Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for London West.
When I first entered this House as the representative for Newmarket—Aurora, I had no idea how much our day-to-day lives would change, including here in the House of Commons. I am willing to bet none of us here did either. We all had to learn and act quickly to make sure Canadians were safe, supported and brought back home.
While it can be difficult to see what is in front of us as we are dealing with it, the picture becomes clearer the more we learn, the more we experience and the more we reflect. It has been almost 20 months since we were told to go home and go digital, to protect ourselves, our staff, our families and our communities from an unknown virus at the time.
We have had time to adapt and to pivot. We have now learned that the challenges we have faced with this pandemic have also highlighted the need and the opportunity to build a better, fairer and more inclusive Canada for every single Canadian.
As I see it, the Speech from the Throne we are debating today outlines much of what has been learned and much of what Canadians have asked for. My duty as the member for Newmarket—Aurora is to bring our local perspective on what has been presented to Canadians as the government’s priorities in the 44th Parliament. Therefore, I am honoured to stand in this House and share what my constituents have told me are their priorities, the same priorities we see in the Speech from the Throne.
In my riding and across Canada we have made significant progress against COVID-19. I am proud to share that in York Region, where my riding is located, 86.5% of eligible residents aged 12 and older are now fully vaccinated. From the start, our number one priority has been to keep the pandemic under control and finish the job on the vaccines. We have secured next-generation COVID-19 vaccines, boosters and pediatric doses, and we will continue to encourage everyone who can to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
As we turn the corner on this pandemic, our government will take the lessons learned to build an even better health care system. We must improve access to mental health and addictions treatment, clear the backlog on procedures, and strengthen long-term care conditions. This will require us to work together in this House, but also with provincial and territorial partners, to get the job done.
Our recovery from this pandemic provides us with an opportunity to rebuild an economy that is more resilient and works for everyone. Thanks to our government measures, employment is already back to pre-pandemic levels and we have been able to transition to more targeted supports to provide help for those who still need it.
Now is the time to focus on the work needed to make life more affordable for Canadians. A Canada-wide early learning child care system is key to lowering costs for families and helping parents return to the workforce. A mother of three in my riding once shared with me that had a national child care system been in place when she had her children, she would have been able to keep her job, purchase a home and, most importantly, raise her children together with her husband, rather than working opposite schedules.
For her and many others with similar stories, I am hopeful that my home province of Ontario will soon see an agreement on child care. For her and many others like her, our government is going take action on housing affordability and put home ownership back in reach for Canadians.
As we look to rebuild our economy, we must also look to make sure it is more inclusive and diverse. We are making it easier for women and vulnerable groups to access training to help them gain and strengthen needed skills to re-enter the labour market. We must continue to work towards ending systemic racism, sexism and discrimination in our workplaces, schools and communities.
True equality makes our communities and our economy stronger and more resilient. No one should miss out on an opportunity to get ahead because of their gender, who they love, where they come from, what language they speak, who they pray to or the colour of their skin.
Because every Canadian deserves to feel safe and welcome in their own community, we are continuing the work with supporting organizations that provide critical services to those who are victims of gender-based violence and discrimination. I want the residents of Newmarket—Aurora, and indeed all Canadians, to feel safe in the places they have chosen to call home. The safety of Canadians is non-negotiable.
Speaking of safety, climate change is the biggest threat that we are facing. We know there may be some members in the House who still may not believe this is true, but they cannot argue the facts. From an increase in floods and fires to cold winters and hotter summers, climate change is real and its impacts are already being felt.
This is not news. In fact, since 2015, our government has invested roughly $60 billion toward fighting climate change by means of investing in clean technologies, public transit, zero-emissions charging stations and more. We will continue to invest in our oil and gas workers and industry to cut pollution, while making a green economy that is more inclusive of them. We have the raw materials and the skilled workforce needed to produce clean products that will make Canada a global leader.
However, as we do this, we must also consider the important relationship indigenous people share with the land on which we live. Much can be learned from them, and we have a responsibility to work with our indigenous partners to learn from, to protect and to respect traditional knowledge. It is in that spirit of understanding and partnership with indigenous peoples that we renew our commitment to advance reconciliation.
As a parent and a grandparent, I cannot fathom the atrocity of knowing that I might never see my children again because they were taken away from me, from my home, by the government. That anguish, pain and overwhelming discrimination has faced indigenous parents and children for decades and unfortunately is still faced today.
As a country and a government, we have the responsibility to make sure indigenous communities have the support they need to keep their families together, to assess timely and culturally appropriate health care services, to address the overrepresentation of indigenous people in our penal institutions and welfare systems, and to ensure fair and equitable compensation for those harmed by the first nations child and family services program. We have a responsibility to accelerate the work that we have already committed to.
There is much work to be done to close the gaps that keep many first nations, Inuit and Métis from fairness and equity in this country. Let us move quickly, hand in hand with indigenous people, to not only close these gaps, but in doing so, realize the immense opportunities that are possible from an equal and renewed understanding and partnership.
A few weeks back, I had the honour to welcome the Noori family in Newmarket—Aurora. They left their home in Afghanistan believing that the hopes of a brighter future would be found in our community and in Canada, a hope that so many around the world share.
I have said it before, but I will say it again: We are lucky to call Canada our home. I know how that feels because it was Canada that welcomed my family after World War II. I have seen first-hand the compassion Canadians have for their neighbours and the support they give to those in need. When times are tough, Canadians show the courage to brace for what is ahead, with the determination to overcome challenges and compassion for their neighbours.
In my riding, during the most difficult days of the pandemic, I saw community members step up to make sure that no one was left behind. My community inspires me each and every day, and it is thanks to community members that I have found the honour to come to the House to work with colleagues from all over the country on advancing their priorities. Together and right now is how we build a better, fairer and more inclusive Canada for all, the Canada that we all deserve.
