Debates of Sept. 19th, 2018

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

We will now have the singing of O Canada, led by the hon. member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay.

[Members sang the national anthem]

Whalley Little League

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this summer, residents of Surrey Centre sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game as we celebrated the accomplishments of Whalley Little League.

Thanks to the thrilling victory in the Canadian Little League Championship, the all-star team from Whalley earned the right to represent Canada at the Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

There, they made Surrey proud, playing hard and showing immense strength and enthusiasm on the field, despite the fact that the team faced adversity prior to the tournament. For a time, it was unclear whether one of their teammates, Dio Gama, could join them. However, with the help of the Minister of Immigration and Minister of Public Safety, he was able to go.

It was my honour to host them in my constituency office this summer. This wonderful celebration included a surprise message from our Prime Minister, which delighted the players and helped turn it into an unforgettable day for the team. A special thanks goes out to the team's parents and coaching staff, led by Mike Marino, for following and supporting their team on the road for 46 days.

PIE Education

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

Mr. Speaker, for six years PIE restaurant has supported children in government-subsidized or low-income households by providing them with the materials needed for educational success.

Since creating PIE Education, we have supplied over 10,000 backpacks to children in need in the Barrie area. Some of our community partner organizations include the Barrie Municipal Non-Profit Housing Corporation, Simcoe County Housing Corporation, Canadian Mental Health Association, Barrie Native Friendship Centre, Women & Children's Shelter of Barrie and local church groups.

Having grown up in government housing, I understand how not having school supplies can create anxiety in students. It leads to decreased confidence and performance. Parents should never have to choose between buying their kids new shoes or school supplies.

On behalf of PIE Education, I would like to thank all of our donors, sponsors, volunteers and community partners. It is because of your generous support that over 2,200 children are prepared for success this school year.

Executive Director of Delta Family Resource Centre

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize the executive director of the Delta Family Resource Centre, Kemi Jacobs.

Ms. Jacobs has over 20 years of community involvement and has been a leader in the non-government and public sectors in many roles. Some of those roles include the president of the Canadian Council for Refugees, executive director of CultureLink settlement services, chairperson of the National Anti-Racism Council of Canada, director of house at Toronto Community Housing, and the list goes on.

She is truly a remarkable individual. That is why it comes as no surprise that Ms. Jacobs will be included in Jean Augustine's book entitled 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women.

This is quite an honour for Kemi to be recognized. I would like to share in that recognition by congratulating her today on her continuous hard work and volunteerism, inside and outside of my riding Humber River—Black Creek.

National Suicide Prevention Action Plan

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, her name was Azraya Kokopenace.

She was only 14 years old, and she was loved. This nation failed her, because when she needed help, nothing was available. She died alone.

Azraya is just one of the 5,800 youth we have lost in this nation to suicide.

What country watches the death of its children and does nothing? Canada is one of the only developed countries without a national suicide prevention plan.

This is why I am asking my colleagues from all parties to work together to establish Motion 174 for a national suicide prevention action plan. It is not just about youth. We are seeing the crisis of suicide and depression cut across all age groups and spectrums. There is so much that can be done.

I want to special shout-out to the amazing grassroots organizations and activists on the front lines. They are looking to this Parliament to be a positive partner, and to pass Motion 174 and establish a national suicide prevention action plan.

Petanque World Championship

[Richard Hébert, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, from September 13 to 16, Desbiens, a community in my riding, welcomed the world to the 48th edition of the petanque world championship.

Lac-Saint-Jean played host to participants from over 35 countries for this major competition. The players were also lucky enough to sample the world's largest tourtière, which will now be listed in the Guinness World Records.

I would like to personally thank the mayor, Nicolas Martel, for his bold vision and for organizing these extreme events, which attracted a lot of attention to our beautiful Lac-Saint-Jean region.

St. Marys Cement

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in 1912, in the small community of St. Marys, St. Marys Cement was born, and 38 years later it made its best decision by opening a plant in Bowmanville, Ontario.

