Steven Blaney

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 5th, 2018]

With regard to communications between Google, Netflix or Facebook and the government, since November 4, 2015: what are the details of all emails, letters or other communication, including (i) date, (ii) sender, (iii) recipient, (iv) title or subject matter, (v) summary of contents, (vi) file number, (vii) form (email, letter, telephone call, etc.)?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 5th, 2018]

With regard to payments made by the government to news media organizations in the 2017-18 fiscal year, broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation or other government entity, and excluding expenditures on advertising services: (a) what are the details of each expenditure, including (i) vendor, (ii) amount, (iii) date, (iv) description of goods or services, (v) rationale for expenditure, (vi) file number; and (b) what are the details of each grant and contribution including, (i) vendor, (ii) amount, (iii) date, (iv) description of goods or services, (v) rationale for expenditure, (vi) file number?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 5th, 2018]

With regard to expenditures by the government on subscriptions and data access services by the government in the 2017-18 fiscal year, broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation or other government entity: (a) what is the total amount spent; and (b) what are the details of each expenditure, including (i) vendor, (ii) amount, (iii) date, (iv) description of goods or services, (v) titles of publications or data for each subscription, (vi) file number?

[Public Services and Procurement, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, listen to this recommendation: “Procure a second Resolve-class auxiliary oiler replenishment ship by 2018 to address an urgent capability gap on each coast.”

Who recommended that? The Liberal-dominated Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence. However, the Prime Minister is asleep at the switch and has been slow to order the Obelix from the Davie shipyard, as he did with the Asterix.

What is the Prime Minister waiting for—a phone call from Irving? The workers are ready and the navy needs the ship. What does he have against Quebec?

[Sikh Heritage Month Act, October 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am especially pleased to know that several of my colleagues will be able to enjoy my comments in support of the legislation designating April as Sikh heritage month.

I have already had the opportunity to express my support for this bill, which was introduced by my colleague, the hon. member for Surrey—Newton, who, need I remind hon. members, is not only an engineer, but also has the title of Fellow. I congratulate him. I was there when he was recognized as such. Like the Sikh community, engineers contribute to building our society.

Since this is the second time I speak on this subject, I would simply like to reiterate that I had given the example of my colleague from Markham—Unionville, who came to Canada when he was 21. He earned $2 an hour at the time, and his only day off during his first year here was on July 1, which was then called Dominion Day and later became Canada Day.

He is an example of someone who arrived here and became fully integrated, as have the thousands of members of the Sikh community who have come here over the past 100 years. Naturally, since they came from Asia, they mostly settled in British Columbia. Now, they are branching out across the country.

I want to remind members that Canada has the second-largest Sikh population in the world, after India. There are nearly half a million Sikhs here in Canada. Sikhism is practised by several million people around the world but has been established in Canada for about 100 years.

As Remembrance Day, November 11, approaches, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War, I want to talk about how Sikhs have always been at our side in both good and bad times.

Before that, I would also like to commend the members of the heritage committee and the chair, the member for Toronto—Danforth, for making the bill pass through committee unanimously. Indeed, while we do not see it in the news as much, not all of what happens in Ottawa is partisan. People see mostly question period and think we are always fighting with each other, but recognizing and celebrating Sikh heritage and the contributions of Canadian Sikhs is one of those issues we all agree on.

The former NDP leader, Ed Broadbent, used to say that with the configuration of this room, we tend to fight and discuss what divides us, which is probably around 20%, but we never talk about the 80% that unites us. We are all here tonight in this room to talk about something that unites us. Maybe some of my colleagues would prefer to be in another room, but I am glad they are here tonight to share with us the discussion on the bill.

Recently I was happy to see my former cabinet colleague, Jason Kenney, who is now having a very successful political career in Alberta, along with Calgary's Sikh leaders, such as Captain Kamal Singh Dullat, and the community at large host an event honouring the contribution of Canadian Sikhs to Canada's military in its many missions for good and peace throughout our history.

My colleague from Markham—Unionville related the contributions of an individual. Now we can celebrate this as part of our Canadian heritage, in this case Canadian Sikhs in the armed forces' engagements, because there is an exhibition, organized by Pardeep Singh Nagra. He is the executive director of the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada. This exhibition is going to go to other parts of the country as well.

