Debates of June 20th, 2018

Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

moved for leave to introduce a bill entitled Bill C-413, an act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (compliance with obligations).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce an act to amend PIPEDA, our privacy laws for the commercial sector.

The bill aims to implement our parliamentary privacy committee's unanimous recommendations to strengthen the enforcement powers of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, including the power to make orders, and broader discretion to audit organizations for compliance with our laws. What we have is an ombudsman. What we need is a regulator. The bill also provides for significant financial sanctions where organizations intentionally or recklessly breach our privacy rights. Where organizations obtain a financial benefit from using our personal information, they should suffer a financial loss when they misuse our personal information. If we take privacy seriously, we need both strong rules and a strong privacy regulator.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Parliament of Canada Act

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

moved that Bill S-234, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate), be read the first time.

I rise today to table Bill S-234, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate). I would like to begin by acknowledging the work of Senator Bovey, from my home province of Manitoba, and Senator Moore of Nova Scotia, in the creation of this bill and thank them for their work in moving it forward in the other chamber.

This bill gives parliamentarians the opportunity to send a clear message to Canada's artistic community that we appreciate and recognize the importance of its work not only to our country's culture, but also to our society's economy.

Furthermore, the position of an artist laureate would enable artists from all regions of Canada and of different backgrounds to have a national platform to showcase their work. Arts and culture is one of the most powerful tools we have for making social change. This bill celebrates artists and recognizes their importance to this great country of Canada.

(Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)

Time Bank System

[Geng Tan, Liberal, Don Valley North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured today to present a petition signed by hundreds of people in Don Valley North and across Canada who are calling on the Government of Canada to create a time bank system. Time banks in other countries help address the physical, social, and mental health needs of a growing number of seniors and persons with disabilities. Therefore, hundreds of petitioners today are calling on the government and the National Seniors Council to support the creation of a time bank system as soon as possible in this country.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to point out that there is an abundance of petitions to present today. We only have 15 minutes to do so, but actually, we are down to 14. If members could keep their comments on the petitions as short as possible, we will get as many people in as possible and then everybody can leave for the summer holiday and know that their petitions were tabled.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I suspect if you were to canvass the House, you would likely find unanimous consent to allow members who want to present their petitions today to do so.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Canada Summer Jobs Program

[David Yurdiga, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from my constituents.

Canadians across the country feel that the Canadian summer jobs program attestation violates their fundamental freedoms. The petitioners request that the Liberal government respect the Charter of Rights, especially those in section 2.

Human Organ Trafficking

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, increasing concerns about international trafficking in human organs removed without consent continues to be an issue that requires legislation to be brought forward. There are currently two bills before Parliament proposing to impede the trafficking of human organs, Bill C-350 and Bill S-240. The petitioners ask the government to support this.

Canada Summer Jobs Program

[Bradley Trost, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to present petitions from people in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba who protest the government's summer job attestation statement. They are very concerned that it discriminates against Canadians who have both pro-life and pro-traditional marriage viewpoints.

Nuclear Disarmament

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present petition e-1402, with 1,451 signatures, initiated by Barbara Birkett and a group of Oakville residents who are passionate about nuclear disarmament.

The petitioners say that the use of any nuclear weapons would have catastrophic consequences and nuclear weapons are the only weapons of mass destruction not yet prohibited by an international agreement. They call upon the Government of Canada to sign and ratify the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Canada Summer Jobs Program

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour of presenting two petitions on the Canada summer jobs attestation. These petitions were initiated by my colleague from Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, but a significant number of my constituents signed the petition as well.

The petitioners are extremely concerned with the violation of their freedom of conscience, freedom of thought, and freedom of belief, which are fundamental freedoms. They call on the Prime Minister to defend their freedoms and remove the attestation requirement from the Canada summer jobs program.

Carbon Pricing

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this petition was presented to me by a lady named Anita Payne, who ran against me for the Green Party. She has continued to work hard with both myself and the provincial member, who she also ran against, on behalf of climate change issues. I want to congratulate her on that.

The petition essentially asserts that the $50-a-tonne carbon tax proposed by the federal government is insufficient. The petitioners call upon the federal government to extend the carbon fee to at least $150 by the year 2030.

Public Safety

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to present the electronic version of petition e-1482. I presented the paper version, with 924 signatures, a few weeks ago.

Last spring, Ottawa was hit by historic flooding. The petition calls on the government to consider the possibility of amending the Income Tax Act, specifically the section on RRSPs, so that victims of natural disasters can withdraw their personal savings to rebuild their homes without incurring immediate penalties.

