Debates of Sept. 25th, 2020

Judges Act

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Madam Speaker, during question period, we raised the possibility of working on the weekend. We therefore move the following motion:

That, notwithstanding any standing or special order or usual practice of the House, (a) Bill C-2, an act relating to economic recovery in response to COVID-19, be deemed to have been read a second time on division and referred to a committee of the whole; (b) the House shall meet at noon on Sunday, September 27, 2020, for the sole purpose of resolving itself into a committee of the whole to consider the said bill for a period not exceeding six hours and 20 minutes provided that: (i) the committee be subject to the provisions relating to the virtual sittings of the House; (ii) the Speaker may preside; (iii) the Chair may preside from the Speaker's chair; (iv) the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the Minister of Labour be invited to appear; (v) each minister be questioned for 95 minutes provided that: (a) the Chair shall call members from all recognized parties and one member who does not belong to a recognized party in a fashion consistent with the proportions observed during Oral Questions; (b) no member shall be recognized for more than five minutes at a time which may be used for posing questions; (c) members may be permitted to split their time with one or more members by so indicating to the Chair; (d) the rotation for questions be the rotation used by the former special committee on the COVID-19 pandemic; (e) the ministers answer the questions; (vi) at the expiry of the time provided to the committee of the whole, the committee shall rise, the bill shall be deemed reported back to the House without amendment and the House shall stand adjourned until the next sitting day; (c) the report stage of the said bill begins Monday, September 28, 2020, provided that: (i) the deadline for notices of motion at report stage be set at 9 p.m. on Sunday, September 27, 2020, and if necessary the Order Paper and Notice Paper be republished for the Monday, September 28, 2020, sitting; (ii) the said bill can be debated at third reading during the same sitting; (iii) no more than one sitting day shall be allotted for consideration at report stage and third reading stage of the bill at the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on Monday, September 28, 2020, or until no member rises to speak, whichever is earlier; the Speaker shall interrupt any proceedings and shall put forthwith and successively, without any further debate or amendment, all questions necessary to dispose of proceedings at the said stages of the bill provided that, if a recorded division is requested, it shall not be deferred.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Usually when there is a request for unanimous consent, the Chair asks members to respond in the affirmative to determine whether there is agreement. This being a hybrid sitting of the House, were the Chair to proceed in this fashion, if there were any dissenting voices, particularly for members participating via video conference, they may not be audible. Therefore, for the sake of clarity, I will only ask for those who are opposed to the request to express their disagreement. In this way, the Chair will hear clearly if there are any dissenting voices and I will accordingly be able to declare whether there is unanimous consent to proceed.

Therefore, all those opposed to the House Leader of the Official Opposition's motion will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Madam Speaker, the government has no choice but to say no to this motion since we were not aware of it. Everyone knows that I was here with my colleagues so I therefore did not have the opportunity to read it. This is the first I am hearing about this motion on the floor of the House. We will read it and come back to my esteemed colleague later.

That being said, I would prefer that this type of thing not happen again and that we can continue to discuss matters between leaders in private.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois opposes the motion. I do not know whether further discussions with the government will change anything, but we oppose the motion.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I have already indicated that the motion was rejected and I thank you for your interventions. If there are no other motions, we will proceed to routine proceedings and the presentation of petitions.

The hon. member for Edmonton Mill Woods.

Human Rights

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

Madam Speaker, I have a petition signed by a number of Canadians of Oromo descent who would draw the attention of the House of Commons to current political violence targeting Oromo people in Ethiopia.

They are asking the government to, among other things, stand up for human rights in Ethiopia, examine Canada's foreign aid to Ethiopia and press Ethiopia to stop torture, free political prisoners and bring perpetrators to justice.

Income Assistance

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

Madam Speaker, it is an honour and a privilege to present this petition that was started by members of my constituency, Nanaimo—Ladysmith.

