Debates of May 13th, 2016

Opposition Motion—Freedom of conscience

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for attending and participating.

However, I think the minister is misleading the House. She stated that Bill C-14 enables autonomy and access to the majority of those requesting the right to assistance in death. In fact, the bill excludes a whole category of persons, including my constituent, John Tuckwell, who is suffering immeasurably under ALS and has been forced to go to the courts to get assistance in dying.

I wonder if the minister could qualify what she is saying about the majority who are seeking this assistance, who are suffering grievously, according to what the Carter decision has said, and why she is varying the section 7 charter rights of Canadians.

[Jody Wilson-Raybould, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this is a deeply personal and complex issue, and we have sought to move forward and introduce Bill C-14, a piece of legislation that provides what we believe to be the best option for our country at this time. We have heard from a diversity of perspectives.

The object of this piece of legislation is in response to the Supreme Court of Canada's decision that said two things: one, that an absolute ban on medical assistance in dying in this country is unconstitutional; and, two, it placed upon Parliament the necessary ability and direction that Parliament put in place, a regime that ensures that we protect the personal autonomy of individuals while at the same time ensuring, as much as we can, protection for the vulnerable people among us. This also includes ensuring the conscience rights of medical practitioners.

We have put forward a bill that seeks to do that and that provides the necessary balance and response to the Supreme Court of Canada.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

There will be six minutes remaining in questions and comments after the minister's speech following question period.

Statements by members, the hon. member for La Pointe-de-l'Île.

Study on the Finances of an Independent Quebec

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, another extensive study on the finances of an independent Quebec was made public. It responds to the arguments of my colleagues who think that they can scare Quebeckers by saying that if Quebec does not agree to become a highway for bitumen, it should no longer receive equalization payments.

This financial analysis once again proves that if Quebec were to keep the billions of tax dollars that it gives to Ottawa, it could continue to provide all of the services currently offered by the federal government, including old age pensions. Not only that, but Quebec could also use all of that tax money to develop its own economy by focusing on its strengths, which include renewable energy, electric transportation, and aerospace.

I would like to acknowledge all of the supporters who will assemble across Quebec this weekend as part of the Bloc Québécois's independence day to explain that the best thing for Quebec is not to have to beg Ottawa for its own money, but to take back all of its power and tax money—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Cumberland—Colchester.

Brain Tumour Awareness Month

[Bill Casey, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, the month of May is Brain Tumour Awareness Month in Canada. It is a time to reflect on and bring attention to the estimated 55,000 Canadians living with a brain tumour.

Brain tumours continue to afflict too many Canadians, and particularly hard hit are children and infants. One of those victims was Brandon Dempsey, who passed away at the age of 18 after a long battle to survive.

Brandon's incredible determination and courage inspired my motion M-235 that passed in the House on February 14, 2007. The motion called on the government to implement a national strategy to count and classify malignant and non-malignant brain tumours, as both can have profound effects.

I encourage the government to continue efforts to ensure that motion M-235 achieves all the results hoped for by Brandon Dempsey when the motion passed.

In the meantime, many other significant advancements have been achieved and there is great hope for more progress in the years to come.

Justice

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, a publication by Statistics Canada on family violence states that 11% of Canadian female spousal victims were pregnant during violent incidents between 2004 and 2009. Within this five-year period, 63,000 pregnant women were violently victimized by their spouse while carrying their child.

Choosing to become a mother should be joyful and exciting, but clearly too many pregnant women in Canada are victims of violent crimes that injure the child they carry, jeopardizing a woman's choice to have a family.

Cassie and Molly's law is named in reference to one of the latest murders of a pregnant Canadian woman, Cassie Kaake. Cassie was murdered in her Windsor, Ontario, home in December 2014, when she was just weeks away from giving birth to her daughter Molly.

This new legislation is precise and robust, amending the Criminal Code to create a new sentence for crimes against a pregnant woman that injure her preborn child. Cassie and Molly's law will also codify pregnancy as an aggravating factor.

I invite my colleagues to join me in supporting these new protections for pregnant women.

