House of Commons Hansard #36 of the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was industry.

Topics

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

The member for Louis-Saint-Laurent is rising on a point of order.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate my colleague's enthusiasm. He is a very talented orator.

However, today's debate is about Bill C-16, which deals with agriculture. Unless I missed something, he has not yet talked about agriculture at all.

It is not that I do not find his remarks about health and areas of jurisdiction interesting, but we are here to talk about agriculture.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

3:55 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

I appreciate the intervention by the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent.

Would the hon. member like to respond to the point of order?

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

3:55 p.m.

Bloc

Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC

As the House leader of the Bloc Québécois, I want to point out that we had agreements with the government and the other parties to meet physically once a week to talk about COVID-19 and problems arising from the pandemic.

We were told we would get 30 minutes every Wednesday to talk about anything we wanted in connection with COVID-19. The government stipulated that, whenever possible, it wanted to introduce bills for debate on those days. We agreed because it was easier for the government.

I would ask the indulgence of the House to simply say that every party is supposed to have 30 minutes to talk about all kinds of COVID-19-related things, but we are not getting that time today. I would ask the indulgence of the House to continue my remarks.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

Mr. Speaker, on the same point of order, I would remind the member that it was the Conservative Party that actually wanted to see more members in the House, or more sittings of the House with the existing number of members we have today, to do exactly what he wants to do. However, today we are here for Bill C-16. If he thinks he can speak about something else, that is not appropriate. He should go back to topic and speak about what is at hand.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

I appreciate the comments made by the hon. members for Louis-Saint-Laurent, La Prairie and Prince Albert.

Statements by ministers take place during the meetings of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic. The government usually decides the topic of those statements. If it begins with statements, for instance, all the other parties can add their comments.

Today the House has been reconvened to debate Bill C-16. The standing orders suggest that comments must be pertinent to the subject before the House. Usually there is quite a bit of flexibility, but sooner or later members must ensure that their comments pertain to the subject before the House.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

Bloc

Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have a question.

In the second round of 20 minutes or 10 minutes that we will have later, will we also be required to talk about agriculture?

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Certainly.

At this time, there is another three minutes remaining for comments on your speech in relation to the subject before the House.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

Bloc

Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC

We had a very clear agreement that on Wednesdays when we met in person in the House, we would get 30 minutes to talk about COVID-19. Today, we agreed to waive our 30 minutes in exchange for 20 or 10 minutes to talk about other matters related to COVID-19, a crisis currently raging in Quebec.

Now you are telling me that what we negotiated, what we discussed with the government and its leader, is no longer valid. That is what you are telling me. The agreements we secured are not valid anymore. That is what I am hearing. That is what you just confirmed.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Normally, during the meeting of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic, if the House is not recalled, there is a take-note debate of two hours and 10 minutes. That is the time to ask questions or propose ideas about COVID-19.

When the House is recalled, members must focus their remarks on matters relevant to the bill under study. As I said, members have ample leeway in their remarks on the subject at hand, but they do need to make sure they stay on topic.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4 p.m.

Bloc

Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am not saying that I do not like talking about agriculture. I know a lot about it already.

If I understood correctly, all the remarks we will be making, from when the bill is tabled to the end, will have to be about agriculture. That is my understanding.

I asked the government to add 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes for questions and answers to compensate for the 30 minutes we had to talk about the pandemic. Now you are telling me that what we discussed will not happen, that I did not understand what the government leader proposed. Is that what you are telling me?

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

I accept the hon. member's other comment, but the decision concerns the rules for the special committee. It is a decision made by the leaders of the parties in the House. In the House, and in committee, we must refer to the framework surrounding these debates. That is required in order to be able to continue.

I stopped the clock so the hon. member from La Prairie can continue his speech, if he so wishes.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Bloc

Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC

What they did in 2015 is a bit embarrassing. Those whom we might describe as destroyers of the Quebec health care system are here and, from what I understand, they did not see fit to do better than what the others proposed.

I understand why the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent rose. He must have felt the heat and did not want to hear us talk and be taken to task. There are none so deaf as those who will not hear. That is what I understand, Mr. Speaker.

My Conservative colleagues think it is funny to cut funding for health care and to put us in a situation where we cannot take care of people because we do not have any money from Ottawa because of them. It is because of them.

That is the reality, hon. member from Louis-Saint-Laurent—

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

I accept and appreciate the member's intervention, but I have decided how we will continue our proceedings. According to the Standing Orders, the debate must remain relevant to the topic.

We must now resume debate regarding the recall of the House of Commons to discuss Bill C-16.

