Karim Bardeesy
Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park, Ontario · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the continuing work of the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, the leader of the Green Party, on issues related to contaminants and leakage. I also want to thank her for the interventions regarding the work of the late Dr.”
“Mr. Speaker, treaty rights are sacrosanct to this government, as are the regimes that we have in place, including the regimes for non-compliance and the environmental damages penalties that we have under the legislation. Incidents such as the recent spill at Cold Lake are taken very seriously.”
“That work continues, with Environment and Climate Change Canada and indigenous groups working together through that working group to develop long-term, science-based solutions that will form recommendations to the minister . I think the hon.”
“It is a core responsibility of the current government, and, I would say, of government, both now and for future generations. We need to address risks associated with tailings management in a way that gives sustained attention and brings solutions grounded in sound science.”
“Mr. Speaker, we know that small businesses do well when consumer spending is up, and that is why we have made investments like the Canada groceries and essentials benefit. Wages are increasing faster than inflation, and we have cut taxes through measures like the superproductivity deduction to make it easier for businesses to invest.”
“I would add that, with some of the investments we have been making in science and research and some of the advances in technology, we hope this work can continue to accelerate and to inform policy-makers, government and hon. members in an even more timely fashion.”
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Every one of 513 lines we hold for Karim Bardeesy, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 8 of 11.
“Mr. Speaker, my friend from Provencher and I do good work together on the industry committee. It is a committee that is fundamentally charged with economic growth. He referred to a number of matters. I want to talk about economic growth and ask him about some of the measures in this budget bill that would spur economic growth. I am particularly interested in his views on some of the Manitoba-focused investments and plans. Two come to mind that I understand might be of interest to him. These are the announcement of the intention to expand free trade discussions with India and the inclusion of the port of Churchill in our plans for infrastructure expansion. I want to know the hon. member's comments on those issues.”
“Mr. Speaker, all government organizations are expected to strictly follow the procurement process we have outlined. That is why our government is conducting a comprehensive review of potential savings within the government. Furthermore, we know that the National Research Council of Canada does very important work for Canada's economic growth.”
“Mr. Speaker, this year is Canada's year for space, and the question from the member opposite surprises me, especially since we have an astronaut here with us today. The investments we are making in Europe will help grow the Canadian economy. Every dollar invested in the European Space Agency generates more than three dollars in sales. A briefing will be held on December 11, and I encourage the member to attend so that businesses in his riding can benefit from this.”
“Mr. Speaker, on a day when we have Jeremy Hansen, the Canadian astronaut, here with us, I would like to quote from another astronaut, Marc Garneau: “The best way for Canada was to work with other countries, as we had with NASA since the 1960s. That is why Canada signed an agreement with the European Space Agency in the 1970s, as well as several bilateral agreements with other countries, allowing us to fly Canadian hardware on their spacecraft in return for sharing the scientific results. Maintaining those relationships will continue to be important.” This is what we do when we build Canada strong.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are going to defend our workers by having a $5-billion strategic response fund. That party voted against this. We are going to defend our workers by having a buy Canadian policy, the most ambitious buy Canadian policy on record. That party opposed this. We are always going to be there for our workers. Is that party going to be on their side?”
“Mr. Speaker, as the member well knows, we are maintaining countertariffs on steel and aluminum. We have the $5-billion strategic response fund. We also have the buy Canadian procurement policy, through which we are supporting our businesses by requiring the use of Canadian steel and aluminum in domestic projects across the country. We hope the opposition will support us on these issues. We are counting on it.”
“Mr. Speaker, the urgent action comes from actually building the kinds of vehicles, the kinds of batteries and the kinds of equipment that Canadians are increasingly investing in. That is why we have the gigafactory in southwestern Ontario and we have the NextStar plant, which is manufacturing, as we speak, batteries for the very vibrant economy in this sector. We look forward to the hon. member's coming on board with that.”
“Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, the government, the Minister of Industry and all of us on this side are fighting every day for those jobs in Windsor and across southwestern Ontario. I want to read a quote from the Mayor of St. Thomas, Joe Preston. He said, “The mayor hasn’t stopped smiling” and “Generations in the future can stay here, have a job that pays well enough to buy a home in St. Thomas and become part of a really vibrant community.” That is thanks to new investments being made in this sector in St. Thomas and across southwestern Ontario.”