For 50 years, St. Marys in Bowmanville has literally built the greater Toronto area. The iconic CN Tower, Roy Thomson Hall, the Darlington generating station next door were all built with St. Marys cement. It remains one of Durham's largest employers. There are 130 families who are part of the St. Marys story, a story that includes being one of the greenest plants of its kind in North America.

Its motto is “Life is made to last”. In the last 50 years, St. Marys has contributed greatly to our community life, from schools to hospitals to the Highway of Heroes LAV Monument, to Valleys 2000, to Durham College.

I want to thank St. Marys for being a great corporate citizen, wish it well on its celebration and wish it a great next 50 years.

100th Anniversary of The War Amps

[Ken McDonald, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Speaker, this summer I had the chance to meet many incredible people throughout my riding. Today, I would like to recognize a young man I met for the first time.

Jay Felix is a 16-year-old constituent of mine from Paradise. I met Jay thanks to the War Amps and its 100th anniversary commemorative envelope campaign. Jay was born with a partial hand, and has been a member of the War Amps child amputee program since he was two years old. He remains active with the organization today, and was asked to present me with its 100th anniversary commemorative envelope and pin.

This highlights the great impact that War Amps has had on this country over its 100 years, and shines a spotlight on the moments and milestones in history that unite us as a nation.

It was such a pleasure to hear Jay's story and to see what a great ambassador he is for War Amps Canada. Congratulations War Amps, and I thank Jay and his mom Cindy for being such great members of our community.

Supervised Injection Sites

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we understand harm reduction. That is why, to address the opioid crisis, our government has approved 26 supervised injection sites with the co-operation of provinces across Canada.

This summer, the new government in Ontario withdrew the approval of an overdose prevention site in my riding of Parkdale—High Park, ostensibly because it wants to review the evidence behind harm reduction. However, the evidence is already in.

As the Supreme Court stated in 2011, supervised injection sites save lives. Hospitals and health care workers get it. That is why they have opened a pop-up site in Parkdale in defiance of the Province's position. The compassionate and progressive constituents of my riding get it. They are actively supporting this pop-up site, and so are the police and the City of Toronto. The only missing link is the Province of Ontario.

When lives are at stake, this cannot be a partisan issue. It is incumbent upon all elected representatives, at every level of government, to address the opioid crisis and to stop preventable deaths.

Citizen of Edmonton

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour and wish a happy 100th birthday to a remarkable Edmontonian, Frederick Major Russell.

In December of 1939, Mr Russell shipped out to the U.K., serving with the Royal Canadian Signal Corps, 6th Brigade, 2nd Division. He landed with Canadian troops at Dieppe and managed to survive the day.

It is rumoured that he was part of the secret mission to steal the German Enigma code machine on that fateful day. Freddie denies it, claiming he never made it to the beach. However, conspiracists will note that he was declared missing in action in the confusion, and his dog tags were somehow found far ashore that day.

Freddie returned two years later to the beaches at Normandy, and fought through France to eventually march into Dieppe when Canadians liberated it. He fought through Belgium, Holland and Germany. He was awarded the French Legion of Honour, France's highest honour, for his role in the liberation of France.

He returned to Canada where he married his beloved Eileen, making Edmonton their home for the next 60 years of their marriage.

Freddie, happy 100th birthday. I thank him for his service to Canada.

Organ Donation

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in a Canadian medical first, a face transplant has been successfully carried out at Montreal's Maisonneuve-Rosemont hospital. A team of medical professionals achieved the incredible feat last May, giving Maurice Desjardins a new face after he was seriously disfigured in a hunting accident. Mr. Desjardins has been given a second lease on life thanks to organ donation.

I want to congratulate Transplant Québec on its leadership and Dr. Daniel Borsuk and his team on their tenacity and expertise, as well as the donor and his family on this incredibly selfless gesture.

