Kristina Tesser Derksen
Milton East—Halton Hills South, Ontario · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, it is my honour today to recognize the recipient of the 2026 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, Georgetown's own Chris Cuthbert. Chris has been a dedicated member of the sports broadcasting community since his time at Queen's University, now serving over 45 years as a sports broadcaster.”
“Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to my colleague's speech. I worked as a family law lawyer, and I assisted women who were fleeing violence at home.”
“Mr. Speaker, what a heartfelt speech from my colleague. I am so glad I was here to hear it. I have mentioned in the House before that I worked as a family law lawyer. I worked in the violence against women sector, and I worked with women who were fleeing violence at home.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned municipalities in her speech. I am a former municipal councillor. Municipalities at any given time have a lot of balls in the air that they have to balance. One of the big ones is housing.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to the 2026-27 main estimates for national defence and to this government's efforts to rebuild, rearm and reinvest in the Canadian Armed Forces. We all know the global threat landscape has changed.”
“We are also requesting $1.2 billion for fleet equipment readiness to give the defence team the direction and resources needed to adapt and respond to a more dynamic and complex security environment. Canada also needs to make major investments in future capabilities.”
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“Mr. Speaker, it is a beautiful time of year in southern Ontario, and many communities are celebrating the season with fall fairs and harvest celebrations. This past weekend, I joined my community in Milton East—Halton Hills South at two such events. In Milton, I attended the 170th anniversary of the Milton Fall Fair, which has been a staple of the community since 1853. It continues to be organized by the Halton Agricultural Society and is 100% volunteer run and operated. I was also pleased to join the residents of Glen Williams in celebrating its 200th anniversary at the Glen Williams Bicentennial Fair. Founded well before Confederation, along the banks of the Credit River, the original sawmill is still standing, now converted into the Williams Mill Creative Arts Studios, serving the community as it did 200 years ago.”
“On this day, I rise to honour not only the courage of those orphaned boys but also the values we declared then: that Canada can act as a force of hope in the world. Let us recommit ourselves to those values and ensure that the noble experiment begun in Georgetown a century ago continues in our policies, in every effort to welcome and in every act of compassion.”
“Mr. Speaker, yesterday we honoured Armenia Independence Day. Today, I stand before the House representing the good people of Milton East—Halton Hills South to recall a pivotal moment in Canadian history: the arrival of the so-named Georgetown boys to my riding in the 1920s. They were a group of over 100 orphaned Armenian children rescued from the Armenian genocide and brought to Cedarvale Farm in Georgetown. Their story is often called “Canada's noble experiment”. At that time, admitting non-British orphans was unprecedented. As such, this effort was the first humanitarian resettlement of its kind in Canadian history, setting a precedent for Canadian compassion in guiding policy.”
“Mr. Speaker, I do want to offer my condolences on the loss of the member's community member. We are all with him. Like many people in this House, I have a legal background. I know that when we encounter contractual disputes there is a clear legal process for parties who violate contracts, for parties who are bad-faith actors in contracts and even for parties who commit fraud. Would my colleague like to comment on the importance of due process and the legal process that the government should follow in recovering losses and damages and in seeking a remedy?”
“It is important that as a federal government, we continue to support immigrants who come here and continue to contribute.”
“Madam Speaker, it is interesting. The more we speak to our colleagues, the more we find that we have similar histories and stories to share. The contribution of immigrants to this country cannot be underestimated or minimized. Canada, in many ways, is a country of immigrants. In speaking to folks at the doors, sharing these stories and finding other affinities and similarities in our histories, it has really been an eye-opening and enlightening process. It is pivotal to remember that when we are looking at statistics with respect to immigration numbers, these are not just numbers; these are people. These are lives. These are stories being told. These are communities being built, with country building happening before our eyes.”
