Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne

Today, M.P. Sudds rose in the House of Commons to speak the following in reply to the Speech from the Throne:   

“Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise today in the House of Commons for the first time to debate and to have the opportunity to represent amazing people from all corners of Kanata—Carleton.

    I would first like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people. My gratitude, my awe of this institution and my commitment to affect positive change for Canadians has never been stronger.

    My sincere congratulations to you, Madam Speaker, and to all of my colleagues on their election.

    I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to the constituents who voted for me and put their faith in me to represent them in the House of Commons. This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. I am here because of them and their trust in me. For that I thank them sincerely.

    I would also like to thank every constituent who voted, who took the time to write to me, to share their concerns or speak to me over the last number of months.

    Je tiens également à remercier tous les électeurs qui ont voté et qui ont pris le temps de m'écrire ou de me parler au cours des derniers mois pour me faire part de leurs préoccupations.

    Campaigns are made possible by countless volunteers, so to those who knocked on doors with me, kept the campaign office running smoothly or helped organize our volunteers, I am incredibly grateful for their efforts.

    Je suis toujours émerveillée de voir ces gens incroyables consacrer, avec tant de générosité, leur temps et les ressources à une campagne électorale.

    I would like to thank all my volunteers.

    I would like to thank my husband, Tim, the man behind the scenes and my rock, for being the incredible partner that he is and for being the dad that he is to our girls. I could never, in a million years, take this on without him.

    Of course, to my daughters who are my greatest achievements, I feel truly blessed.

    Je me sens vraiment bénie.

    My girls are everything and they are the reason I do what I do. I want to thank them, Riley, Ryan and Brynn. I thank them for the hugs and the kind words when Mommy needs them. They are incredible young ladies, and I cannot wait to see what the world has in store for them.

    I want to thank my dad, Bob and his partner, Kim, aka chief sign installer, biggest cheerleaders and grandparents extraordinaire.

    I do not have enough words to share about my sister, Melissa that would be enough to thank her for all she does for me and the girls.

    Although my mom, Jean is far away, her support and her encouragement is felt daily. I am so grateful.

    I have been so fortunate to have political leaders who have encouraged me to run. First, I would like to thank Marianne Wilkinson, who was the first mayor and then city councillor for Kanata, for encouraging me to first run municipally. Second, I would like to thank former MP Karen McCrimmon, whose hard work and determination has served our community so well and whose friendship I value tremendously.

    Last, I would like to acknowledge the impact that my late grandmother has had on me. She was a force to be reckoned with. She had a huge heart and a determination to help others. These are lessons that she passed on to me and that I will always cherish.

    Aujourd'hui, j'aimerais aborder quelques-uns des faits saillants du discours du Trône qui, à mon avis, comptent le plus pour les résidents de Kanata—Carleton.

    Kanata—Carleton is a diverse riding. With a vibrant suburban centre in Kanata, as well as beautiful villages in Carp, Dunrobin, scenic communities along the river, in Constance and Buckham's Bay, and the lovely village of Fitzroy Harbour, and amazing green space all the way out to West Carleton.

    The diversity of our area brings promise, but it also brings challenges. These last 21 months have been very difficult times for so many in our country and in my community. With the many restrictions we faced throughout the pandemic, the residents in Kanata—Carleton were fortunate to be able to turn to our beautiful green spaces, walking paths and trails to remain active.

  I am incredibly grateful for this green space and access to nature. Our government has introduced targeted COVID supports for those who need it most and will continue to do that throughout the pandemic.

    Our economy has proven itself to be incredibly resilient. Although we must acknowledge that businesses have suffered throughout the pandemic, some have thrived and I have watched small businesses from local coffee shops to large corporations in our technology park innovate and change the way that they operate to keep their employees and their communities safe. Local outdoor markets, like the Carp Farmers' Market and the Kanata Farmers' Market, have become places where people can come to shop and socially distance. Residents have not shied away from difficulty, but rather used it to innovate for a brighter future.

    We are truly a country of innovators and I am incredibly proud of the innovation happening in my community in the Kanata North technology park and beyond. Digital transformation and automation are impacting every sector of our economy. This is a huge opportunity and one in which Canada can lead in many areas. I look no further than the farming industry to realize our potential. We have the Ottawa Smart Farm, the groundbreaking agritech playground run by Invest Ottawa, located right here in Ottawa and is leading.

    Canada is so fortunate. We have the natural resources, the talent, and the creative spirit to help not just Canada, but the world, address the climate crisis. We cannot hesitate to take bold climate action. Extreme weather events are on the rise. In the past five years, Kanata—Carleton has experienced both a tornado and a flood with devastating effects. We must act quickly. I know the innovators in my community will be tapped in the coming month and years to support our government commitment to tackle climate change. I know those who rise to the occasion will undoubtedly thrive.

    Investing in public transit is key and I am thankful for our government's commitment to funding clean, electric light rail, in addition to an autonomous vehicle shuttle pilot for a last-mile solution in Kanata—Carleton. We need to ensure that investments in clean mobility solutions happen now to minimize our current and future carbon footprint.

    It goes without saying that the COVID-19 pandemic has walked back the decades of progress made in labour force participation by women. Once again, it has been predominantly women who have stepped away from their paid work to take on more of the load for child care and elder care as a result of lockdowns and school closures. We must reverse this trend. I have no doubt that our government's plan to introduce affordable, quality child care will have tremendous impact, and unlock the economic opportunity of more women participating in the workforce. Although Ontario has not yet committed, I remain committed to seeing this work through to the end. I know the moms and dads in Kanata—Carleton will be much better off because of it

    Kanata—Carleton, like Canada itself, is a very diverse community. Sadly, there is an alarming increase in experiences of hate and racism. Like our government, I am committed to combatting hate and racism. I look forward to the renewal of the government's anti-racism strategy, as well as the necessary and important work to combat online hate, which sadly we know has continued to grow.

    We must also acknowledge Canada's role on the world stage. Canada must continue to engage with international partners. We have learned a lot through this pandemic, including how small the word really. We must continue to strive for gender equality. As a mom of three daughters, as a politician in this House dominated by men, and as a former executive in our technology sector, we have a long way to go. I am proud of the commitments our government has made, but I acknowledge more work has to be done.

    In conclusion, I am fiercely proud to be Canadian. Je le dis et je le répète: je suis extrêmement fière d'être Canadienne.”