House of Commons Hansard #371 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was elections.

Topics

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

10:10 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:10 a.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons

moved:

That in relation to the Senate amendment to Bill C-76, an Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and other Acts and to make certain consequential amendments, not more than one further sitting day shall be allotted to the consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill; and

That fifteen minutes before the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on the day allotted to the consideration of the Senate amendment of said bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this Order, and in turn every question necessary for the disposal of the stage of the bill then under consideration shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:10 a.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Geoff Regan

Pursuant to Standing Order 67.1, there will now be a 30-minute question period. I invite hon. members who wish to ask questions to rise in their places so the Chair has some idea of the number of members who wish to participate in this question period.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:10 a.m.

Conservative

Candice Bergen Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB

Mr. Speaker, I am so disappointed to see this happen yet again. I believe this is the 50th time the current government has shut down the ability of members of Parliament to speak, in only three short years.

The Liberals came in on this self-righteous platform that they were going to be respecting Parliament and not moving time allocation and not shutting down debate, and this is the 50th time they have done it. They are doing it on a bill that would be rigging the system to help them in the next election. This is unbelievable to see yet again.

We are in our last few days in this beautiful place, which will be shut down for a number of years. This is what the Liberals are leaving us to remember them by as we head off into the Christmas holidays: that this is the 50th time in only three years they are cutting off our ability to speak on behalf of our constituents.

How in the world can these Liberals say they respect Parliament, that they respect democracy and that they respect fairness? If this is their example, we really are in big trouble.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:15 a.m.

Burlington Ontario

Liberal

Karina Gould LiberalMinister of Democratic Institutions

Mr. Speaker, let us just be clear what we are debating today. We are debating a technical amendment made in the Senate that was a reflection of an all-party committee in the House of Commons. All political parties put forward this amendment, which would ensure the banning of foreign funding for partisan advertising at all times. This is very simply a technical amendment that would ensure this applies during the election period as well.

There was a drafting error when the amendment was made in the procedure and House affairs committee, and this was an amendment all three political parties put forward. It is something that reflects the spirit of this place, because it is something we all agree on.

That is why we are doing this. We need to make sure this is in place so that we do not have any foreign funding in the upcoming election.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:15 a.m.

NDP

Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is important to ask the Minister of Democratic Institutions a question about democracy here in the House. Yesterday, there were Liberal members who did not show up to the industry committee because they were told to listen to the Prime Minister's speech. What ended up happening is we did not have quorum, and witnesses had to wait for over an hour.

When we finally reconvened, the Liberal members said they were basically told by the whip to listen to the Prime Minister here in the chamber, instead of attending our committee.

We had people who had flown in and people on video conference for the meeting. The subsequent result was that we could only have five minutes each for rounds of questioning with the witnesses. One of them was Ticketmaster, which I had a particular interest in hearing from with regard to consumer rights and protection.

I would like to ask the Minister of Democratic Institutions why the whip would insist members stay to listen, and why the party would not even send one Liberal member so we could have quorum and hear from witnesses. I would like her to comment on the expenses and time associated with this sham.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:15 a.m.

Liberal

Karina Gould Liberal Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, today we are here to talk about Bill C-76 and the proposed elections modernization act. I know this is just as important for the New Democrats as it is for the Liberals. We have had great collaboration working with the members for Skeena—Bulkley Valley and Hamilton Centre. They put forward some great suggestions.

This bill is really a reflection of the hard work of parliamentarians, and particularly the procedure and House affairs committee, which spent the better part of a year studying the recommendations from the CEO of Elections Canada. Eighty-five per cent of those recommendations are in this legislation. It is precisely because of the hard work of parliamentarians on committees, in this place and in the other place that we have what is an excellent bill.

I quote the CEO of Elections Canada, who said, “Bill C-76 remains, overall, an essential piece of legislation”. He has encouraged all parliamentarians to get this done by the time this place rises for the Christmas holidays, to ensure it can be in place for 2019.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:15 a.m.

Conservative

David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK

Mr. Speaker, it is great to be able to be here today on what is one of our last days in this beautiful building.

The government talks about the fact that we are here today looking at drafting errors and correcting drafting errors in its legislation. This is not the first time we have done this. We have done this a dozen different times. The government has written legislation and confidently set it forward, and then it has turned out that there are all kinds of problems and issues and errors in it. I think it is a reflection of the current government's continuing incompetence.

