House of Commons Hansard #61 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was uighurs.

Topics

Fisheries ActRoutine Proceedings

10:15 a.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

Usually what happens, though, is that it is brought back on a point of order and then it is up to the Speaker to decide. I want to thank the hon. members for bringing that up.

I will let the hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle continue, but I remind him that anything more than just the bill itself or the motion itself really borders on debate and it is not the time for debate right now.

The hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle.

Fisheries ActRoutine Proceedings

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

Andrew Scheer Conservative Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK

Mr. Speaker, I will absolutely respect the guidance there.

Out of the interests of allowing the House to proceed to orders of the day, I will briefly touch upon the aspect of this bill that allows municipalities some time to upgrade their systems. The coming-into-force component of this bill is designed to allow municipalities across the country that may not yet have the capacity to fully treat the water they admit into waterways to do so in due course.

I thank the indulgence of members. I think it is very telling that when the Conservatives propose meaningful measures to improve the environment, the Liberals get pretty squirmy.

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

Fisheries ActRoutine Proceedings

10:20 a.m.

NDP

Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. You asked the former speaker numerous times to stay on the issue at hand. I find it deplorable that, on a Thursday morning when we are trying to get to important issues, he continued, even to the end, to turn this into a circus. I ask you to reflect on that and ask him to reflect on his actions.

Fisheries ActRoutine Proceedings

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

I will reflect on it and I am sure the hon. member will as well. Thank you for that intervention.

Excise Tax ActRoutine Proceedings

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Emmanuel Dubourg Liberal Bourassa, QC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-270, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (school supplies).

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to introduce in both official languages a bill to amend the Excise Tax Act to exempt school supplies from the GST.

The bill seeks to promote children’s success in school, provide financial assistance to families during the back-to-school season, and encourage students to pursue their studies.

I thank the legislative counsel and House of Commons analyst for their contributions.

I would like to thank my hon. colleague, the member of Parliament for Lac-Saint-Louis, for supporting my private member's bill.

For promotional purposes, this is also known as the “Dubourg discount”.

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

Sex SelectionPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:20 a.m.

Conservative

John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB

Mr. Speaker, I table this petition on behalf of Canadians calling on Parliament to prohibit abortions based on gender. In Canada, the abhorrent practice of sex-selective abortions is legally permitted, but I believe a broad consensus exists among Canadians to end it. A National Post opinion poll reported 84% of Canadians believe it should not be permitted to end a pregnancy if a family does not want a child based on gender. I hope this consensus will be reflected in Canada's Criminal Code by our Parliament.

Airline IndustryPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Jaime Battiste Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS

Mr. Speaker, today I present a petition signed and supported by over 8,000 Canadians. The impact of COVID-19 has been harshly felt by our local regional airports, including the JA Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport. The petitioners call on the House to provide urgent financial support to our air industry so that our air carriers can re-establish commercial air service to airports across the country and reconnect our communities as part of a strong cross-country recovery.

Falun GongPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:25 a.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to rise this morning to present a petition concerning a crucial issue that is of particular importance to our debate today.

Petitioners are asking the House of Commons to look at the situation in the People's Republic of China, particularly in regard to the campaign of eradication of the practitioners of Falun Dafa, or Falun Gong.

Petitioners point to the issue of organ harvesting and the torture of practitioners of Falun Gong. They point to particular individuals, against whom they ask our government to apply Magnitsky sanctions.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

10:25 a.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary 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, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

10:25 a.m.

Liberal

The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota

Is that agreed?

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

10:25 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON

moved:

That,

(a) in the opinion of the House, the People's Republic of China has engaged in actions consistent with the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 260, commonly known as the "Genocide Convention", including detention camps and measures intended to prevent births as it pertains to Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims; and

(b) given that (i) where possible, it has been the policy of the Government of Canada to act in concert with its allies when it comes to the recognition of a genocide, (ii) there is a bipartisan consensus in the United States where it has been the position of two consecutive administrations that Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims are being subjected to a genocide by the Government of the People's Republic of China, the House, therefore, recognize that a genocide is currently being carried out by the People's Republic of China against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims and call on the government to officially adopt this position.

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.

On a warm night in June of 2009, two Uighurs were killed by a Han Chinese mob in Guangdong province. Uighurs are an ethnic Muslim minority in China, making up some 12 million people in a country of 1.4 billion ethnic Han Chinese. These two Uighurs were among the thousands of Uighurs who had migrated from their homes in impoverished western China to the bustling manufacturing plants in the south. This influx of Uighurs created ethnic tensions with the Han majority, which exploded that night.

In response to these two killings, thousands of Uighurs took to the streets in their home province of Xinjiang, some violently. According to reports, several hundred ethnic Han Chinese were killed. In response, Chinese authorities rounded up thousands of Uighurs. Unknown numbers were killed.

Ethnic tensions continued to mount, and after President Xi came to power in 2012, a series of terrorist attacks by Uighurs took place across China. Hundreds of ethnic Han Chinese were killed and wounded. One of these attacks took place in Tiananmen Square, the heart of the Chinese state.

