Debates of March 29th, 2018

Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities entitled “Advancing Inclusion and Quality of Life for Canadian Seniors”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

While I have the floor, I would like to thank all members of the committee, the staff, the clerk, all the analysts, and anyone involved in producing this fantastic report.

[Mark Warawa, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative members on the committee want to thank the chair for the work that the committee did. However, it unfortunately did not go far enough, and so there is a supplementary report that is part of the main report that is called “We Can Do Better For Seniors”. One of the major focuses is calling on the government to appoint a minister for seniors.

Citizenship and Immigration

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move:

That the Fourteenth Report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, presented to the House on Thursday, November 9, 2017, be amended by replacing the name of the organization “Talent beyond Borders” to “Talent beyond Boundaries”.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

Does the hon. member for Don Valley West have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

(Motion agreed to)

Canada Summer Jobs Program

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition to the House on protecting faith-based employers from discrimination under the Canada summer jobs program. It is calling on the Liberal government to stop discriminating against people who believe in legal protection for preborn children and traditional sexual morality. It is saying that if Canadians are not allowed to have different political beliefs than the government and have their funding cut off, that is discrimination.

I ask the government to consider it, and promptly so.

The Environment

[Denis Paradis, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition from my constituents in the Lake Memphremagog region regarding that lake's water quality.

Sherbrooke and Magog get their drinking water from Lake Memphremagog, but as we know, this lake straddles the Canadian-American border. The lake is a source of drinking water on the Canadian side but not on the American side. That does not make any sense, but that is how it is.

We are asking the Minister of Foreign Affairs to raise the issue of the lake's water quality with the International Joint Commission because there have been some questionable dumping practices on the American side.

Democratic Reform

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased again to table a petition, on behalf of Edmontonians, demanding that the government take action so that every vote counts. They are concerned that in a democracy, every vote and voter should count. Frequently our broken electoral system allows a party to win 100% of the power with less than 40% of the vote. The Liberal government has promised to change our electoral system, but time is running out if we want a fairer system before the next election. They call on the government to adopt a fair, proportional voting system so that the Parliament of Canada actually reflects how electors vote.

Firearms

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the great honour today to present a petition on behalf of over 16,000 Canadians, and indeed all the members of the Conservative hunting and angling caucus, asking that the government require individuals appointed to the Canadian firearms advisory committee to have earned a possession and acquisition licence, without which they lack a baseline understanding of the activities they are tasked with regulating. It is a common-sense request that we hope the government will grant.

Banking

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of dozens of constituents in New Westminster—Burnaby and dozens of citizens in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, I am pleased to present a petition, which has recruited hundreds of signatures across this country, sponsored by the good activists of the ACORN community organization. This petition seeks to make banking fair and to end predatory lending in Canada by limiting interest rates that can be charged; lowering the interest rates that exist under the Criminal Code, the maximum interest rate one can charge; creating a national anti-predatory lending strategy; and supporting alternatives to predatory lenders, such as postal banking and credit union products.

Lower-income Canadians often do not have access to the banking system. About 20% of Canadians do not have access to banking at all or have very little access to banking in their communities. By ending predatory lending and making banking fair, we would provide more support to Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Visitor Visas

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people who visit Canada every year. I have a petition signed by constituents who are raising the issue of the super visa. They want the government to provide additional clarification on when someone gets a super visa, returns to his or her home country, and wants to come back. They want to know, if it is not stamped, whether the super visa is good for two years or whether they have to leave the country in six months.

Organ Donations

[Len Webber, Conservative, Calgary Confederation, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition, in support of my private member's bill, Bill C-316, which was submitted by members of the national capital region Gift of Life Network.

Coincidentally, it is also tax season across Canada. The petitioners are calling on this House to improve Canada's organ donation system. This would be achieved by making the process to register as an organ donor easier by adding a simple question to our annual tax returns. With 4,700 Canadians awaiting life-saving transplants, imagine how many lives we could have saved if this were already in place for this tax season.

