Debates of March 11th, 2020

Health

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the hon. member for his tireless advocacy on behalf of all Canadians and particularly marginalized Canadians.

We recognize that HIV/AIDS continues to be a problem in communities right across the country. That is why we are working with public health officials and experts across the country to ensure that we are giving people the tools to keep themselves and their communities safe. We will continue to work with all members in the House to ensure that we are doing the right things to keep Canadians safe.

Parliamentary Budget Officer

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Pursuant to subsection 79.2(2) of the Parliament of Canada Act, it is my duty to present to the House a report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer entitled “Surtaxes on Steel, Aluminum, and Other Goods: Issues for Parliamentarians”.

Government Response to Petitions

[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, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.

Canada-China Relations

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations concerning a motion adopted on Monday, March 9.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, entitled “West Coast Fisheries: Sharing Risks and Benefits”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Liaison

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 107(3), I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Liaison Committee, entitled “Committee Activities and Expenditures - April 1, 2019-September 11, 2019.”

National Cycling Strategy Act

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-239, an act to establish a national cycling strategy.

Mr. Speaker, for years, New Democrats have been calling for a national cycling strategy to combat climate change and support community planning. Today, I am honoured to reintroduce a bill that would create a national cycling strategy in Canada.

Canadians want to do their part for the environment and keep active too. I first called for a national cycling strategy four years ago, and the Liberal government has failed to get it done. I am reintroducing this bill to help keep cyclists safe, to keep our communities healthy and to take real action to help municipalities address the threat of climate change.

Many other OECD countries have already adopted cycling strategies and have seen significant increases in cycling as a result. Cycling advocates have long called for a national cycling strategy whereby the federal government would work with indigenous communities, provinces and municipalities to increase commuter, recreational and tourism cycling across Canada.

A national cycling strategy is strongly supported by communities across Canada, including Victoria, Toronto, Ottawa, Cumberland, Port Alberni and Tofino, and organizations such as Vélo Canada Bikes and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.

A national cycling strategy is a great way to help Canadian commuters make choices that are healthier and more affordable and that help our environment. If the Liberals work with us, we can promote active transportation for Canadians who want to tackle the climate crisis in their day-to-day lives.

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

Wild Salmon

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table e-petition 2367 on behalf of constituents from my riding of Courtenay—Alberni.

The petitioners cite that Pacific salmon are under serious threat from pathogens, pollutants, and sea lice originating from open-net fish farms; that wild salmon support first nations and indigenous cultural traditions and complex ecosystems, contributing to coastal forests, which produce the oxygen we breathe; that in spite of three legal decisions against it, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans refuses to screen for PRV and to agree to transfer farm fish known to be infected with PRV; and that Pacific salmon runs on the coast of B.C. are in a state of emergency.

The petitioners call upon the government to legislate the removal of open-net fish farms from B.C. waters by 2025; to immediately stop the transfer of PRV-infected smolts into open-net fish farms; to complete the transitioning of open-net fish farms to land-based closed containment by 2025; to dedicate funding and financing for training for fish farm workers to move to employment in land-based closed containment facilities, transitioning workers out of the aquaculture industry in regions that will not have land-based closed containment and for remote first nations communities currently dependent on revenues from the fish farm industry.

India

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present petition e-2391, which is signed by over 4,000 people from across Canada who are concerned about amendments made to the Citizenship Act by the Government of India that make religion a criterion for nationality and discriminate against some religious minorities, such as Muslims. The petitioners are also concerned that the criteria of the National Register of Citizens may make marginalized minorities stateless, as they are more likely to be unable to prove their identity and status.

The petitioners call upon this House to condemn these measures, to demand their withdrawal and to condemn the excessive use of force by the police against the peaceful citizens of India.

Powell River Gasoline Prices

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

Mr. Speaker, today I am here on behalf of many constituents in my riding, largely in Powell River and the qathet Regional District, who came together there in December, when many of them signed this petition, to talk about the increased costs of gasoline in their area.

The petitioners are asking for a Competition Bureau investigation into Powell River gas prices. This is a huge issue. They are calling on the minister to direct the Competition Bureau to finally initiate an investigation into the potential price-fixing of gasoline in the Powell River area. This has been going on for many years.

This issue matters a lot to these constituents, and I hope to hear back from the minister very soon.

Women's Economic Equality

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition today that follows up on International Women's Day.

The petitioners call upon the House to enact legislation and policies that will promote pay equity and pay equality so that women in Canada get the equal treatment they deserve.

Indigenous Affairs

[Paul Manly, Green, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a second petition from members in my riding of Nanaimo—Ladysmith.

The petitioners ask that the government commit to uphold the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada by immediately halting all existing and planned construction of the Coastal GasLink project on Wet'suwet'en territory; ordering the RCMP to dismantle its exclusion zone and stand down; schedule nation-to-nation talks between the Wet'suwet'en nation and federal and provincial governments, which I am glad to see has happened; and prioritize the real implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Canadian Chinese Political Affairs Committee

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

Mr. Speaker, I met recently with the Canadian Chinese Political Affairs Committee, which initiated this petition. The petition reflects the widespread concern within the Chinese and other communities about the situation with coronavirus and calls for a stronger response from the government. I want to thank the committee for its leadership.