This success story is a reminder that we need to keep supporting our researchers, scientists and doctors as well as our organ donation system in order to keep pushing the boundaries of medicine. To do just that, I will be moving Motion No. 189 so that we can make our organ donation program even better.

My question to my colleagues and to all Canadians is this: has everyone signed their donor consent form?

Festival Laval Laughs

[Angelo Iacono, Liberal, Alfred-Pellan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what better way to bring a community together than with laughter? I am proud to be participating in the first ever Festival Laval Laughs, which is on from September 20 to 30.

This festival is born from the desire to build a stronger community through humour because it all starts with a laugh. By sharing our joy, we strengthen our bonds as neighbours, as friends and as a community.

Thus, I would like to congratulate Luigi Morabito and Franco Taddeo for their initiative which embellishes and strengthens our community.

The Festival Laval Laughs is all about diversity and inclusion. It celebrates the multiculturalism that defines our community and our country. The Festival Laval Laughs embodies the joie de vivre of the people of Laval.

Veterans Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, as deputy shadow minister for veterans affairs, September 19 is very significant to me.

In 2016, Claude Lalancette, who served in Somalia in 1993, came to the Hill on a hunger strike looking for answers. After a photo op with the ministers of veterans affairs, health and national defence, with a promise made and then broken, followed by another hunger strike, two days of testimony were his to orchestrate at the veterans affairs committee study on mental health. The testimony sounded the alarm on mefloquine poisoning of our troops up to and including the Afghan war. As a result, Health Canada changed the drug label and mefloquine became a drug of last resort for our troops.

In 2017, the first mefloquine rally took place after the Prime Minister ignored mefloquine advocate veteran Dave Bona in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Today, the second mefloquine rally is celebrating Quinism Foundation's expanding research to scientifically prove mefloquine poisoning impacts on our Canadian service men and women.

Members should come and meet our veterans.

Rougemont, the Apple Capital

[Pierre Breton, Liberal, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, fall is when the riding of Shefford comes into its own. It is a time of plenty, with ripe apples practically falling off the trees. During apple-picking season, over half a million visitors come to Shefford to take part in apple harvest activities or just to enjoy the delights of fall in the orchard.

In the heart of Montérégie lies the majestic town of Rougemont. With its 500,000 apple trees, Rougemont is proud to be known as the “apple capital” of Canada. As a pioneer in apple cider production, the Rougemont region is also an agri-tourism destination renowned for its rich soil and knowledgeable farmers.

We invite you to participate in the 16th edition of Les Week-ends Gourmands de Rougemont, an epicurean festival that runs every weekend until October 14. Every MP has been given the perfect calling card, a Rougemont apple from Canada's apple capital.

Take Back the Night

[Tracey Ramsey, NDP, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for too many women across Canada, gender-based violence is a part of their reality. To this day, the stigma and the threat of retaliation have prevented women from speaking out against their abusers. Too many cases have been shrouded in darkness. Women come together to provide support for one another and raise their united voices against harassment and gender-based violence.

In Windsor-Essex, our “Take Back The Night” event is happening this Friday. Take Back The Night is a grassroots organization focused on uniting women to stand together, refusing to be silent about gender-based violence. Events will be hosted in communities across Canada and in over 30 countries globally. Women across the country will come together to support each other's struggles, be inspired by the strength of survivors and to remember the women we have lost to violence.

I invite women from across Canada and my colleagues in this House to join in their local events. This Friday, I look forward to seeing women raise a candle high and adding their voice as we take back the streets and take back the night for all women.

Prime Minister's Report Card

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, here is the report card on the Prime Minister's summer activities: reversing the carbon tax, failed; dealing with illegal border crossers, failed; recalling the House to get TPP ratified, failed again; surfing in Tofino, B plus; mansplaining his way through a groping allegation, I would say A plus on that one; negotiating a trade deal with the U.S., under way with challenges, which is Liberal code for “did not get it done”.