Fundraiser for Survivors of Sexual Abuse

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that I, along with 11 other well-known members of the Gatineau community, will be participating in the Grand Saut pour une bonne cause, an initiative of the Outaouais Centre d'intervention en abus sexuels pour la famille, which helps families coping with child sexual abuse.

This will be a dream come true for folks who would like to see their MP jump out of a plane. Once they reach their $25,000 fundraising goal, the 12 ambassadors will jump out of a plane at roughly 14,500 feet. The courage that will take is nothing compared to the courage children and their families have to muster to face life after sexual abuse.

The ambassadors will jump on May 22 and 28. The money raised will help two new groups of child survivors of sexual abuse this year and lay the groundwork for a pilot project focusing on children who are victims of sexual cyberbullying.

I would like to thank everyone who so generously—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Drummond.

Relay for Life

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to talk about an important event being held across Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

I want to take this opportunity to invite my constituents to register for this unique event being held in Drummondville on June 4 and 5 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., at the Saint-Jean-Baptiste community recreation centre.

I invite everyone to get involved in raising money to support cancer research and to buy luminaries to light the track where participants will be walking all night.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate honorary president Stéphane Théroux for his involvement and the chair of the organizing committee, Nathalie Théroux, not to mention all the members of the organizing committee for this 14th annual Relay for Life.

I invite everyone to be part of this rewarding human experience and register for the Relay for Life. It is a date.

Mike Gallant

[Bobby Morrissey, Liberal, Egmont, PE]

Mr. Speaker, on the morning of May 14, 2015, Captain Mike Gallant and his fellow members of the Miscouche Volunteer Fire Department were called to an emergency scene in western P.E.I. Afterward, while returning to his day job, Mike was killed in a single-vehicle accident. His death was the direct result of a medical condition, and he was considered to have died in the line of duty, due to the strenuous work of emergency response.

Mike served as a volunteer firefighter for most of his adult life. He had also become involved in volunteering with youth, and he helped found the department's junior firefighting program.

In many Canadian communities, emergency response is handled in large part by volunteers like Mike Gallant. Their hard work and sacrifice serves to keep Canadians safe, as we have seen so clearly from the astounding efforts of the firefighters in Fort McMurray.

Tomorrow, Mike will be remembered in a public ceremony at the Miscouche Fire Hall. In the fall, he will be honoured with a service at the Canadian Firefighters Memorial here in Ottawa.

He is dearly missed by his family and the community.

National Nursing Week

[Colin Carrie, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, May 9 to May 15 is National Nursing Week, a week that encompasses International Nurses Day and Florence Nightingale's birthday, which is May 12.

The Canadian Nurses Association is the national professional voice for registered nurses. The theme this year for National Nursing Week is “Nurses: With you every step of the way”.

It is an honour for me to rise in the House today to recognize the vital contributions that nurses make in the health and well-being of all Canadians, both across Canada and in my hometown of Oshawa.

With more than 406,000 regulated nurses across Canada, they are by far the largest group of health care providers in our country. Our party supports nurses in their commitment to deliver safe, effective, and quality health care.

On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to thank Canada's nurses, nursing students, and our next generation of nurses for their leadership in delivering better health for our nation.

La Symbiose Youth Centre in Cap-Rouge

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, La Symbiose youth centre held its third Cocktail Osez le Rouge event yesterday, under the honorary chairmanship of Pierre-Olivier Dufresne.

Every year, this event showcases the impressive talent of many young artists from the region, especially the graduates of the interior design program at the Centre de formation professionnelle Marie-Rollet.

I am very pleased to rise today to highlight the immense contribution made by my riding's youth centre. Every year for more than 31 years, the centre has made it possible for more than 3,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in educational activities in a safe environment.

From organizing workshops to collecting cans and bottles, La Symbiose youth centre in Cap-Rouge empowers our young people by giving them valuable tools so they will become adults who are critical thinkers and active and responsible citizens.

I would like to thank the staff and board of directors of La Symbiose youth centre in Cap-Rouge for their dedication and commitment. I would also like to recognize Michel Boissel, who has been the centre's coordinator for 22 years and, according to the chair of the board of directors, does a super job.

