Bill C-224

National Framework on Cancers Linked to Firefighting Act

An Act to establish a national framework for the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting

This enactment provides for the development of a national framework designed to raise awareness of cancers linked to firefighting with the goal of improving access for firefighters to cancer prevention and treatment.
The enactment also designates the month of January, in each year, as “Firefighter Cancer Awareness Month”.

[Richard Amnotte]

Fire services across Canada have put in place several measures to try to reduce exposure to contaminants, both in terms of the concentration of contaminants and the duration of exposure. The measures must be implemented equally across the country. At present, fire services with permanent structures may have more financial resources and may be more likely to effectively implement exposure reduction and decontamination measures.

One of the objectives of Bill C‑224 would be to ensure that this information is shared more widely across the country so that good practices developed in one province can also be shared in all other provinces and around the world.

The other specific element that we need to consider in Bill C‑224 is the research aspect. Are the methods we use today actually reducing exposure to contaminants and their uptake? Are there new methods or technologies that would allow us to protect firefighters and at the same time strike a balance between overprotecting, which would create problems for firefighters, and reducing the uptake of contaminants by the respiratory or dermal route?

[Neil McMillan, Director, Science and Research, International Association of Fire Fighters]

Thank you very much, honourable members and Mr. Chair.

My name is Neil McMillan and I'm from the International Association of Fire Fighters. I serve as director of science and research. I'm here today, invited by the member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway, Don Davies, to speak in support of Bill C-224.

I truly believe that you can't have healthy communities without healthy firefighters. I wish to thank you for committing to extinguishing cancer in the fire service. When voiced like that, it can sound like a monumental task. As the IAFF's general president Ed Kelly has said, “Before you can do it, you have to say it.” I'm here for all of my sister and brother firefighters to “say it” and bear witness to the bold steps you are all taking to protect those who serve others.

The grim reality is that firefighters face a stacked deck. Over the last 10 years alone, we've recognized 420 Canadian IAFF members who have died of occupational cancer, which represents 95% of all professional firefighter line-of-duty deaths during that time frame. Firefighters, by all accounts, are a healthy workforce, yet we experience a staggering incidence of cancer—over 3,300 in this province alone. Awareness, prevention, research and early detection are key in turning the tide of occupational cancer in the fire service. Firefighter research has proven that mortality rates drop by a factor of 12 when cancer is detected through proactive screenings, as opposed to the appearance of noticeable symptoms. We also know the cost of a fatal firefighter cancer is seven times higher than that of a non-fatal cancer.

I've witnessed firefighter families being denied recognition and facing financial hardship due to the cancers acquired, which would be readily accepted in neighbouring provinces or in jurisdictions in the U.S. However, it's important to know that in most respects, the science has been settled. The World Health Organization's IARC reclassification of firefighting is proof of this.

Now, I would be remiss if I did not mention the brave members of IAFF Local 18, who serve MP Davies' riding in Vancouver. John Hudson is one of the firefighters who served out of station 15 on East 22nd Avenue. John is a survivor of two occupationally recognized cancers. Another firefighter who worked out of station 15 is Brandon Currie. He was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 26. Brandon returned to duty earlier than recommended by his doctors. He answered calls, even though he was frequently sick from the treatment he received.

Prior to serving in my current position with the IAFF, I rolled down these very streets here in Ottawa as a firefighter with Local 162. After 13 years of fighting fires, at the age of 37, I was diagnosed with cancer. In 2021, another Ottawa firefighter, Ryan Hill, who worked a few short blocks from here at station 13, died of brain cancer the day after he turned 37 years old. He left behind a widow and two young boys, Ryker and Reilly. Through five brain surgeries, and in under a year from his diagnosis, cancer took everything from him. However, he hung on to hope. Cancer took his strength, memory and dignity, but it didn't take his love for the job.

Ryan died with the uncertainty of not knowing how his young family would support themselves. It took all the resources of the IAFF to combat the City of Ottawa's attorneys, who claimed his cancer had nothing to do with his career as a firefighter despite physicians' reports to the contrary. Only after we fought multiple claim denials was his cancer successfully recognized as work-related. Your community's firefighters and their families should not have to battle bureaucracy while at the same time battling cancer. Most do not have the resources.