None of this justifies what happened next. According to secret documents obtained by The New York Times, in 2014 President Xi ordered the full force of China's authoritarian state to be unleashed on the Uighurs, as well as on Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other Muslim minorities. He criticized the approach of western democracies in their war on terrorism for putting “human rights above security” and instructed authorities to “show absolutely no mercy”.

Uighurs living abroad suddenly lost contact with family in China. Parents disappeared. Neighbours went missing. Children were told their parents had gone to training school, a school they could not leave. These children were told their behaviour would influence the length of time their parents had to stay at school.

The disappeared have been sent to hundreds of detention camps that were built by the Chinese government as quickly as the COVID-19 hospitals were built in Wuhan last year.

Some estimate that more than two million Chinese Muslims have been detained in these camps. Some experts have called this the greatest mass incarceration of an ethnic group since the Holocaust.

Chinese authorities first denied the existence of these camps, but when presented with satellite evidence, they said they were educational training centres. Just a year ago, authorities said that everyone had been released from these camps, but the evidence says otherwise.

A growing body of evidence, which is based on satellite imagery, survivor testimony, leaked documents, smuggled videos and many other sources, document these atrocities. We can no longer ignore this.

Documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists highlight what is going on in the camps, including indoctrination, torture and forced labour. Women, men and children are being imprisoned with no chance of escape. Women are subject to sexual violence, mass sterilizations and forced abortions. Birth rates for Uighurs dropped 60% in the three-year period beginning in 2015. Last month, China's embassy in Washington celebrated this in a tweet.

Outside the camps, Xinjiang has turned into an open prison for Uighurs. China has combined the power of an authoritarian state with leading-edge technology to create a surveillance system that is beyond Orwellian. Every single Muslim is tracked. Muslims who do not meet the algorithmic standards are flagged for arrest and detention in camps. Any Uighur who does not follow the direction of authorities is flagged for arrest and detention. There is no procedural fairness, just the brute force of an authoritarian state.

Surveillance cameras are everywhere, but these are not just cameras. These are the gateway to a vast information-gathering system that analyzes every single ethnic Uighur's facial bone structure, expressions and behaviours. Every Uighur is tracked, classified and rated.

Reports indicate that in 2017, the Chinese authorities required every one of the 12 million Uighurs to go to their local police station to submit biometric data such as DNA samples, voice imprints and facial scans. Uighurs must also have tracking apps on their smart phones. Everything on the phone is tracked. Anything suspicious leads to arrest and detention in the camps.

Digital bar codes are found on the front doors of many Uighur homes allowing the police to check in through smart phone applications. Uighurs must swipe identity cards multiple times a day just to go about their daily lives, for example while shopping or visiting friends. In essence, Uighurs are not only being persecuted, they are being treated as human guinea pigs in the development of surveillance technology for China's new model of an authoritarian system of governance.

There are an estimated 1,400 technology companies working in Xinjiang province, many working closely with state authorities. One of these companies is Huawei. According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Huawei is extensively involved in state security projects in Xinjiang. This is the same Huawei the Liberal government cannot say no to and which it is in a partnership with, with a $5-million grant.

Last December, a report from the Center for Global Policy concluded that more than half a million Uighurs are being forced to pick cotton through a coercive state-run system. This is in a region that produces more than a fifth of the world's cotton.

China is in the process of eliminating an entire religion and culture. Satellite images show that about twenty Islamic religious sites, including mosques, have been destroyed. Uighur children are not allowed to learn their language or culture.

The state is perpetuating a genocide and committing crimes against humanity through its systematic population controls, sexual violence and mass detentions. These constitute elements of a genocide. These crimes have been documented in numerous reports from think tanks, such as the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, and from reputable news organizations, such as The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and BBC World Service, which was expelled from China just last week for documenting exactly that.

Two consecutive U.S. administrations have concluded a genocide has taken place, as has the Subcommittee on International Human Rights and numerous MPs in this House on both sides of the aisle. Think tanks like the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center have also come to the same conclusion, as has Irwin Cotler, the former Liberal minister of justice.

The genocide convention codifies the crime of genocide. It was the very first human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations in December of 1948. It signified the international community's commitment after the Holocaust to never allow it to happen again.

Canada is a state party to the convention. Article 1 clearly establishes Canada's obligation to prevent genocide, even if it is extraterritorial. Article 4 clearly establishes Canada's obligation to take action to punish genocide, including punishing the perpetrators. These obligations are binding and are the norm of international law.

No one pretends the recognition of a genocide will lead to an immediate stop to that genocide, but it is an essential first step. It is a clear call to the world for action, just as Canada's stand on apartheid was so many decades ago.

The evidence is clear. A genocide is taking place. Canada should not evade its responsibility under the convention simply by avoiding the recognition of a genocide. We must show leadership. We must take a stand. This motion must pass.