They are asking the government to implement a guaranteed livable income for all Canadians. This would establish an income floor below which no Canadian could fall and which would reflect regional differences in the cost of living. It would replace the current patchwork of federal and provincial income assistance programs with a single universal cash payment. It would be progressively taxed back based on income level. It would be administered through the existing tax system and require no means testing, thereby dramatically reducing federal and provincial administration costs. It would reduce poverty, thereby reducing demand on social services, law enforcement and health care, resulting in additional cost savings for government and taxpayers, and would provide a financial safety net for all Canadians, especially through major economic shifts, pandemics, natural disasters or industrial automation.

Firearms Registry

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am rising today to present petition e-2626, which I authorized not for one of my own constituents, but for a constituent in the riding of Ottawa Centre, as unfortunately the MP for Ottawa Centre chose not to authorize it.

The petitioner simply requests that the House of Commons hold a debate around the idea that any MPs involved with the passing of firearms legislation be informed, trained and have completed the Canadian Firearms Safety Courses, including obtaining a restricted Possession and Acquisition Licence, prior to passing any firearms-related legislation or measures.

Abortion

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Madam Speaker, I am presenting this petition today on behalf of Canadians who signed because they indicate that sex-selective abortion is legal, as Canada has no legal restrictions on abortion.

Sex-selective abortion is antithetical to our commitment to equality between men and women. A 2019 Dart and Maru/Blue poll conducted for the National Post showed that 84% of Canadians believe it should be illegal to have an abortion if the family does not want the child to be a certain sex. International organizations including the World Health Organization, United Nations Women and the United Nations Children's Fund have identified unequal sex ratios at birth as a growing problem internationally, and Canada's health care professionals recognize sex selection as a problem.

Therefore, the undersigned citizens of Canada call upon the House of Commons to pass a criminal code prohibition of sex-selective abortion.

Herring Fishery

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

Madam Speaker, it is an honour and a privilege to table this petition on behalf of residents of Denman and Hornby islands, Qualicum and Parksville who live on Salish Sea. They are concerned about the unexpected drop in the herring population that has led to overfishing.

They cite that herring is the basis of the food web that support the wild Pacific salmon, killer and humpback whales, cod and halibut, seabirds and other interdependent species on the Pacific coast. First nations have constitutionally protected rights to the herring, which are an important food source and integral part of their culture.

They call on the government to suspend the herring fishery in the Salish Sea until a whole ecosystem-based plan is developed, to fairly compensate local fishers for any of their economic losses and to ensure that all decisions are made with full participation of first nations and local communities.

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 would ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House resumed consideration of the motion for an address to Her Excellency the Governor General in reply to her speech at the opening of the session, of the amendment and of the amendment to the amendment.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs still had three minutes remaining for his speech.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Madam Speaker, it is a great privilege to continue in this debate. I was previously signalling that the first foundation of the throne speech is to preserve and protect the health of Canadians. The second foundation is to support them while the pandemic continues and recognize the economic crisis we are in. The third foundation is to ensure that we seize this opportunity to build back better.

COVID-19 has revealed cracks in the social safety net and in government programs, particularly for businesses and areas of our country hit unusually hard. The third foundation is to build back better. We will seize this opportunity to create more jobs and build better communities. We will do this through investments in infrastructure projects, like transit and housing, that will create jobs and better communities. We will do this through investments in cleaner and greener society that will create jobs and build better communities. We will do this through investments in a stronger, better-trained workforce who will create jobs and better communities. we will do this through investments in child care and pharmacare, which will create better communities. We will be doing all of this while holding on to the values that Canadians want upheld—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

We are just going to stop the time for a second. I know that sometimes we do forget to turn our phones off. I just want to make sure that the hon. member has put that on silent and he can continue his speech.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Madam Speaker, we are going to be doing all of this, including investing in pharmacare and child care, which will create jobs and better communities, while holding onto the values that Canadians want upheld here and abroad.

