Debates of Sept. 24th, 2018

Voyageurs de Saguenay Baseball Team

[Karine Trudel, NDP, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to you today about a baseball team in my riding, the Voyageurs de Saguenay. After another great season, I wanted to acknowledge the team's play. Martin Pouliot began coaching the team in October 2015. Thanks to the hard work of the coach and players, the Voyageurs won their first division title since joining the Quebec junior elite baseball league in 1995. Although they were defeated on September 15, I congratulate the Voyageurs for their efforts and for making the baseball season in our region an exciting one. The day after the team was eliminated at the last tournament, the coach stated that “the best place to play junior elite baseball is in the Saguenay.”

To that I say thank you. Thank you for taking our team so far and giving our region such a great sports story. Congratulations Voyageurs, and thank you for the great times!

Mid-Autumn Festival

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

Mr. Speaker, today many families from across Canada will reunite to celebrate the mid-autumn festival, a special day of togetherness with loved ones and friends. It is an opportunity to champion the benefits of a vibrant multicultural Canada, where diversity is our strength. It is also a chance to celebrate the many contributions made by Asian Canadians, whose culture, traditions and heritage enrich the lives of all Canadians.

It is in this spirit of celebration and togetherness that I welcome parliamentarians from all parties to celebrate the mid-autumn festival in the Sir John A. Macdonald Building right after tonight's vote.

[Alice Wong, Conservative, Richmond Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my constituents in Richmond, I am excited to join Canadians of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese descent in celebration of the mid-autumn festival, when families and friends will come together in harmony under the full moon for good food and fellowship. Originally a Chinese harvest tradition focused around moon worship, the moon festival now celebrates giving thanks, unity and prayer.

While I encourage all Canadians to join their neighbours in celebrating this special festival, I also offer my thoughts and prayers to those who have been affected by the two tornadoes that struck the national capital region this past weekend. The moon will shine again tonight.

[Member spoke in Cantonese]

[English]

I wish everyone a happy moon festival.

International Day of Sign Languages

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

Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to rise in the House today to recognize language diversity. It is time to re-evaluate how we define and practise communication in our communities.

Yesterday was our country's very first International Day of Sign Languages. I am honoured to welcome to the Hill today my constituent, Jessica Sergeant, who is a great advocate for the deaf community. Sign languages are equal to spoken languages and thus should be widely embraced and accessible. For deaf people, early access to sign language is vital to their growth and development. We must not treat deaf people as disabled and we need to embrace our differences and encourage the growth and acceptance of sign languages as a norm.

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I encourage you and all of my colleagues from all sides of the House to not only celebrate this first International Day of Sign Languages, but to also reflect on how we can better represent all languages throughout our diverse country.

Mid-Autumn Festival

[Joe Peschisolido, Liberal, Steveston—Richmond East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, I joined the Richmond Chinese Community Society at Lansdowne Centre in celebrating mid-autumn festival. I would like to thank Linda Li, Thomas Yu, Phyllis Chan, Michael Chiu, and all the great volunteers at RCCS for organizing this great annual event.

This festival was a time for friends and loved ones to get together to celebrate the harvest and the achievements over the past 12 months.

I am honoured to rise today to extend my best wishes to the people of Steveston—Richmond East and all of Canada on this autumnal equinox.

I wish everyone joyous celebrations and a happy, prosperous year.

Firearms

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it would seem that there is no end to the Liberals' summer of failure.

I rise today as an avid hunter and a member of the Conservative hunting and angling caucus.

I want to give a shout-out to all of the hunters and fishers for whom this time of year is very important.

I was recently invited to participate in activities at a shooting club in my riding. I witnessed all those who participate in this sport systematically applying existing safety rules and legislation. I previously had the same opportunity in the Isle-aux-Grues archipelago, also in my riding.

In a region like ours, hunting is not just a hobby; it is a way of life. After all, Montmagny is Canada's snow goose capital. Anyone can clearly see how hunting plays a role in my constituents' everyday lives. However, some Canadians are worried about Bill C-71. They believe, as do I, that Bill C-71 will have no effect on gun violence and will simply create more red tape.

I am committed to standing up for the interests of hunters in my region by saying no to a registry that is costly, ineffective and—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order.

The hon. member for Hull—Aylmer.

Tornadoes in Gatineau and Ottawa

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, the national capital region, including Hull—Aylmer, was hit by a tornado. Thanks to the national emergency alert system, residents were able to find shelter.

