With the Parliamentary session recently coming to an end, I am reflecting on all of the hard and rewarding work we have accomplished over the past few months. I am fortunate to have worked with colleagues from all Parties to advance legislation and draft important reports to benefit all Canadians. In just 15 weeks, the House passed 15 historic bills that will help make life more affordable, safeguard our environment, protect the public safety of Canadians, and advance our commitment to reconciliation.

We’ve accomplished a lot as a collective working to enhance public safety, particularly with keeping our communities safe from gun violence (Bill C-21), and investments right here in Halton through the Building Safer Communities Fund.  I would be remiss to not mention the milestone of establishing the first ever ‘National Day Against Gun Violence’ in Canada alongside the Toronto Raptors, which will now take place from coast to coast to coast on the first Friday of every June moving forward.  Special thanks to the Raptors John Wiggins for working with me on this.

As a member of the Special Committee on Afghanistan, I heard first hand the desperate conditions in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover.  I was proud to work across Party lines to provide Canadian aid organizations a pathway to providing humanitarian aid to those in Afghanistan (Bill C-41). 

As a government we were proudly able to introduce legislation that establishes the Canada Disability Benefit (Bill C-22) to reduce poverty and support the financial security of working persons with disabilities. 

Another historic milestone made was our commitment to ensuring families across Canada have access to affordable, inclusive and high quality early learning and childcare (Bill C-35).  While agreements have been reached with all provinces and territories, this legislation enshrines into law our commitment to early learning and childcare.

Other significant legislation achieved: 

• At a challenging time in a challenging world, Budget 2023 (Bill C-47) ensures Canadians can continue to count on their government being there for them. Key measures in the Budget Implementation Act include: an automatic advance for the Canada Workers Benefit, the doubling of the deduction for tradespeoples tools, improved registered education savings plans, banning strengthening Canada's supply chains and trade corridors, and continuing our efforts in supporting Ukraine by taking action against Russia.
• We banned cosmetic testing on animals, something that is long overdue.
• A free and independent press is essential to Canadian democracy, and the work of our journalists has value. That's why we introduced Bill C-18, The Online News Act, that will require the tech giants to fairly compensate publishers and journalists for the content shared on their platforms. We're creating a framework to ensure that Canadian publishers- big and small- can negotiate fair deals on more equal terms with tech giants- the most powerful companies in the world.
• Bill S-5 recognizes a right to a healthy environment and strengthens the foundation for the management of chemicals and other substances.

Pierre Poilievre and his Conservative MP’s tried to stand in the way of our progress at almost every step, using delay tactics and filibusters. Despite this, we have:

• Delivered targeted relief by helping Canadians manage the cost of living, including through doubling the GST tax credit to put additional funds in the pockets of vulnerable Canadians. We also delivered a top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit of $500 to make life more affordable and introduced the new Grocery Rebate of up to $467 for a family of four, which will be delivered on July 5! We have proudly continued to make child care affordable – fees have at least been cut in half on average across the country, and six provinces and territories have already reached $10-a-day child care. 
• Improved health care for Canadians by reaching agreements with provinces and territories on a path forward to improve access to family health care, reduce backlogs, increase the number of health professionals, and enhance mental health care services. Launching the Canada Dental Benefit for children under 12 that has already helped over 300,000 children go to the dentist, and made life more affordable for their parents. 
• Reaffirmed our commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples by launching the Action Plan to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, laying out a roadmap to build a better future for Indigenous Peoples across Canada. Making progress on Indigenous claims and self-government agreements, including reaching the first self-government agreement in Saskatchewan with the Whitecap Dakota First Nation.  I am continuing to work with MP Leah Gazan and our government on a “Red Dress Alert.”

As a government we are continuing to build on a strong record of lasting achievements for Canadians since 2015. I am proud to represent you in Ottawa and I am looking forward to spending time in the community this summer and returning to a fruitful fall session!