Debates of Feb. 6th, 2020

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act

[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, it is important to recognize that this has been debated, talked about and consulted on for over two years now. Whether it is premiers, non-profit groups, unions or business leaders, there has been a great deal of consultation throughout the country over the last two years, ultimately culminating in what I believe is a good, sound agreement that will secure markets in the future and provide the types of jobs that Canadians expect.

Given the past record of this government in creating jobs for Canadians, over a million jobs in the last four years, I believe this is an agreement that is going to add more value to the Canadian economy. Would the member not agree?

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would like the member opposite to table that agreement, the draft, so we can look at it and evaluate it the way he has.

The greatest and growing input cost is the threat of ever-increasing carbon taxes to pay for the debt burden the government is placing on future prosperity. I do not see any intention whatsoever on the part of the government to put forward the interests of the resource sector, which includes the softwood lumber industry. In Ontario, we saw how the Liberals kept on shrinking the footprint where we are allowed to forage for lumber and increased the input costs, including electricity, and now another tax.

The Liberals did not want the softwood lumber industry to be prosperous, and now those same individuals who bankrupted Ontario are in control in Ottawa.

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

Madam Speaker, the member went through a lot about rural Canada, specifically her riding and some of the issues in Ontario. In British Columbia, the absence of a softwood lumber agreement is an issue. The government did not even put it in the mandate letters for the ministers responsible in 2015 or most recently in 2019.

I would simply ask the member if she believes the government is working, whether it is through this agreement or in other areas, for her constituents in the rural parts of her riding or against them.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Madam Speaker, with everything the government has done to the resource sectors, be it oil and gas, mining or forestry, it has been the plan all along to just end them until they are no longer in existence. Every year more fall by the wayside. Whether it is this trade agreement or whatever the parliamentary secretary across the way said the government has on the way, when it is before us, we will have a look at it.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

It being 1:59 p.m. and pursuant to the order made earlier today, the motion is deemed to have been put and the recorded division is deemed to have been demanded and deferred until later this day, at the expiry of the time provided for oral questions.

Rohingya Refugee Camps

[Sven Spengemann, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON]

Madam Speaker, in January I visited the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, where 900,000 people, the population of Mississauga, are crammed into 34 small camps. There are 500,000 children there. About 60 babies are born each day. It is the largest refugee response in the world.

The camps are going into their third monsoon season. Flood control and sanitation systems have been built, and food, water and medical care are being provided. More good news came in the form of the recent ICJ ruling and Bangladesh's decision to allow better education programming.

I thank the Government of Bangladesh and the local host community, the Government of Canada and my host, World Vision, for their leadership. Our special envoy, Bob Rae, is doing extraordinary work and we have an amazing team of public servants on the ground. However, the future remains uncertain for the Rohingya.

I ask my colleagues in this House to be their champions, to explain to their constituents why Canada has taken a leadership role and to help ensure that the children in Cox's Bazar will have a much brighter future.

Donna Horning

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to inform the House of the sombre news of the sudden passing of Donna Horning in my community of Kelowna—Lake Country.

Donna was an active member of our community. She was the former president and founding member of the Kelowna-Kasugai Sister City Association and former member of the Kelowna-Veendam Sister City Association. Donna also volunteered extensively in many political venues and was a strong woman of principle with a big heart.

She was the wife of Al Horning, who served our community in office at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. He was a fellow member of this House in the 39th Parliament. Donna and Al were teenage sweethearts and had three children in their 59-year marriage.

Donna's celebration of life will take place on April 18, at 1 p.m., at Rutland Centennial Hall on what would have been the Hornings' 60th anniversary.

I extend my sincere condolences to Al and his family during this difficult time and ask my colleagues in this House to join me in doing so as well.

Manitoba

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, 1870 was a special year. It is the year Manitoba joined Confederation. That is 150 years ago.

When I think of Manitoba, I think of miles and miles of canola and wheat fields. I think of the polar bears and beluga whales around Churchill. I think of communities like Neepawa, Flin Flon and my home city of Winnipeg. I think of Portage and Main and all those historic events that have taken place there.

I think of an economy that is diversified, of electric buses or the best milk production in the world.

Most importantly, it is the people who make up the province of Manitoba: the indigenous people who were the first ones there, the individuals with French and English roots and the Ukrainian, Filipino, Punjabi or Indian heritage communities. It is that multicultural fabric that makes Manitoba the great province it is.

I encourage all Manitobans across Canada to recognize this year as a special year and take a moment to reflect on the wonderful province of Manitoba.

Teacher Appreciation Week

[Louise Charbonneau, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois wishes to mark this Teacher Appreciation Week by acknowledging the work of all teachers in Quebec who are dedicated to educating our children, year after year. This year, the theme of Teacher Appreciation Week is “1,216,791 Reasons to Thank a Teacher!” That is the exact number of students currently registered in our schools in Quebec. It is an appropriate theme because students are the priority every single day. I was a teacher for nearly 30 years, so I know how much heart and energy these women and men invest in every child. It is a privilege. It is also a great responsibility to guide young people in the community along their path to success.

