Adam van Koeverden
Burlington North—Milton West, Ontario · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, what an extraordinary moment we are at in sport in Canada. We are so proud and excited to be co-hosting the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup with Mexico and the United States. Tomorrow, Canada will play its first-ever FIFA Men's World Cup match in Toronto against Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will inspire countless young Canadians.”
“Mr. Speaker, it seems that the Conservatives' photocopier is out of toner, because they have all received the exact same photocopy of the exact same question. It is too bad that the Conservative leader does not trust his MPs to ask an original question.”
“Madam Speaker, I have known the member for a number of years and, in fact, I have a great deal of respect for him. He overcame enormous personal challenges to be in the House, which he has been open about. That is why I respect him, but he conducts himself in this way.”
“This may seem implausible or unconvincing to some, but I want to emphasize what a significant and serious upstream investment sport represents in an effort to create safer communities while promoting positive social development and building resilience, particularly among at-risk youth.”
“Each remedy could be tailored to rectify the harm suffered by the accused while preserving the public interest in having criminal cases decided on their merits. For example, a court could make an order to expedite proceedings or the trial itself, sever charges for cases involving multiple co-accused or change the venue of the trial.”
“Bill C-16 would preserve the existing approach, determining whether a case is complex under the Jordan framework, but would require courts to consider specific additional factors when the case involves applications or motions.”
The complete record
Every one of 133 lines we hold for Adam van Koeverden, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 3.
“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for speaking up for the environment and for the fight against climate change. It is a cause that is close to my heart. It is one of the many reasons that prompted me to put my name on the ballot. Fighting climate change is a priority for our government. We have many programs and tools to achieve this. Industry and the energy sector can do their part. A lot of Ontario's energy comes from nuclear power.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am happy to correct the record. Unfortunately, the Conservative member is mistaken. We have fast-tracked many projects, including recreational facilities across this country. Those were outlined in the budget. If the Conservative members allowed time on the legislative schedule, voted in favour of the budget implementation act and supported the supports that are going out to Canadians, those recreational facilities would fill the gap in a lot of communities that require support in our great big beautiful country. There is a list in the budget. I would be happy to send it across to the hon. member. There are at least 10 recreational projects, and many others, for the member's information.”
“Let us not try to distract with this motion today. Let us support the legislation before the House from our Prime Minister and support low-income Canadians. Go, Canada, go.”
“That makes it very clear who the Conservatives are working for. As I said, the Olympics and the Paralympics are coming up. Athletes know how to go for Canada. They are all going to compete for Canada. They are going to come together, promote the maple leaf and fight for our country. I consider us to be one big team. We can take a team Canada approach here. At this time, it is more important than ever that we come together, provide good ideas in this House, have robust debate and work together on advancing important supports and programs for Canadians that the most vulnerable in our society, particularly, will benefit from. The Conservatives have spilled a lot of ink and talked a lot about food banks over the last couple of years. Now let us listen to Food Banks Canada. They said we need a groceries and essentials benefit.”
“Ridings across the country will benefit. Lower-income Canadians deserve that support, and I am very proud that this government has undertaken to provide the groceries and essentials benefit, because it is precisely what food experts have been calling for. Food Banks Canada, oft cited by the Conservatives, did not say anything about industrial carbon pricing or any of the things in the Conservative motion today. Experts who know how hard it is to get food on a low-income budget say we need a groceries and essentials benefit. They said we need to grow more food here in Canada. They said we need to support low-income earners and make sure that the northern food security priorities are advanced, but that is not what the Conservatives put in their motion today. It is just about the industrial carbon tax.”
“Yesterday, in the House of Commons, when we started talking about the Prime Minister 's new plan to bring forward a groceries and essentials benefit, the Conservatives wanted to suggest that it was not going to help very many Canadians. That is false. I remember when I was a kid and my mom used to receive the GST rebate, because it helped my family a lot. We went out to buy running shoes. Maybe we went to Swiss Chalet those nights. It paid for our guitar lessons. It paid for my canoe club. Those things really made a difference in my young life, when I was a kid, and I know that an enhanced groceries and essentials benefit, as the Prime Minister has laid out, is going to do just that for 12 million Canadians in every single riding: Conservative ridings, Liberal ridings, New Democrat ridings, Bloc ridings and Green ridings.”