I applaud your proposed framework as a path to a harmonized system that will better serve this nation's firefighters, but the fact remains that it's too late for many of us. It's too late for the families of Les McBride, Gordie Moore and Martin Michels, all of whom died recently of pancreatic cancer. It's a cancer for which coverage is dependent on which postal code you fight fires in. For Martin, it was our pensioners who passed the hat to pay for his immunotherapy. If Martin had served in one of the five provinces that now recognize pancreatic cancer, he would not have looked for a handout to receive the treatments he needed, and his death would be officially recognized for the sacrifice it was.

It's not too late for our daughters and sons, who will one day follow us into this noble profession. For them, there is hope. It's the same hope Ryan held on to. Bill C-224 transcends parties, because from coast to coast to coast, no matter what community you represent, firefighters are there answering the call and keeping their oath. Every time they leave the station when the alarm is struck, they're willing to lay down their life to save the life of another. For those reasons, I again thank you all for providing that hope, taking that action and being brave enough to “say it”.

Thank you.

[Ryan Pitchers, Battalion Chief, Fort McMurray Firefighters Association]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning. On behalf of the Fort McMurray firefighters, IAFF 2494, I am grateful to be with you today to talk about my experience as a 22-year firefighter, currently serving with the rank of battalion chief, and to share my thoughts on why I support Bill C-224.

Six years ago, the world watched in astonishment as images of our city being overtaken by a massive wildfire were flashed across the news. Few people could forget the images of tens of thousands of citizens fleeing the area in their vehicles with a massive ball of flames in the background. I'll never forget hearing the ominous radio call from a fellow captain ordering crews to clear the Beacon Hill subdivision of the city as a 50-foot wall of flames started to engulf scores of houses in the area. My heart dropped and my thoughts ran amok when the scope of this emergency hit me.

With citizens evacuating, firefighters from Fort McMurray and eventually other cities in Alberta rose to the immense challenge in front of us, saving as much of the city as we could from the flames that were rolling mercilessly across our neighbourhoods street by street, and protecting the egress of our citizens and our own families trying to get out. Firefighters worked beyond the point of exhaustion, working up to 48 hours straight with little to no sleep and no food, putting themselves in immediate danger almost every minute, day after day. We endured smoke so thick it was choking. We felt intense heat as we chased rolling embers from street to street in our attempts to quell the massive wildfire. We did this for six days until the flames finally moved on.

In Fort McMurray 2,400 structures were lost, but I'm proud to say that 25,000 were saved. I think I can speak for my fellow firefighters when I say that it really was our finest moment, and a landmark in our careers that we will never forget.

Sadly, however, the dangers to the firefighters who raced to save Fort McMurray did not end when the smoke faded and the last of the flames were extinguished. The danger persists to this day in the form of illnesses that firefighters have suffered as a direct result of the massive, acute exposure to the toxic carcinogens we endured during this heroic response. These toxins were the product of tonnes of combusted organic and man-made materials cast into the air in thick pillows of smoke impossible for a firefighter to completely avoid even with modern personal protective equipment.

Three Fort McMurray firefighters contracted cancer in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 wildfire. One of them, Chris Relph, my good friend, died tragically of an aggressive form of cancer rarely seen in younger people. A proud and hard-working firefighter originally from Bathurst, New Brunswick, Chris was just 29 years old when he passed away in 2018, leaving behind a loving wife and a two-year-old daughter, in addition to his parents and other grieving family members.

The long-lasting effects of the 2016 wildfire on the firefighters who responded are still being studied. These also included respiratory problems and mental health injuries. We're concerned that more cancers may develop among the firefighters who helped save Fort McMurray.

We have all come to learn that cancer is an epidemic in the fire service. In Alberta alone, we have lost 51 full-time firefighters to job-related cancers in just the past 10 years. We have heard that a firefighter's cancer could be a cumulative effect of exposures throughout their career, or it could be a result of exposure during one specific emergency. For Fort McMurray firefighters, the wildfire of 2016 was that emergency.

