Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II  Mr. Speaker, I rise with a very heavy heart and much sadness to pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who committed and dedicated her life to selfless duty and service. I also hold in my thoughts King Charles III, the Queen Consort and the royal family, who are not only grieving the loss of their Queen, but also their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Retirement Income  Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking colleagues for their support of my very focused Motion M-45 to start a national conversation around registered retirement income funds, or RRIFs. Very specifically, Motion M-45 asks the government to undertake a study examining population aging, longevity, interest rates and registered retirement income funds, and to report its findings and recommendations to the House within 12 months.

Retirement Income  Mr. Speaker, after months of consultation with numerous groups and many attempts with the NDP to even have a conversation, this motion is actually on RRIFs and we did not even hear that discussed, so the motion stands.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Science and Research, entitled “Successes, Challenges and Opportunities for Science in Canada”. This is an inaugural committee, and I would like to thank all members and witnesses who participated in the study.

Gaelic Awareness Month  Mr. Speaker, [Member spoke in Scottish Gaelic and provided the following translation:] May is Gaelic Awareness Month in Nova Scotia. This is a good time to celebrate Gaelic language and culture. Since the 18th century, thousands of Gaels from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland came to North America.

National Volunteer Week  Mr. Speaker, it is National Volunteer Week, and I celebrate the compassion, empathy and generosity of volunteers in Etobicoke North. They are the lifeblood of our community. They give their time, energy and experience to improve the lives of others. Through the pandemic, community leaders, families and friends were there for one another and lifted each other up.

Tartan Day  Mr. Speaker, today is Tartan Day in Canada and the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. We celebrate the contributions of Scots and their descendants to the fabric of Canadian society. Among early settler communities, Scots helped map Canada, build railways, create national parks and found universities.

Retirement Income  Mr. Speaker, I welcome my hon. colleague to the House. I look forward to meeting. Our government has undertaken many things for seniors. One of the first things we did was to restore the age of eligibility for OAS back to 65 from 67. I do not want to talk about accomplishments.

Retirement Income  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question. My thanks for the support. This study does matter. We have to start a conversation. It has not happened in this country. We have enhanced the CPP, and Quebec followed with the QPP. We have raised the GIS for single seniors. We have introduced a special tax-free payment for those who received OAS and GIS.

Retirement Income  Mr. Speaker, I have always enjoyed working with my hon. colleague as well. I think if all of us can come together to put this to the government, we can have real movement. We have not had movement on RRIFs. We have a real change coming. We have seniors increasing in population by 68%, and all of us have heard the challenges seniors are facing.

Retirement Income  moved: That: (a) the House recognize that (i) seniors deserve a dignified retirement free from financial worry, (ii) many seniors are worried about their retirement savings running out, (iii) many seniors are concerned about being able to live independently in their own homes; and (b) in the opinion of the House, the government should undertake a study examining population aging, longevity, interest rates, and registered retirement income funds, and report its findings and recommendations to the House within 12 months of the adoption of this motion.

Community Leadership  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Candies Kotchapaw, who has been honoured in the “Top 25 Women of Influence” and the “Top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women”. Candies is an inspiring leader who believes in giving youth opportunities that did not exist for her and in nurturing the tremendous talent that exists in the Black community.

Ukraine  Mr. Speaker, fighting is raging across Ukraine from air, land and sea. Residents of Kyiv are being forced to seek safety in their homes, improvised bomb shelters and subways. Escalating violence in crowded cities is killing civilians, including children. The world wants an end to this terrible suffering.

Emergencies Act  Mr. Speaker, the reality is that Canadians are tired. They want the blockades to end and they want their lives and neighbourhoods back. Going forward, we must work to bring people together, choose to make our political dialogue peaceful and respectful, and choose to think about how to regulate and prevent the spread of hate speech and other forms of misinformation.

Emergencies Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague and friend for the question. He and I attended high school together. This is an opportunity to remember the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, along with the Roma and Sinti, and countless other victims of its unprecedented horror.