What an amazing initiative it is, especially at this time, when we are willing to recognize in our law the contributions of the Sikh community. Mr. Nagra and the Sikh community were involved not only in the contributions by members of their community but also in linking it to one of the defining moments in our history, the involvement of Canada in the First World War. Canadian Sikh contributions to our military go as far back as the First World War 100 years ago.

That brings me to the same story that was shared by my colleague tonight of Buckam Singh. Buckam, known on his headstone as “Bukkan”, Singh was born in Punjab, India in December 1893. He was born in a place called Mahilpur. He came to Canada in 1907 at the age of 14 and became a miner in British Columbia before moving to Toronto around 1912 or 1913. He was, as we can see, very young when he immigrated to Canada, much younger than my colleague from Markham—Unionville, who was already in his twenties.

At that time, Buckam Singh was already married, but because of harsh immigration laws, he could not bring his bride with him. In 1915, Singh enrolled in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He was working as a farmhand in Rosebank, Ontario, when he was called to active service and joined the 20th Battalion. His last service was with the 28th Battalion, according to his headstone.

Singh was wounded twice in separate battles and is said to have been treated by Dr. John McCrae. This is where the Sikh community made Canadian history, with a big “H”. John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields. He was a lieutenant-colonel then, a soldier, a physician and a poet.

We are about to commemorate Remembrance Day and we know how special the link is between politicians and those who fight for us overseas and protect our country, values and democracy. I would like to pay tribute to Buckam. He died a short while after the war. He was sent to a hospital in England to be repatriated to Canada and while there contracted tuberculosis. He died in a Kitchener, Ontario, hospital in August 1919, less than a year after the war. He was buried in Kitchener’s Mount Hope Cemetery and was a recipient of the Victory Medal. This is just one example of how patriotic this individual was. He arrived here at an early age, as I mentioned, served his country and adopted the country with great pride.

He was treated by John McCrae, so allow me to read In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

This is the first verse of this great poem, and certainly one of the greatest pieces of poetry in the world, that is very meaningful to us. There is a link now in Canada's history between John McCrae and a Sikh hero. There are other members of the Sikh community alongside Buckam Singh who fought in the First World War, but I felt it was important to mention that this single individual, who received the Victory Medal, was treated by John McCrae.

I want to reiterate that Conservatives fully support this motion for Sikh heritage month in Canada.

[Sikh Heritage Month Act, October 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order to ask you to call quorum.

[Public Services and Procurement, October 29th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence forgets that Canada borders three oceans: the Pacific, the Arctic, and the Atlantic.

He also forgets that the Royal Canadian Navy's two resupply vessels are out of commission. The Preserver was lost to a fire and the Protecteur is too rusty. The Conservatives brought in the Asterix, but where is the Obelix?

There are serious delays in the naval strategy and a desperate need. This about national security.

What is stopping the Prime Minister from immediately ordering the Obelix from Quebec? The workers are ready and the navy needs this vessel.

[Finance, October 26th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I am rising on a point of order.

I think there was a problem with the translation during question period, because the Minister of Veterans Affairs did not really answer my question. To clarify, I have the defence policy of the Canadian government, from his colleague the Minister of National Defence and—

[Public Services and Procurement, October 26th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is contradicting himself. Canada needs two supply ships. It says so in its own defence policy, which was unveiled with great fanfare in 2017.

Why is the Minister of National Defence not awarding the Obelix contract to the Davie shipyard? Why is it abandoning Davie's workers and Quebec's economy?

Davie had 1,500 workers under the Conservative government. Now it has just a handful, barely 100.

When are the Liberals going to take action and protect our national security?

[Filipino Heritage Month, October 25th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise to speak this afternoon on behalf of the Conservative Party in support of this motion, designating June as Filipino heritage month.

My colleagues and I in the Conservative Party of Canada are pleased to support this motion to designate June as Filipino heritage month.

The Philippines is a country in southeast Asia with more than 105 million inhabitants. Canada is home to one of the largest, if not the largest, Philippine diaspora communities in the world.

I was just speaking with my colleague from Abbotsford while my hon. colleague from the other side was speaking. He reminded me that over the course of the last year we have seen a large wave of Filipino citizens coming into Canada. At one point, they were even the largest number of immigrants our country was welcoming. In that regard, it is more than suited to support and recognize the contributions of these new fellow Canadian citizens of Filipino heritage.