We also know that cancer is a problem in fire departments across Canada. As firefighters, we have all lost colleagues to this terrible disease, we have all attended funerals and we have all consoled grieving family members while coping with our own grief. If anything can be done to reduce cancer's toll on our profession and our families, let's please do it.

Cancer in the fire service is a national problem that needs a national solution, one that strives to recognize the impacts of situations like the one we faced in Fort McMurray while creating equity and fairness for all firefighters across this great nation who risk their health and safety every time the alarm sounds and the trucks start rolling.

Bill C-224 addresses cancer in the fire service at a national level with measures that would undoubtedly make a difference and save lives, in my view. It proposes a solid framework that touches every aspect of this issue, defining the link between cancer and our profession, engaging the medical community and promoting research, data collection, knowledge-sharing and early cancer screening for firefighters, among other measures.

I'm grateful to my MP, Laila Goodridge, for inviting me to testify before this committee, and to MP Romanado for bringing this bill forward. It gives me comfort knowing that cancer in the fire service is becoming a national priority and that our federal government has our backs when we are putting ourselves in harm's way on behalf of our fellow Canadians.

Thank you, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

[Richard Amnotte, Second Vice-President, French Language and Language Diversity, Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs would like to thank the Standing Committee on Health for the opportunity to express its views on Bill C‑224.

My name is Richard Amnotte, and I am the assistant director of the City of Lévis fire service and the second vice-president of the association's board of directors.

I am here today to lend my unwavering support to C‑224 along with our invaluable colleagues from the International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents thousands of firefighters in Canada.

Founded in 1909, the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs represents the leaders of some 3,200 fire services across Canada, both permanent and volunteer. The association boasts an advisory board with representatives from each of Canada's provinces and territories, their fire chiefs' associations, as well as affiliated associations.

Our vision is to unite the leaders of the Canadian fire and rescue services. Our mission is to advance fire safety to ensure better protection against fire and other disasters across Canada.

Last week, nearly 40 Canadian fire chiefs were on Parliament Hill to meet with members of Parliament and members of the Senate from all parties and present the results of a major Canadian fire service survey and the state of fire services today, which is more critical than ever before.

We sincerely thank all MPs, senators and cabinet members for listening and being open-minded and open-hearted to the alarming findings and to the solutions we propose.

As our president, Ken McMullen, director of the Red Deer fire service in Alberta, so aptly put it, fire safety is a team sport, and we are all part of that team.

One of the requests that has been made is to ensure that there is an adequate response capability for firefighters in Canada. Every citizen, no matter where in Canada, is directly affected. The results of our survey were picked up by Ici Radio-Canada in 19 Canadian cities, in addition to CTV and Global TV, to name but a few.

According to our study, there are 126,000 firefighters in our great country, that is, 36,000 permanent firefighters and no less than 90,000 volunteer firefighters. Our survey also shows that there is a shortfall of more than 15,000 firefighters to adequately respond to the emergency calls of Canadians.

Several measures could be taken to recruit and maintain the necessary number of firefighters, and thus ensure better safety. These include increasing the tax credit for volunteer firefighters from $3,000 to $10,000, reinstating the joint emergency preparedness program to upgrade firefighters' equipment, maintaining funding for mental health programs for first responders, and passing Bill C‑224, An Act to establish a national framework for the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting.

Why is it so important to pass this bill? Cancer is simply killing too many firefighters. The bill is clear, consistent and respectful of the jurisdictions of different levels of government. It recognizes that a firefighter is a firefighter, whether he or she is from my home province of Quebec or from anywhere else in Canada, from a large city, a rural municipality or an aboriginal community, whether he or she is a permanent or volunteer firefighter, regardless of gender or age. Cancer does not discriminate.

Last week, more than 50 scientists, researchers and firefighters gathered in Ottawa for the first Canadian workshop on prioritizing cancer research in firefighters. We heard chilling accounts of the number of firefighters dying from cancer and other firefighting-related illnesses. The situation is alarming and concrete action must be taken immediately.