The decision is made, and so we will continue. The hon. member for La Prairie has three minutes and 30 seconds remaining to finish his speech.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Bloc

Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, when I was teaching at CEGEP and at the university, I would explain to my students that market globalization meant that some sectors were protect by governments because they were important sectors for a society like ours. I always gave the example of agriculture, since it is important to ensure that a country can feed its people itself so as not to be held hostage, as we saw recently with health equipment. If we do not want to be held hostage, we have to take care of our agricultural sector.

What happened when the Conservatives were in power? They were the first to sacrifice milk quotas on the altar of international trade. They were the first to sell Quebec milk quotas to open the borders to the benefit of western Canada. The Liberal Party followed suit.

The Conservatives criticize the government. They see the beam in their neighbour's eye. It is not a beam that they have in their own eyes, but a dozen two by fours.

The member for Beauce knows that they were the first party to make sure that milk quotas were jeopardized by international trade and trade deals. They were the first to roll over before other countries and fail to protect Quebec dairy producers. While the Conservatives are criticizing the government today, they are in an uncomfortable situation.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Randy Hoback Conservative Prince Albert, SK

At least he knows what is going on today.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

No, he does not.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Bloc

Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, French is the official language of Quebec. I will always speak French. If the member does not like that, it is not my problem. The member is upset because I am not speaking English, but in Quebec, the official language is French. That is why I will always address the House in French. I hope nobody here would question my right to do so. I do not need anyone giving me a hard time for speaking French.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind my colleague, the house leader of the second opposition party, that French and English share equal status, and all parliamentarians may speak in either of these two languages. Earlier, during oral questions, a minister spoke in English, which seemed to offend the leader of the Bloc Québécois. That is his right, but French and English have equal status here.

Earlier, the member spoke about international trade agreements involving milk. Does he agree with the facts? I encourage him to confirm the following statement or deny it if he has evidence to the contrary. In 2015, when our government signed an international treaty, the topic of supply management came up. Is it true that the Conservative government at the time had come up with a $4-billion plan to cover farmers' losses? Never before had a government made such a financial commitment to farmers. Yes, it was a matter of free trade, but we also offered fair and responsible compensation, which the current government did not do with the following agreement.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Bloc

Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, the member can ask any farmer if they would rather get a cheque from the government or conduct operations on the ground and grow their business, and his questions will be answered.

I am not done, and I have more to say. The $4 billion the previous government promised was not enough. All farmers and dairy producers agreed on that. Plus, that money never showed up, and the change in government is no excuse. The Conservatives are good at pointing the finger at the Liberal government. That money was not enough, and dairy producers said so back then.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Bloc

Yves Perron Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his comments.

I would like to know what he thinks of current programs such as AgriStability. I spoke about this earlier in my speech and I said that they do not work.

Do we know why only 31% of Canadian farms participate in the AgriStability program? The answer is that it is a shared jurisdiction in Quebec. We spoke earlier of the Constitution and jurisdictions, an issue that is sometimes pertinent. Quebec could have chosen to participate, but it preferred to create a program that complements the federal program, which does not work. Participation in the Quebec program is much higher than the rest of Canada's participation in the federal program, and this has boosted the average participation rate in the federal program to 31%. Imagine what would have happened if the Quebec government had not been there to implement those measures.

I would like to hear what my colleague has to say about that.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Bloc

Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, in the history of Canada, the enactment of the British North America Act of 1867, which became the Constitution, has led to many problems. My colleague speaks of agricultural problems and the fact that the Constitution does not properly address Quebec's realities. It is not surprising. Anyone with any knowledge of history and the contents of this document knows that a constitution sets out the division of powers, authorities and responsibilities. If there were a better understanding of this document, there would be a better understanding of current problems. I spoke about health earlier, but this also applies to agriculture. Unfortunately, we forget that the answers are often in this document, but that is an undeniable fact.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:10 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

Mr. Speaker, let's get back to the issue of free trade and farmers. I remember 2015 very well. I was on the campaign trail. Before the aid package and the agreement were announced, a protest was held in front of my campaign office. Once the announcement was made, however, the protests stopped, because the $4 billion that was announced was intended to help farmers maintain their operations. We were aware of the international reality, which necessitated certain concessions. We were aware of the need to help farmers overcome the obstacle and keep working, as they were doing.

This is not about assigning blame. Facts are facts, and the facts speak for themselves. After the election, the new government took office and brushed aside the $4 billion in aid that our government had offered. That is why farmers supported us, including farmers in Beauce.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:15 p.m.

