House of Commons Hansard #57 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was yea.

Topics

Bill C-10—Time Allocation MotionSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

No.

Bill C-10—Time Allocation MotionSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

Bill C-10—Time Allocation MotionSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Yea.

Bill C-10—Time Allocation MotionSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

All those opposed please say nay.

Bill C-10—Time Allocation MotionSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Nay.

Bill C-10—Time Allocation MotionSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

In my opinion, the yeas have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #80

Safe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:50 p.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

I declare the motion carried.

I wish to inform the House that because of the proceedings in the time allocation motion, government orders will be extended by 30 minutes.

It is my duty, pursuant to Standing Order 38, to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Cape Breton—Canso, Employment Insurance; the hon. member for Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Ethics; the hon. member for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, Canada Revenue Agency.

Safe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:50 p.m.

NDP

Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Today at 4:00, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities was to come and defend his estimates before the transport committee. Because of this closure motion, the chair of the transport committee, without any consultation with other members of Parliament, cancelled the meeting.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, the estimates have to come back to the House of Commons some time next week for a final decision. As a result, the transport committee may not have a chance to have the minister come and defend his estimates. I ask that you assist us to find some way, perhaps by working with the chair of the standing committee, to ensure that the estimates appear before the transport committee and that we do have a chance to ask theMinister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities some questions.

Safe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

Merv Tweed Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB

Mr. Speaker, I made the decision simply because we knew the vote was coming, and the time was not determined prior to the meeting. I have made a request to the minister's office to appear before the committee. I am waiting to hear back from the department.

Safe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

I am sure the committee will be able to sort this out.

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Order. I will just ask all hon. colleagues who may wish to carry on conversations to do so outside the chamber so that the House can continue on with debate.

The hon. member for Halifax has six minutes left.

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:55 p.m.

NDP

Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS

Mr. Speaker, last night when I was speaking to this bill, I was trying to make the links between our spending on the War of 1812 at a time when freed slaves came to Canada and formed our African Nova Scotian population, and an omnibus crime bill that is going to send more people to prisons when—

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:55 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

I would like to ask the House for a little order, please. I would ask members to take their conversations to the lobbies. Order, please.

The hon. member for Halifax.

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

4:55 p.m.

NDP

Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS

Madam Speaker, the links between the War of 1812 and freed slaves coming to Canada is the fact that we have an omnibus crime bill that will send more people to prison, where African Nova Scotians and African Canadians are already disproportionately represented.

I want an omnibus crime bill that is full of measures that actually combat crime. How about an omnibus bill that is full of reforms for education, housing, training programs and real justice reforms?

As I mentioned, last night when I was at the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church, El Jones read a poem that sort of got these ideas in my head. I thought I would never be able to say it better than El Jones, so I would like to read into the record an excerpt from the poem she read at that service. I would never try to appropriate her voice, but I want to share her words with my colleagues in the House. The excerpt is as follows:

It wasn't that he was special
There is nothing detectable in his origins
That make him better than anyone present
The lesson is that we should be skeptical when they tell us
That we were not born to be successful
Born of a hardworking shoemaker and a mama who was respectable
His life seems a familiar spectacle
Began his education just down on Maynard Street in 1882
Which goes to show the youth that there is nothing they can't do
Look at the life of this man who was just like you.
And lord knows how hard we have to struggle
We're still getting half as much and having to work double
James Robinson Johnston had all the same troubles.
He wasn't the first black to go to Dalhousie but he was the first to finish
And I don't know but I can imagine that he could have won a Guinness world record
For all the racism he endured but he refused to be diminished.
And we're still living with the same issues impeding our progress
Still the only black faces still not enough black professors
Still feeling like temporary guests and being questioned about our presence
Because just this September I heard a black student say
This place just isn't welcome for us. Imagine more than a century before us
No black student center, no blacks on campus to act as his mentor
At a time when achieving even an elementary education was eventful
It's amazing to me that anyone entered and not only did he come back semester after semester
He ended up in law school. This ancestor did not allow himself to be rejected.
Look at our people so often neglected
And said let me represent them.
And it was bigger than just securing his own status
In our fight for acceptance he took us all up the ladder
Because now no-one could say they just don't have the talent
Saw a need in our communities and jumped into the battle
And this brother was doing it in English and Latin
So don't let them ever tell you that the same dreams can't happen.
And I wouldn't be surprised if they spat in his face
But James Robinson Johnston remained on the case
And he never forgot the community in his practice.
So many of our leaders turn their backs and try to fatten their wallets
He fought for the people who no-one thought mattered.
[...]
And maybe it was tough to be happy struggling so hard to succeed
And it can't have been easy always being the token only
Who knows of the pressures that must have left him lonely.
But history teaches us that in the present we learn from back then
When the biggest cause of death for young black men is from other black men
And so the lesson I take from his life is something essential
No matter what your condition you have so much potential
Remember so many black men who die how he died
Could have lived the same credentials
So let's stop being content with being told we belong in the basement
Our life is not defined by some predestination
In fact James Robinson Johnston show us that it's full of surprises
So we need to keep fighting for programs that build on his foundations
Like the Transition Year Program that guides us to university education
So let's commit to expanding its classes so more can participate
And let's not rest until we have a zero per cent drop out rate
And let's create the IB&M program in every school across the nation
Because we need black lawyers and judges to advocate for us
Reforming the courts where we are disproportionately jailed
And let's not rest on our laurels until we've fought against all discrimination
Let's make sure we have black students graduating in force from every university
And that they feel supported
And let's see us excelling in more than music and sports
So let's start fundraising for black studies courses
So our youth can learn about people like James Robinson Johnston
People like them whose histories deserve to be explored
And let's export that knowledge to every elementary, junior high and high school
Until our youth's pride in themselves is restored
Let's have black teachers and professors and black members of the school board
And let's educate the first black mayor and the first black prime minister
Could be from right here.
And let's stop pretending we can't afford to fund black organizations
Or reading programs or housing or daycares
With money from black taxpayers
Let's stop debating whether our needs are important
Because more than a century ago James Robinson Johnston taught us
That when we fight for ourselves our future lies before us
And so let's celebrate his life by moving his legacy forward
James Robinson Johnston, thank you for being there for us.