Bill C‑224 would provide a national framework for the research, prevention and treatment of firefighter-related cancers. It recognizes that the work of firefighters presents a particularly high level of risk because they work in a very different context, in a noble way, to protect the lives of Canadians from fire.

In conclusion, we sincerely thank MP Sherry Romanado for introducing Bill C‑224. We also thank all parliamentarians for being sensitive to the need to provide a better living environment for Canada's firefighters.

I reiterate our unwavering support for Bill C‑224.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

I call the meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 49 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health.

Today we meet for two hours to consider Bill C-224, an act to establish a national framework for the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the House order of June 23, 2022.

For those participating online, I have a couple of reminders. On the bottom of your screen, you have interpretation. You can choose floor, English or French. For those in the room, you can use your earpiece with the same three options. For those participating online, I remind everyone that taking screenshots or photos of your screen is not permitted. The proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website.

In accordance with our routine motion, I am informing the committee that all witnesses have completed the required connection tests in advance of the meeting.

I will now welcome the witnesses who are with us for the first hour of the meeting.

From the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, we have Mr. Richard Amnotte, second vice-president, French Language and Language Diversity.

We have, from the Fort McMurray Firefighters Association, Mr. Ryan Pitchers, battalion chief, by video conference; and from the International Association of Fire Fighters, Mr. Neil McMillan, the director of science and research.

I thank all the witnesses for being with us today. Let's get started.

Mr. Amnotte, welcome to the committee. You have the floor for five minutes for your presentation.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

If you had known that you would be given this forum, are there any other things that you would have included in Bill C‑224? There are perhaps things that you didn't include because you thought they weren't relevant or that they weren't really part of your mandate. Is there something the committee could contribute right now?

The Joint Emergency Preparedness Program, which helps to replenish the inventory of equipment used by firefighters for training and work in Canada, comes to mind. Do you think it would be useful to add that to Bill C‑224?

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Romanado, thank you for being here with us today. Before the meeting started, we had a chance to chat and we were saying that it is a special thing for a parliamentarian to appear before a committee to speak about his or her private member's bill. I have to say that you have been doing a great job up until now. Congratulations.

I think that all my colleagues here, as well as all Quebeckers and Canadians, admire firefighters greatly. We all have a story to tell about firefighters. I won't go into detail, but I think that all little boys and girls grow up dreaming about becoming police officers or firefighters. These are jobs that children idealize. That wasn't my case, however. My admiration for firefighters came much later. At the time, I was working as a seaman on a cruise ship. At one point, I was told that I would have to take firefighting training the following Saturday. The training was very short and was nothing like the fulsome training of professional firefighters, but we still had to take it. That day, I understood what firefighting meant. I had a tiny glimpse of what it means to have to go fight a fire. Obviously, you understand that we weren't really sent into a house where there were people to be saved. That day, I understood the impact of the job, or rather of the calling, because it's more of a calling than a job. I have much admiration for the profession since that day.

Afterwards, I spent a good chunk of my career and life working in the media. Every time there was an event where we had to raise funds for a cause, the firefighters were there lending a helping hand. Every time there was an emergency or need within the community, firefighters were always the first ones to show up.

For me, it is inconceivable to not be full of admiration and gratitude towards these men and women that are always there to protect us and always answer the call as soon as we need them.

I am happy that you brought up the issue of volunteer firefighters, because they constitute the vast majority of firefighters in Quebec. It is good that you spoke about their concerns, especially the fact that they often bring their equipment back home in their car. That is an important point that I wanted to talk about.

However, to start on a lighter note, can you please tell me if you knew that your bill would garner so much attention and support from the get‑go? Were you expecting this when you introduced Bill C‑224 in January?

[Chris Lewis, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's an honour to be here this morning at the health committee for the first time. It is probably one of the most unique opportunities for me as a member of Parliament to truly bring some experience to committee.