Bloc

Alain Therrien Bloc La Prairie, QC

Mr. Speaker, the money was never spent. When he says that, he is mistaken. The $4 billion was never spent.

My father always used to tell me to study history to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Looking at that party's history, I can say that, most of the time, they did not walk the talk.

Canadian Dairy Commission ActGovernment Orders

4:15 p.m.

NDP

Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON

Mr. Speaker, before I speak to the bill, I have sad news to announce to the House.

During National Nursing Week in London, my hometown and a town that I represent, Brian Beattie, a registered nurse who worked in a retirement village, died of COVID-19. He was the first registered nurse in Ontario to die of COVID-19. Brian is remembered as a dedicated nurse who loved his job and considered the residents in his care like his other family. My thoughts and deepest condolences go out to Brian's family and friends.

I want to sincerely thank front-line health care workers, who literally put their lives on the line to take care of others and take care of our families.

It is often hard to switch gears in these circumstances, but today I am pleased to speak to Bill C-16, an act to amend the Canadian Dairy Commission Act. The New Democrats are relieved to see this legislation finally come forward and are happy to support it.

I want to acknowledge the great work done by my colleague, the MP for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, the NDP's agricultural critic. He could not be here today, as he lives fairly far away, but his work on behalf of farmers across the country is greatly appreciated, despite his absence.

The New Democrats believe that increasing the buyback limit that dairy processors have with the Canadian Dairy Commission from $300 million to $500 million, allowing this Crown corporation to purchase more surplus butter and cheese and helping processors with cash flow issues until the market stabilizes again will provide some help to dairy farmers and processors so they can weather the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions are ones we have pushed for. We know they will start to help the sector at this unprecedented time of need.

Because of the losses in liquid milk sales to restaurants and other retail sectors due to COVID-19 shutdowns in the sector, producers and processors need assistance. Of course, this help is late. I have heard from a lot of farming families in the area that surrounds my riding who have been worried for months. The uncertainty and stress caused by this pandemic have had a detrimental impact on everyone, especially farmers, so I am glad that we are here today to support this plan.

Before I get into truly addressing some details regarding this legislation and the supports that are much needed for our agricultural sector and dairy sector, I will speak to some of the key issues that women working in the agricultural sector sometimes face, issues that have been long-standing but exacerbated by this pandemic.

According to the United Nations, “With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, even the limited gains made in the past decades are at risk of being rolled back.” The Canadian Human Rights Commission has echoed this statement, saying, “These disproportionate impacts could have long-term and far reaching consequences.” As the Canadian Women's Foundation notes, “The pandemic circumstances intensify inequalities related to gender, and other factors, such as economic status, race, culture, language, and other intersecting elements of our identities.”

The lack of access to services is felt by women nationwide, but rural women or women living in smaller towns are especially hit hard by the issue of the provision of services, simply because of their location or gender. Rural women have to travel long distances to get the help they need. We know women have felt the impact of this pandemic at disproportionate rates, and when they work in the agricultural sector, they often live in rural and remote areas. Their access to services is therefore dramatically reduced.

This is why the announcement last week that Greyhound is suspending its bus service operations has raised many flags with women's organizations, as the ridership of these services is 60% women and Greyhound is used by many trying to get to work. I will continue to call on the government to help people in my riding of London—Fanshawe and others across southwestern Ontario who rely on the inner-city bus industry. Travel, of course, is a necessity of life in rural Canada, and every community in Canada should be able to count on reliable transit to connect people to their jobs, health care services, schools and family members.

Connectivity in person during this time is obviously limited, which for so many has put a great deal of emphasis on virtual connectivity. Again, this pandemic has exacerbated many of the failures within our infrastructure for farmers and people living in rural and remote areas across this country. There are issues that consecutive governments have ignored for far too long.

Women, and in particular women living in rural Canada, too often feel isolated, and this is compounded by their inability to access or afford a stable Internet connection or cellphone service. It is so important to physically distance right now, but social isolation must be avoided. I have heard from so many women who say they miss their families and their grandkids, the hugs and support they provide.

In particular, I want to address the needs of women who need access to supports from government programs for mental health support and domestic violence hotlines. Those are just some examples. If they do not have that connectivity to online supports, they are left in further, more devastating isolation.

The New Democrats' vision of Canada is one of equality, balance and fairness, a country where women's organizations have stable funding so that women can access the support and advocacy they need, and where women have the tools that they need to access those services in their communities, whether urban, suburban, rural or remote.