It is very clear that these communities are particularly affected by the stigma and are concerned as well about the virus coming back from other countries into their communities, and the petitioners want a strong and effective response from the government. They highlight the situation in Canada with respect to coronavirus. Of course, the numbers have grown since the start of this petition and are higher than written here.

The petitioners call upon the government to consider a number of measures in response, such as improving communication with the Canadian public regarding the outbreak. For instance, in its daily briefing, Health Canada should release empirical data regarding its level of preparedness. The petitioners also propose that the government consider expanding the scope of screening and testing at airports, as many countries, such as the United States, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, will now utilize temperature checks at airports.

As well, the petitioners call for the consideration, if the situation escalates further, of a strong self-quarantine advisory or even a mandatory self-quarantine policy for those returning from heavily affected countries, and that flight restrictions also be considered for these countries.

Again, I want to commend the Canadian Chinese Political Affairs Committee for its leadership in working on this petition and I look forward to seeing the government's response to it.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition calling on the government to maintain its carbon pricing policy in order to reach the Paris Agreement targets.

The Environment

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise and to present a petition on behalf of hundreds of residents of Victoria, who are concerned about fossil fuel subsidies.

We have a long way to go to meet and exceed our Paris Agreement commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 30% by 2030. The science has shown that Canada is warming at twice the global average, and Canada has declared a climate emergency. Therefore, these petitioners are calling on the government to eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies in Canada.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I have today is from residents of my riding who are concerned about the climate crisis. They are calling on Parliament to take meaningful steps so that Canada can become a world leader in a clean-energy economy. The petitioners would like to see comprehensive carbon pricing that will significantly reduce emissions and help low- and middle-income Canadians by equitably returning 100% of these revenues.

Indigenous Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in this place to present an e-petition that was started by one of my constituents from Galiano Island. I want send a shout-out to Christina Kovacevic for starting the petition, which has accumulated more than 15,000 signatures.

It calls on the government, as other petitioners today have mentioned, to observe and respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly in relation to the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and land claims; to halt all existing and planned construction of the Coastal GasLink project on their territory; to ask the RCMP to dismantle its exclusion zone; to have nation-to-nation talks, which, we note with real gratitude to the ministers involved, have happened, and there is an agreement currently under consideration with the Wet'suwet'en; and to make sure that it continues toward real implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

[Lenore Zann, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to table an e-petition from my riding of Cumberland—Colchester that has been signed by 4,248 people.

The petitioners note that whereas the RCMP and Treasury Board are now planning in May 2020 to move almost 4000 civilian members of the RCMP from a working pay system onto an incomprehensible failure of a pay system called Phoenix; and whereas the Public Service Pay Centre said that Phoenix was not stable on March 18, 2019, saying “Stabilizing the ... current pay system (Phoenix) remains a top priority”, and further stated in an update on April 3, 2019, “The pay issues currently being experienced by public servants are unacceptable, and we are working tirelessly at all levels to resolve them”; therefore, the petitioners call upon the president of the Treasury Board to honour the Treasury Board's commitment to civilian RCMP members and delay the transfer of almost 4000 sworn civilian members onto the Phoenix payroll system until the problems with it have been fixed or until there is a reliable and stable replacement.

I have affixed my signature.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind the hon. members to be brief and succinct when they make their report on a petition.

Presenting petitions, the hon. member for Peace River—Westlock.

Human Organ Trafficking

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand today and present a petition.

The people who have signed this petition are concerned about forced organ harvesting internationally. We condemn organ trafficking and we would like to see the passage of legislation in this place. The people who have signed this petition referenced Bill C-350 and Bill S-240 from the last Parliament. They look forward to seeing similar legislation passed in this Parliament.

Poverty

[Jenica Atwin, Green, Fredericton, NB]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to present a petition that calls upon the House of Commons to adopt a notional poverty elimination strategy, thereby assuring Canadians of a suitable quality of life and opportunity to succeed.

Indigenous Affairs

[Jenica Atwin, Green, Fredericton, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I have a second petition. It is similar to other petitions presented today. It calls on the government to uphold the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action by immediately halting existing and planned construction of the Coastal GasLink project on Wet'suwet'en territory; asking the RCMP to dismantle its exclusion zone and stand down; scheduling nation-to-nation talks with the Wet'suwet'en, which has happened; and prioritizing the real implementation of UNDRIP.

The Middle Class

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, on the day the Minister of Finance announced that the budget will be presented on March 30 of this year, to table a petition calling upon parliamentarians to recognize the importance of Canada's middle class. The petitioners are asking us to look at ways we can increase the wealth of the middle class here in 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]

Mr. Speaker, the following question will be answered today: Question No. 242.

Question No.242

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

With regard to the People’s Republic of China: how many Canadian citizens are currently (i) in detention, (ii) in detention with charge, (iii) in detention without charge, (iv) in detention without access to consular services, (v) in detention with access to consular services, (vi) in detention for reasons related to state security, (vii) subject to an exit ban, (viii) subject to an exit ban relating to a civil matter, (ix) subject to an exit ban relating to a criminal matter, (x) subject to an exit ban relating to state security, (xi) subject to prolonged interrogations, (xii) subject to interrogations without counsel?