Hundreds of people no longer have a roof over their heads. I arrived minutes after the tornado had passed. There was massive devastation, but the story I want to share with the House is a story of resilience.

I got to see Gatineau's strong sense of community at work. What matters is not what happens to us, but how we deal with it. Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, the Red Cross, Hydro-Québec, emergency preparedness organizations, City of Gatineau staff, first responders, bus drivers for the Société de transport de l'Outaouais, the business community, and countless volunteers did a stellar job.

I urge all Canadians to donate to the Red Cross to help those who have lost everything.

I want everyone who has been affected by this disaster to know that the community and every level of government are behind them. I also want to thank the residents of Hull—Aylmer for making all the difference.

Fur Trade

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to recognize one of Canada's oldest and most historically significant industries: the fur trade. From Jacques Cartier to Samuel de Champlain, the first nations and the Hudson's Bay Company, the fur trade was and continues to be crucial to our resource-based economy. There are over 60,000 Canadians who work in various sectors of the fur trade, including mink and fox farms, trappers, designers, auction houses, manufacturers, retails, artisans and many more. The fur trade provides income for people in rural and remote regions, including many indigenous communities. I am proud to have a mink breeder in my riding of Long Range Mountains. Fur is a sustainably produced, renewable natural resource with strict animal welfare standards, and it is these standards that produce our world-renowned furs worn and sought after by many. Canadians can be proud of this heritage industry. It showcases our excellence on the world stage.

In closing, I would like to encourage all members to attend the Canada Mink Breeders Association reception this evening in Centre Block.

Ottawa-Gatineau Tornados

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, storms ripped through communities, uprooted homes and tore apart the lives of people right across the greater capital region. Yet, our first responders, our volunteers, our charities and our friends and neighbours all rallied together to take care of one another in this extraordinary time of need.

Even though the lights were out at many intersections, spontaneous order broke out as people used courtesy and common sense in order to make it through all of the confusion.

For all those people who were most affected, who lost their homes, they should know that we stand with them, that we admire their courage and we present them with our total solidarity as they rebuild their lives.

Stand-up Comedy

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Knock, knock, Mr. Speaker. Who is there you ask? Well, me, and a big bunch of comedians. Do you know what else? They are a lot funnier than me.

However, they are here today on a more serious note. They are here in this place to advocate on behalf of stand-up comedians across our country.

As a country, we take pride in our comedians. However, many of us probably do not realize that stand-up comedy is not a recognized artistic activity or a discipline by the Canada Council for the Arts. In fact, it is not recognized as an art form by any province or territory across our country. That is not something to laugh about.

I thank Sandra Battaglini and all the comedians who form part of the Canadian Association of Stand-up Comedians for their advocacy and hard work on this issue. Sometimes they make us laugh; sometimes so much we cry. We stand with them and take so much pride in their art form.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I can just sense members getting nervous about any cracks they are planning to make during question period.

The hon. member for Hamilton Mountain.

Pharmacare

[Scott Duvall, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I was honoured to host our leader, Jagmeet Singh, in my riding of Hamilton Mountain this past Friday.

We had the opportunity to meet with Hamilton residents to talk about the NDP goal of universal pharmacare. I would like to thank Hamilton poverty round table members, Linda Gill of the Canadian Federation of University Women, and many others who participated.

We heard about Jody's grandmother who received lifesaving treatment, but then could not afford the $700-per-month drug cost to keep her alive, and the person who relied on the generosity of the drug companies to cover high drug costs that were not affordable. What happens when that generosity runs out? We heard about residents ending up in emergency with an asthma attack, taking up precious emergency room resources because they could not afford their asthma medication.

After hearing the tragic stories of seniors and working families making a choice between paying rent or paying for lifesaving medication, I am more convinced than ever that it is time to implement a universal pharmacare program. We cannot afford not to.

Member for York—Simcoe

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Moose Jaw—Lake Centre—Lanigan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I first met the member for York—Simcoe back in 1995 when Regina hosted the Grey Cup. It was really apparent to me at the time that the member had two great loves: CFL football and politics, as evidenced by the fact that he has not missed a Grey Cup game in over 30 years and he has been an elected member of Parliament for over 14 years.

Several years later we met again, as we were both elected in the 2004 federal election. After a couple of years in opposition, we formed government in 2006, and I had the pleasure of being named parliamentary secretary to the member as he served two times in the role of government House leader.

Sadly, today marks the last time the member will sit in the chamber as he has decided to retire. Over those 14 years, the member has been a great friend and mentor to me.

