Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the second petition, E-590, initiated by local historian and legend Harold Wright from Saint John, calls upon the Minister of Canadian Heritage to support the designation of the port of Saint John as Canada’s first national historic seaport, and also the designation of Partridge Island's navigational aids station and its military fortifications, the guardian at the entrance of the port of Saint John, as national historic sites.

Canada Labour Code  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my great riding of Saint John—Rothesay, I am very pleased to stand in the House today to speak about the proposed legislation to amend the Canada Labour Code with regard to preventive withdrawal provisions for federally related workers who are pregnant or nursing.

Poverty  Mr. Speaker, our fight against chronic generational poverty continues in Saint John—Rothesay, but I am thrilled to report that progress is being made. The Canada child benefit is transforming and changing lives of thousands of families from coast to coast to coast. In budget 2017, money directed toward a national housing strategy, child care, and early learning projects are historic investments and game changers.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is pretty clear that our government has done a lot of consultation with indigenous groups and first nation groups right across the country. Our relationship with them is about being transparent and open and working with them. At times I am puzzled by the viewpoints of the party opposite, which seem to depend on the province in which they are speaking.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I also respect the work of my friend and colleague across the House at the human resources committee. He is a great member. I agree with what the member said with respect to how important our natural resources are to the country and how important it is to get those resources to tidewater.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I think that our government should do what any responsible government should do, much like the government across the House would also do, which is to approve the pipeline. We will support the pipeline and we will do everything in our power to make sure that the pipeline moves forward.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, on January 25, my colleague, the Minister of Transport, outlined our government's commitment to keeping our coastlines safe through our oceans protection plan. I thank my friend across for that correction. This $1.5-billion investment is one example of how we are working to show that a clean environment and a strong economy do not have to be mutually exclusive.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, let me say how pleased I am to stand to speak to this motion today. I am a proud member of Parliament from the riding of Saint John—Rothesay, a riding that is highly industrialized. It is the home of one of the largest oil refineries in Canada, a riding that is pinning a lot of hopes on this government and our transparent process, the NEB process, and hoping that energy east will also be delivered to our riding.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, again, to run a government, to look at the big picture, there has to be a long-term investment. I am absolutely thrilled that our finance minister and our government stood up and put their money where their mouths are with a long-term 10-year investment, a strategic investment in a national housing strategy.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I would like to stand today to talk about hockey and certainly the Saint John Sea Dogs hockey team that is blowing through the first round of the playoff series and on to the second round in chase of another Memorial Cup for the organization. To answer my friend and colleague's question, investment over the past 10 years in infrastructure, in particular, before we were elected, was at a deficit.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. People who run shelters in Saint John—Rothesay and are involved in the non-profit sector are absolutely thrilled with this budget. What was needed was a long-term investment. We are committing to a 10-year investment. One can say that it is back-end loaded, but I would say it is front-end loaded.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, let me say how thrilled and pleased I am to stand here in the House and speak to budget 2017. It is a budget that gives much hope and promise for middle-class Canadians. Let me digress and go back to when I started to run in the past election and started going door to door in communities, going from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, our government was elected on a strong commitment to re-engage the federal government in affordable housing. Last year, we made significant investments in affordable housing, and this week, budget 2017 announced a national housing strategy, which received praise nationally and by many stakeholders in Saint John—Rothesay, my riding.

Sandwich Program  Mr. Speaker, we have not lived today until we have done something for someone who can never repay us. I was elected by the great people of Saint John—Rothesay to represent, advocate, and bring important priorities forward. We are a city of great business success, but also a city with many in great need.

Homelessness  Mr. Speaker, the facts are sobering. There are 35,000 people in our country who will be homeless tonight. There are 235,000 people who will experience homelessness this year. Our shelters are full, and are at capacity across the country. For older adults and families, the stay is now as long as 20 days.