It is not just this one issue. We can look at the things the Liberals promised when they were elected that they have not been able to fulfill or that they have run away from. We have talked a lot about balanced budgets in the last few days in the House and the failure of the government to keep its promises. We are all familiar with the small-business tax hike, the attack on the small-business community, that was only turned back after Canadians across the country spoke up and rebelled against the government. There was the first electoral reform disaster, a commitment the Liberals made and could not keep. Of course, there is the carbon tax, which everyone is familiar with.

Is this rigged election bill really the right way for us to finish our time in this beautiful building before we move out for the Christmas season and for the next years?

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Karina Gould Liberal Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-76 is incredibly important, because it would ensure that all Canadians would have the right to vote. I, for one, on this side of the House, firmly believe that a Canadian citizen has the right to vote, and we should ensure that it is possible. That is why Bill C-76 is important and why it would reverse many of the changes made under the previous government's so-called Fair Elections Act, which Statistics Canada estimated made it so that more than 170,000 Canadians were not able to cast their ballots. I do not think that is right, Canadians do not think that is right, and that is why Bill C-76 is so important.

I would remind my hon. colleague that this is a technical amendment from the other place because of amendments brought forward by all parties in this place at the procedure and House affairs committee. This is an amendment that we all agree on, because it is important to ensure that we do not have foreign funding. I have had great conversations with members of the Conservative Party on the procedure and House affairs committee who did a really good job bringing forward important amendments that have strengthened this bill.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:20 a.m.

NDP

Daniel Blaikie NDP Elmwood—Transcona, MB

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise for what will likely be the last time in this place before it closes for renovations.

I am very sensitive to the irony of getting up on a time allocation motion for a bill having to do with the Canada Elections Act, of all things. Time allocation is something that, in the last Parliament, Liberal members were quick to point out should never be done because the Elections Act is one of the basic instruments of democracy in Canada. It is important that the Elections Act not only not favour one group over another within Parliament but that it not be seen to be doing that. That is why the process around it is so important and why it is so important to get everyone on board.

We have seen, despite the flowery speech from the Prime Minister yesterday about Centre Block and what has happened here, a pattern of disrespect for Parliament. We can think of some of the early indications with respect to Motion No. 6. We can think of the government's treatment of the good work on electoral reform and change done by the Special Committee on Electoral Reform, which was essentially thrown into the wastebin by the government the day it was delivered. We can think of the super-closure motion on the legislation to legislate Canada Post workers back to work, which undermined not just parliamentary democracy but another form of democracy, which is collective bargaining in the workplace.

The minister is stressing the nature of the technical amendment we are making and the fact that all parties supported it at PROC in the House of Commons, but there is another irony, which is that she is relying on an undemocratic institution, the Senate, having done that work, because the government would not accept that work in the actual democratic House. Why is it that we have to depend on an undemocratic house to get changes to our democratic instruments here in Canada?

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Karina Gould Liberal Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, I need to clarify something for my hon. colleague. It was actually the intention of the procedure and House affairs committee to include this. There was a drafting error. It is not that the procedure and House affairs committee did not notice this; it is that it was simply a drafting error. It was something brought forward by all members of the committee, including the NDP.

Of course, I am glad to note, as well, that the NDP supported this piece of legislation at third reading in the House. I hope it will do so today, because it is important and it contains elements that both of our parties feel very strongly about. Ultimately, this is about Canadians and Canadians' ability and right to cast their ballots and ensuring that they are doing that in an accessible way.

It is extraordinarily important that we get this done. We are talking about a couple of words that would make sure that there would be no foreign funding for issue advertising during the writ period, something we can all get behind. That was the intention of the amendments brought forward at the procedure and House affairs committee. It is important that we get this done.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON

Mr. Speaker, this will be the last chance I get to speak in this chamber, at least for a decade, but that is Ottawa time. We never know.

It is ironic that we are speaking on a closure motion. With the changes the minister is bringing forward, she is not fooling anyone. It is being called the election-rigging act.

One thinks of the incompetence over and over again of the government. As we know, there was a horrible announcement in Oshawa. Yesterday workers in Sudbury found out that Bombardier, a Canadian company, has not been successful in bidding on an infrastructure project, and the trains are going to be built in California. It is a testament to the government's incompetence over and over again.

Does the minister really think Canadians are going to be fooled by what the Liberals have brought forward and that Canadians have confidence in the government, when it consistently says one thing and does another?

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Liberal

Karina Gould Liberal Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, let me remind the House that it was, in fact, the Conservative Party that filibustered this piece of legislation every step of the way in committee. We would absolutely have preferred to have more time in the House to debate this piece of legislation. However, the Conservative Party made that extraordinarily difficult.

