Senator Yonah Martin

COMMEMORATION OF KOREAN WAR Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition):Honourable senators, 70 years ago, in the early morning hours of June 25, 1950, the communist forces of North Korea launched an all-out offensive against the South Korean people. Within three weeks, all that remained of the country was a small, defensive perimeter around the Port of Pusan. The free and democratic nations of the world would not stand idly by as forces from 16 nations, including Canada, descended upon…

SPEECH ADDRESSING VETERANS IN THE SENATE CHAMBER FOR THE 2019 VETERANS WEEKEND IN OTTAWA Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Dear friends, distinguished guests, beloved veterans, welcome to this esteemed Upper Chamber in the "temporary" Senate of Canada building. Thank you for taking part in this special Veterans Weekend and tomorrow's Korea Day Ceremony. Tonight is a special Senate commemoration to mark the 66th anniversary of the Korea War Armistice to kick off this Veterans…

THE HONOURABLE RICHARD NEUFELD Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to a parliamentarian of distinction, a fellow British Columbian and my friend and colleague, the Honourable Richard Neufeld. Senator Neufeld will officially retire from the Senate of Canada on November 6, 2019. Click here to read more...

Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to a parliamentarian of distinction, a fellow British Columbian and my friend and colleague, the Honourable Richard Neufeld. Senator Neufeld will officially retire from the Senate of Canadaon November 6, 2019. Click here for more...

DEAFBLIND AWARENESS MONTH Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today as we begin the month of June to celebrate Deafblind Awareness Month. In 2015, the Senate of Canada unanimously passed a motion to designate June as Deafblind Awareness Month. I wish, once again, to acknowledge and thank our colleague, the Honourable Jim Munson, and former colleagues, the Honourable Joan Fraser and the Honourable Asha Seth, for their supportive roles in ensuring the…

BILL TO AMEND CERTAIN ACTS AND REGULATIONSIN RELATION TO FIREARMS THIRD READING—VOTE DEFERRED Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, as I said, I will be brief. I feel it’s important to add my voice to this debate as an urban Canadian who has lived in Vancouver for more than four decades. I just came from Creston, B.C., a rural part of my province where most nights we were around a fire pit. I know there were gun owners around the circle, gun enthusiasts lik…

Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today to tell you about an important Canadian treasure I discovered earlier this year during my first trip to Florida. There is a special Royal Canadian Legion Post 144, Pinellas County, which is housed within the American Legion TurnerBrandon Post 7, in Clearwater, Florida, among the first posts formed in the United States. It is the perfect symbol of the longstanding bond between our two countries whose men and w…

ACCESSIBLE CANADA BILL THIRD READING Hon. Yonah Martin (Deputy Leader of the Opposition): Honourable senators, I rise today also to speak very briefly at third reading of Bill C-81, An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada. Bill C-81 enacts the accessible Canada act in order to enhance the full and equal participation of all persons, especially persons living with disability, in our society. This bill will require federally regulated entities across the country to ensure accessibility to workpl…

Third Reading Speech on Bill C-376 Hon. Leo Housakos on behalf of the Hon. Yonah Martin: Honourable colleagues, I rise today to speak in support of Bill C-376, An Act to designate the month of April as Sikh Heritage Month. Click here to read more...

Honourable senators, As a proud alumni of UBC Class of 1987, I rise to acknowledge the delegation of brilliant students from UBC who are taking part in the inaugural UBC Women in House program. Click here to read more...