“She cared about and drove positive change for people, the kind of positive change she expected us to deliver in this House. That Shuah is not with us anymore is another stark reminder that some of the people who care so much for others need care themselves, even when they do not ask for it. She is beloved and remembered by her husband and children, Andrew, Jonah and Mira Sepiell, and by the family members and young adults she touched, because she loved them and Canada so deeply.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the legacy of Shuah Roskies, a long-time resident of Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park, who died two years ago and would have turned 50 years old this month. After a childhood living in New York, Fiji, Israel, Papua New Guinea and Wales, Shuah settled in Toronto in her mid-twenties and trained as a lawyer, focusing on the most neglected in our society: young people in the child welfare system. Shuah worked through the Office of the Children's Lawyer to represent children and teenagers who otherwise had no family and no voice. She later worked at a policy level to bring together advocates from across North America to find new solutions for teen homelessness. Shuah should have been robustly recognized, but she had little interest in big awards.”
“Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the most innovative things we can do as a country, we often do them together and with other countries. For instance, a former member of this House, a former minister in the former government, the late Hon. Marc Garneau, went on an American spacecraft. There is a key piece of Canadian technology that was deployed as part of that, the Canadarm. It is a piece of technology we should all be proud of, on both sides of this House. As we continue to co-operate with our European partners on this, let us see the bigger picture and see how benefits can come to Canada with this investment.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the other side does not recognize the key role that space investments play in our country and in our nation's innovations, especially in a critical year for space for Canada, when we are sending not one, but two astronauts into space. This is an incredibly exciting time for Canada and Canadians to be inspired by the potential of space and space in our economy. I hope the other side reconsiders their opposition to this.”
“To have an investment tax regime that is actually four percentage points lower than comparable rates in the United States on average, to have some policies in place that provide certainty around carbon pricing for industry, and to have policies in place that show that we have EI supports, training supports and a series of investment tax credits that support that kind of investment is the kind of investment and the kind of budgetary approach that Canadians are looking for.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have been in the House now for just over six months, and I am still waiting to hear about the positive action that the party opposite wants to take on fighting climate change. I have not yet heard it. I have heard only the negative propositions. I think that someone who is concerned about investment, investment trajectories and securing more private sector investment knows that it is very important to have policy certainty and policy predictability. We on the industry committee of Parliament have been studying some of these questions.”
“He would also be aware that it is capital investments that are the pro-economic investments that unleash all kinds of opportunities for people in his riding as well as across the country. I think the government and the Minister of Industry have been very attentive to the specific needs and concerns in southern Ontario, and we are very active and involved in both securing investment and protecting the jobs that do exist there.”
“We think this is the appropriate approach to take: to be engaged with the workers, to be engaged with the Canadian sector that is here, and to be very engaged with those who are deploying capital and show them the value of deploying capital here, whether they are the American companies, American-based companies or global companies. Again, this is all in the context of a budget that we think is an investment budget, but one that actually does not quite do what I think the hon. member is concerned about with respect to fiscal policy. I think he would know if he looked more deeply into the charts in the budget that the budget will, over a three-year period, balance operating spending with revenues and make sure that the capital investments are the ones that we are borrowing funds to make.”
“colleague to come on over and see the benefits of the growth of EV technology over the longer term. It is something that is being recognized in his community, and it is part of a larger defence of the auto sector that involves also being very attentive to the concerns that have been raised. The hon. member mentioned Ingersoll. The Minister of Industry has been present in Ingersoll and in Brampton, sitting down with the workers and being very direct and forceful with the companies that are threatening to not honour some of the commitments they have made, not just to this side of the House but to all Canadians, including the member's constituents.”
“There will be 3,000 direct jobs, 32,000 square metres of concrete and 4,850 metric tonnes of rebar. It will be a significant plant that will bring thousands of jobs to the hon. member's riding, and as he is well aware, when we bring direct jobs into the auto sector, there are all kinds of spinoff jobs, indirect jobs and induced jobs. The hon. member will know well the mayor of St. Thomas, who was quoted saying, a few weeks ago, “The mayor hasn't stopped smiling since.” He is referring to himself. He continued with this: “Generations in the future can...have a job that pays well enough to buy a home in St. Thomas and become part of a really vibrant community.” That is some of the positive investment that comes into the next generation of automotive technology in Canada, which we know is increasingly electric. I invite my hon.”
“Mr. Speaker, we are in the aftermath of quite a historic moment in the House, where the main budget motion has passed on a budget that brings forward an investment plan focusing on investments in housing, investments in infrastructure, investments in defence, investments in talent and investments in productivity. They are investments that are really about triggering and unleashing private sector investment. We predict that the budget will bring forward $500 billion in additional private sector investment to this country over the next five years, and that is really private sector investment that we welcome throughout the different regions of this country. I will give some examples from the auto sector, particularly in St. Thomas. The hon. member would be aware of the new gigafactory, which has broken ground there now.”