On this side of the House, and I believe we share this with Canadians, we want people to vote. We do not want voter-suppression tactics. We do not want ways to discourage people. It was the highest voter turnout in 2015, because Canadians wanted to get rid of the previous government. That is why so many people came out to vote. They wanted representatives in this place who would fight for their rights, who would stand up for their fundamental charter right to cast their ballots and vote. That is what this government is delivering, that is what is important to Canadians and that is what we are going to ensure will be in place for 2019.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

NDP

Sheila Malcolmson NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has been very brave about trampling on the charter rights of the labour movement and trampling collective bargaining by railroading through the House, at top speed, back-to-work legislation for postal workers, so that is hard to hear from the democratic reform minister.

The Chief Electoral Officer was very clear with the Liberal government that to put in place changes to the Conservatives' unfair elections act in time for them to be fully implemented for the 2019 election, one year from now, it had to have legislation adopted this past April. It was the day after the deadline set by the Chief Electoral Officer that the Liberal government introduced its bill in the House, completely missing the deadline. Now here we are, 10 months later, ramming it through, again shortening debate and applying time allocation, something the Liberals in opposition said they would never do in the way the Conservatives had.

If the democratic reform minister had actually met the deadline set very clearly by the Chief Electoral Officer, would she be needing to use these undemocratic techniques today to get the Canada Elections Act adopted in time?

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Liberal

Karina Gould Liberal Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise, as I know this is probably the last day for my colleague from Nanaimo—Ladysmith in this place. I have enjoyed working with her over the past few years. She is a tremendous colleague, and I wish her much luck in her future endeavours in British Columbia.

With regard to the bill we are debating today, let me remind the House that, in fact, this legislation was passed at third reading stage in this place at the end of October. We are simply debating a very minor technical amendment that has very important ramifications for the election. The entirety of the bill remains as is. We are adding two words, but it is important to ensure that there is no foreign funding when it comes to issue advertising in our elections, an amendment that was proposed by all parties at the procedure and House affairs committee. It is something we all agree on and that will absolutely strengthen this bill, our democracy and elections in 2019.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for giving me this time, which may be my last time in this wonderful building.

I do not think we see the current government trying to increase the turnout of voters in the next election. Rather, it is trying to enhance its chances to win the next election by rigging the system, which is the way it appears when we look at every element of the bill.

What does the minister say about some non-citizens receiving calls from Liberal candidates saying that they can vote in 2019, when they are still not citizens? We have had so many complaints at our offices. I would like the minister's comment on that.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Karina Gould Liberal Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, that is a lot of conjecture coming from the member opposite. This bill absolutely will increase the number of Canadians who will be able to vote, but let me underscore “Canadian”. A Canadian is a citizen. That is very important to remember.

What this bill would do are two very important things. First, it would enable Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to share information with Elections Canada to ensure that non-citizens were not on the voters list. This is an improvement that was not there previously. Second, it would ensure that we would be enabling vouching and that voter information cards could be used for our most vulnerable Canadians who do not have the kind of mainstream identification many Canadians have. This is important. I believe, and I think members across the way would agree, that our most vulnerable Canadians are the ones we need to be voting, because their voices are important when it comes to social policy and decisions we are making in this place.

With respect to the erroneous information the member opposite provided, he is going on a Toronto Sun piece about how Elections Canada sends out voter information cards and ensures that it is cleaning up the voters list. This is a very important thing to correct. Canadian citizens are not able to do this. It was not voter information cards that were sent out; it was voter registration cards. They are not sent to specific individuals. They are sent to households, because there are millions of Canadians who move between elections, and it wants to have—

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Questions. The hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, the minister has indicated many reasons why this is great legislation that will enhance Canada's democracy. What we have seen, whether at first reading, second reading, committee stage, third reading and so on, is that the Conservatives have one objective, which is to prevent this legislation from passing. That is very clear. Those individuals who see this legislation as good legislation should be supporting the government's measures, even with respect to time allocation, to get this through, because if we do not have time allocation, the Conservatives will not allow it to pass.

What would my colleague, the minister responsible, recommend to our New Democratic friends who have supported time allocation in the past? Would she recommend, if they support the legislation, because the Conservatives do not want this to ever come to a vote, that they support time allocation on this bill?

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Karina Gould Liberal Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would absolutely encourage the New Democrats to support this bill at this stage as well, because we both have principles and objectives here that we think are important for Canadians. I hope they will continue to support the legislation at the other stages.

