Tim Louis · TranslatePolitics.ca

Statements by Members

Beyond Housing

2026-06-12

“I want to praise a man who raises money for affordable housing in my riding.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary community leader in Kitchener—Conestoga, Mr. Martin Buhr. For decades, Martin has worked tirelessly to ensure that people in need have a safe, affordable place to call home. As founding member of MennoHomes, which is now known as Beyond Housing, he built a legacy of compassion, inclusion and service that continues to strengthen our community. This year, as Beyond Housing marks his 25th anniversary and Martin celebrates his 87th birthday, he is preparing for his final Out-Spok'n Bike-a-thon, a community event uniting riders, sponsors and supporters committed to affordable housing. Over the years, through this ride, Martin has raised more than $387,000, with a goal of reaching $500,000. Proceeds will support a 30-unit accessible apartment in Elmira. Martin's leadership has inspired countless people across Waterloo Region and reminds us about the difference one person can make. On behalf of the grateful community in Kitchener—Conestoga, I thank him and wish him every success in his final ride. I will see Mr. Buhr tomorrow.

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

Statements by Members

Kitchener Rangers

2026-06-04

“I'm cheering for a hockey team. The Kitchener Rangers won the Memorial Cup and the OHL championship. I want to say they're very determined and have done a good job. Go team.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Kitchener Rangers on capturing junior hockey's top national honour this year, the Memorial Cup, after an amazing season that also saw them win the OHL championship. The Rangers demonstrated remarkable determination and composure throughout their run, excelling in both the OHL playoffs and the Memorial Cup tournament. They have met every challenge with confidence and resolve, proving what their fans already knew, which is that they are true champions. I send my congratulations to the players for their dedication and performance and to the coaches and staff for their ongoing leadership and guidance. I also send my thanks to the billet families and to the fans, whose steadfast belief and passion have been the foundation of this team's success. Their support has carried the Rangers every step of the way. Once again I congratulate the Kitchener Rangers. They have brought pride, inspiration and lasting memories to our community. This achievement stands as a proud moment for Kitchener and for all who believe in them. Go, Rangers, go!

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

Adjournment Proceedings

2026-05-06

“The old government started a program with problems. We decided to stop giving it money. We say we will spend money on things that work.”

“The previous government started this. We all thought it was a good idea at the time. It didn't work out. We decided to stop wasting money on it. I want to sound reasonable and responsible about cutting the program.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her question, and I will say many of the things to her that I said to the member's colleagues. As my colleague knows, PrescribeIT was launched by the previous government in collaboration with Canada Health Infoway, the provinces and territories because it saw that there was a need for it. The provinces and territories wanted to move doctors and pharmacies away from using fax machines and toward a system where important health care data could be sent electronically. Infoway was chosen for the job because it had received funding from Liberal and Conservative governments alike since 2001. The organization has long been a place for federal, provincial and territorial governments to come together to work on improving Canada's health data infrastructure. The resulting program, PrescribeIT, was launched in 2017, following extensive consultations with the provinces and territories. It is important to note that the goal was never to have the federal government fund PrescribeIT indefinitely. From the outset, the plan was for the program to be self-funded over time. This meant that, when our new government came into office last year, we took a hard look at what was working and what was not working. We take our responsibility as stewards and watchdogs for taxpayer dollars very seriously. We saw that PrescribeIT did not have the level of pick up that was expected when it launched nearly a decade ago. As was mentioned, only 5% of prescriptions were filled using the system. Rather than continuing to fund a program that no one was using, we decided to end funding for PrescribeIT. At a time when Canadians expect that we will spend health care dollars wisely and carefully, we wanted to make sure that we were investing taxpayer money in a way that delivers the greatest benefit to patients and the health system alike. Are there questions about the future of lnfoway following this decision? Of course there are. That is why we are refocusing government spending and ensuring that Canada Health lnfoway focuses on what it was intended to do, which is to build up Canada's health data infrastructure and support the development of national health data standards. This work is important, and it speaks to the future of Canada's health care system. Canadians deserve and expect a system that meets their needs and adapts to the world as the flow of information changes. Our government will always be there for Canadians, for our health care sector, and for our provincial and territorial partners, to make sure that we are helping to deliver health care in a way that puts the needs of patients first.

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

“I don't want to admit anything bad happened. Look over there at other people. We spent money because others said to. It didn't work. We stopped. That's good.”

“For 25 years Liberals and Conservatives kept funding this program. Nobody used it much. We finally looked at it again and ended the funding. Why are you suddenly upset now that we stopped?”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, Canada Health Infoway has received funding from the Government of Canada for 25 years. That is 25 years of Liberal and Conservative governments alike recognizing that we need to come together with the provinces and territories to jointly fund an organization that promotes improving our health data infrastructure. This collaboration with provinces and territories is essential in a country like Canada, where health care falls under provincial jurisdiction. This means that we need to work together, alongside the provinces and territories, ensuring that our health care system responds to the needs of all Canadians. That is why the previous government worked with Infoway and the provinces and territories to launch PrescribeIT in 2017. The federal government heard from our provincial and territorial partners that our health care data was being held back by a long-standing dependence on paper and fax to transmit prescriptions. We should not be relying on fax machines at a time when information is so easily accessible. To try to address this challenge, the previous government provided seed funding to Health Canada Infoway for a program that would replace this outdated reliance on fax machines. This was never intended to be long-term, ongoing funding. From the beginning, the plan was for PrescribeIT to become self-sufficient. Nearly a decade later, it was clear this plan had failed. While nearly 11 million prescriptions were fulfilled last year using PrescribeIT, that number is only 5% of prescriptions across Canada. Doctors and pharmacies alike did not use the system. Our new government came into office and took a look at what was working and what was not. Based on our careful review, we saw that there was no path for PrescribeIT to become financially sustainable, and we ended the funding for the program. The Conservatives seem to think there is something wrong with ending a program that has low uptake, but the fact is that our new government takes its role as steward and custodian of taxpayer dollars very seriously, especially when it comes to health care. We are committed to focusing on resources where those dollars will deliver the greatest benefit to patients and our health care system.

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

Government Orders

Canadian Space Launch Act

2026-04-28

“I'm filling time by listing every province that wants space industry money. I want the government to spend money in Waterloo. Something about universities, but I'm not asking anything specific.”

Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, we are talking about legislation and the Canadian space launch act. My colleague is from Manitoba, so he will be happy to know that I just recently met with a group called Manitoba Advantage from the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, industry and the Business Council of Manitoba, which are all behind growing our aerospace industries. We heard from a colleague from Quebec saying that Quebec is poised to grow our aerospace industries. I want to support Ontario, specifically the Waterloo region, for our strong tech sector. We are also poised to grow in the aerospace industries. We have two universities and a community college in Waterloo region. Can my colleague from Manitoba explain the importance of the aerospace industry in connecting with our post-secondary institutions?

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

Oral Questions

International Trade

2026-04-24

“We won't tell you the plan. We are doing some work. We will get a good trade deal eventually. We're negotiating secretly. That's all you need to know.”

“I cheer for our government. We have the best deal. We talk to many, many people. Everyone in Canada works together and agrees. We will make Canada strong.”