“On this Tibet Day on the Hill, let us reaffirm Parliament's 2024 motion recognizing Tibetans as a people and a nation, with the right to determine their future free of interference, including the recognition of their next spiritual leader. As Tibetans and Tibetan Canadians continue to preserve their language, culture and identity, let us honour their example. Tashi delek .”
“Mr. Speaker, Tibetans have been part of Canada's fabric since the 1970s, after China's occupation of Tibet in the 1950s forced many into exile. They are guided always by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his lifelong commitment to non-violence, interfaith harmony and human rights. Today, Tibetan communities thrive in Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park, Etobicoke, Halifax, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal. Tibetan Canadians are caregivers, business owners, food terminal and production workers, tradespeople and professionals. A new generation is building futures through higher education and civic leadership. Tibetan democracy, a fruit of His Holiness's vision, is active and thriving, with free elections for the Central Tibetan Administration taking place in 29 countries, including Canada, in 2026.”
“Mr. Speaker, we know that our country is built on lumber, whether it is construction materials or furniture, whether it comes from Quebec, Saguenay or New Brunswick. We also know that the U.S. tariffs put our workers and businesses at risk. That is why we have solutions, namely $500 million for businesses, $700 million for the Business Development Bank of Canada and $50 million to support employment insurance. These measures are in addition to the strategic response fund and help our businesses adapt and innovate. We are there for Quebec and New Brunswick.”
“Mr. Speaker, the people of Miramichi, Bathurst, Chipman, Minto and Madawaska, all through northwest and northeastern New Brunswick, know that the softwood lumber industry is a key part of our economic future, but the tariffs are putting our workers and businesses in jeopardy. That is why we put real solutions on the table: $700 million in support through the Business Development Bank, $500 million for retooling and $50 million for workers' supports. That is alongside the strategic response fund, which helps our business owners pivot and adapt. This is the kind of support we need in New Brunswick and across Canada.”
“This weekend, the seventh cohort of this program graduated, and 40 women were recognized, including one as the Priscilla Wright HVAC technician program valedictorian. She shared that she never thought she would work in HVAC or work with combustible gas. She said she was forged in the flame, got control of it and came out stronger. She is now a licensed G2 gas technician. I want to pay tribute today to women pioneers in the arts, social services, tech and the trades. They are breaking barriers, defying expectations and building Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, in 1940, Priscilla Wright was born, and 15 years later she had a hit record. She later sang with Elvis and now chairs a family foundation inspired by her parents and grandfather Arthur Meighen, the ninth prime minister of Canada. In 2001, Abi Ajibolade arrived in Canada as a new immigrant from Nigeria. Fifteen years later, she became executive director of The Redwood, which provides safety and support for women and children fleeing violence in Toronto. Under Abi's leadership and with Priscilla's support, The Redwood created its women in trades and technology program. It helps women rebuild their lives and gives them tuition and other assistance to get jobs in traditionally male-dominated fields.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for Oakville West for her consistent advocacy for auto workers in her community, especially at the Ford plant. Let us be clear: The Stellantis decision to move production out of Brampton is unacceptable. Stellantis has made important commitments to Canada and to our workers, and we expect it to hold up its end of the deal. We expect it to hold up its commitments. That is exactly what the Minister of Industry wrote in her letter to the president of Stellantis, through which she summoned him as well as the Minister of Economic Development for Ontario and the head of Unifor. We have also announced that we will be limiting the number of vehicles Stellantis can import tariff-free. We are holding Stellantis to account, and we will fight for our workers every single day.”
“Mr. Speaker, what is important is that we all work together to fight these unjustified tariffs and to have a plan to respond. That includes the strategic response fund, the changes we have made to the remissions framework, diversifying our trade and continuing to attract companies from all over the world to build right here in Canada. It includes listening to the words of Linda Hasenfratz, who said that the most productive factories she has of all the footprint in the world are right here in Canada. It includes working with the companies and workers and talking up our industry, not talking it down. It is not to talk down EVs but to say that we want these jobs here and we want these cars here. We will always be an auto-producing nation.”
