Government Business No. 7—Proceedings on Bill C‑12  Madam Speaker, it means they would not be waiting the amount of time they have been to get to this legislation. It means it would not be piecemeal. It means they would know that the government truly does have their backs, as it would for every other Canadian across the country. That is why I think we need to rally around not only this private member's bill but any effort in this place to ensure that every Canadian, seniors included, have access to a dignified life.

Government Business No. 7—Proceedings on Bill C‑12  Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question on process and I have heard the concerns raised by members across the way with respect to the speed of the passage. I would have liked to have more time. However, recognizing that there are other priorities to continue to move toward, recognizing the bill in this case is literally one page, in my view this is an example where it may not be ideal but my interest is in ensuring that seniors get as much support as quickly as possible.

Government Business No. 7—Proceedings on Bill C‑12  Madam Speaker, I completely agree with my colleague. I want to thank the member for the conversations we have had and for his shared advocacy. We need far more significant investment into a mix of community, public and co-op housing across the country. We know this has been done in the past.

Government Business No. 7—Proceedings on Bill C‑12  Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise this afternoon to speak about Bill C-12 and the needs low-income seniors are facing across the country. Over the last three years I have had many opportunities to speak with hundreds of seniors in Kitchener. I often knocked on doors in the daytime and who is home in the daytime?

Government Business No. 7--Proceedings on Bill C-12  Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the comments from the hon. member for Fredericton. In particular, I appreciate that she mentioned a guaranteed livable income. I appreciate the member's advocacy for a guaranteed livable income, and would love to hear her comments on the impact of a guaranteed livable income for seniors.

Government Business No. 7--Proceedings on Bill C-12  Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Respectfully, I wonder if you could help enforce the requirement for all members to be wearing a mask in this place at all times.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I may still be somewhat new here and I recognize that some votes are emotional for some, but I am wondering about the appropriateness of heckling while a vote is taking place. I wonder if there is a standing order with respect to whether that is appropriate or not.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, earlier today I introduced a petition with almost 18,000 signatories, Canadians from every corner of the country, calling on the government to fast-track the Canada disability benefit and lift almost 1.5 million Canadians with disabilities out of poverty. It has now been almost two months since the Prime Minister last commented on this critical support.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition on behalf of 17,874 Canadians from every corner of the country. They note that Canadians with disabilities are disproportionately living in poverty across the country and that the Canada disability benefit, a guaranteed livable income for Canadians with disabilities, is already supported by 89% of Canadians.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Longueuil—Saint-Hubert. My priority is Bill C‑216, which was introduced here in the House. It is a mix of policies. We do not need to choose one over the other, as we have in front of us a bill that would allow us to do a mix of what experts are already calling for.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Chair, the three-word answer is that we need support, not stigma. We need to recognize that this is part of a vicious cycle. The stigma is part of why we need to move toward decriminalization. That is what helps us move away from this, which was one of the five core challenges the task force called out, as we move toward decriminalization.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Chair, I do agree, and to go a step further, we recognize that mandatory minimum penalties, as has been called out in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, need to be moved away from. I would actually encourage the governing party to go further with that legislation to ensure that we follow through on the calls to action from the TRC.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Chair, I thank the member for the question and for the tone with which the question was asked. It sounds like it comes from a place of genuine curiosity. My perspective is to follow the expert advice that parliamentarians are being given, and that expert advice from the task force on substance use shares very clearly the need to move away from criminalization alongside other recommendations, many of which are reflected in Bill C-216, that would ensure that we would not only save lives but better take care of people across the country.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Chair, I want to start by thanking the member for Yukon for his leadership in ensuring we have this conversation this evening. It is such an important conversation to come back to the critical need for us to save lives in the midst of a poisoning crisis. Before we talk about that crisis, I want to share that in Waterloo region alone in 2021, there were around 155 overdose poisoning deaths.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Speaker, I particularly appreciated your choice to quote directly from the report of the expert task force on substance use. I was curious if you would be open to sharing more with the House on recommendation no. 7, which reads, “The Task Force strongly urges Health Canada to respect the sovereign rights of the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and support their governments in providing appropriate prevention and treatment approaches.”