Debates of Nov. 25th, 2020

Employment and Social Development

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we understand the immense pressure that COVID-19 has put on Canadian families, particularly on women. That is why investing more than $7.5 billion in early learning and child care over the next decade is what we are going to do. This year alone we have invested more than a billion dollars to help provinces and territories with child care, but we are not stopping there.

In the Speech from the Throne, we committed to building on our investments and creating a Canada-wide early learning and child care system. We will continue to work with the provinces and territories, so that all families have access to the high-quality and affordable child care they deserve.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I believe you will find that there is unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House of Commons urge the government to ensure that the obligations of online undertakings to invest in Canadian creation and production in the new Broadcasting Act set a minimum investment threshold for creation and production of no less than 40% for original French-language production and no less than 5% for original Indigenous-language production.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

This being a hybrid sitting of the House, for the sake of clarity, I will only ask those who are opposed to the motion to express their disagreement.

Accordingly, all those opposed to the hon. members' motion will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present the report of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie respecting its participation at the meetings of the APF Education, Communication and Cultural Affairs Committee and the Network of Women Parliamentarians of the APF, held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from February 24 to 28, 2019.

I am also pleased to present the second report of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie respecting its participation at the workshop on enhancing the role of parliamentarians from member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie in the Universal Periodic Review process, held in Geneva from December 10 to 11, 2019.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association's first part of the 2020 ordinary session of the PACE, in Strasbourg, France, from January 27 to 31, 2020, and the report of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association meeting of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, which also took place in Strasbourg, France, from February 12 to 13, 2020.

Veterans Affairs

[Bryan May, Liberal, Cambridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, entitled “Main Estimates 2020-21”.

I also have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, entitled “Supplementary Estimates (B), 2020-21”.

In addition, I also have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs in relation to the motion adopted on Thursday, November 12, 2020, regarding the committee's opinion of the backlog of applications for veterans disability benefits.

Canadian Heritage

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage concerning the main estimates, 2020-21, as well as its second report concerning the supplementary estimates (B), 2020-21. The committee has considered the estimates referred by the House and reports the same.

In addition, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in relation to Bill C-5, an act to amend the Bills of Exchange Act, the Interpretation Act and the Canada Labour Code regarding a national day for truth and reconciliation. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendment.

Justice and Human Rights

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in relation to Bill C-7, an act to amend the Criminal Code regarding medical assistance in dying. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

Status of Women

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women in relation to the main estimates, 2020-21. The committee has considered the estimates referred by the House and reports the same.

Procedure and House Affairs

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth and fifth reports of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs in relation to its studies on the main estimates for the fiscal year 2020-21 and the supplementary estimates (B) for the fiscal year 2020-21.

Employing Persons with Disabilities Act

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-255, An Act respecting the development of a national employment strategy for persons with disabilities.

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise to introduce the employing persons with disabilities act. I would like to thank my colleague, the hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona, for seconding this bill.

This legislation provides for the development of a national employment strategy to increase the economic participation of persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities or diverse needs are facing unique and heightened challenges due to COVID-19. A recent survey found over one-third of respondents with long-term conditions or disabilities has experienced a job loss or reduced hours during the pandemic. Even before this, there were over 400,000 working-age Canadians with disabilities who were not employed, but whose disabilities did not prevent them from working.

People with disabilities have a great deal to contribute to our society. As we look to build back better, we must do more to promote the participation of people with disabilities in the workforce. I call upon all parliamentarians to support this vital initiative because when people with diverse abilities succeed, we all succeed.

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

Economic Statement

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, there have been some discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I think you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion. I move:

That, notwithstanding any Standing Order, special order or usual practice of the House, at 4 p.m. on Monday, November 30, 2020, the Speaker shall interrupt the proceedings to permit the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance to make a statement followed by a period of up to 10 minutes for questions and comments; after the statement, a member from each recognized opposition party and a member of the Green Party, may reply for a period approximately equivalent to the time taken by the minister's statement and each statement shall be followed by a period of 10 minutes for questions and comments; after each member has replied, or when no member rises to speak, whichever comes first, the House shall adjourn to the next sitting day.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

This being a hybrid sitting of the House, for the sake of clarity, I will only ask those who are opposed to the request to express their disagreement.

Accordingly, all those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay. I hear no dissenting voices.

The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay. Hearing no dissenting voices, I declare the motion carried.