Shelters across Canada have faced large expenses trying to adapt themselves to meet public health physical distancing requirements and to alter programs to deal with the new reality of a COVID-impacted world. However, without the necessary core funding that many shelters and organizations need, these supports cannot exist. Core funding has not been provided by the federal government for too many years, and these organizations cannot use the project-based funding to deal with this crisis situation. Too many fundraising events have been cancelled due to COVID, so another source of income for community-based support services that women need has been cut.

This, of course, is a serious financial crisis for the not-for-profit and charitable sectors. This crisis began long before COVID-19, and if things do not change it is one that will continue well past this pandemic.

I want to specifically highlight some of the stresses that are put on rural women and women who work in Canada's agricultural industry. Women are leaders in this sector, but I do not believe the government has done a good enough job of closing the pay equity gap and ensuring that women have access to affordable child care and to education. I know that although the number of women is slowly growing in the agricultural sector, many barriers still exist. A significant barrier to most people farming, especially to women, is the large costs associated: the cost of farmland, the cost of equipment, the labour challenges. This pandemic, again, has only exacerbated the difficulties that farmers in the dairy industry face.

Before I became an MP, I was a parliamentary staffer and had the great honour of working with the past international trade critic, Tracey Ramsey. Because of this incredible work, I was able to meet and work with amazing people in our agricultural sector, including in the dairy sector. Many people know that in the renegotiated NAFTA, Canada threw our dairy farmers under the bus to appease the U.S. The U.S. has now gained 3.59% access to our dairy market on top of the concessions that were in the other two Conservative-negotiated, Liberal-signed trade deals, the CPTPP and CETA, that bring the total loss to 8.4% of market share. That translates into 800 million litres of milk that will be permanently removed from our farms. I cannot imagine any other sector from which any government would dare cut almost 10% of our market share.

These are hard-working families across the country who take so much pride in producing top-quality milk for our communities. I do not know how much more dairy farmers can bear. Once again, I come to the point that because of decisions by consecutive Conservative and Liberal governments that have hurt our supply-managed dairy industry, this sector has been weakened. It is less resilient from the effects of this pandemic. Like so many other systems that I mentioned before that women, farmers and all Canadians rely upon, we need to reinforce social programs and these market protections, which protect people and protect Canadians.

Canadian farmers have benefited from the supply-managed system since the early 1970s. The system sets the prices and creates stability for dairy, egg and poultry producers. Supply management has proven to be an effective model that equalizes the benefits of dairy production across consumers, farmers and processors, and it stabilizes the industry against price shocks or over supply. During the negotiations of CUSMA, the Liberal government, every day, repeated its rhetoric that it would preserve and protect our supply-managed sectors, but protecting it meant not allowing pieces of it to be negotiated away.

There are three pillars of supply management: import control, pricing mechanisms, and production. In production, we have the quota system in Canada. We make sure that we are only making as much as the market demands. What is being thrown away in every single trade agreement signed by the current government is the pillar of import control.

Another key concern in allowing American milk into the Canadian market is that this product contains bovine growth hormone, created by Monsanto and used by American dairy farmers to increase milk production. There are no studies on the effect of this hormone on human health. I am so relieved when I buy milk and I see the little blue cow on the package, knowing that I am supporting Canadian dairy farmers and knowing that my milk is healthy and safe. I know what is in it, and therein lies the extraordinary value of our dairy sector and why we need to fight to protect it.

To add even more insult to injury, after selling out our dairy farmers in CUSMA, the government still has not provided the financial compensation it promised to support those same farmers. Ironically, this would not be necessary if the Liberals had actually protected supply management like they said they would, and we would not have had a surplus of American milk flooding Canadian borders, leading to the current Canadian supply glut, necessitating the recent dumping of 30 million litres of liquid milk.

Also causing harm to dairy farmers is the Canada Day start for the new NAFTA, which is only a few more weeks away, when those market concessions will hit our sector hard. This is another reason it was so vital that the NDP and my colleague, the MP for Elmwood—Transcona, negotiated with this government on future trade deals being negotiated in a far more consultative and transparent way. We pushed for Parliament to be able, for the first time ever, to view future trade deals in advance of ratification, instead of merely voting yea or nay after the deal is done. That is needed to preserve our food sovereignty and systems like supply management. It is to protect our farmers for future generations and to ensure that should we have these crises or emergencies in the future, we would be able and stable enough to withstand it.

Overall, the other measures announced for farmers by this government are not enough to offset the losses Canadian farmers collectively have suffered, nor will they ensure a strong food security system for Canadians. No one in Canada should be worried about where their next meal will come from. Canada's national food policy needs to improve food security by linking producers to the communities worried about having enough affordable food.