“Madam Speaker, it is a question that I had posed to me many times during the recount from folks of all political alignments. I have full faith in the work of Elections Canada. There were elections workers who started very early in the morning and were counting very late at night. Ultimately, it is a human process with many checks and balances. I acknowledge that there were concerns with particular ridings. However, at some point, the work of government needs to proceed. People need to have faith in the electoral process, and their elected representatives need to get to work.”
“Madam Speaker, I sat as a municipal councillor, and this was a source of great discussion around the council table. Incidentally, I was on a plane this morning with someone from the development community, and we had a discussion about development charges. It is going to be an ongoing conversation of great importance between federal, provincial and municipal partners. It is also important to keep an eye on the long-term future, because if we can increase housing supply through the incentivization of decreasing development charges, there are going to be more homes to collect property taxes from for our municipalities.”
“We will boost the revenues our country relies on to support vital services that improve Canadians' quality of life while focusing investment on capital government assets. Now is a time of opportunity. We are poised on the edge of a new era of prosperity and nation building not seen since the postwar period. The dark cloud blowing in from the south has stirred us to action. Amid a groundswell of patriotism, we will build a shelter and a safe haven for our country and use this opportunity not only to weather the storm but to flourish when the clouds part. This is the promise being made to Canadians now and Canadians yet to come. May God bless us all in these duties.”
“One reason I am so pleased to be elected as a representative in this government is the ambitious homebuilding plan we have designed. Big results require big ambitions. Yes, our plan to get the government back into the business of building homes, and to double rates of homebuilding, is ambitious, but definitely results-driven. “Build Canada homes” will deliver affordable and deeply affordable housing for people just like my kids. There is no trepidation in executing this plan. We all know Canada is a country of prosperity, but many Canadians do not feel prosperous right now. This problem has been stewing for decades, but now it will be dealt with. Productivity needs to grow so Canadian paycheques can grow.”
“This responsible course correction on immigration will take some time, but we will restore balance and rebuild trust in our immigration system, a system that has contributed to nation building since Confederation and before, and will continue to do so if responsibly managed, as this government commits to do. At a time of critical consequence for the economic covalence of our country, we must support immigration that strengthens our economy while reducing stress on housing and infrastructure. In order to put action behind that commitment, our policies will prioritize those already in Canada over new entrants. My four children, mentioned earlier, are young adults. They are striving to launch their own lives and become settled in their own homes, but that has simply been out of reach for them so far.”
“As a former municipal councillor, I know first-hand that housing and residential development are matters of great focus and great anxiety, particularly when provincial and federal partners amend the conventional use of tools, such as development charges, and particularly in Ontario. I understand the burden that falls to municipalities when other orders of government, however well meaning, download responsibilities to them without considering the financial impacts. Municipalities have very limited ways to raise revenue and cannot legally run budget deficits. We must ensure that municipalities are made whole when their methods of raising revenue are altered. I was heartened to hear the Prime Minister acknowledge this to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference delegates in Ottawa this past weekend.”
“(1320) Our government has also made a significant commitment to francophone communities outside Quebec by increasing the target for francophone immigration. This policy will support the cultural and economic contributions of francophone communities in places like New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba. As an aside, I make a personal commitment today to my own French-language learning. [ Translation ] I promise. [ English ] We will return overall immigration to sustainable levels, ensuring that the best and brightest are drawn to Canada and will work with us in building the strongest economy in the G7. These actions also prop up our government's work to address affordability and housing.”
“Many who are already here, whether indigenous peoples, long-settled Canadians or newer Canadians, are struggling and facing challenges of scarcity and unaffordability. This is why our government has committed to several measures to alleviate the strain. As His Majesty noted, we will cap the total number of temporary foreign workers and international students to less than 5% of our population over the next 18 months. This approach will align immigration levels to infrastructure capacity. Newcomers need to be able to integrate successfully without overwhelming public resources. Our government recognizes that it is counterproductive to invite people into a house that is not properly able to receive them.”
