House of Commons Hansard #145 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was victims.
Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
Mr. Speaker, officials have confirmed that Canada can accept 10,000 additional government-sponsored refugees over the next three years.
Instead of fighting about the low number of Syrian refugees that the government claims to have accepted, why does the minister not promise to be more generous, in the Canadian tradition of providing international assistance, and accept 10,000 new Syrian refugees over the next three years while also creating new spaces for refugees from other countries?
Chris Alexander ConservativeMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Mr. Speaker, it is sad to see, but the Liberals do not even want to mention the key points in this file. Almost 22,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees have already been accepted and settled in Canada. What the Liberals do not want to talk about is their decision to neglect the millions of victims of the Iraqi conflict because their policy does not in any way reflect our allies' policies or the will of Canadians. They would like to remain on the sidelines during an unprecedented crisis, where the —
Ryan Cleary NDP St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Mr. Speaker, in order to get a trade deal with Europe, the Conservatives bargained away minimum processing requirements that protected fish processing jobs in Newfoundland and Labrador. At the time, the Conservatives promised Newfoundland and Labrador compensation of $280 million to help our fishing industry adjust. The province accepted but, now, two years later, we have learned that the Conservatives are not following through. What is the deal?
Could the minister clear the air and confirm he will keep the commitment to Newfoundland and Labrador?
Ed Fast ConservativeMinister of International Trade
Mr. Speaker, the member is simply wrong. The support our government is proposing for Newfoundland and Labrador is actually focused on mitigating the impacts of eliminating minimum processing requirements. We continue to have dialogue with the province on these issues.
Our trade agreement will open up tariff-free access into the largest fish and seafood market in the world worth $25 billion a year. We have secured the very best fish and seafood package for Canada, one that will dramatically improve the access our Atlantic fisheries and seafood harvesters have to the EU. We encourage them to position themselves now to take advantage of these opportunities.
Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Mr. Speaker, over time, hundreds of high-quality Canadian cheeses have made their way to our tables.
However, the Conservatives have now opened our country's door to thousands of tonnes of subsidized European cheeses. The Conservatives promised a compensation plan, but we have yet to see anything one year later.
Where is the compensation plan for Canadian and Quebec dairy and cheese producers?
Gerry Ritz ConservativeMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Mr. Speaker, about the only thing in that statement that is correct is that there are hundreds of quality Canadian cheeses produced in our great country. A number of those end up on tables in the European Union, and it is welcoming of our Canadian cheese in the deal we have signed.
We continue to work with the Dairy Farmers of Canada and with the processors on the best way forward, and we will continue that dialogue.
David Sweet Conservative Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, ON
Mr. Speaker, last week in Hamilton at McMaster University, a pro-Palestinian group held an event called “hug a terrorist day”. This was shocking and deplorable given that less than a month ago, Canada lost Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo, two brave Canadian Armed Forces members, in a terrorist attack right here on our own soil.
Could the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness please update the House on his views on this extremely offensive event, which makes light of victims of terrorism, and what our government is doing to protect Canadians?
Steven Blaney ConservativeMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, we strongly condemn this callous attention-seeking stunt.
In recent weeks, right here, we have seen terrorists kill our Canadian Armed Forces members in cold blood, and the criminals of the Islamic State calling for volcanoes of jihad against Canadians.
It is clear now more than ever that we need to be vigilant against the threat of terrorists and not complacent. This is why our government will strongly move forward to bring the tools we need to keep Canadians safe.
Yvonne Jones Liberal Labrador, NL
Mr. Speaker, the child mortality rate in low-income countries is, sadly, 13 times higher than in developed countries.
How has the Conservative government chosen to honour our country's commitment to protect vulnerable children? It has deliberately underspent Canada's aid budget for low-income countries by nearly $126 million.
On Universal Children's Day, will the government explain why it is taking aid money for poor children and using it to fund things like income splitting for wealthy families?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie
Mr. Speaker, I was very happy to have a great event this morning with the Canadian network for international child protection.
This morning we announced a great initiative with UNICEF, with Plan International for the protection of children, especially in Kenya, in partnership with UNICEF.
Let us be clear. The Canadian government met all of its international development commitments last year and since we have been in office, which was not the case with the previous Liberal government.
Canadians can be proud because we pay what we pledge, and we are globally renowned on the international stage.
Marc-André Morin NDP Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Mr. Speaker, I recently met a disabled veteran who was wounded in training.
He was forced to retire two years early and is now living on a pension that has been reduced by 35%. The government promised him care and a dignified retirement. He was even offered snow-clearing and lawn-mowing services, even though he lives in a bachelor apartment on the fourth floor.