Cycling

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a huge honour to rise today to table an e-petition, e-1344, which has 4,247 signatories, in support of my bill, Bill C-312, to create a national cycling strategy. With soaring infrastructure and health care costs, increased amounts of air contaminants and greenhouse gas emissions, and traffic congestion, the petitioners are calling on the government to create a strategy that would set clear targets so we can become a cycling nation.

Most importantly, in the 2016 ParticipACTION report card on physical activity for children, we had a grade of F. In Canada, only two per cent of children are riding their bikes to school. In Germany it is 15%, in Sweden 20%, in Denmark 40%, and in the Netherlands 50%. We can get there if we create a plan and set clear targets. We can be a cycling nation.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

I remind all hon. members that in presenting petitions not to weigh in with their own particular views on the matter.

The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.

Environment

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise this afternoon to present two petitions. The first is an e-petition, and it is calling on the government and the House of Commons to recognize the interwoven nature of the social, economic, and ecological crisis and to advance environmental education. Specifically, the petitioners petition this House to take a leadership role on a Canadian strategy to support educators, communicators, and community leaders, and furthermore, to recognize that fresh air, clean water, and healthy food are human rights in Canada.

Shark Finning

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from numerous citizens and residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands, again raising the issue of the threat to global shark species embedded in the trade in shark fins and the cultural practice of shark fin soup. The petitioners call on the government not just to, as we currently do, forbid the finning of sharks in Canadian waters but to ban the trade, importation, and sale of shark fins in Canada.

Filipino Heritage Month

[Frank Baylis, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from the Filipino Canadian Association of the West Island of Montreal. FCAWI, as it is commonly known, has a mission statement to create communities in its neighbourhoods. It does so under the Filipino custom of bayanihan. FCAWI does this through social, cultural, educational, and sports activities, and on that front, I can say that its members are excellent basketball players.

Under the leadership of its president, Mr. Ador Bolusan, it prepared this petition, which calls on the Government of Canada to recognize the month of June as Filipino heritage month. On their behalf, I am proud to present this petition to the House.

Contraception

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition in support of free prescription birth control. The petitioners draw the attention of the House to the fact that, with respect to sexual activity among heterosexual Canadians, 15% have no access to contraception and 24% of Canadians do not have access to a subsidized drug plan, which means they have to pay a great deal out of pocket. The provision of subsidized contraception in places like the U.S. and Great Britain has shown a considerable reduction with respect to cost benefits and the costs of unintended pregnancies.

Therefore, the petitioners ask the Government of Canada to support my motion, Motion No. 65, which calls on the federal government to work with the provinces to cover the full cost of prescribed contraception.

VIA Rail

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have a second petition from petitioners who want to draw the attention of the House to VIA Rail and its management. VIA Rail does not have a long-term plan or direction approved by government and can unilaterally end services, or a route, and affect thousands of Canadians. This could increase the costs of rail travel and could have a negative impact on our environment. Therefore, they call on the Government of Canada to support my private member's bill, Bill C-370, to establish a clear mandate for VIA Rail.

Poverty

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad we are able to present petitions today, rather than moving to orders of the day.

I have two petitions to present to the House. The first petition recognizes the need to develop and implement a national strategy to reduce poverty in Canada. Therefore, the petitioners call on the government to make poverty reduction a priority, to develop thousands of social housing units, and so forth.

Sisters in Spirit

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is about the Native Women's Association of Canada. The petitioners call upon the Parliament of Canada to make sure it receives sufficient funding to continue its important work in protecting women through its sisters in spirit initiative.

Falun Gong

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition today with respect to an issue raised in my private member's bill, Bill C-350, to create an opportunity for the House to do more to combat forced organ harvesting around the world. It is the same bill that was originally proposed by Irwin Cotler in a previous parliament. Therefore, I hope Bill C-350 will have widespread support.

The petition specifically calls to the attention of the House the issues of human rights abuse in China, and a number of issues affecting Falun Gong practitioners, particularly, the mass murder of innocent Falun Gong practitioners and the harvesting of their organs. This is an issue that Canada and the rest of the international community need to do more to combat.