Debates of Oct. 26th, 2020

Opposition Motion—Instruction to the Standing Committee on Health

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I was bumped off with technical difficulties and my screen froze. As a result, I did not hear your question. I was on just before you asked the question and had technical services get me on shortly after you asked the question, but I did not technically hear the question. Am I eligible to vote?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Thank you for your honesty. I am afraid we cannot accept the vote.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I was present for the question and the question was dispensed, so I do not know if that makes any difference. The member would not have heard anything if he had been listening.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That is a good point. Unfortunately there was no way for him to know whether I dispensed or not, and he had to be here online when everyone asked me to dispense.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I noticed that the member for Winnipeg North was out of his seat throughout the vote. I ask that you nullify his abstention so that it does not unduly affect the result.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That is a fair request.

(The House divided on the amendment, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #12

Business of Supply

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I declare the amendment carried.

The next question is on the main motion, as amended.

Pursuant to order made on Wednesday, September 23, we will not call for the yeas and nays. As a result, if a member of a recognized party present in the House wants to request a recorded vote or request that the amendment be passed on division, I invite them to rise and so indicate to the Chair.

And one or more members having risen:

Before the Clerk announced the results of the vote:

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order. The hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle left the video and also was not wearing a jacket for the first half of the question, and then turned the video off and returned back. I think he is an hon. member and his vote should not count for this.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I believe we have gone through the first half, so we are on the second one now. We are going to deal with this one, if that is okay.

Before we get the results, I want to bring members' attention to Natalie Foster, principal clerk, journals branch. This was her first time calling the vote today. Well done.

[Some hon. members]

Hear, hear!

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division):

Vote #13

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I declare the motion as amended carried.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I want to let the Speaker know that during this vote I saw election signs behind people. I saw someone driving and pulling over to vote. I saw multiple cameras off or people walking off the screen. I also saw a member wearing a hat. I just want to remind the House that I think it was in 1983 there was a debate about a member choosing to wear her hat and she was eventually asked to remove it.

I just want to remind all members that this is the House of Commons. We are doing it virtually, but I believe we should treat it as sacredly and specially as we do at normal practice.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I thank the hon. member for North Island—Powell River for bringing that up. I hope everyone got to hear that.

I just want to remind the House leaders to discuss among themselves, and with the whips as well, as to what the protocol is in the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order. In the same vein as the hon. member for North Island—Powell River, I would hope, Mr. Speaker, you could advise whether these rules still apply in our Standing Orders.

Once a question has been read and while we are voting, the rules actually say, for decorum, that no noise should be made in the House: no interruptions and no talking.

It certainly is tempting, I know, for the members who are present physically in the House to continue to talk. Those of us working remotely have a mute button. Perhaps you, Mr. Speaker, could find a way to suggest to the hon. member for Carleton that he needs to find his mute button because we could hear him, from coast to coast to coast, making good sport during the voting. It is a lot of noise even across the country on Zoom.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I thank the hon. member for bringing that up. I do want to remind the hon. members that the rules that apply in the House are exactly that, so out of respect for the process I encourage the members to be as quiet as possible.

Canada Shipping Act, 2001

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

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-250, An Act to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (anchorage prohibition).

Mr. Speaker, for years, communities in and around the Salish Sea have had to deal with the presence of large freighters using our waters for extended periods of time while they wait their turn in the Port of Vancouver. Today, I am pleased and honoured to introduce a private member's bill to address this issue by amending the Canada Shipping Act, 2001.

The bill proposes to introduce a new section 23.1 to the act, which would prohibit the anchoring of large vessels in an area surrounding the southern Gulf Islands and the east coast of Vancouver Island. Any vessel contravening this prohibition would be committing an offence and would be liable for a fine of up to $100,000.

The coastal communities in this area are frustrated by years of inaction by the federal government. These anchorages were established on traditional territories without the free, prior and informed consent of local first nations. If the federal government values these same waters enough to establish a national marine conservation area, then they also deserve protection from being used as an overflow industrial parking lot. This bill would do just that.

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

Human Organ Trafficking

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour and privilege to rise in this place to present a petition. This petition is calling on the government to pass forthwith Bill C-350 and Bill S-240 from the last Parliament. These bills deal with the forced organ harvesting that happens around the world and also Canadians that go abroad to receive a forcibly harvested organ.

The people who have signed this petition are asking for these bills to be passed forthwith in this place and made into law.

Indigenous Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, I acknowledge I am speaking to you from the traditional territory of the WSÁNEC peoples and I raise my hands to them. Hych'ka Siem.

I am presenting petition no. 10672056, pertaining to the failure to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The petitioners specifically take note of the Canadian Constitution and our human rights obligations, and specifically ask the government to move without delay to nation-to-nation talks with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation and to fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Physician-Assisted Dying

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be presenting four petitions in the House today.

The first petition is with respect to the government's euthanasia bill. People are concerned that it eliminates the mandatory reflection period, effectively bringing in the possibility of same-day death. This would be someone requesting and receiving euthanasia on the same day. Petitioners are hoping that the government will leave in place the reflection period.

Firearms

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition deals with the rights of law-abiding firearms owners. It notes that the order in council brought in on May 1 of this year does nothing to address the real problem of gun crime, which is illegal and smuggled guns. It calls for the government to reverse the order in council, and instead put in place meaningful measures that will combat the problem of gun smuggling and illegal guns.

Afghan Minority Communities

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

Mr. Speaker, the third petition highlights the plight of the Sikh and Hindu minority in Afghanistan. It calls for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to raise the struggles of this minority community with his Afghan counterparts. It also calls upon the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to use the powers granted to him to create a special program to help persecuted minorities in Afghanistan.

Human Rights

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

Mr. Speaker, the fourth and final petition draws attention to the plight of the Uighur people. It specifically asks the government to use the Magnitsky act, the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, to sanction those responsible for the heinous crimes against the Uighur people, including deportation to modern-day concentration camps.

Belarus

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on behalf of Belarusian Canadians on the recent rigged elections. The petitioners call for the dictator, Lukashenko, to resign immediately and that all political prisoners be released. It also calls upon the Government of Canada to apply Magnitsky law against all people involved in falsifying the recent 2020 election results.