I live in an incredible area rich in agricultural land. However, farmers are facing significant challenges in southwestern Ontario. As the farm belt gears up for the growing season, the landscape has been radically changed by the COVID-19 virus and the lockdowns and security precautions that it has brought. The closure of the food service industries, with dine-in restaurant doors shut, has forced food producers and processors to adjust to a high demand for retail and direct-to-consumer products. The processing of food is incredibly different for home consumption than from food service, which is causing some significant challenges in our system. Again, although they have been delayed, I am glad we are passing these supports today.

With businesses and restaurants closed during the pandemic, the government has finally accepted the NDP's call for the government to buy surplus food to support food producers and help local organizations enhance food security for people in our communities. Canada is a privileged country because of its agricultural diversity, but it still faces many challenges concerning food. In 1976, Canada signed onto the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which includes a right to food. Yet, more than 40 years later, too many Canadians are still having difficulty putting food on their tables. It is well past time for the federal government to live up to its obligations and ensure access to safe, affordable and healthy food.

Farmers have been waiting for weeks for this emergency support, and while New Democrats welcome the bill in front us today that would increase the Dairy Commission's credit line, this should have been done weeks ago, and there is still a great amount to do. Instead of investing more to help our agricultural producers during this crisis, the government again has let farmers fall through the cracks. So many are not eligible for support programs. After everything this government has done to dairy farmers, this is the least it can do to support them during this pandemic. Instead of investing more to help our agricultural producers during this crisis, the government is letting them down. Many are still not eligible for support programs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many failings in our systems and social programs. Cracks have been created over many years, and people are falling through those cracks because of the government's consistent cutting and gutting. The undermining of the supports provided by these programs has cost us a great deal now.

The question remains, will we continue down a road where we are shortsighted? Will we look only to what will benefit a small group in a short term, or will we now repair the damage done by the cutbacks and decide to further build and strengthen the programs we have? Will we ensure fairness, balance and equality within sectors, including our agricultural sector? Will we value the work of farmers in every sector? Will we value the sourcing of local food? Will we fall back from the belief that globalization and a neoliberal agenda are inevitable or supreme and realize that it is actually through social stability, the strengthening of people and the foundations they stand upon, that will make us thrive?

Now is a good time to start to ask these hard questions and to talk about our lives post-COVID. I know what my answer is, and I am willing to do the work involved to achieve something better for everyone.

Before I officially conclude, I want to briefly take this opportunity to recognize a very important anniversary.

Fifty years ago, almost to the day, members of the Vancouver Women's Caucus travelled to Ottawa with the Abortion Caravan. In 1970, members of the Abortion Caravan marched on Parliament Hill in opposition to the 1969 amendments to the Criminal Code. However, this women's organization knew then that a lack of fair and equal access to proper reproductive rights was putting women's health in danger.

The Abortion Caravan arrived in Ottawa on Mother's Day weekend in 1970, a convoy of Canadian women, over 500 strong, arrived here with coat hangers and a black coffin in tow to demand the legalization of unrestricted access to abortion services for all Canadian women.

On May 11, 1970, approximately three dozen women entered the House of Commons, taking their seats in the various galleries circling the chamber. Once seated, the women quietly chained themselves to their seats, listening intently as NDP MP Andrew Brewin asked Minister of Justice John Turner if he would consider reviewing the abortion law. Turner tried to dismiss the matter, but just before 3 p.m., one of the women rose from her seat in the gallery and began reciting the Abortion Caravan's prepared speech, interrupting debate on the floor of the House of Commons. As parliamentary guards approached the woman, a second woman stood up in another area of the gallery and continued to give the speech. One by one, the women rose from their seats, adding their voices to the call for safe and equal access to reproductive rights.

The Abortion Caravan brought national attention to this issue. Sadly, women today are still forced to fight for access to health care options. Specifically on this 50th anniversary, I think about those brave women who were part of that caravan and built that movement to ensure that women of my generation have the freedom of choice.

I also think of the women in Fredericton today and the fact that the so-called feminist federal government still has done nothing to ensure that the women's clinic in Fredericton is properly and fairly funded to do what is needed to protect the rights women are supposed to have under the Canada Health Act.

Like those women 50 years ago, and like MP Brewin, New Democrats will continue to fight for safe and fair reproductive rights. In recognition of this 50th anniversary, I believe that if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: “That the House recognize this week marks the 50th anniversary of the Abortion Caravan, commemorates the caravan's important contribution to modernizing Canada's reproductive rights laws and calls upon the government to take further action to increase access to abortion services, including by enforcing the Canada Health Act and ensuring that Clinic 554 in Fredericton is properly and fairly funded.”