“They are not like this government. We are going forward. In order to accelerate the approval and construction of innovative major projects, collaboration is key, and that is where the Conservatives could choose to skate. The Olympics are coming up. The Paralympics are coming up. Athletes from different teams come together to compete on team Canada for the benefit of our country. They will compete together for the maple leaf. They will inspire people to undertake more healthy lifestyles or try a new sport, and they will encourage kids to dream. I encourage every member of this House to collaborate and help refine legislation so that it reaches and helps more Canadians, not just the wealthiest Canadians.”
“In my riding, which is one of the largest mushroom-producing regions in the country, we produce a lot of mushrooms, and we want to make sure that can grow. Mushrooms grow quickly. Let us make sure that we are doing everything we can to support those food sectors. (1230) The motion the Conservatives put on the table today would not strengthen Canadian sovereignty. It would do quite the opposite. In fact, their misleading rhetoric over how climate action has an impact on the pocketbooks of Canadians has been soundly refuted by farmers, researchers and food experts. We know that industrial carbon pricing has a tiny, if not zero, price impact on the food we all need, but the Conservatives do not care about facts. The Conservatives are more focused on supporting a nostalgic view and looking back into the rear-view mirror for inspiration.”
“They want to position climate action as something that is too expensive for Canadians, while in fact, climate action brings costs down. They are trying to position the industrial carbon pricing mechanism we have in this country, which is providing farmers with the opportunity to innovate and with reliable innovations to change some of their practices to lower consumption mechanisms that will naturally cost less money, as something that is contributing directly to the costs of food. We import a lot of food from other countries, so one of the things our government is undertaking is to grow more at home and make sure we have more abattoirs, meat-producing facilities, farms and greenhouses.”
“As the Prime Minister said at the World Economic Forum just a few days ago, our goals of making Canada an energy superpower demand that we respond with openness, not retrenchment. We must build on pragmatic collaboration rather than go headlong into a reactive or fortress-building mentality. It is critical to Canadians that we continue to fight climate change and lower the likelihood of things such as wildfires, floods and other climate-related tragedies that have already claimed too many lives and homes, all while we strengthen our economy, build resilience and provide reliable and affordable energy to communities right across this country. The Conservatives have been playing the same game that they have played over the last couple of years with climate action.”
“They also know how to leverage exemptions and rebates, how to access clean tech funding, how to upgrade old equipment to more efficient operational costs. They know that reduces energy costs and consumption. That is how we lower food costs and make sure that Canadians are able to buy the fresh food, the produce, meat and dairy products, that their families need every single month. It is about making sure we have energy-efficient grain drying here at home, barn upgrades and precision agriculture. We already know the agriculture sector is one of the most innovative in Canada, and our government is working hand in hand with farmers and agricultural experts from across the country to ensure that they have the tools they need to skate to where the puck is going, to use that hockey analogy again.”
“They are projecting that these are having a negative impact on affordability here at home, but the truth could not be more contrary. Investments in innovation are skating to where the puck is going. Farmers know this. Farmers in my riding recognize that climate change is the leading impact on food cost inflation right now. Conservatives have stood in this House time and time again to talk about the price of coffee. I love coffee; I drink too much of it. Coffee is too expensive, but we do not grow coffee in Canada. We roast some coffee, but to suggest that domestic climate-change-fighting policies are having an impact on the cost of coffee is foolish. Farmers know that the leading cause of crop yields being more challenging and less reliable, and food costs going up, is climate change.”
“We are fast-tracking the LNG Canada phase two project and other projects that will bolster Canada's economy and create jobs and more economic sovereignty right across our great country. These represent some of the biggest private sector investments in Canadian history. We are fast-tracking the Iqaluit hydro project and the Darlington small modular reactor to provide clean and affordable energy to Canadians. This work is also creating tens of thousands of jobs and higher wages for Canadians right across this country. Today, what the Conservatives are trying to do with this motion is to further mislead Canadians into thinking that important measures to combat climate change, spur on innovation and ensure that we are skating to where the puck is going are actually having a negative impact.”