Now, let us see if the Prime Minister did any better by the numbers: high-priced lobbyists attending Liberal fundraisers, 200 of them; taxpayer dollars spent on the Trans Mountain pipeline, 4.5 billion; shovels in the ground to build the pipeline, zero.

Seriously, this summer of failure has made one thing very clear: Canadians cannot afford another four years of this Prime Minister.

Science

[David Lametti, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC]

Mr. Speaker, young Canadians across the county are pushing the boundaries of innovation. Through their intelligence, enthusiasm and ingenuity, they are promoting Canada's know-how both at home and abroad.

Today we celebrate those brilliant minds and their contributions to our society.

On behalf of my colleague, the Minister of Science and Sport, I would like to invite all my colleagues to attend the Prime Minister's science fair tonight in Centre Block from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

This event showcases the remarkable work of innovative young researchers from across the country. This evening, let us celebrate together these wonderful young people who represent the future of our country.

Natural Resources

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister spent $4.5 billion in taxpayers' money on the Trans Mountain pipeline, he said that he did it in order to guarantee that construction would start this summer. He failed. The project has been officially on hold for nearly three weeks, and Canadians have no idea what the Liberals intend to do about it.

Can the Prime Minister tell the thousands of Canadians who are depending on pipeline construction jobs when they will be able to return to work?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, from the start, I have been telling Canadians that I believe that the environment and the economy must go hand in hand. That is why, when we took office, we invested in environmental protection. We worked in partnership with indigenous peoples to create economic growth in this country the right way. That is exactly what we will continue to do. The Conservatives want us to minimize environmental protection and ignore first nations. That is not what we are going to do. We are going to do things right.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, more and more Canadians are referring to this past summer as the Prime Minister's summer of failure, and the judge that ruled on the Trans Mountain case agrees. That judge said that Canada failed in phase III to “engage” and “dialogue meaningfully”. How can the Prime Minister mismanage this pipeline project so terribly?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in 2012, the Conservative government limited the scope of the National Energy Board in terms of its analyzing the impacts on marine ecosystems. That is why we have moved forward in any case with the oceans protection plan, to look carefully at how we can protect the southern resident killer whale pod and how we can make sure that we are protecting our oceans from spills and accidents. That is something that is important to British Columbians and it is important to all Canadians.

That is why we are moving forward in a responsible way that protects the environment and works with indigenous peoples as we look to get the right projects built for Canada.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps saying things that he knows are not true.

The previous Conservative government got four major pipeline projects built. We succeeded where he is failing. One of those, the Kinder Morgan Anchor Loop, opened up Asian markets by getting Canada's resources to tidewater. However, it was his execution of the process that failed. Again, is this just part of a plan to phase out Canada's energy sector?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what the Conservatives have not understood, even with the drubbing they got in the 2015 election, is that the only way to build a strong economy is to protect the environment at the same time and work with indigenous peoples in a respectful way. That is what they failed to do.

That is why we are moving forward in the way that Canadians expect, doing stronger science, working in partnership with indigenous peoples and showing the highest growth in the G7 last year, after they had the lowest growth rates since R. B. Bennett.

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the record on this is clear. The Conservative Party got the job done. We succeeded where he is failing. We, through a rigorous approvals process, got four major pipeline projects approved and completed.

It was the Prime Minister whose tough negotiating skills sent $4.5 billion to Houston investors, overpaying by almost $2 billion. That is the kind of negotiating savvy that the Prime Minister has. Just how fast did those Houston investors sign on to that deal?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am simply understanding that at this point members of the Conservative Party of Canada do not want the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion because that is what they would get.

The fact is when we took ownership of that pipeline expansion project, we prevented it from being dead in the water. We know that moving forward in the right way on projects like this is what Canadians expect. The Conservatives' failure to get our resources to new markets other than the United States is exactly why Canadians grew tired of that government, among many other things.