It is indeed a growing community, something to which my colleague just referred. It is a community with a rich and vibrant culture and a community made up of hard-working Canadian citizens. It is certainly one of their traits. In all, it is a community that contributes to strengthening the social fabric of Canada. Through its contributions, it is a community which makes our country the best in the world.

I had the privilege of sitting in the Conservative caucus with an honourable colleague who has passed away, the late Senator Tobias Enverga. I would like to take a few moments to pay tribute to this great man, who would be very proud on this day. He was a proud member of the Canadian Filipino community.

Senator Enverga was born in the Philippines, and like many other Filipinos, he chose Canada as his new home. After arriving in Canada, he worked hard to support his family and his children and build a better life for them, while also throwing himself wholeheartedly into Canadian life.

In 2010, Tobias Enverga was elected as a City of Toronto school board trustee, becoming the first Canadian of Filipino origin to be elected to this municipal position in Toronto. He was a passionate advocate of high-quality education for Canadian youth. He held this trustee position until 2012.

In 2012, Tobias Enverga was again to make history for the Canadian Filipino community. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada by the Right Hon. Stephen Harper. He became the first Canadian of Filipino origin to serve in the Senate. I am sure colleagues from the other place and from here acknowledge he served with great honour. He was a source of pride not only for members of my party, but for all parliamentarians and Canadians.

Senator Enverga also launched the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation, which focused on bringing together the Filipino Canadian community to promote the spirit of charity. The senator was a kind soul, someone of whom the Filipino community and all Canadians can be proud. Again, on this very day, he would be very proud to see his welcoming country acknowledging not only his contributions, but the contributions of all members of the Filipino community.

Hopefully, when the motion is passed and adopted, in June we will have an opportunity to acknowledge the great contribution of the Filipino community to our country.

One way in which this community is contributing to our country is through the outstanding entrepreneurial spirit of the Filipino members. Canadians of Filipino origin have founded several businesses and even brought some businesses from the Philippines to Canada. This includes the Philippine National Bank and several food businesses, such as Goldilocks bake shop, Max's of Manila, the Seafood City Supermarket and Jollibee, which recently made the news after announcing it would be setting up shops in several Canadian cities like Winnipeg. Hopefully, we will get one in Quebec City and even in Lévis.

Speaking of Winnipeg, I mentioned there was a large diaspora of Filipino people in Canada. I discovered. while preparing for this speech with my team. that Filipino Canadians represent almost 9% of the city of Winnipeg's population and about 7% of Manitoba's population. Therefore, it is a large and significant footprint on the landscape of many of these western provinces and is certainly helping their prosperity.

About 25,000 Canadians of Filipino heritage work in Montreal, and there are nearly 10,000 more right here in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

The Filipino community also contributes to our media, through Filipino Canadian publications like the Filipino Canadian Magazine and Juan Radio 96.1 FM, which is Vancouver's first Filipino radio program.

If people are willing to discover and encounter the amazing Filipino culture, they can experience the food by checking out one of the many Filipino food festivals hosted throughout Canada, like Toronto's Taste of Manila, which is attended by about 350,000 people every year.

My colleague, the parliamentary secretary for heritage, mentioned a lot of the contributions made by Filipino members to the Canadian cultural landscape, especially in the emerging media scene. He referred to very prominent people of whom we are very proud. Filipino Canadians are also contributing to Canadian sports.

Take, for example, Filipino-Canadian hockey player Matt Dumba, who now plays for the Minnesota Wild.

We have Olympians, such as Olympic archer Crispin Duenas, Olympic skater Gilmore Junio and Olympic boxer Rey Fortaleza. Maybe we will have the privilege of having those people in this very place when we welcome all the Olympic sports athletes. It is certainly a source of pride for all Canadians.

If we look at soccer, which we know is a very popular sport there, the de Guzman brothers have made us proud. Julian and Jonathan de Guzman made it to Europe's elite soccer leagues, which is quite an accomplishment, including the Bundesliga and the Premier League.

We can be proud of all these people, who left the Philippines for Canada and who contribute to our prosperity. I just want to say that we support the motion. We will be pleased to support the motion through the next steps and send a message of openness to the Filipino community.