That is why, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I am pleased to say a big thank you to our teachers.

Family Outreach Centre in Vaudreuil-Soulanges

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise in the House today to recognize the work of an important organization in my riding, the Maison de la Famille Vaudreuil-Soulanges. This organization is a pillar for families in my community. It offers needs-based services, often free of charge, to ensure the optimal development of our children at every stage of their childhood.

I was honoured to be chosen as this year's honorary president for the fifth edition of “À Table en Famille”. This event will help ensure that thousands of families in Vaudreuil—Soulanges can continue to access high-quality services that support parents and kids.

I invite everyone in Vaudreuil—Soulanges to join me, my family, France Pomminville, Diane Lyonnais, and the entire Maison de la Famille Vaudreuil-Soulanges team at this fun event on February 16.

Teck Frontier Mine Project

[Jasraj Singh Hallan, Conservative, Calgary Forest Lawn, AB]

Mr. Speaker, some of our colleagues have been spreading much misinformation about the Teck Frontier mine project, so I want to take a moment to correct some of it.

Teck is indeed building a 260,000 barrel-a-day mine in northern Alberta and will invest $20 billion to build it. Alberta needs new investment and the 7,000 construction jobs, as well as the 2,500 jobs in operations that will follow.

I will mention some facts that have been left out. It has one of the lowest water use intensities in the oil sands. It has lower carbon emissions intensity than about half of the oil currently refined in the U.S. It is reclaiming land as mining progresses. It has a leading-edge tailings management system.

Do members know that 14 local indigenous communities are supportive of the project?

The government should approve this project and let us get on with shipping Canadian energy to the world.

Female Genital Mutilation

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today is the international day for the elimination of female genital mutilation. FGM/C is a violation of human rights, affecting more than 200 million women and girls worldwide.

In 1997 the Liberal government criminalized FGM in Canada. Now we are engaging with other nations, donors, UN organizations and civil society to take action to eliminate FGM globally. Canada has co-sponsored the African Union's UN General Assembly resolution entitled “Intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilation”. We currently fund projects in Benin, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Iraq through community-based education and awareness campaigns.

More needs to be done. Ending FGM requires governments to act with legislation to protect the human rights of women and girls, with policies that empower them and, most importantly, in this year of Beijing+25, to remember that women's rights are human rights.

Hugs4Hope

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, on October 27, the town of Newmarket came together as a community for Hugs4Hope. I am proud to have been part of a team of eight people who hugged for one hour with our neighbours, friends and family, exchanging over 4,008 hugs. The event was a huge success, raising over $6,000 for two incredible charities: Youth Speak, which serves youth with mental health and addiction issues, and Global Strides, which supports an orphanage and impoverished children in Kenya.

I am thrilled to announce to the House that on January 30, we received confirmation that Hugs4Hope Newmarket broke the Guinness world record for the most hugs from eight people in 60 minutes.

I would like to congratulate the participants of Hugs4Hope Newmarket on their remarkable achievement. I thank them for reminding us that the best place in the world is inside a hug.

I invite my colleagues here in the House to stand up and give someone a hug.

Energy Security

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's energy sector stakeholders should work together as part of a large-scale national consultation sponsored by the federal government. We must have the courage to talk about the energy sector—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order. It is wonderful to see everyone taking the advice about hugging and it is a great way to start off before Oral Questions, but I will ask one favour. Would members mind hugging in silence, please.

The hon. member for Lévis—Lotbinière.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that Canada's entire energy sector should participate in a broad national consultation sponsored by the federal government.

We must have the courage to talk about the energy sector and pull our heads out of the sand. Unfortunately, this is currently a divisive issue in Canada whereas it should be uniting Canadians across the country.

I invite all parliamentarians from all parties to initiate these discussions with every stakeholder in the energy sector in order to establish a serious strategy for Canada's energy future by creating a national commission on energy security. Our Canadian approach to energy will guide the economic destiny of future generations and how we position ourselves on the world stage.

Let us take up our responsibilities as legislators and ask the government to show leadership for the well-being of Canadians and for our economic prosperity.

Jacques Ménard

[Francis Scarpaleggia, Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on a sad note, I rise today to honour a legend of Canada's financial sector.

We have learned that Quebec banker Jacques Ménard passed away Tuesday evening.

Mr. Ménard held many executive positions over the years and chaired the board of directors of Hydro-Québec, the Montreal Stock Exchange, Trans-Canada Options Corporation and the Investment Dealers Association of Canada.

Mr. Ménard was president of the Bank of Montreal. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1995. He was a sports fan and the president of the Montreal Expos baseball team.

Jacques Ménard's legacy will live on in Quebec and Canada.

I extend my condolences and those of the House to his family.

