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Dear Friends,

It has been an incredibly productive and consequential month in Parliament and right here in our community. From advancing historic legislation to protect our democracy and our children to celebrating the vibrant cultural heritage of Mount Royal, our government is focused on building a Canada that is secure, affordable, and fair for everyone.

Last Week in Ottawa and the Riding

June is Pride Month, Italian Heritage Month and Filipino Heritage Month among other major events that are celebrated.  Last week in Ottawa, we held both Pride and Italian Heritage celebrations on Parliament Hill.  Over the course of the weekend, I attended multiple celebrations in the riding to celebrate the Independence of the Philippines.

On Friday, I attended flag-raising ceremonies in Côte Saint-Luc and with the Filipino Association of Montreal and Suburbs (FAMAS). I was also privileged to serve as the Grand Marshal for the CCFAQ celebration on Sunday and attended the annual FAMAS Gala at Saint Kevin’s on Saturday evening.
Click here to watch some of the weekend activities:

Corner Booth Discussion

On Friday I joined Aaron Rand and Bill Brownstein and Fo Niemi on the Montreal Gazette Corner Booth Podcast. I discussed the government’s justice bills and the actions we are taking to confront antisemitism in particular, as well as all other forms of hate and the reasons for which I thought that Project Montreal’s proposed motion to the Montreal council this week was so harmful.

Please click here to watch the episode:

‘It will trigger hate,’ Housefather on Projet Montréal’s Anti-Israel motion | The Corner Booth

A New Blueprint for Affordability: National Food Security Strategy

We need to bring down the cost of groceries.  That is why we have launched Canada’s first-ever National Food Security Strategy, backed by more than $3 billion in investments over 10 years.

Our plan is designed to lower prices by breaking open the market for independent retailers. We are investing 1 billion in food infrastructure to help independent grocers buy and move products without relying on large retail chains. Additionally, we are providing 750 million to expand year-round Canadian production of fruits and vegetables through greenhouses and vertical farms, ensuring that “Canadian plates” are filled with Canadian-grown food all year long.

Protecting Our Democracy: The Strong and Free Elections Act

To ensure our democratic processes remain among the strongest in the world, we have passed the third reading of Bill C-25, the Strong and Free Elections Act. This legislation responds directly to expert recommendations to protect our elections from evolving threats.

Key measures include:

• Combatting Deepfakes: Creating a new offense against digital impersonations (AI/deepfakes) used to misrepresent candidates or election officials.
• Stopping Foreign Interference: Closing channels for foreign and “dark money” by preventing political parties from accepting anonymous contributions like cryptocurrency or prepaid cards.
• Protecting Personal Information: Introducing strict new privacy safeguards for federal political parties, including a prohibition on selling personal information.
• Year-Round Protection: Expanding protections against foreign influence and misleading publications so they apply at all times, not just during an election period.

Combatting Hate and Protecting Our Community

The safety of our community remains my highest priority.

This week the Combatting Hate Act will finally become law.
This bill introduces five primary pillars to modernize the Criminal Code’s response to hate:

• Standalone Hate Crime Offense: Unlike the current system, where hate is often only considered as an aggravating factor during sentencing, this bill creates a standalone offense. This means the law recognizes the crime as a hate crime from the outset, allowing for tougher penalties for crimes like assault or arson when motivated by hatred toward an identifiable group.
• New Obstruction and Intimidation Offenses: The bill criminalizes blocking or interfering with lawful access to religious or cultural buildings, such as schools, seniors’ residences, and synagogues. It also prohibits behavior meant to intimidate or threaten individuals entering these spaces, such as masked individuals shouting threats at parents or worshippers.
• Prohibition on Hate and Terrorist Symbols: It creates a new offense for the public display of symbols associated with listed terrorist entities (like Al Qaida or the Proud Boys) or hate symbols (like Nazi imagery) when displayed with the intent to willfully promote hatred.
• Codifying the Definition of “Hatred”: The bill defines “hatred” based on Supreme Court of Canada rulings as an emotion of an “intense and extreme nature” associated with vilification and detestation.

This week the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act will also become law. That bill, among other things will make it much harder for repeat or dangerous offenders to get bail.

Strengthening the Justice System: The Protecting Victims Act

We have also passed the Protecting Victims Act (Bill C-16) through the House of Commons, a major update to our criminal justice system. This legislation takes decisive action to:

• Combat Intimate Partner Violence: Creating a new offense for coercive control and recognizing femicide as automatic first-degree murder in specific contexts.
• Protect Children: Restoring mandatory minimum penalties for predators who possess child sexual abuse material and criminalizing “child sextortion”.
• Modernize Laws: Updating offenses to include sexual deepfakes and ensuring that criminal harassment laws capture the use of modern tracking technology.

Watch me speaking in support of Bill C-16 at the House of Commons here:

Safe Social Media for Our Children

As online harms intensify, our laws must keep pace. We have introduced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, to make digital spaces safer for children. This framework will introduce a minimum age restriction of 16 for social media accounts and require platforms to rapidly remove certain content including content that sexually victimizes a child. Platforms will now have a legal “Duty to Protect Children,” ensuring their services are safe by design.

Economic Resilience and Housing

Our economic strategy is delivering results. In May 2026, the Canadian economy added 88,000 net new jobs, bringing the unemployment rate down and far exceeding market expectations. Construction has been a primary driver of these gains, showing that our plan to boost investment is working.

To tackle the housing crisis, we introduced the Build Canada Homes Act, which establishes a new Crown corporation backed by $13 billion in initial capitalization. This agency will leverage public lands and flexible financial tools to build affordable homes faster and smarter. We are using a place-based definition of affordability, ensuring that rents do not exceed 30% of the local median household income.
Honoring Our Heritage and Our Troops

June is a month of deep reflection and celebration:

• Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Day: On June 7^th, we honored the more than 100,000 members of our regular and reserve forces. I am proud to share that Canada has reached NATO’s 2% defense spending target five years ahead of schedule, ensuring our troops have the equipment they need to protect our sovereignty.
• National Indigenous Peoples Day: On June 21, we honor the rich heritage and cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people. Coinciding with the summer solstice, this day represents a time of renewal and gathering.

Supply Chain Integrity

Finally, we have tabled Bill C-35, which will prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labour. Forced labour is a serious violation of human rights, and this legislation strengthens our ability to intercept such goods at the border, ensuring a level playing field for responsible Canadian businesses.

Thank you for your continued engagement as we work to build a Canada that is strong, safe, and independent.

Best,

Anthony