“All of these goals, including building on our economic security, our ability to encourage and protect innovation and our incredible capacity, particularly lately with the Prime Minister 's ability to go around the world and incent the interest in investing in Canada, attracting those global investments, could not come at a more important time. Those are all goals that should unite us, not divide us. They are the goals that inspired the Building Canada Act, the creation of the Major Projects Office and the streamlining of all of our nation-building projects in things like LNG, critical minerals, clean energy, infrastructure and affordable housing. Our government is fast-tracking major projects like the Montreal port expansion.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak to this important motion today, particularly in the context of where our nation is in early 2026. Our government is restoring economic sovereignty to this country. We are encouraging resource development, strengthening competitive investments, both foreign and domestic, and spurring on innovation here at home. Being from the beautiful riding of Burlington North—Milton West, which is right on the fulcrum of Canada's innovation corridor, that last part on innovation, with our universities, our researchers and the private sector, could not be more important at this time.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is always pretty fresh to hear the Conservatives talk about elitism when they are talking down supports for hard-working Canadians. Twelve million Canadians are going to benefit from the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. From a personal perspective, when my hard-working single mom got that benefit four times a year, that meant running shoes for me and my brother, that meant guitar lessons for me and my brother, and that meant fresher food and maybe a trip to Swiss Chalet. However, those Conservatives have never cared about affordability or lower-income families. They are only here to help their rich oil and gas friends with this nonsense on hidden taxes that do not exist.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Canada groceries and essentials benefit will put food directly onto the tables of hard-working Canadian families and not just a few. We are talking about 12 million Canadians. Only Conservatives are willing to stand in the way of affordability for families that need a little bit of help. This Liberal government has the backs of Canadians. That Conservative leader turned his back on helping Canadians a long time ago. I know that Conservative leader is obsessed with his grip on power right now and probably cannot focus on much else, but if he could focus on what Canadians need and helping them out at the grocery store, we could use his vote.”
“Mr. Speaker, let us remember when the Grinch tried to steal Christmas. He drove all the way up to the top of Mount Crumpit because he had everything he needed and was going to throw away the gifts the Whos deserved because he thought they did not deserve to have nice things. That is kind of like the Leader of the Conservative Party . For 25 years he has had dental care because he has had a job here in the House of Commons, so he votes against dental care for nine million Canadians. He has secure housing; he lives comfortably at Stornoway in government-owned housing, so he votes against affordable housing for millions of Canadians. My Christmas wish is that the Leader of the Conservative Party would come back in January with a heart that has grown three sizes and that he would try to help a Canadian for once in his 21-year career.”
“Mr. Speaker, first, there is no tax on groceries. There is no tax on food. There will never be taxes on groceries, and there will never be taxes on food. That member is a farmer; she should know better. She should know that the industrial carbon price has absolutely no impact on the cost of groceries. The Conservatives keep talking about things like the price of coffee. Maybe they should stand up and talk about how industrial carbon prices in Canada affect the Colombian price of coffee. It is absurd. Conservatives are very proud to vote against all the programs that support Canadians, but they could provide Canadians with just one solution to help them at the grocery store over this holiday season. Merry Christmas.”
“Mr. Speaker, watching the leader of the Conservative Party lose in slow motion today has been a little amusing, but what is more interesting is watching him do it with a big grin on his face, because he is so proud of himself. He is proud to vote against child care; he is proud to vote against school food programs, and he is so proud to vote against affordable housing. What else is he proud of today? He is proud to call climate change just “weather”, and he is proud to refer to indigenous people with a possessive pronoun; they are not ours. He seems very proud of himself, but do members know what Canadians are proud of? They are proud of our institutions; they are proud of programs that support them, and they are proud of this side, of this government: We are supporting them.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have a lot of respect for that member. I have been to his riding and I know the farmers in his riding very well. They know that industrial carbon pricing does not affect the cost of food in Canada. He should spend more time talking to those farmers. However, if he wants something to put on his hot dog, here are four things: dental care for Canadians, $10-a-day child care for young kids or a national school food program to feed the kids in his riding. Affordable housing goes great on a hot dog. Put that on your hamburger.”
“Mr. Speaker, there are no taxes on food. Look, food is too expensive. That is a fact, but I have some other facts for the member. One, the number one driver of food cost inflation is climate change, something those Conservatives will never say. Two, industrial carbon pricing applies to goods sold on international markets, and it is not passed on to consumers. Three, industrial carbon systems impact household expenses by 0%. Here are some ideas for ways that Conservatives can actually help Canadians: Vote in favour of dental care, vote in favour of national school food programs, vote in favour of affordable housing or vote in favour of $10-a-day child care that we just signed with Ontario. Try to help a Canadian for once.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my friend for speaking today on the important issue of online dangers for children. I also thank him for his work on the committee. What is the Bloc's position on improving the safety of online platforms and social media for young people in Canada? What measures should the federal government take to better protect minors online? What activities should be promoted to encourage positive social habits?”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Terrebonne for that excellent question. The extraordinary success of Burlington's pride and joy, Victoria Mboko, at the National Bank Open reminds us how essential it is to make sports accessible to all Canadians. That is why our government has championed sport as a project in the national interest. Victoria's success proves that when we invest in sport, Canada wins. We will build a strong sports system that our nation can be proud of.”