On behalf of all my parliamentary colleagues, I simply say “Thank you PVL for your great service to our country, to our institution. Parliament will be diminished by your absence.”

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

On occasions like this, we sometimes allow a little skirting of the rules about naming members.

The hon. member for Kanata—Carleton.

Ottawa-Gatineau Tornados

[Karen McCrimmon, Liberal, Kanata—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, our amazing community of Dunrobin in my riding of Kanata—Carleton was devastated as an EF3 tornado touched down, destroying homes and businesses, causing injury and unimaginable destruction.

Over the weekend, I witnessed an amazing emergency response. Mayor Watson and city councillor Eli El-Chantiry led an all-out effort to come to the aid of Dunrobin. Police, firefighters, paramedics, support workers, the team at West Carleton Secondary School, road, building, hydro, and gas crews, giving it their all.

Hundreds of people worked hard to help those in need.

I encourage those who want to help to donate to the Red Cross. For those who have been on duty for the last three days straight, I thank them very much for their efforts.

The residents of Dunrobin are an example of amazing community strength and compassion. They are in our thoughts as they face this tragedy, and we will be there with them.

Public Safety

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, residents of Gatineau and Ottawa were hit by an EF3 tornado on Friday.

My thoughts, like those of all my colleagues in the House, are with those affected by this terrible tragedy. I would like to thank Canadians for the solidarity they have all shown since Friday, particularly the first responders who have been working so tirelessly.

Could the government give the House an update on the situation and tell us how it intends to help those affected?

[Ralph Goodale, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, first, on behalf of the government, let me associate myself with the remarks of the hon. gentleman. Everyone in the House is thinking of the people who have suffered such loss over the course of this last weekend.

The Government of Canada was in constant communication with the provincial and municipal authorities during the course of the weekend to make sure that if any access to federal assistance was required, that would be made available immediately. We have co-operated completely with local officials, including today in providing geomatic mapping services to both the provinces of Ontario and Quebec to ensure they have the very best possible information in coping with the circumstances.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction said that most of the illegal immigrants who came to Canada last year have left the country.

Unfortunately, that is completely untrue. According to the Canada Border Services Agency, only 398 of the 32,173 illegal migrants who came to Canada last year were deported.

How can we trust this minister if he cannot even give us accurate information and data regarding his own portfolio?

[Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this issue. During a media interview this past weekend, I created unnecessary confusion by mistakenly suggesting that the majority of asylum claimants had left. My intention was to explain how people who were deemed ineligible after exhausting all due process were in fact removed. Upon becoming aware of the confusion that I had created, I took immediate steps to clarify my remarks and to apologize.

As part of our government's ongoing commitment to openness and transparency, we post information related to irregular migration online, and all statistics related to asylum claims, interceptions and processes are publicly available.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the facts are these: Since being appointed, the minister has not presented Canadians and members of Parliament with a concrete plan to resolve the border issue and the crisis we have been dealing with for almost two years now.

When data are made available, the minister has no clue what data he is talking about when he answers questions from the media and opposition members. That is ludicrous.

We would like the minister to stand up, show some leadership and come up with a plan. If he cannot, we can.

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government is steadfast in its commitment to keeping Canadians and our borders safe.

The minister apologized for any confusion he may have caused. Contrary to what fearmongering Conservatives would have everyone believe, on our watch, the number of applications processed over the past year has gone up by 50%. Most of the people who arrived last year are waiting for their claims to be processed.

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

Mr. Speaker, when the minister was asked by Global News if he was tracking the whereabouts of 33,000 illegal border crossers, he claimed that “the overwhelming majority” of illegal border crossers had left the country. However, today, the Globe and Mail reports that only six illegal border crossers have been removed by his government.

Therefore, I have a very precise question. If the government has removed six illegal border crossers, how many illegal border crossers remain in Canada?

[Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, Lib.]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member opposite, because of her vast experience on the immigration file, knows that individuals who come to our country, crossing into Canada seeking protection and asylum as they flee from persecution, are not illegal crossers and are dealt with according to law. They are entitled, by international convention and Canadian law, to due process and humanitarian support.

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

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I created some confusion. I asked him very clearly how many illegal border crossers remained in Canada, and he could not answer. I am going to ask what every Canadian wants to know after that disastrous interview. If the minister cannot tell the House how many illegal border crossers remain in Canada, how can they possibly expect to believe he knows where they are? Where are they?