I am also going to use this opportunity to continue my previous answer, because it is very important that Canadians have the correct information. Unfortunately, the Conservatives have been sending out incorrect information. They have not been telling the truth with respect to this bill. That is really important for Canadians to hear, because this legislation is about ensuring that Canadians have the right and the ability to cast their ballots. It will only be Canadian citizens, as is the case currently, who are able to cast their ballots. If non-Canadian citizens cast ballots, that is an illegal offence, and they will be held to account for it. It is extraordinarily important that we do not fearmonger, that we do not spread misinformation and that we tell the truth when it comes to our elections.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

David Anderson Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK

Mr. Speaker, the minister needs to be more honest on this. She knows full well that voter ID cards are going out across this country to non-citizens. She knows that. Therefore, when she stands up and says that only Canadian citizens can vote, technically that is correct, but she knows that the system is failing Canadians. Our act required that only Canadians would be the ones who voted, and they needed to have ID to show that. However, the Liberals would remove that requirement with this bill.

These voter ID cards are notoriously inaccurate. Everyone knows that. A year ahead of an election, non-citizens are already getting those notices and will be able to vote. Instead of acknowledging there is a problem and addressing it, the minister is misleading Canadians by trying to convince them there is none.

Canadians' right to vote needs to be protected, and that means that only Canadians should be voting. The minister has a bigger responsibility here. I wonder why the Liberals are failing to protect that right of Canadians so that only they are the ones voting for their leaders.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

Liberal

Karina Gould Liberal Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, there was so much wrong in the member's speech.

First of all, they are voter information cards, and not voter identification cards. They are used to establish residency in conjunction with another piece of identification that confirms identity.

The other part of this, as I literally just said, is that one must be a Canadian citizen in order to cast a ballot. The information that the Conservatives are trying to spread about non-Canadians receiving cards has already been clarified by Elections Canada. In fact, the article in the Toronto Sun that the Conservatives cite had to be corrected, because it did not provide correct information. It is very important that we do not misinform Canadians with regards to voting and that we clarify the information and ensure that we provide truthful information.

It is so important that Canadians are empowered to cast their ballot, because that is their opportunity to decide who will be representing them here in this place. We need to be honest with the information we are sharing. We absolutely want as many Canadians as possible to cast their ballot in 2019.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

Conservative

John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON

Mr. Speaker, I want to pick up on a point that was brought up by the opposition House leader with respect to time allocation. To make the point, I want to go back to the throne speech in November, 2015, just after the sunny ways, which have turned into dark clouds, and the Liberal government's misleading of Canadians about its policies on multiple issues, including this particular one. This is what the Prime Minister wrote in the throne speech delivered by the Governor General:

And to give Canadians a stronger voice in the House of Commons, the Government will promote more open debate and free votes, and reform and strengthen committees.

Also notable are the things the Government will not do: it will not use government ads for partisan purposes; it will not interfere with the work of parliamentary officers; and it will not resort to devices like prorogation and omnibus bills to avoid scrutiny.

We have seen a lot of that happen over the course of this Parliament in this hallowed chamber. Is it not true that the government is using Bill C-76 to mislead Canadians and to rig the next election?

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

Liberal

Karina Gould Liberal Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, I think the member opposite is confused, because he is recalling Bill C-23 from the previous Parliament that the Conservatives brought in, the so-called Fair Elections Act, which was roundly criticized across the country, indeed, around world, because it used voter suppression tactics seen in other jurisdictions.

It is extraordinarily important that we pass Bill C-76, because I, and I believe many people in the House irrespective of party, hold the principle of Canadians voting dear and believe they should go to the polls and cast their ballots.

On this side of the House, we are not afraid of Canadians going to the polls. We are not afraid of empowering more Canadians to vote. Indeed, that fundamental right is what drives this legislation, and Canadians are at the core and heart of it.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation MotionGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

Liberal

Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, when I had an opportunity to visit Winnipeg a couple of years ago, I met a gentleman living in a homeless shelter who wanted to vote for my colleague for Winnipeg Centre. He ended up going to a Money Mart and paying for a photo ID, because he did not have a driver's licence or anything with his photo on it, and he was living in a homeless shelter. To be able to vote for my colleague, he had to pay money that he did not have, because of the legislation the Conservatives brought in.

I wonder if the minister thinks that someone should have to take money out of their own pocket and pay to vote. It shows how dedicated that gentleman was to voting that he spent money he did not have, which he could have used for food or to save to get his own place to live.