Teck Frontier

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Mr. Speaker, Teck Resources has a $20-billion project in a struggling region of Canada, a project that will provide 7,000 jobs during construction and over 2,500 jobs for decades to come. Despite these benefits, the media is reporting that behind a veil of secrecy, Liberal MPs are pushing the government to block the Teck mine. The Liberal member for Beaches—East York and the parliamentary secretary for industry are actively lobbying the Prime Minister to block these new jobs.

When it came to SNC, the Prime Minister was willing to interfere with a criminal prosecution to make sure there are good jobs across Canada. When Liberal MPs stood in his way, he booted them from cabinet and caucus.

It is time for the Prime Minister to tell his backbenchers to support our resource sector and get cabinet to approve this critical project today.

Peter Hogg

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for nearly 50 years, Dr. Peter Hogg was a leading scholar of Canadian constitutional law. Professor and later dean at Osgoode Hall Law School, Professor Hogg was known in this precinct for his wise advice to members on both sides of the House and his clear testimony at committees.

His major treatise, Constitutional Law of Canada, remains the definitive source on the topic, owing to clear and careful reading of judicial case law and its searing insight into jurisprudence. His many accolades include the Hnatyshyn Award, named for the distinguished former governor general and minister of justice who once sat in the House.

Dr. Hogg recognized throughout his long career that the responsibility for advancing and protecting the rule of law, one of the great inheritances we share as Canadians, lies here in the House.

As his adopted country, Canada benefited from Dr. Peter Hogg's lifetime of scholarship and service.

Penticton

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

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to highlight two initiatives in my hometown of Penticton that have really made a difference to community arts and culture.

One is Peach City Radio, CFUZ, a community radio station that on February 1 celebrated its first anniversary of being on the airwaves. In this age of big corporate ownership of our media, it is wonderful to have a strong local voice on air that is run entirely by talented and dedicated volunteers.

Second, I want to give a shout-out to The Dream Café, a small but mighty place that CBC Radio has ranked as one of the top three music venues in this country. Founded by the dynamic pair of Pierre Couture and Debra Rice, the Dream now operates as a co-operative and hosts the best of Canadian and international music. Some of the top names in music have played regularly in this beautiful café: Jeff Healey, Michael Kaeshammer, Judy Collins, Murray McLaughlin, Jann Arden and more.

If people want good music and good radio, come to Penticton.

Daniel Gagné

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Daniel Gagné, who left us in the early morning hours of February 4.

Daniel Gagné was an adviser, mentor and supporter on my election campaign. He was a man of conviction and honour.

He led an extraordinary life, having tirelessly dedicated 50 years to social, cultural, artistic and political life in his home region of Abitibi.

He was also close to indigenous communities. They too have lost a friend.

Daniel was a painter, poet, singer, sculptor, writer, photographer and archivist, and he lived his life boldly and tenaciously. He used his art to add to the collective memory, capturing the visual memory of the landscapes of his native Abitibi, the aural and musical memory of feelings and the mood of the times, and the memory of a heritage, an identity, a country, the land and human solidarity. He will not be forgotten by anyone who knew him.

I offer my condolences to his wife, Nicole, and his family.

Rest in peace, my dear Daniel.

Canada-China Relations

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

Mr. Speaker, Canada's Conservatives are hearing the legitimate concerns of Canadians from coast to coast to coast on the actions of the People's Republic of China toward its people and the world. Between trade sanctions, arbitrary detention of Canadians, crackdowns on legitimate protests and concentration camps for Uighur Muslims, Canadians are questioning our current relationship with China.

Last night at the Canada-China committee, we heard from Ambassador Barton, who admitted the relationship was broken, yet he gave us very little reassurance that the Liberal government has a coherent plan or strategy. Even the Minister of Foreign Affairs said there is no framework for dealing with China. The ambassador expressed little knowledge on critical topics such as the situation in the South China Sea or a long outstanding consular case. The government is dangerously naive when it comes to dealing with China.

Canadians expect a framework that protects their interests and human rights around the globe. People can rest assured there are people in this Parliament who hear their concerns and will fight for human rights and the rule of law.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, February 11 marks the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science. It is past time to celebrate the amazing women and girls who have chosen to pursue science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation, to end the discrimination they often face, to recognize their remarkable accomplishments and to ensure they receive equal pay for work of equal value.

Canada has innumerable women explorers, leaders, pioneers and scientists, from astronaut Dr. Roberta Bondar to Canada's most recent Nobel Prize winner, Professor Donna Strickland, only the third woman in history to win the prize in physics. Today and always let us ensure we live up to Canada's new dimensions charter and that we measure progress.

I hope my sisters in science know they have a champion and an ally. Let us inspire the next generation to discover, because more than ever, the world needs science and science needs women.

News Media Industry

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are still concerned about the Liberal plan to set up a panel that censors media content.

Although the Liberals deny it, the plan clearly recommends that the government have the power to penalize media that it does not trust.

Twitter, Facebook and Reddit could all be subject to government censorship of their online content.

Will the Prime Minister promise not to implement the recommendations that seek to censor the Internet?