Can the minister explain why the $1 billion budget for veterans was transformed into a tax cut for the wealthy?
Parm Gill ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs
Mr. Speaker, I understand I have answered this question a number of times already during this question period, but I am happy to do this one more time.
Our government has a strong record when it comes to providing benefits and services for Canada's veterans. Let me just list a few. We have reduced the layers of red tape for veterans for the services and benefits they receive. A veteran who is injured and in rehabilitation receives a minimum of $3,500 in financial benefits each month. Veterans who are most seriously injured can receive $8,000 or more per month in financial benefits from the Government of Canada and their military pension.
Joyce Bateman Conservative Winnipeg South Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, this upcoming Saturday marks the official anniversary of Holodomor, a tragic period in Ukraine's history that claimed many millions of lives. Our government solemnly stands with the people of Ukraine as they commemorate this anniversary.
Canada and Ukraine have always maintained a productive and fruitful relationship. Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence please update this House on Canada's relationship with Ukraine?
James Bezan ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the Euromaidan protests.
Our government continues to stand with Ukraine in the face of its current challenges, unlike the NDP.
The NDP member for Halifax is shamefully promoting on her website that “NATO schemes to use Ukraine as a battering ram and platform on which to foster major aggression against Russia”.
That statement is despicable.
Whether it takes 5 months or 50 years to liberate it, our government will never, ever recognize the illegal Russian occupation of any Ukrainian territory. Our Prime Minister made it clear to Mr. Putin at the G20 when he said: “...you need to get out of Ukraine”.
The people of Ukraine and Ukrainian Canadians know they can stand with us.
Laurin Liu NDP Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government is complicit by allowing Canada Post to eliminate home delivery.
While provinces and municipalities are trying to adapt their services to the needs of an aging population, Canada Post and the Conservative government are making things harder on seniors. Next year, the people of Boisbriand, and more specifically those with reduced mobility, will suffer the consequences of this reduction in service.
Why is the Conservative government cutting our public services?
Jeff Watson ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, I have to remind the member that the Conservative government is doing no such thing.
Canada Post, which is independent and at arm's length, is facing a crisis in mail delivery. There were 1.2 billion fewer letters delivered in 2013 than in 2006.
Canadians are changing the way they communicate, and Canada Post is trying to respond, as are other postal agencies around the world. It has a five-point action plan, and in executing that plan in the move to community mail boxes, it is reaching out to those in communities to look at their needs and assessments and providing alternate arrangements for that.
Maria Mourani Independent Ahuntsic, QC
Mr. Speaker, at the October 28 Berlin conference on regional instability caused by the conflict in Syria, 40 participating nations, including Canada, recognized the importance of increasing humanitarian support inside Syria.
Lebanon, which has close to four million inhabitants, is currently playing host to over one million displaced Syrians.
In the spirit of the Berlin communiqué, will Canada soon increase its humanitarian aid inside Syria in keeping with resolutions 2139 and 2165? When the time comes, will Canada support efforts to resettle those who have been displaced?
Christian Paradis ConservativeMinister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. Events in Syria and neighbouring regions, including Lebanon, are a major tragedy.
Thanks to Canada's support, many humanitarian needs have been met. For example, our humanitarian aid partners have provided water to over 16 million people, food aid to 4.1 million Syrians and emergency help to nearly three million refugees. We are monitoring the situation very closely, and we are working hand in hand with the Canadian Red Cross.
I would also note that, while in Jordan in January, the Prime Minister made a significant commitment to provide aid to Syria and neighbouring regions. That includes support for the No Lost Generation initiative, which focuses on children.
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Speaker, since the last Thursday question two weeks ago, the House has seen fit to support a number of good pieces of legislation.
The member for Scarborough Southwest introduced a bill to make Remembrance Day a national holiday; the member for Alfred-Pellan introduced a good bill to create a national day of the midwife; and of course, the member for Scarborough—Rouge River just introduced a bill to eliminate child poverty.
These are all good bills that have received the support of the House. The official opposition, the NDP, has shown a lot of common sense, and I want to make sure people know that.
So that common sense continues, we are continuing to bring forward on the floor of the House of Commons a whole variety of important policy alternatives to what the government of the day is proposing, such as a national child care program—which is only one election away now—and also putting in place a public inquiry for missing and murdered indigenous women, which would take place within 100 days of an NDP administration.
In a couple of weeks, we have a couple of NDP opposition days coming up. We are looking forward to putting those opposition days forward and continuing to provide hope to Canadians that, within less than 11 months, we will see a change of agenda in Ottawa. That is something I think all Canadians are looking forward to.
