Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park.

Since this is my first time speaking in the House of Commons, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your election to the Chair. I would also like to congratulate all my colleagues here in the House of Commons on being elected. I am proud to join them as a member of Parliament in the 45th Parliament.

Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that the Parliament buildings are located on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people. My riding of Prescott—Russell—Cumberland is on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, or “People of the Longhouse”.

I have the privilege of rising here today thanks to the trust of more than 39,000 voters in Prescott—Russell—Cumberland. I am deeply grateful to them. I want to assure the House that I will represent all the people in my riding, which covers 3,000 square kilometres, to the best of my ability.

I would to thank my husband, Brandon Lee; my family, including my mother, Jean Anderson; my father, Angelo Mingarelli; my brothers and sisters; my many relatives; volunteers; and campaign team, including the former members of Parliament for Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, Francis Drouin and the Hon. Don Boudria, who have supported me throughout this journey.

I am proud to have made history this election by being the first woman ever elected in federal history in Prescott—Russell—Cumberland in the 75 years of the riding's history. I would like to acknowledge the late Marlene Catterall, a Governor General's award-winning women's rights activist and former member of Parliament for Ottawa West—Nepean. Marlene brought me into politics on Parliament Hill when I was in my teens, as a co-op student. She taught me the importance of always treating people with dignity, respect and kindness. Marlene passed away last year, and the final conversation we had before she died was that I would be running to be the candidate in Prescott—Russell—Cumberland. She was very proud.

Since my time on the Hill, I have had the honour of working with members of Parliament from all stripes on multipartisan issues relating to women's and youth political, economic and social empowerment. For example, I have been very active in the global kindness movement. Canada is consistently ranked as one of the kindest countries in the world. We are in fact the only country to recognize Kindness Week, which is the third week of February, and that is something I think we can all unite around.

With that said, I am delighted to contribute to the debate of this week's throne speech. I must acknowledge what an honour it was to be present during the royal visit of King Charles and Queen Camilla and the reading of the throne speech in the Senate chamber by the King.

I would like to speak to the importance of the sovereignty message the King brought to Canadians this week in the throne speech. It could not have been timelier, given the challenges our country is facing in a world that is more divided and dangerous than any point since the Second World War.

The King reminded Canadians that his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, opened a new Canadian Parliament in 1957 at a time when the Second World War was still dominant in people's minds and the Cold War was intensifying. Freedom and democracy were under threat then as they are now. Democracy, the rule of law and freedom are values Canadians hold dear and are values our government is determined to protect through these challenging times. These are persistent themes throughout our government's throne speech.

The speech specifically cites the work under way between our Prime Minister and the President of the United States in defining a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S., one that is “rooted in mutual respect and founded on common interests, to deliver transformational benefits for both sovereign nations.” It is a powerful message from the King and one that Canadians welcome in these difficult times.

This message is particularly important for farmers, for steel workers and for the many businesses and families in my riding, Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, that depend on the close economic ties between our two countries to make a living.

Our government is determined to maintain supply management, a system that ensures our country's food security. This is great news for dairy farmers like the Patenaude family and their 450 Holstein cows at the Gillette farm in Embrun, as well as thousands of other dairy and poultry farmers in my riding and across Canada.

Then there are the hundreds of steelworkers at Ivaco Rolling Mills in L'Orignal. Almost 70% of its steel is sold to the United States. People are legitimately concerned about the unfair steel tariffs imposed by the United States. These tariffs have already done a lot of damage to the company, which announced that it is laying off 104 workers. Its employees' livelihood is in jeopardy. Our government will vigorously defend workers and Canadian steel.

We are getting rid of internal trade barriers to create a single Canadian economy out of our 13 provinces and territories. This will make it easier to sell steel and countless other products within Canada. These barriers to trade and labour mobility cost the country up to $200 billion a year. A bill will be introduced to eliminate all federal barriers to internal trade and labour mobility by Canada Day.

Our government is working closely with the provinces, territories and indigenous peoples to develop projects of national importance that will unite the country, strengthen our ties with the world and create well-paying jobs for generations to come.

In the throne speech, the government committed to building a more affordable Canada, because the economy is only truly strong when it serves everyone. The average income in Prescott—Russell—Cumberland is approximately $56,000. Like many Canadians, my constituents are struggling to get ahead. That is why the government is responding by reducing middle-class taxes, which would save two-income families up to $840 a year. It would cut the GST on homes sold at or under $1 million, for first-time homebuyers, delivering savings of up to $50,000. It would lower the GST on homes between $1 million and $1.5 million and provide significant financing to builders of affordable homes.

The government will also protect the programs that are already saving families thousands of dollars every year, such as child care and pharmacare. In addition to these programs, the government has recently expanded the Canadian dental care plan to cover about eight million Canadians, saving the average person more than $800 per year.

As a trilingual Ontarian who speaks English, French and Italian, I am honoured to represent the beautiful riding of Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, which has a proud and diverse cultural heritage. I would like to point out that 60% of my constituents speak French as their mother tongue. In fact, it is the only riding with a francophone majority in the entire province of Ontario.

Protecting our cultural heritage begins with our public institutions and ensuring adequate services in both official languages. I am proud to be part of a government that understands and respects this reality. That is why our government will support CBC/Radio-Canada with an annual increase in funding and will encourage the use of Canada's two official languages by investing in Canada's cultural and creative industries. It is essential for Franco-Ontarians, and for all francophones outside Quebec, to preserve their language and their cultural heritage.

The throne speech presents a vision for Canada that renews a sense of national pride, unity and hope while recognizing our historical foundations as we continue to work towards truth and reconciliation as a country.

I look forward to working with all my colleagues in the House. We will not always agree, but, as our new Speaker said during his speech to the House, it is possible to skilfully and convincingly refute an argument without resorting to personal invective or intimidation. We must work to find the balance between respect and order on the one hand and vigorous debate that clarifies issues on the other. I personally commit to treating every member of the House with dignity, respect and kindness.

Again, I have striven my entire professional career to work across party lines to achieve results. I commit to continuing that work and to doing whatever is required in our shared goal, together, to improve the lives of all Canadians, including every resident of Prescott—Russell—Cumberland.

Giovanna Mingarelli

Transcript

Speech from the Throne

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