Sri Lanka

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, during the month of May this year, Tamil Canadians mark the seventh anniversary of the end of the very tragic and traumatic events that took place in Sri Lanka. Leading up to May 19, 2009, tens of thousands of people lost their lives. Many Tamil Canadians, including those living in my riding of Nepean, lost family members during the violent events, which have left a painful and indelible scar in our hearts. It is also a chance to reflect on the root causes of the conflict, and work toward a better future for their entire people.

Let us never forget what happened to the Tamil people during this tragic part of their history. This will be a constant reminder for us to help Tamilians in their struggle to recover from this tragedy, and to do whatever possible to prevent this from happening again.

Entrepreneurs

[Alex Nuttall, Conservative, Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as most of us know, last week Startup Canada was in Ottawa for its day on the Hill. Startup Canada is a grassroots organization that represents 22 start-up communities and more than 120,000 individual entrepreneurs, and what is better, it achieved all this through volunteers and private capital. Whether it is developing a new app, creating an amazing product, or reinventing the wheel, entrepreneurs are a big part of driving productivity and innovation in Canada, and for that they should be celebrated.

I am proud that I represent the city of Barrie, which is one of these 22 start-up communities. I especially want to recognize my friends from Barrie, Chad and Sandra Ballantyne, who were part of the Startup Canada delegation. They do incredible work fostering entrepreneurs of all ages and types in the greater Barrie area.

In closing, I want to congratulate everybody from Startup Canada for their successful day on the Hill, and I want to thank them for keeping the entrepreneurial spirit alive and well in Canada.

Pensions

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the ongoing economic challenges in my riding.

The town of Wabush was founded on iron ore mining, but with low global commodity prices, the company operating the mine, Cliffs Natural Resources, entered bankruptcy protection. While this may be an unavoidable circumstance in a free market economy, what has happened to the pensioners should not be unavoidable.

The Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act protects creditors. It gives them the confidence that they will not lose their investment. However, in the case of Wabush, the company's underfunded health and pension plans were left to languish while the company liquidated assets for its creditors.

Pension funds should not be allowed to be so terribly underfunded, nor should profitable companies be allowed to abandon their negotiated obligations to the very workers who made them profitable. We need to act now to protect Canadians who work their whole lives to build our companies and build our communities.

Municipalities

[Jean-Claude Poissant, Liberal, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this week, as the Union des municipalités du Québec holds its 95th annual meeting, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize how much municipalities contribute to our country. They are the heart of the Canadian economy.

I was a municipal councillor in the riding of La Prairie for a few years, in the town of Saint-Philippe, so I understand the vital role that municipalities play in providing services to the public. Though they often work behind the scenes, municipalities have the most immediate presence of the various levels of government.

Events like the ones in Lac-Mégantic and Fort McMurray show just how strong and united our municipalities are and how we can count on them to do the impossible.

That is why I would like to pay tribute to the elected officials and various players in our municipalities, who are working for the good of all Canadians. I especially want to thank those in the seven municipalities in my riding for their outstanding work.

Baha'i Community in Iran

[David Anderson, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow will mark eight years of imprisonment for seven innocent Baha’i religious leaders. Their only crime is freely practising their faith in Iran and serving the needs of their fellow believers.

On May 14, 2008, morning raids tore these innocent men and women from their homes and families and began a long eight-year charade of false charges, legal delay, and blatant disregard for Iran's own penal code. In fact, these innocent men and women are now well overdue for conditional release, but the regime continues to ignore international voices as it pursues its long-standing cradle-to-grave persecution of the Baha’i minority.

Tomorrow's day of outcry is an attempt to change that. The case of the Baha’i seven is just one more example of Iran's total disregard for the rule of law and the fundamental rights of its own people. I encourage all members to add their voices to mine and countless others around the world when we declare that enough is enough. It is time for the Iranian regime to adhere to its own laws and release the innocent Baha’i seven immediately.

Democratic Reform

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to congratulate the Minister of Democratic Institutions and the government House leader for the motion to begin our national discussion on electoral reform. Our government is continuing to fulfill its pledges to Canadians to strengthen and to modernize our democratic institutions.