“Mr. Speaker, food security experts and poverty elimination companies do a great job advocating directly to government, and what they are saying is that we need more affordable housing. In the last two weeks alone, we have announced 857 new co-op housing units. That is really close to home for me because I am proud to have grown up in co-op housing, unlike some of the Conservatives who like to call it Soviet-style housing or to degrade affordable housing by calling it shacks or something like that. We are creating more jobs, and we are creating opportunity for Canadians, but every single time we bring a motion forward in the House to provide that care to Canadians, whether it is through child care, dental care or affordable food in schools, the Conservatives vote against it.”
“Mr. Speaker, Feed Ontario and Food Banks Canada do important work on the front lines, but they also make important recommendations for government. What are some of those recommendations? They recommended that budget 2025 include automatic benefits, There is the Canada disability benefit, which was brought back by our government and the national school food program, which was made permanent by our government, and the Conservatives recently called “garbage”. They called on the government to make sure that we were building more affordable housing, and Build Canada Homes does just that. How do the Conservatives sleep at night just exploiting the challenges that Canadians are facing for their own political gain without following one suggestion?”
“Mr. Speaker, it is important to remember that Canada is at economic war with the United States and that we need to take action now. We need to consider the tools available to our government to protect all sectors, workers and families in Canada and to give them confidence. In my view, the people of Canada, Canadian workers and families, can trust our leadership.”
“All the Conservatives need to do is go to a school, talk to a teacher, visit a parent and recognize that a healthy school food program is a solution for affordability. I know they might not believe in public education, as many of them have recently said they do not believe in public health care anymore. The program will save an average family $800 a year.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will make a recommendation. I think it is abhorrent that the Conservatives continue to double down on the notion that healthy snacks for kids in schools is garbage. This supports local agriculture, supports farmers and communities, supports education and edible education, and puts food on the curriculum. It also makes sure that regardless of who forgets their lunch or who does not have a lunch, whether it is for economic or time-based reasons, the healthy school food program that this government has championed is a solution for all those things. There are a million reasons why a kid might not have lunch at school. Every single kid in class is going to learn better knowing that there are snacks.”
“He knows that is not the case. He can do math, I presume, but that is just not how this works. The first tranche is 4,000 homes, which is a good start, but the member knows that those 4,000 homes will not cost $13 billion. It is farcical and unnecessarily trivial for the member to be pretending so.”
“Mr. Speaker, there was so much misinformation and conspiracy theory jargon in that little question that I do not even know where to start. Let us start with the obvious. A $13-billion investment in non-market housing over the next five years is precisely what this country needs. Currently, our co-op and non-market housing stock is too low a percentage when compared to other OECD nations. This should be welcome news to the Conservatives. An hon. member: Oh, oh! Hon. Adam van Koeverden: Mr. Speaker, even as I am being heckled by the member who asked a question in good faith, I will continue to answer. Four thousand homes is just the beginning. The member has multiplied an ongoing denominator, or divided it, by the total amount we will invest over the five years by the current allocation. That is not just bad math, it is disingenuous.”
“We are moving away from reliance on the United States and other partners for these types of investments. We are also fortifying our own economy and our own reliance. Moving away from reliance and more to resilience is a priority for budget 2025. Budget 2025 will build Canada strong. Whether we are talking about important programs like the national school food program; the generational investments in non-market housing; the investments in sport, community, physical activity infrastructure and facilities; or the well-deserved increase in salary for the Canadian Armed Forces, I am proud of budget 2025. I am proud of the Prime Minister and all the ministers engaged on these files, and I am proud to take some questions too.”
“The last issue that I will highlight in budget 2025 is the transformational investment in the Canadian military. It is well deserved and a long time coming. There is a well-deserved salary increase for the Canadian Armed Forces, and I am proud of that. As every MP from every party did in this House, I recently attended Remembrance Day ceremonies in my riding and laid a wreath at the base of a cenotaph that commemorates the profound sacrifices that brave men and women made and continue to make for this country. It goes without saying that these days, the world is more uncertain and potentially even more dangerous than in previous generations. Having a strong military is a necessity. Making our NATO commitments is an obligation. It is also important for our economy, to ensure that we are self-sufficient and reliant.”