Public Transit

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition on active and public transit signed by people in my riding.

Given that active and public transit takes cars off the road and improves air quality so Canadians can breathe a little easier, the petitioners call on the Government of Canada to invest in building transit infrastructure, buying buses, and developing safe, well-planned cycling networks. The petitioners state that these measures would improve the quality of the environment, the quality of life for residents, and economic development for the regions.

Human Organ Trafficking

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to present two petitions today.

The first is in support of my private member's bill, Bill C-350, that deals with forced organ harvesting, as well as a similar bill in the Senate, Bill S-240. I note that the Senate was on the verge of passing it last night, but other matters intervened. I am hopeful that Bill S-240 will be passed as soon as the House returns so we can get on with addressing this important matter in the chamber.

Canada Summer Jobs Program

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

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is about the Canada summer jobs program. While MPs are enjoying their summer, many not-for-profit organizations will be struggling as a result of their now inability to access funding on an equal basis as a result of the Liberals' summer jobs values test attestation.

The petitioners call on the government to respect section 2 rights guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to recognize that diversity actually is our strength, and to do away with the attestation.

Refugees

[Bernadette Jordan, Liberal, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of constituents in my riding of South Shore—St. Margarets. These constituents recognize the challenges refugees face when coming to Canada, like having to learn a new language or securing employment, and because of this, they wish to see resettled refugees exempt from travel loan repayment.

Volunteer Service Medal

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to table a petition signed by people from Espanola calling for the return of a Canadian volunteer service medal. They remind us that at one time this medal was issued to recognize Canadians who served voluntarily in the Canadian Forces but was stopped around 1947.

The petitioners note that Veterans Affairs Canada considers any former member of the Canadian Forces who was released with an honourable discharge and successfully underwent basic training to be a veteran. They ask the government to recognize this service by creating and issuing a new Canadian volunteer service medal. The medal would be available to those who volunteered to serve Canada in the regular forces, reserve military forces, and cadet corps support staff who have completed 365 days of uninterrupted honourable duty. The new medal would cover service from September 2, 1945 to the present day in perpetuity.

The Environment

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting e-petition 1490, which is put together by indigenous leaders who are calling on the Liberals to withdraw the proposed tanker ban on B.C.'s north coast because it is really an attack on Canadian oil. It was imposed without meaningful consultation, does not apply to foreign tankers, and it will stop pipelines, including the proposed Eagle Spirit pipeline from Bruderheim in my riding of Lakeland, to the coast for export.

This e-petition is signed by 6,810 Canadians and they seek real consideration of all impacted communities and the major negative social and economic impacts of the tanker ban on all of Canada.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present petition e-1455 in both official languages.

The petitioners call on the Canadian government to seriously consider the reopening of the Canadian embassy in the beautiful and historic city of Sarajevo. The petition has been signed by hundreds of Canadians across the country who believe that it is in our best interest to provide diplomatic leadership in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Human Organ Trafficking

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on the serious issue of international trafficking in human organs that are removed from victims without their consent. There are two pieces of legislation currently before the House, Bill C-350 and S-240 from the Senate. Constituents are urging the Parliament of Canada to move quickly to get legislation in place to prohibit this heinous act.

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the many workers at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories who were told three years ago this September that they would be kicked out of the public service pension plan. They are calling on the government to make the legislative changes necessary in order to keep them in the plan, as they have been for the last three years, despite not technically working for government.

RCMP

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I also rise on behalf of civilian members of the RCMP who had been told at one point that they would be transitioned into the public service and, of course, were concerned about the Phoenix pay system. They were then told that it would be postponed until Phoenix was fixed, and have now been told that the deeming will happen in the year 2020, even though the Auditor General has said that fixing Phoenix may take much longer.

The Environment

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to draw reference back to petition No. 421-02359 that I presented on May 9 and at which time I provided my own personal opinion on the petition. I later found out that it was outside of the procedure of the House. Therefore, I apologize for doing that and will chalk it up as a learning experience.

However, I rise to present a petition that reads: whereas Kinder Morgan is an American oil company based in Texas; and whereas Kinder Morgan paid no taxes to the Government of Canada in 2017; and whereas in Canada dozens of first nations still do not have access to clean drinking water, we are facing a housing a crisis, and renewable energy projects are desperate for more funding, the petitioners call on the Government of Canada to refrain from using Canadian taxpayer money to bail out Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and instead invest in green energy projects that respect indigenous rights.