Lindsay Mathyssen

[Petitions, October 30th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to stand to present a petition sponsored by the fantastic MP for Port Moody—Coquitlam.

These citizens have asked for a moratorium on renovictions, because they are seeing more and more of their communities' affordable housing units being taken away by corporate landlords solely for profit. They wish the House of Commons and the government would invest more in affordable housing, offer not-for-profit housing units and provide for our most vulnerable. I am excited to present this petition on their behalf.

[Privilege, October 28th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I would like to hear a response to the question from the member for Kitchener Centre. It was an excellent question. What would happen if no other Conservative stood up and spoke to the subamendment to the amendment of the motion? It would be great if we could get an answer from the hon. member.

[Health, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have heard that Liberal rhetoric before, but the point here is that abortion care and access are not good enough. Women and gender-diverse Canadians are scared. They know that rights are under attack, and they have seen far-right movements and politicians in Canada emboldened. The Conservatives continue to side with anti-choice movements and believe that Canada is a “lawless state of fetal killing”, but we know abortion is health care.

Will the Liberal government use the Canada Health Act to make sure that all Canadians have full access to abortion?

[Petitions, October 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition submitted by Canadian firefighters; it addresses an urgent issue that has an impact on their health and safety. I am grateful that this petition was sponsored by the member for New Westminster—Burnaby; it calls for immediate action to ban PFAS in firefighter gear and firefighting foam. Often, PFAS are man-made chemicals. They are resistant to heat, water and oil, but that durability comes at a cost to firefighters' health. The PFAS can accumulate in their bodies, and they face higher cancer risks than the general population.

Several countries have restricted the use of PFAS, and Canada must follow suit. That is what the petitioners are demanding.

[RCMP Allegations of Foreign Interference by the Government of India, October 21st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, in my riding in London—Fanshawe, there is such an incredible and vibrant Sikh community. Its members, for the last year or more, have been struggling with this fear and a shadow that hangs over them. It has been quite a lot. I am so grateful that we are now having this debate. It is long overdue, but I am certainly happy to have it.

New Democrats have been asking about the protection of Canadians and wanting to ban the extremist RSS group. I would like to ask the member for his opinion about that.

[RCMP Allegations of Foreign Interference by the Government of India, October 21st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I sit on the Standing Committee on National Defence. One of the things we consistently hear about as a massive part of foreign interference is disinformation. I truly believe and I am quite saddened to see that a lot of the disinformation that exists in this country is coming from those foreign entities but that is also coming from certain political parties, specifically the Conservative Party.

Can the member maybe talk about what the Conservatives are trying to gain from the disinformation campaign, all of the campaigns that they are running, and how that links to what we are seeing from foreign governments like the Indian government?

[RCMP Allegations of Foreign Interference by the Government of India, October 21st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for how he laid out his wonderful speech and for the work he is doing on the public safety committee to ensure that Canadians get the answers they need.

Earlier today, our leader, the member for Burnaby South, put forward an excellent motion asking for an additional committee to be set up for Canada-India relations. Unfortunately, we saw the Liberal government vote that down. I am so confused. The Liberals tonight seem to be speaking about how important this issue is, yet they voted that motion down. Could the member talk about what he thinks the reasoning is for that?

[RCMP Allegations of Foreign Interference by the Government of India, October 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, earlier today, the leader of the NDP, the member for Burnaby South, tried to introduce in the House a motion to create a standing committee on Canada-India relations, yet the unanimous consent that was required was denied by the Liberal Party. I am a bit confused given my Liberal colleague's speech today.

My question is pretty clear. We have serious concerns with the government's constant contradictions. If it is so concerned with India's foreign interference, why did it say no to the motion by the member for Burnaby South?

[Foreign Affairs, October 4th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, Lebanese Canadians have told me they are terrified for their loved ones. They are horrified by the Israeli bombs destroying their family homes. Canadian citizens are trapped; leaving Lebanon is getting harder. Nowhere is safe.

We have been demanding sanctions on Netanyahu, an arms embargo and safe evacuation routes, and for the government to step up and push for a ceasefire. People in the region want peace and security.

Why is the government not doing everything in its power to end the war?

[Privilege, October 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I find it very difficult to listen to the hon. member talk about the rights and privileges of this place and say that the rule of this place must be held supreme. In fact, we know that the Conservative Party of Canada did exactly the same thing as the former government. It actively refused to let the House to learn about a number of scandals, such as a $3.1 billion anti-terrorism funding scandal or the $50-million G8 summit slush fund. The list is quite extensive. New Democrats have talked about this before. We absolutely want this investigated. We want to ensure that scandals are not allowed or accepted, whether they happen on the Liberal side or on the Conservative side.

How can the member stand in this place and be so adamant about upholding laws when the former government was as complicit as the current government?