With that, I will, first and foremost, say congratulations to Ms. Romanado. I am so incredibly proud of you on so many fronts. You represent both volunteers and professional firefighters. As far as I'm concerned, they're the exact same. Smoke is smoke and fire is fire. I want to say thank you so much for bringing forward this very well-thought-out bill, a bill that I not only completely endorse but that I also believe is so vitally important.

I probably won't have a lot of questions for Ms. Romanado, but I do want to share a couple of stories. Over the last five weeks, I was at the Kingsville retirees dinner. I was part of the Kingsville fire department and I was at their retiree dinner. I ran into a gentleman by the name of Mr. Art Voakes. He served 32 years. He just retired about two months ago. Mr. Voakes shared a story with me that he had no idea he was walking around with prostate cancer, and he did give me permission to tell this story this morning. He had no clue he had it.

I didn't know this until this morning, but, generally speaking, men are on a scale of zero to five for their prostates. He was at 19.1, Ms Romanado. He was basically walking dead, which is what the doctors told me. Thank goodness, the doctors removed his prostate and saved his life. He said, “Chris, I think testing should be done for firefighters every five years, both firefighters who are working today and also the retirees.” That's just one example.

There is a second example I would give as to why this bill, Bill C-224, is so vitally important. I was at the Windsor fire retirees dinner a month ago and I sat next to the chief health officer. He said, “Chris, are you aware that now Parkinson's disease has been linked to firefighting?” I said I had no idea. So the very folks whom we rely on, whom we scream for help to when the cat's caught in a tree, pardon the pun, or when our house is burning or when somebody is dying of a medical emergency, are the exact same ones who go out there and run to our assistance and do it with service. It's no different from this House. These are the same folks who, I'm going to suggest, are too embarrassed to even say that they're struggling through this, that they're fighting these illnesses. If we can, at the very least, make January firefighter awareness month, specifically with regard to cancers, my goodness, that would be about the biggest slam dunk in the whole world.

My question would be, through you, Mr. Chair, to Ms. Romanado—and I don't want to stall this bill. As a matter of fact, I wish this bill was done eight months ago. Can I ask you, is there something else in this bill you would like to see perhaps that would enhance it even further?

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Good morning, everyone.

Colleagues, I'll be making my remarks in both official languages, so anyone requiring interpretation may want to put on their headsets.

Mr. Chair, I'm honoured to be here today to speak about Bill C-224, my private member's bill.

Before I begin, I'd like to take a moment to thank the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, whose president is here with us today, as well as the International Association of Fire Fighters for their collaboration and their wise counsel in the preparation of this bill.

Canada has an estimated 126,000 firefighters working in some 3,200 fire departments across the country. Each and every day, these brave men and women put their lives on the line to protect their fellow Canadians and keep our communities safe. We all recognize that the work these emergency responders do is essential and that their job is dangerous, but the larger risks that they face in the line of duty linger long after the fire has been put out.

Because they are exposed to smoke and toxic chemicals, firefighters are at four times the risk of suffering from cancer than the general population.

I believe it is our duty as parliamentarians to do everything in our power to protect the health and safety of our firefighters.

This bill seeks to do just that, Mr. Chair. Its goal, in short, is to save lives.

Are you aware that over 85% of all duty-related deaths among Canadian firefighters are caused by occupational cancers or that a firefighter's cancer diagnosis may or may not be recognized as job related, depending on where he or she lives in the country?

The idea of this bill came to me after I was contacted by a member of the agglomeration of Longueuil's fire department who had been diagnosed with work‑related cancer. He wanted to make me aware of the increased risk that firefighters face on a daily basis. He also mentioned that some of his colleagues had a type of cancer that other provinces recognized as being linked to firefighting, but not Quebec.

In researching my bill, I was shocked to discover the disparity in the number of cancers that our provinces and territories recognize as linked to firefighting, as you can see in the map before you.

Multiple studies have shown that firefighters are at an increased risk for different types of cancer due to the smoke and hazardous chemicals they are exposed to in the line of duty. In June of this year, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer reclassified firefighting as a group 1 carcinogenic profession.

The research is there. We need to promote awareness, information-sharing and education on best practices for prevention, and recognize that occupational cancers in firefighting exist. That is where Bill C-224 comes in.