It is time to do what we know will actually prevent crime. Let us not lead just by locking our citizens up.

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

5 p.m.

NDP

Andrew Cash NDP Davenport, ON

Madam Speaker, I applaud my hon. colleague for an excellent speech.

The racialization of poverty in the country is atrocious. In communities in Toronto, the African Canadian communities are very concerned about Bill C-10 and what it will do to their communities. They are crying out for attention to issues of job creation, job training, education and opportunities like that.

Could my hon. colleague speak to why the government is refusing to listen to the overwhelming body of evidence that its plan will not reduce crime?

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

5 p.m.

NDP

Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS

Madam Speaker, the government is not interested in evidence. If we look at Nova Scotia, my province, African Nova Scotians make up 4% of the population. They make up 8% of the poor population. That is double.

The Mi'kmaq, our first nations Canadians in Nova Scotia, make up 2% of the population, but they make up 4% of the poor population. Again, that is double.

When we go into the prisons in Nova Scotia, I can tell members who they will see there. It is our first nations citizens and African Nova Scotians. It is the people who come from poverty and who live in communities with so many social problems.

Instead of actually trying to address those social problems and prevent crime from happening, we are just locking people up. That is not the solution by any stretch of the imagination.

Time and time again we have experts who come in and say, “That is not the way to do it”. They are ignored because the government is not interested in evidence. It is just interested in a crime and punishment agenda.

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

5 p.m.

Liberal

Ted Hsu Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Madam Speaker, I have another example of how every time we try to increase punishments we end up disproportionately punishing disadvantaged groups in society.

For example, if we look at what has happened in the last couple of years when we got rid of the two for one credit for time spent in remand, this disproportionately affected aboriginal people. If we look at the last couple of years, the average sentence lengths for aboriginal people have increased from about 1,200 to 1,280, whereas the average sentence lengths for everyone else have not changed much at all.

That is an example of where a change in the law to increase the length of prison sentences has tended to disproportionately affect disadvantage groups. Aboriginal prisoners get longer sentences now compared to a couple of years ago. That is not true of everybody else. Therefore, they are being discriminated against.

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

5:05 p.m.

NDP

Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS

Madam Speaker, I completely agree with the member. This is about racialization and poverty. This is about criminalization of race.

I had the opportunity at home to visit a youth program for young people who were in conflict with the law. A number of youth that were in the room came from racialized communities.

There was a young man who said to me, “You know, growing up my uncle sold rock on the corner and my friends did and my dad did, and that is all I have ever known, so what will I do when I become an adult? That's what I did. I sold rock on the corner”. He said, “I didn't know that I could get a job, that I could build a resume, that I could apply. I didn't have the skills”.

He was in this program and he looked me in the eye and said, “If there were more programs like this for people like me when I needed them, I wouldn't have gone to jail because I would have gotten a legit job so that I could support my girlfriend and my daughter”. He said that. This is a young man who was in one of these programs who said, “I didn't know what to do other than sell drugs”.

It is not rocket science to figure out how to solve a problem like that.

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

5:05 p.m.

Conservative

Joy Smith Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have this opportunity to join the debate today on Bill C-10.

Canada's immigration system plays an important role in meeting the needs of our economy. That is because immigrants bring with them the skills that our economy needs.

The temporary foreign worker program helps employers fill short-term needs when suitable Canadian candidates are not available. A common misconception is that temporary workers are only hired to fill low skilled positions. However, if we look closely at the numbers, we find that the majority enter the workforce in professional, managerial or trade occupations.

In 2010 more than 67,500 temporary foreign workers were issued work permits.

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

5:05 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

Order, please. The hon. member for Nanaimo--Cowichan is rising on a point of order.

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

5:05 p.m.

NDP

Jean Crowder NDP Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Madam Speaker, I just want to clarify. We are talking about Bill C-10, the omnibus crime bill, are we not?