“Mr. Speaker, the plan is to work with unions, to work with companies and to work with the provinces to have an alignment so that we can fight these unjustified tariffs. The plan is to have a strategic response fund to support workers and businesses in this time of challenge for us. The plan is to change our emissions framework to make sure that Stellantis and GM know exactly what we are doing. The plan is to continue to diversify our trade and continue to work with such companies as Linamar, whose CEO and chair, Linda Hasenfratz, said at committee this week that this is one of the most productive sectors in all of Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canadian and Quebec softwood lumber built our country, from construction to real estate. However, as we know, U.S. tariffs are putting our workers and businesses at risk. That is why we are here. To offset the pressure from tariffs, we are making $700 million available to softwood lumber companies through the Business Development Bank of Canada. We will always be there for our workers and our softwood lumber companies.”
“Mr. Speaker, we will always be there to support the workers of London and the businesses of London and across southwestern Ontario, to protect jobs, to create jobs and to keep and attract the best talent in the world. Maybe I will just share some facts for the House in terms of the investment that is coming into Canada: the second-largest FDI stock-to-GDP ratio among G20 countries in 2024 and the second-highest out of 25 countries in the current FDI confidence index. That is investment that is coming into the country. With our ministers and our trade reciprocation strategy, we expect more jobs, more businesses and more FDI to Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, we were elected to protect jobs, to create jobs and to foster the best job-creating situation in the G7, and that is exactly what we are doing. We have to defend ourselves in the United States, but meanwhile, we are working hard with Build Canada Homes, using Canadian steel and Canadian lumber, with the most aggressive buy-Canadian procurement policy this country has ever seen. There are new protections for workers with the strategic response fund. We will always be there for workers and businesses.”
“Mr. Speaker, that is exactly why we are working to protect jobs, to create jobs, and to keep and attract the best talent here in Canada. We have a number of responses. We have the strategic response fund that is working across sectors. We are building major projects with Canadian steel and Canadian lumber. Our Build Canada Homes project is bringing tens of thousands of homes across Canada, using Canadian products, Canadian workers, Canadian union labour. We will always be there for our workers and our—”
“Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Industry and other ministers are fighting for workers, particularly in the softwood lumber industry. For example, in the case of Kap Paper in northeastern Ontario, meetings are being held with management. We have the backing and support of the strategic response fund. We are providing a great deal of support to workers at these companies. We will always work on behalf of workers and businesses.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is for this exact reason that we are doing the work of going around the world to attract new investment and to do these major deals. We are always going to stand on the side of Canadian workers and Canadian employers. That is why we put together one of the most comprehensive response funds with a strategic response fund of $5 billion. We will always be there for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses.”
“Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's question. We are working with the Bloc Québécois critic in committee to address this challenge. The Competition Bureau now has more resources to do that work, and I look forward to working with the Competition Bureau and the department.”
“Mr. Speaker, in my last speech, I am on the record saying that I will be opposing this motion because we have these affordability measures that we have already brought in. Unfortunately, the party opposite has rejected a number of the most recent ones. I do not believe any Canadians, including the residents of Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park, want to sacrifice climate objectives. I believe they think we can achieve both affordability and climate progress.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Winnipeg South Centre, who is also the chair of the industry committee. He is absolutely right: We strive to that future where we do not need these kinds of programs. Right now, this is a vital program, and it is a direct benefit to the kids. I am so appreciative of knowing that the hon. member worked in that system. He has stories in his riding, and I invite members opposite to consider the words of Don Walker. This is having an impact right now and benefiting kids right now.”
“Mr. Speaker, like a number of new MPs, climate action is one of the reasons I decided to stand with this party and this Prime Minister in the last election. I am confident we are going to have a plan and updates to the plans that have already been tabled, including action on methane, all while ensuring we can meet our affordability challenges.”
“Mr. Speaker, the party opposite is not calling for, in this motion, the abolition of the school food program, although its members did not vote for the program. Instead, they are compounding the issue by saying that they not only do not like the school food program, but they also want to abandon our climate targets. If the money is going to kids for food, then I think it is a good program.”
“Mr. Speaker, in the member for Guelph we have a great champion for both climate action and affordability, as well as strong manufacturing and agricultural sectors. It is a “yes, and” answer, in that we can tackle both issues at once in a context of unprecedented global change where our trading markets, our trading routes, are being disrupted in a fashion we have not seen in decades. I agree with her that we need to do that.”
“Mr. Speaker, as my colleague said, work has been done, and it was accomplished with the collaboration of several parties in the House. We now have the necessary structures and processes in place to ensure that this debate is resolved. The large grocery chains now have a relationship with the department and the Competition Bureau. I hope that the situation will improve thanks to the work that has been done.”
“Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin is chomping at the bit. His economics background is bursting through, and I cannot wait to hear from him in this debate. I will say in the meantime that the national school food program is providing money for kids in the Toronto Catholic District School Board that Don Walker is attending to every day. Don is a volunteer. It is not a big government bureaucracy program. This is a volunteer working with the Toronto Catholic District School Board to get food into the mouths of hungry kids every day.”
“For instance, food CPI between July and August is zero. We know these things bounce around from time to time, but it is important to put the fact on the table that food CPI, food inflation, between July and August increased by 0.0%. I will be opposing this motion. We can do, and have done, a lot on affordability. There is a lot of attention to this issue. There is no one on this side of the House who is not living this in their communities through their own personal experiences and the experiences of working with their constituents. We have a number of programs directly aimed at supporting the affordability challenges in our communities, especially targeting lower-income Canadians. These are good initiatives that I wish the party opposite would take a second look at and maybe support this time.”
“I know the residents of Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park and the constituents of many on not only this side but the other side of the aisle believe we can do both, that we can have affordability and we can have climate change action. We can have affordability and we can, for instance, take on Russian aggression. (1045) We recently brought in some prohibitions on the import of Russian fertilizer. I think that is something Canadians support. To suggest we would welcome back Russian fertilizer to achieve the purposes of the motion is misguided. My friend the member for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin , my fellow Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, reminds us he was a former Quebec minister of finance and also a former chief economist. He just reminded me that some of the figures that have been used today need to be updated.”
“In this opposition day motion, there are four measures the party opposite wants us to take. It seems to me that they want us to abandon our climate change initiatives, our climate change ambitions. While I have been here for almost five months, I have not heard an effort to tackle climate change that the party opposite does like. Am I mistaken? I do not know. I have not seen anything. I have not heard anything yet, a measure that will help to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions, that the party opposite supports. The party opposite wants to further degrade the measures we do have, in exchange for affordability measures.”
“It may be a very simple thing of fruit and cheese, but in some homes that constitutes as breakfast, so it's been an amazing thing; it's been a game changer. I'm so appreciative of the government for supporting this initiative.” The national school food program, Canada dental care plan, pharmacare and child care are real initiatives that are really affecting and changing lives for the better in Canada. I am new to this place. I have been here for almost five months. I would like to think there is a way to reach across the aisle to talk about how these initiatives are helping Canadians for the better. I have not seen that from the other side. In fact, what we seem to have seen is a set of propositions. We always like to know what solutions are being put forward for the challenges of the day.”
“He is so committed to this program that he wanted to share this with the constituents of Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park and the Minister of Jobs and Families , and I am going to give him the extra benefit of sharing his story with the rest of this House. This is his comment on the national school food program: “It has been a game changer. By the time we get to next year, by the end of 2026, all our schools, elementary and secondary, we believe, will have the program up and running.” Don and the Angel Foundation for Learning are especially involved in Toronto Catholic District School Board school food program delivery, but there is also a Toronto District School Board program delivery that he mentioned that he is involved in a little bit as well. Here is Don again: “Every child will have a nutrition break during the day.”
“This is a very interesting one that is changing lives on the ground, again in my community and in communities across the country, including those represented by the members on the other side. Again, I just want to go back to my canvassing experience last weekend with our volunteers in Bloor West Village. Actually, the last door we knocked on before we took a break was on Grassmere Road. I knocked on the door of Don Walker. Don came out and said, “I just want to send you a message about the national school food program.” Don is a volunteer with an organization called the Angel Foundation for Learning.”
“The pharmacare program is another example. I see the Minister of Health has been in the chamber here, and I know there is a commitment to continue to work with provinces to make sure we have deals to extend those benefits to Canadians who need help with their cost of living expenses around pharmaceuticals. The Canada disability benefit has just come in. I know there has been mention of the Daily Bread Food Bank and Neil Hetherington. I want to thank Neil for his work advocating for the Canada disability benefit with a large coalition of social policy actors and activists across the country. That is now in place and starting to assist Canadians who need that extra cost of living support. Finally, the national school food program.”
“Pardon me, Mr. Speaker. I want to pay tribute to the late Ken Dryden and the member for University—Rosedale for their work, transformative social policy work that was decades in the making and is having an impact right now. It is helping with families' changing their lives for the better. The Canada dental care plan is another example of an affordability initiative that in fact continues to grow under this government, now reaching Canadians who are neither seniors nor youth. In my riding, on Bloor Street West and Dundas Street West, there are sandwich boards in front of dentists' offices saying, “Canada dental care plan welcome”. It is a sign of an initiative that is attracting health care workers into work and is attracting constituents into getting the health care needs attended to that they used to have to pay for.”