With that in mind, I would like to ask my colleague the government House leader for the opposition days that are coming and the government's agenda for the coming week.
Peter Van Loan ConservativeLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the NDP House leader for his usual Thursday question, his optimism, and his hope. We are happy to see optimism and hope over there. I can assure members that on this side of the House we share some of that optimism and hope, and we look forward to better days for the NDP.
I also want to thank him for his program of daily concurrence motions this autumn. It has meant that practically every day we have had a chance to have a say on the hard work our committees do and specifically on the report the NDP tabled between the throne speech and the summer adjournment. In just the last five sittings since my last Thursday statement, this House has considered and adopted reports prepared by the Canadian heritage committee, the veterans affairs committee, the finance committee, and even the procedure and House affairs committee.
As a former international trade minister, I took great joy in seeing our debate and vote on the agriculture committee's report on the Canada-Europe free trade agreement. The NDP's concurrence motion allowed my colleague, the agriculture minister's parliamentary secretary, to bring forward his own motion reflecting the developments that followed the committee's work calling on the House of Commons to endorse this free trade agreement. In the past, the committee and the NDP had expressed concerns that they could not commit to a position until the agreement's text was available. Now that the agreement's text is available, they had an opportunity to endorse it right here in this House. Having seen the text of that agreement, I was disappointed that the NDP voted against it. It would be the single largest boost to the Canadian economy in a generation, one that would produce billions of dollars annually to the economy.
That being said, we have other business to attend to in this House.
With respect to the business of the House, let me acknowledge the co-operative and productive conversations we and our teams have had this week with the other parties. This afternoon and tomorrow, we will debate Bill C-26, the Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act, at second reading. Monday, we will have the third reading debate on Bill C-18, the Agricultural Growth Act.
Tuesday morning we will consider Bill C-40, the Rouge national urban park act, at report stage and third reading. In the afternoon, we will switch to the third reading debate on Bill C-27, the veterans hiring act, which I hope will be passed quickly given the apparent support for it.
On Wednesday, we will start the second reading debate on Bill C-42, the common sense firearms licensing act.
Next Thursday will be the sixth allotted day when the NDP will bring forward a proposal for debate.
Wrapping up next week, on Friday we will have the fourth day of second reading debate on Bill C-35, the justice for animals in service act, which is known more affectionately as Quanto's law.
Finally, for the benefit of all of the committees of this House and their planning, following some consultation with my counterparts, I am currently looking at Wednesday, December 3, for the final allotted day. However, I will formally confirm that sometime next week, I expect.
The House resumed consideration of the motion that Bill C-26, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Canada Evidence Act and the Sex Offender Information Registration Act, to enact the High Risk Child Sex Offender Database Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
Tougher Penalties for Child Predators ActGovernment Orders
Okanagan—Coquihalla B.C.
Conservative
Dan Albas ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise on debate on the tougher penalties for child predators act.
Although members of the House do not always agree on the best approach to tackle challenging societal problems, I am confident we can all agree on the need to act to better protect children from the heinous crime of sexual exploitation.
Since 2011, children accounted for approximately half of all victims of police-reported sexual assault in Canada. Clearly this is unacceptable, and clearly it is incumbent on us to do everything in our control to better safeguard children from a crime that leaves an everlasting impact. The government strongly believes that further measures are warranted in this regard and that is why it has brought forward this legislation.
The tougher penalties for child predators act is a comprehensive piece of legislation that would allow us to better protect communities and children from convicted sex offenders, both in Canada and abroad. The changes we have proposed in the bill would allow us to move ahead on two different fronts, one that is supported by the Department of Justice and one that is supported by Public Safety Canada.
The first element, broadly speaking, addresses penalties for child sexual offences through amendments to the Criminal Code. The second deals with changes to the Sex Offender Information Registration Act, which I will get into in a few moments.
As we heard from the Minister of Justice, when the bill was first introduced our government proposed a number of enhancements that would allow us to ensure that penalties for child sexual offences would better reflect the long-lasting damage inflicted on young victims and further hold offenders accountable for their actions. Members of the House will not be surprised to hear me reiterate our government's firm belief that the punishment should fit the severity of the crime. I trust that members agree with me that, when we speak of the crime of sexual exploitation against children, this is a particularly important principle of living in a law-abiding society. There is no question that children are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation, so now is the time to act.
The other set of changes we are proposing is with respect to the information available to law enforcement about registered sex offenders and, of course, to the public.