I want to commend the ministers for proposing that all parties in the House of Commons, including the Green Party and the Bloc Québécois, participate in these discussions to modernize and reform our democratic institutions. It is essential for all parties in the House, as well as all Canadians and communities, to have an opportunity to share their thoughts on this very important topic.

Now is the time to remind Canadians that they are masters of their own destiny. The modernization of our voting system will give everyone an opportunity to influence our country's future. Let us make sure that the 2015 election was the last one under first past the post.

Migratory Birds

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this year marks the centennial of the Migratory Birds Convention Act, a landmark piece of legislation that was the beginning of effective conservation efforts in North America.

Saturday is International Migratory Bird Day, celebrating one of the most spectacular events on earth.

We talk a lot about Canada's exports in this House, but one of our greatest exports is birds. Each year over three billion birds are produced in Canada. They fly south to spend the winter in warmer climes, and they return in spring to our vast forests, our long summer days, and our generous supply of insects.

Bird populations are literally the canaries in the coal mines for environmental health. However, recent studies have shown that almost half of Canadian bird species are declining. We need to work hard with our neighbours in North America and South America to reverse these declines.

Tomorrow morning, Nature Canada is hosting a celebration of migratory birds in Brewer Park in Ottawa. I invite all MPs to join me there to celebrate our birds.

The Budget

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance went to Quebec City yesterday to defend his surplus-slashing, deficit-building budget and delivered a cringeworthy performance reminiscent of the worst wedding speech anyone has ever heard. Let us just say he shared a little too much information.

However, the interesting fact is that when it comes to sharing specifically on budget transparency, the parliamentary budget officer said that the Minister of Finance did not provide enough information.

The PBO accused the Minister of Finance and the Liberal government of suppressing financial data. He accused them of twisting and exaggerating the information it did provide in the budget. The PBO said that the Liberals did not provide them any information for them to judge their projections.

This is becoming a trend with this Liberal government. Not only has it misled the PBO, but it has misled Canadians about the fact that Conservatives left Liberals with a healthy surplus, a fact confirmed by the minister's own department officials.

Mislead, misdirect, mistakes: meet the new Liberals, same as the old Liberals.

Asian Heritage Month

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise before the House today to celebrate Asian Heritage Month.

I am fortunate enough to represent one of the most diverse ridings in Canada. In my riding of Willowdale, generations of Asian-Canadians have profoundly contributed to our culture, our economy, and the richness of our day-to-day lives.

Asian-Canadians have not only made important contributions in Willowdale, of course, but throughout Canada. Asian Heritage Month provides Canadians from coast to coast to coast the opportunity to celebrate the transformative contributions Asian-Canadians have made to our great country over the course of many decades.

In that spirit, I would like to say in Mandarin:

[Member spoke in Mandarin and provided the following translation:]

Let us build our collective future together.

In Korean let me add:

[Member spoke in Korean and provided the following translation:]

Let us continue moving forward together.

Government Advertising

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, there is yet another broken promise from the Liberals.

Just yesterday, the President of the Treasury Board said, “We want to make it absolutely clear that we are ending the ability for any government...to use tax dollars to fund what are partisan or quasi-partisan ads”. The rules include that the advertising must be “devoid of any name, voice or image of a minister, member of Parliament or senator”. Yet, in the same breath, they are defending a video that stars the Prime Minister.

Why would the Liberals break their own rules for the Prime Minister's special vanity advertising project?

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Minister of Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, we promised to change the way that the government does advertising. We committed to eliminate partisan government advertising and to modernize its communications.

Yesterday, and this is good news, the Government of Canada took another step to make government more open, and more transparent and accountable. The policy announced yesterday relates to paid advertising. This video is not paid advertising.

Destination Canada's social media marketing campaign is in line with the government's new policy. We are proud of the role that Destination Canada, its partners and tourism industry stakeholders play in stimulating economic growth.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals should probably stop listing their campaign promises, because it is just reminding Canadians that they keep breaking them.

Would they really have us believe that a crown corporation used no taxpayers' dollars to create this advertising? Apparently, the new rules do not apply to the Prime Minister. The Liberals are the masters of do as they say and not as they do.

When will the Liberals apply the new rules to the Prime Minister's puff piece?