thursday, March 30. And, don’t forget to invite your friends and family.

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March 22, 2017 | No Comments

The new Liberal budget is out and it’s going to cost you

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March 21, 2017 | No Comments

Ukraine is in need of support from Canada

In the face of ongoing Russian military aggression, Liberals have announced minimal measures to help Ukraine. While the extension of Operation UNIFIER is positive, it is the bare minimum. 

As a friend and an ally, Canada has a moral duty to stand with Ukraine. Here’s my speech from the debate on the extension of Operation UNIFIER.

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March 8, 2017 | No Comments

Happy to donate to Dress for Success on International Women’s Day

Dress for Success is a great organization that provides support for women to succeed in professional life.

Thanks to the Hon. Rona Ambrose for lending her office space for this important cause.




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