As we have heard, the bill contains proposed amendments to the Sex Offender Information Registration Act, amendments that would enhance our knowledge about the whereabouts of registered sex offenders when they travel abroad, as well as increased offender accountability. The act is the governing legislation for the national sex offender registry, the existing federal database that houses the names of convicted sex offenders across the country. As members may be aware, this database is administered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and is accessible to police forces countrywide through a provincial-territorial registry centre. It is a vital tool that allows police to obtain a list of convicted sex offenders living or employed in a geographical area, when required for preventive or investigative purposes.
Currently, offenders subject to the registry must comply with a number of obligations with respect to reporting to registry officials. For example, they need to report each year, in addition to anytime they change their address or legal name. Further, they are obligated to notify registry officials if they plan to be away from their main or secondary residence for a period of seven days or longer. They are required to provide the estimated dates of travel, and for any domestic travel, they must provide the address or location at which they expect to stay.
With respect to international travel, registered sex offenders are not currently obligated to report absences unless those absences are seven days or longer. We feel this represents a significant gap in terms of registry officials' authority to obtain complete information on the international travel plans of registered sex offenders.
When it comes to sex offenders with a child offence conviction, they would be required to report any out-of-country absence of any length of time. Again, they would be required to provide specific travel plans, including dates and locations. All registered sex offenders would be required to report their travel dates and the addresses or locations where they are staying for any trips longer than seven days outside of Canada.
We have also proposed a change to address a gap that currently exists with respect to information sharing about registered sex offenders between the officials at the national sex offender registry and those at the Canada Border Services Agency. Some Canadians may be surprised to learn that currently there is no avenue for registry officials to share information regularly with border officials, since they are not a designated police service. In addition, the Sex Offender Information Registration Act currently does not authorize such disclosure. This unnecessarily limits our knowledge of travelling sex offenders.
It stands to reason that those on the front lines, those guarding our borders, could be playing an even more meaningful role in safeguarding our communities than they already do. With this legislation, we could empower them to do just that by giving them the right information. After all, border officials are the ones who will admit convicted sex offenders back into the country. The bill would allow for registry officials to disclose relevant information about certain registered sex offenders to Canada Border Services Agency officials, including the cases of child sex offenders who have been designated as being at a high risk to re-offend.
Such a change would allow them to be placed in a lookout system. This type of information sharing would mean that border officials would then be alerted to travelling sex offenders and that upon those offenders' return to Canada, the officials would then be in a position to collect the offenders' travel information and to share it with registry officials. This kind of exchange could allow for the investigation of crimes of a sexual nature, in addition to addressing any other potential breaches of reporting obligations of the offender. These changes, I propose, would go a long way toward helping us better protect children from this offender group in both Canada and abroad.
Finally, with this legislation, we would allow for the future creation of a publicly accessible national database of high-risk child offenders. Separate from the national sex offender registry, this database would capture those who have been the subject of public notification in a provincial or territorial jurisdiction and would be presented in a searchable format for any Canadians who wish to access such information.
We are pleased with the progress that we continue to achieve in making our streets and communities safer, particularly for the youngest members of our society. The passage of this bill and the implication of its much needed amendments would take us even further in this regard. I therefore call on all members of this place to support the protection of children, on which I have heard many encouraging things today, both at home and abroad, from the horrific crimes of child sexual exploitation.
Hélène LeBlanc NDP LaSalle—Émard, QC
Mr. Speaker, the government has introduced many bills that amend the Criminal Code in a number of ways.
Can the hon. member tell us whether the government has done any studies following up on these successive changes to the Criminal Code since it came to power in 2006?
Can the member tell me about any studies on the positive or negative impact of these successive changes to the Criminal Code and whether or not there are solid results that indicate that further bills to amend the Criminal Code of Canada should be introduced? I would like to hear about these studies.
Dan Albas Conservative Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC
Mr. Speaker, with regard to studies, I would point out what the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice mentioned this morning with regard to correct jurisprudence.
Through the study of case law, we have seen more and more that both the bar associations and judiciary are bringing to light the fact that in cases of sexual exploitation of a child, there is an initial offence, coupled with the recording of images, disturbing as they may be, which is a separate offence, and then the distribution of those, which is is another offence. Oftentimes, previously lasting last six or seven years, concurrent sentences were given. We believe that every time a child is victimized, both at the actual offence and then from the recording and then the distribution, the child is revictimized over and over.
I am pleased to say to the member opposite that in the studies, the courts have started choosing to impose consecutive sentencing, instead of concurrent sentencing, because the former more accurately reflects the heinous nature of these crimes.
I hope that the member opposite will look at some of these cases and see that they are truly horrific. Hopefully, we can all work together to ensure that people who prey on our children will face the full extent of the law.