(Motion agreed to)

Opioids

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to table a petition from my constituents. Of course, the Downtown Eastside, my own riding, is struggling with the opioid crisis.

The petitioners acknowledge and note that the opioid crisis is one of the most deadly public health emergencies of our lifetime with a death taking place, on average, about every two hours and a death toll of almost 15,400 people in the past four years alone.

The petitioners are calling on the government to declare the opioid crisis as a national health emergency and to take steps to end overdose deaths and injuries, and to also immediately collaborate with provinces and territories to deliver a comprehensive, pan-Canadian overdose action plan. Any plan should consider that other countries have used things such as legal regulation of drugs to ensure safe supply, decriminalization for personal use and changes to the flawed drug policy and policing.

Human Rights

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

Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to be presenting two petitions in the House today, both with respect to important issues of international human rights.

The first petition responds to the horrific situation of Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims in China. Petitioners note an Associated Press story from earlier this year that identified birth suppression, forced sterilization, forced abortion and the forced insertion of IUDs into Uighur women, as well as other measures of mass internment and violence against Uighurs.

Following this evidence, the petitioners have two specific asks. They want the House and the government to formally recognize that Uighurs in China have been and are being subjected to genocide, and they want us to use the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, the Magnitsky act, and sanction those who are responsible for the heinous crimes being committed against Uighur people.

Human Organ Trafficking

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

Madam Speaker, the second petition is in support of Bill S-204, a bill that would seek to make it a criminal offence for a person to go abroad and receive an organ that had been harvested or trafficked.

This also responds to the human rights situation in China and concerns about forced organ harvesting and trafficking that target Falun Gong practitioners, Uighurs and other communities in China. Although Bill S-204 does not name a specific country, it would apply to any case of forced organ harvesting or trafficking.

I commend these petitions to the consideration of all members.

Opioids

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Madam Speaker, the opioid crisis is one of the most deadly public health emergencies of our lifetime, with a death taking place, on average, every two hours, and a death toll of almost 15,400 people in the past four years alone. That number is from before COVID-19.

Many Canadians, including representatives from the group Moms Stop the Harm, have asked me to present this petition calling on the government to declare the overdose crisis a national public health emergency. The petitioners also ask that the government, by working with provinces and territories, take steps to end overdose deaths and overdose injuries by immediately developing a well-funded and comprehensive pan-Canadian overdose action plan.

The Environment

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Madam Speaker, I rise to present yet another petition from young people in my riding of South Okanagan—West Kootenay and the neighbouring riding of Kootenay—Columbia. They are concerned about climate change, and they point out that the government's targets on climate change are totally inadequate and the actions have been even less effective.

They want jobs that are sustainable and not for short-term gain at the expense of future generations. They therefore ask the government to support their future with a detailed climate strategy, science-based targets and the elimination of fossil-fuel subsidies, redirecting those funds to renewable energy systems, energy efficiency, low-carbon transportation and job training.

Human Rights

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am here to rise on a petition of a very urgent and serious nature. Chinese Communist Party officials in China are isolating and subjecting the Uighur population to all sorts of terrible, invasive situations from forced labour to forced organ harvesting. It is very concerning.

The petitioners would like to see that their government, the Government of Canada, use the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, the Magnitsky act, as a way to bring international attention to this violation of international norms.

Human Organ Trafficking

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

Madam Speaker, this petition is close to my heart because I am a member of the international human rights subcommittee.

The petitioners request that Bill S-204 be moved through the Senate and then to the House as quickly as possible. The goal of that piece of legislation is to amend the Criminal Code and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to prohibit Canadians from travelling abroad in order to acquire human organs that have been removed without consent and to track down any financial transactions that take place as a result of such travel.

The Environment

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

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise to present e-petition 2693. I know the rules require I summarize the petition. It is a very detailed, technical and important one, so my summary is this.

The petition deals with the many ways an interconnected coast-to-coast-to-coast, province-to-province and territory-to-province electricity grid can provide storage for, as well as the movement of, electricity. It can lead to a decarbonized electricity network, a smart grid, that would help Canada meet greenhouse gas targets and boost economic success. It also highlights the many different kinds of existing battery storage that already exists, such as pumped hydroelectric storage reservoirs.

The petitioners call on the House of Commons to put in place a research fund and support an interconnected electricity grid strategy for both the movement and storage of decarbonized 100% renewable electricity for Canada.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.