“I could not be more grateful for the awesome community sport programs right across the country, but certainly in Oakville at the Burloak Canoe Club. It served me well. I know that building more community sport facilities is a solution for affordability, for ending anti-social behaviour, for public safety, for health and for mental health. Every pediatrician I talk to says that sport is a great solution for a lot of those things. Once again, the Conservatives can keep emailing me to ask about sport infrastructure in their communities, even though they voted against the budget and are vocal opponents of these investments when they are in the House of Commons. Certainly, when they are in their communities, they welcome the investments.”
“They are a great way to knit our communities together and to bring folks together who might not meet at school, work, church or a mosque. It is a really great way to ensure that our communities are well connected. Studies also show that when there is good, high-quality, low-cost and no-cost sport programs in communities, we see safer communities. It is a solution for public safety. As I was somebody who was probably getting into a bit of trouble after school in grades 7 and 8, my mom found the canoe club. She sent me down to the canoe club because I was too young to take care of myself and too old for a babysitter, and the canoe club was the perfect place for me. It kept me out of trouble in my teenage years. It got me to the Olympics in my twenties.”
“It is great that they are champions for their communities. It is great that they are looking to have community sports facilities built in their ridings. However, it is astonishing to see the Conservatives criticize the budget, vote against the budget and then ask for some of the money in the budget. Thankfully, our government is going to invest across the country in facilities, in infrastructure and in community sport. This is the largest investment ever in community sport infrastructure, with a $51-billion contribution over the next 10 years, with different streams for provinces and territories and community sport organizations. I often say that sport, physical activity, recreation and play are preventative medicine.”
“I want to give all the teachers who came to the House of Commons to advocate for it a big high-five, and I thank the Coalition for Healthy School Food for its advocacy. It is astonishing that some members of this House are so staunchly against healthy snacks in schools for kids. They need to pick their battles. It is really strange that people are so against healthy snacks in schools for kids. We have also seen, in budget 2025, the most generational investment ever in sport and community infrastructure facilities, something that members of the Conservative Party are in my inbox asking me about right now. It is an interesting thing to watch a Conservative member criticize budget 2025 and then reach out to ministers to identify where they can receive funding for their own communities.”
“That is because as a kid, I had access to healthy snacks in school because I went to a school with a school food program. Not every school has one, and not every province is providing that, but the federal government has stepped up and provided transfer payments to the provinces to ensure that every province can implement healthy snacks in schools for kids. Every single study that has been done on school food programs indicates that these programs, when well managed, provide young people with opportunity. Grades go up. Young people are more likely to attend class. It is just a win-win-win for society. There is also the edible education course, and when food is on the curriculum, grades go up. (1645) It is a really great investment in the quality of education across this country. I am very proud of it.”
“This is a solution for the affordability crisis. This is a solution for affordable housing. It is a solution for young families and students. The vast majority of people who move into co-op housing will only move out when they are ready to purchase a home. While they are staying in and living in community housing like Chautauqua co-op, they are more capable of engaging in the economy and providing the basics for their families. I am thrilled with the largest-ever investment in non-market housing. It is truly a good reason for everybody to vote for budget 2025. Something that has been spoken about in the last couple of minutes here in this House, but also over the last few weeks, is the national school food program. I was a huge advocate for it.”
“I grew up at Chautauqua co-op, and I can say that I had access to guitar lessons, the canoe club, after-school activities and even a Nintendo growing up because we had affordable rents. Families still do. However, back in the mid-nineties, governments gave up on building non-market housing. Just recently, I was at the groundbreaking for a new co-op in Toronto, the first of its kind in 20 years. I want to thank Options for Homes and CMHC for this really big step forward in non-market housing and co-op housing in our country. I am thrilled that the federal government is back in the business of building co-operative and non-market housing across our country. Build Canada Homes is going to change the game. I want to thank the Prime Minister for his leadership and the Minister of Housing for his leadership in championing non-market housing.”
“I went to her retirement party last year, and I am proud to say that a number of young families came to me to say they currently reside at Briarview co-op and that my mom made it possible for them to thrive in the economy. For hard-working families who may be new to Canada or not, non-market housing fills a much-needed gap in the housing sector. It does not take an economist to recognize that when we provide families with affordable rents, it also provides them with the opportunity to engage in the economy. When the federal government steps up to build non-market housing, it should be recognized by every member of this House as a great investment in the prosperity of our nation.”