“Their story is similar to that of many Canadians, and many in this House, who owe their existence to Canada's history as a welcoming nation for immigrants, a point also noted by His Majesty when he referred to Canada's immigration system as a source of pride and dynamism. My parents' families left their ancestral homes and came to this country because they had faith in Canada and its promise. I am a humble and grateful beneficiary of that faith and that promise. I will submit, however, that this promise is not as vibrant now as it once was. For newcomers to have an opportunity to contribute to their new communities and country, they need support to get started. Right now, that support is simply not robust enough to provide what newcomers need.”
“With the exception of our indigenous brothers and sisters, we all come from somewhere else. I am one of those who comes from somewhere else. My mother's family has been in Canada for many generations, originally coming to Ontario from the New England colonies and settling in lovely Parry Sound, where my grandfather worked for Imperial Oil. He and my grandmother raised eight children. My mother attended bible college, sang in a gospel trio, was crowned Miss MacTier in 1967 and became a nurse. In stark contrast, my father was a child refugee from the Second World War. He came from Italy with his parents and brother. As an adult, he found work as a truck driver. His father, my nono, worked as a bricklayer and mason, helping construct the very town that his granddaughter would one day represent as a member of Parliament.”
“How fortunate to have been reminded of this responsibility in person by His Majesty, when he closed the throne speech by stating, “Members of the House of Commons...May you honour the profound trust bestowed upon you by Canadians, and may God bless and guide you in all your duties.” Regardless of how members feel about monarchies, it is a sobering reminder, provided by His Majesty, of the tremendous responsibility we carry. How fortunate we are to be here to fulfill that work together. In fact, all Canadians are fortunate to be here, in this country, the best on the planet, working together to make each other's lives better and standing as an example to the entire world of the artistry that emerges from a true mosaic of cultures, beliefs and stories.”
“In hindsight, it was a gargantuan effort, and I am under no illusions; it would not have been possible without an absolutely spectacular team of campaign managers, staff and hundreds of volunteers and supporters, all of whom came forward with their time, support, energy and great faith, and over half of whom had never been involved in a political campaign before. These volunteers have continued to engage politically and are organizing to explore ways to make their community a better place. I am so proud of them. I humbly rise with gratitude for my place in this Parliament and for the gift of responsibility that I have been granted and that we all share as colleagues in this House.”
“I thank the good people of Georgetown and east Milton for their patience and for their confidence as that fascinating and mildly stressful process played out. No one saw that stress manifest more than those closest to me, my family: my four children, Thomas, Ashby, William and Andrew; my parents, Mario and Lynda; my siblings and many extended family members who sent support and kind words; but none more than my long-suffering husband of 28 years, Chris. In his typical, unwaveringly supportive style, he always reminds me that I am stronger than I think. I came in late to the election race and had mere weeks to organize, coordinate, recruit, fundraise and get my name out to voters before election day.”
“Madam Speaker, I congratulate you and all of my colleagues in this House. I also want to thank the clerks, pages, interpreters and security who keep things running so smoothly here. If the House will indulge me, I will take the opportunity to recognize some very important people without whom I would not be here. First, of course, there are the wonderful people of Milton East—Halton Hills South, who found themselves not only in a brand new riding but also enduring a two-week-long judicial recount as they waited to learn who would represent them here in their House. It truly showed, in action, the adage that every vote counts, in some ridings even more than mine. We were in good company.”
“Mr. Speaker, today I share the story of the grade 4 and grade 5 classes at Glen Williams Public School in Georgetown, Ontario, and that of their dedicated teachers and parents, who are visiting Ottawa today. These teachers asked their students to craft a letter sharing their vision for the future of Canada. The final product was so inspirational that it garnered national attention and a visit from the Prime Minister . I thank teachers across Canada who bring this type of civic education to their schools. I am sure we can all agree that education is the foundation of a strong, united and compassionate country. Canada's youth should be able to look to their leaders to set a guiding example. It is certainly a reminder for me, and I hope to my colleagues, to always lead with respect, integrity and purpose, because the children are watching.”