Imagine, Mr. Chair, if we could share information on best practices, data and research, so all firefighters across Canada know the risks and, more importantly, know how to take the necessary precautions.

The aim of this bill is to promote education and awareness, by making the month of January firefighter cancer awareness month.

It is also to establish a national framework to promote research, information-sharing and knowledge-sharing relating to the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting.

Countless local fire departments across the country have reached out to me to voice their support for the legislation. We aim to work together across all jurisdictions to improve the health and safety of Canada's firefighters.

Many municipal councils, such as that of the municipality of Saint‑Donat and of the RCM of Matawinie, have passed resolutions indicating their support for Bill C‑224.

At the Canadian Fallen Firefighter Memorial service I attended on September 11 of this year, a family member of Fire Chief Leo Grant Sabulsky of the Chetwynd Volunteer Fire Department in B.C. who had succumbed to cancer linked to his service, said this: “Throughout the years, I was prepared for the possibility of a disaster involving an explosion, collapsing buildings or falls. I never imagined that his life would be cut short through slow, continuous exposure while doing the very thing that he loved the most. It is my hope that monumental progress will be made to protect our young firefighters from making the ultimate sacrifice in such a terrible way.”

Colleagues, firefighter line-of-duty deaths attributed to cancer may not be as sensational as those caused by fire or ground accidents and they may not make the same headlines, but the level of sacrifice is just the same and firefighters and their families need to know the risks, how to mitigate their chances of developing cancer through best practices and, should they develop an occupational-related cancer, have the supports they need and that they deserve.

I look forward to your questions.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

Welcome to meeting number 48 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. Today we meet for two hours with the sponsors of Bill C-224 and Bill S-203.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the House order of June 23, 2022. The folks who are online are well aware of the rules of hybrid proceedings. Just as a reminder, please don't take any screenshots or photos of your screen.

The proceedings today will be made available on the House of Commons website.

The tests have been conducted for those participating online and everything is functioning in terms of audio and video.

It is now my absolute pleasure to finally welcome Sherry Romanado, who has joined us today to talk about her private member's bill, Bill C-224, an act to establish a national framework for the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting.

Mrs. Romanado, thank you so much for clearing your schedule to be here with us today. I invite you to make an opening statement of up to five minutes. You have the floor.

Health

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Pursuant to order made on Thursday, June 23, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion to concur in the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Health concerning the extension of time to consider Bill C‑224.

The hon. government whip.

Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to welcome members of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, who are here as part of their annual fire chiefs on the Hill days.

Over the coming days, many of us will have the opportunity to talk to these fire chiefs about the main issues fire departments across the country are facing, including challenges around recruiting and retaining firefighters when climate and health crises are on the rise. Another issue that is of particular importance to me is the risk of cancer among firefighters.

I am proud to have the support of the CAFC and other stakeholders for my private member's bill, Bill C-224, an act that would establish a national framework for the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting. This, as members know, was referred to the Standing Committee on Health last June. It is my hope that all members will work together to ensure this legislation is passed soon, and send a clear message to our firefighters that their health and safety is a top priority for all of us.

Health

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following three reports of the Standing Committee on Health.

The sixth report is entitled “Supplementary Estimates (B), 2022-23: Vote 1b under Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Votes 1b and 5b under Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Votes 1b and 10b under Department of Health, Votes 1b, 5b and 10b under Public Health Agency of Canada”.

Mr. Speaker, the seventh report is entitled “Bill C-224, An Act to establish a national framework for the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting”.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

I see no debate. We're ready for the question.

Are we in favour of requesting a 30-day extension for the consideration of Bill C-252 and Bill C-224 before the committee?

All those in favour, raise your right hand, please.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

Is it the will of the committee to adjourn the meeting? I see consensus.

The meeting is adjourned.

[The Chair, Liberal, Sean Casey]

There's a motion on the floor to request an extension of time for the consideration of Bill C-252 and Bill C-224, and the motion is in order. The debate is on the motion.

Mr. Davies.