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

5:05 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Denise Savoie

We are indeed debating Bill C-10. I am sure the hon. member for Kildonan--St. Paul will come to her point.

Report StageSafe Streets and Communities ActGovernment Orders

5:05 p.m.

Conservative

Joy Smith Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB

Madam Speaker, indeed, we are talking about Bill C-10, and we are talking about the temporary foreign worker program around Bill C-10.

In 2010 more than 67,500 temporary foreign workers were issued work permits for high skilled occupations. Among these, more than 21,000 work permits were issued to workers under international agreements, such as the North American free trade agreement. With regard to lower skilled occupations, just over 50,600, just over one-quarter, were admitted to fill vacancies in positions which included live-in caregivers and seasonal agricultural workers.

Given the diversity of fields for which temporary foreign workers are hired, their importance to the Canadian economy cannot be overstated. We know that many workers take great risks in leaving their homes to travel to Canada to work, and for that they should be rewarded, not punished.

Some temporary foreign workers may have weak language skills and very little money. They may have no family or friends in Canada. They may also fear the police and government. With no one to turn to, this can make them more vulnerable to abuse than other workers.

For those people who are applying to enter our country as temporary foreign workers, Canada represents a new start, but some of these workers' hopes for a new future are extinguished by those who seek to manipulate their vulnerable situation.

Canadians gave us a strong mandate to keep our streets and communities safe by getting tough on crime. This includes preventing crime and exploitation of vulnerable people, both locally and nationally. We made a campaign commitment and we are ready to honour that commitment.

Unfortunately, the opposition does not feel the same way. I guess that is why I was just interrupted. Instead, it has chosen to delay this bill and delay the protection of vulnerable people at home and abroad. The opposition should stop its shameful delay of this bill and help our government prevent human smuggling and the exploitation of vulnerable foreign workers. That is where Bill C-10 comes in.

By introducing the safe streets and communities act, our government is sending a clear message that we will not let the valuable be exploited. That is why we have introduced changes to ensure that the temporary foreign worker program continues to meet short-term labour shortages while strengthening protections for these workers.

Employers seeking to hire temporary foreign workers, including live-in caregivers, are now assessed against compliance with program requirements before authorization to hire them can be granted. What this means is that employers found to have violated workers' rights will be refused authorization. There was a clear need for clear regulations to better protect workers from poor treatment by employers who would mistreat them.

Bill C-10 will help us to further protect vulnerable foreign workers. That is because this legislation grants immigration officers the authority to deny work permits to those who are at risk of humiliating and degrading treatment, including sexual exploitation. For example, while exotic dancing is a legal occupation in Canada, there are reports linking the exotic dancing industry with abuse and exploitation of its employees.

As the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has said, there is a lot of evidence that many exotic dancers being brought in to work on temporary work permits are being managed by organized crime. These women are then exploited through coerced activity in the sex trade. The ability to deny work permits to vulnerable workers would enable the government to protect applicants by keeping them out of these types of situations.

Instructions would potentially address not only high risk work settings, but also characteristics that would make foreign workers particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. For example, the minister might be aware of evidence suggesting that massage parlours are settings of high risk for the sexual exploitation of workers. At the same time, other characteristics might make some workers more vulnerable than others. Women workers might be at more risk than men. Also evidence might demonstrate that registered massage therapists are less likely to be victimized than those with no qualifications.

The instructions would not target specific work permit applicants directly, rather they would apply to applicants of a particular occupation or a group of applicants who can be identified as vulnerable to abuse or exploitation. As I said, ministerial instructions would be based on objective evidence that clearly outlined an identified risk of abuse or exploitation. Ministerial instructions would also be published in the annual report to Parliament and in the Canada Gazette.

Given these parameters, it is very clear that these amendments stand on the principles of openness and accountability.

I want to assure the House that the legislation includes many checks and balances to ensure that the ministerial instructions are applied objectively. Immigration officers would need to apply the instructions issued by the minister on a case-by-case basis and each application for a work permit would be assessed on its own merits. Any decision to refuse a permit would need to be supported by evidence that showed a risk of humiliating or degrading treatment. Also, any decision by an immigration officer to refuse a work permit in Canada would require the concurrence of a second immigration officer. Should individuals be refused, it would be possible that they would be granted a work permit if they applied to come to Canada to work in another occupation or a different situation that would not pose the same risk.

Without these amendments, Citizenship and Immigration Canada would have no discretionary authority to deny a work permit to someone who met all the requirements to enter Canada, even if the immigration officers believed there was a strong possibility of exploitation and abuse. It would be highly irresponsible for the Conservative government to continue to admit temporary foreign workers to work in such abusive situations.

As the government, it is our responsibility to ensure that people who come to Canada can pursue their new lives without fear for their safety. Bill C-10 would help us protect vulnerable foreign workers so they could achieve their dream of a new future. That is why, in the beginning of my speech, I had to go over the premise of foreign workers and why it was so important to protect these most vulnerable people, especially when they would be in professions or situations that could lead to very strong exploitation, especially, sexual exploitation and forced labour.