While the health and economic crisis and challenges we face are daunting, this is no time to let up on what makes Canada Canada. Canadians want us to further reconciliation with indigenous peoples, living out our commitment to their better health and mental health care, invest in infrastructure and clean water, and by implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Canadians want us to persevere on dismantling the structures of systemic racism, including better civilian oversight of law enforcement and a shift toward community-led policing. Canadians want us to reach Canada’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 and to do that by drawing on the know-how of the energy sectors in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Canadians want us to ensure women’s safety and to stem the tide of gun violence in our cities, by implementing our firearms policy commitments, giving municipalities the ability to further restrict handguns and control the flow of illegal arms into Canada. Canadians want us to protect our multicultural, bilingual society and continue to welcome newcomers and thank them for joining our country and building it better.

Madam Speaker, in case it is not obvious to you, I am pleased to be standing in support of the throne speech and to make sure that we are able to build a better Canada and a more resilient Canada.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have great respect for the parliamentary secretary and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I want to give them an opportunity to address a major concern for Canada and the world.

Presently there is the behaviour of the Chinese Communist Party around COVID-19 with its lack of transparency and accountability, genocide against the Uighurs, crimes against humanity with Tibetans and the fact that it exercises debt hostage-taking in weak nations.

Page 30 mentions Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, although Huseyin Celil is not mentioned. He is another Canadian citizen who has been incarcerated injustly by the Chinese Communist Party. If we are going to build back better, why was there nothing in the throne speech in regard to taking our place in foreign affairs policy and making sure that we defend Canadians against the Chinese Communist Party?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Madam Speaker, my respect is mutual for the member. Raising the issues of human rights and of the very difficult relationship that we are having diplomatically and multilaterally with China is very important to me and it is something that I am working on every day.

The member mentioned consular cases and of course we did mention the cases of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in our throne speech. That does not mean that we are not seized every day with issues like the cases of Mr. Celil, Mr. Schellenberg and other Canadians who are facing inappropriate detentions, inappropriate sentences and the inappropriate lack of consular affairs. It is something we are working on every day.

We will continue to do that to the best of our ability and want to engage all of Parliament. I am very pleased that we will be bringing back the Canada-China committee and we will make sure that we have a robust discussion on how best to ensure that Canadian interests are upheld as we deal with China.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, members of the governing party are trying to make us believe that what they are doing to support the health care system of Quebec and the provinces is perfect, that it is the gold standard. However, long before the crisis, in December 2019, at the Council of the Federation, premiers were already asking for help. They unanimously asked for an unconditional increase in health transfers. This past spring's crisis was predictable. All federal governments in the past 25 years are responsible for it, and the current government still refuses to acknowledge the blood on its hands.

Will the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs admit that the only members who believe that the government has a good plan for health care are the Liberals themselves?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Madam Speaker, I do not think that there is anything I am more proud of our government for during the COVID pandemic than the fact that we have worked very closely with provinces and territories.

I want to commend the Deputy Prime Minister particularly for reaching out daily, at times hourly, to all of the provincial and territorial leaders to ensure that we had a robust plan that met their needs. That included most recently a $19-billion transfer for a safe restart. That was negotiated with provincial and territorial premiers, with an additional $2 billion to ensure that children and young people could return to school safely.

Our encouragement and our ability to work with the provinces and territories are unprecedented and we will continue to do that.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Madam Speaker, the government talks about building back better, but it has forgotten a lot of people: students and veterans. Let us not forget the Canadian human rights tribunal ruling to immediately stop racially discriminating against first nations kids.

Cindy Blackstock said that there was an opportunity for Canada to acknowledge its own systemic discrimination toward first nations kids and fix it. It did not. Spending over 13 years fighting a human rights decision shows racism is in Canada's DNA.

When will the government start upholding its domestic and international legal obligations and make sure that all people on Turtle Island can live with human rights, in dignity?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Madam Speaker, the member has raised a very important issue. I was very pleased to see in the Speech from the Throne that we will be introducing legislation before the end of the year to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Also, nothing has stopped. This is a Speech from the Throne that is visionary, lofty and ambitious. We will continue all the programs we have been doing around first nations, Inuit and Métis health. We will continue to work on justice issues, clean water issues, health issues and mental health issues. We will be doing that. We expect and hope that every parliamentarian will share that project with us.