“I would like to send a special note of condolences to everybody who works at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, as her colleagues, her friends and her teammates remember the great Colleen Jones. Now I would like to talk about budget 2025. Budget 2025 truly has something for every single Canadian. It is the largest-ever investment in non-market housing. This is close to my heart. As a proud co-op kid, I have stood in this House to talk about my experiences growing up in non-market housing and my mother's contributions to the sector as a builder in the sector for over 35 years. She used to work at Homestarts, ran Briarview co-op and provided so many Canadian families with a safe and affordable place to live.”
“Brad Gushue, Canada's 2006 Olympic gold medallist in curling, said, “I remember being a young curler and watching her and looking up to her and she was always so helpful to me.” In 2014 and 2018, I had the opportunity to work with the great Colleen Jones a bit as a broadcaster with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Sochi and at the Pyeongchang Olympics. She was so kind. She was so nice. She was so welcoming and encouraging. I was an athlete who wanted to spread my wings a bit and do something different from my sport, and she said she was doing the same thing. She was still a curling competitor and an athlete, and such a kind person. Canada will miss Colleen Jones. She was a world champion, a Scotties champion and a hall-of-famer. Everybody in Nova Scotia will miss Colleen Jones being on television across Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is nice to stand in the House to talk about the budget implementation act, but before I do, I would like to briefly remember a good person, a great Canadian, a champion and a fine friend. Yesterday, athletes at the 2025 Canadian Olympic curling trials in Halifax took a moment away from their competition to honour Colleen Jones and reflect on her legacy. The world champion curler and trail-blazing journalist from Halifax passed away at the age of 65 on Tuesday following her battle with cancer.”
“Mr. Speaker, my friend and colleague from Spadina—Harbourfront is somebody who knows a thing or two about the fight for gender equity in sport and beyond. We are seeing remarkable progress and momentum in women's professional sport across this country. A smart, sustainable business model has built the Northern Super League, and it is redefining what is possible in Canada with professional women's sport. That is why five of Canada's regional economic development agencies have come together to back the Northern Super League. With strategic federal support of up to $5.45 million, we are helping to strengthen the league's foundation and create new opportunities for fans, communities and athletes nationwide. I want to congratulate the Vancouver Rise on winning the Diana B. Matheson Cup—”
“Mr. Speaker, addiction is a serious issue, and the Conservatives are making it blatantly political, which is wrong. Regardless of where people can access it, nicotine causes addiction to nicotine. The Conservatives should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. We have produced good numbers on nicotine and cigarette reductions. We continue to be there to improve the health of Canadians and make sure these are available at the appropriate time, and never for children, never for children.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are building Canada strong, and that includes the spaces and places that Canadians go to play, to practise and to exercise. A healthy lifestyle is preventative medicine, and we are building the facilities necessary right across this country, with new rinks, new pools and new field houses, so the next generation of Canadians can have better physical literacy and a healthier lifestyle, and so they can connect with their communities in those important places. Why will the Conservatives not join us to build Canada strong and make sure that every community has access to those facilities, the infrastructure that keeps us healthy and our communities connected?”
“Mr. Speaker, while the Conservatives are focused on imaginary taxes, we are building Canada strong. Budget 2025 invests $51 billion into the build community strong fund. This is good news for families in southwestern Ontario, like the folks that live in the area my colleague represents. This includes money for the new athletic park in Surrey. It includes the Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. It includes the Hamilton downtown YMCA. It includes the sports centre in Montréal-Nord. We are going to build Canada strong, and that includes sports facilities for our communities. I hope that member of Parliament will vote for our budget.”
“Mr. Speaker, on Monday, I announced a more than $3 million investment in mental health for athletes to support the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic institutes and networks across our country, supported by the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. We are also supporting game plan, the Canadian national team total wellness program. These investments are critical because our government knows that health, mental health and overall well-being are foundational to the performance and success of our national team athletes in sport and in life. Canadians are proud of our athletes. With the 2026 Paralympic and Olympic Winter Games fast approaching, Canada's new government is committed to supporting team Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, every time the Food Banks report comes out, I read it. I read what the recommendations are and what the organizations that are focused on reducing poverty and food insecurity in Canada recommend that our government do. The report recommends that we undertake measures like the national school food program, a program that one Conservative member from Newfoundland said last week was “garbage”. We are investing in our social safety net. We are investing in programs that support families. We are investing in Canadians, while the other side, the Conservatives, talk them down every chance they get.”