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

Winnipeg North Manitoba

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary 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, there is no doubt a great deal of concern and reflection on Canadian values when we talk about this really important issue.

In his comments, the member made reference to the United States being in favour of calling it a genocide. Can he provide the House some thoughts on Canada being in the Five Eyes with Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, and indicate whether or not these countries have already stated it is a genocide?

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

Conservative

Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON

Madam Speaker, the United States is the only country in the world that has formerly recognized that this constitutes a genocide. It was first recognized by the previous administration. It has since been confirmed by two secretaries of the current administration, both the current secretary of state and secretary of the treasury.

We are calling on the government to work with our allies, particularly our closest ally, the United States, in formally recognizing this Uighur genocide and to take action in order to prevent the continuation of this genocide.

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

NDP

Heather McPherson NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Madam Speaker, as a member who was on the Subcommittee for International Human Rights and heard the testimony from former Liberal members of Parliament, human rights groups, international legal experts, and survivors of the genocide, whose testimony of course had the most impact, I recognize and have declared that I see this as a genocide. I will support the bill.

The word “genocide” comes with serious responsibility. If the House of Commons passes this motion today, what actions would the member opposite like to see the government take to ensure an end to the ongoing genocide of the Uighur people?

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:35 a.m.

Conservative

Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON

Madam Speaker, I believe the government should work closely with our allies and everything should be on the table for consideration when working with our allies. We should be considering Magnitsky sanctions on the perpetrators of this genocide and the officials responsible for these gross human rights violations. We should be formally asking the International Olympic Committee for a relocation of next winter's Olympic games.

Canada has been a world leader in human rights and dignity on the world stage. We took a principled stand on apartheid in South Africa when many of our allies would not. We took a principled stand on the liberation of Europe some 75 years ago from the tyranny of Nazism. It is time for the government to play to the best tradition of this country, recognize this genocide and take commensurate action to stop it.

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills and all members in this House who have taken a stand on this issue, particularly through an open letter initially coordinated through the hon. member from the Bloc Québécois, with members from all parties signing it.

I want to put a difficult question to the member for Wellington—Halton Hills. I obviously agree with him that we are seeing a genocide in the Uighur population, but sometimes when I speak to retired senior members of our foreign civil service, there is a tremendous concern that being more aggressive in our communications about the People's Republic of China could result in more difficulty in gaining the release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.

Could my hon. colleague for Wellington—Halton Hills reflect on this?

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

Conservative

Michael Chong Conservative Wellington—Halton Hills, ON

Madam Speaker, we are very concerned about the wrongful detention of Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor, as we are with the arbitrary decision to put Mr. Schellenberg on death row, as we are with Huseyin Celil and other Canadians who are the target of China's belligerence.

That said, we strongly believe that being passive in the face of these threats is clearly not the way to respond to China's belligerence. It is time for Canada to join with allies, to stand up for our interests and our citizens, and to stand up for our values. We believe that is the best way to counter the rise and ever-increasing belligerence of this increasingly powerful authoritarian state.

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

Conservative

Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC

Madam Speaker, it is not only a great pleasure for me to rise in the House today to speak to this motion, it is also a duty. All parliamentarians in the House of Commons should feel that sense of duty.

I will reread the motion for everyone tuning in. It says the following:

That, (a) in the opinion of the House, the People's Republic of China has engaged in actions consistent with the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 260, commonly known as the “Genocide Convention”, including detention camps and measures intended to prevent births as it pertains to Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims; and

(b) given that (i) where possible, it has been the policy of the Government of Canada to act in concert with its allies when it comes to the recognition of a genocide, (ii) there is a bipartisan consensus in the United States where it has been the position of two consecutive administrations that Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims are being subjected to a genocide by the Government of the People's Republic of China, the House, therefore, recognize that a genocide is currently being carried out by the People's Republic of China against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims, and call on the government to officially adopt this position.

The plight of the Uighurs in China is not something that people in Quebec and Canada know very much about. If truth be told, the media in Quebec rarely address the subject. We rarely see an article about what is currently happening in China.

The Uighurs are a people who live in northwestern China. There are 11.5 million Turkic Muslims who have been living in that area for centuries. Hundreds of thousands of Uighurs are sent to deradicalization camps and used for forced labour. What is more, a number of organizations, including Canada's Subcommittee on International Human Rights, and two American administrations have now found that the Chinese government was committing acts of genocide and other crimes against humanity.

These acts of genocide include systematic population control, sexual violence and mass detention. We are deeply concerned about the genocide of the Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims in China. These reports demonstrate in detail the extent of the abuses perpetrated by the Chinese government against the Uighurs. They show the Chinese government's growing contempt for human rights and international law, including in Hong Kong, as well as for Tibetans, Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities.

This situation is very serious, especially when it is a major world power like China that commits these acts of violence against its own citizens and its minorities. That is why we, like so many others, are sounding the alarm against these crimes.

History shows us that our country, Canada, was built by people from all over who, one way or another, came to settle in Canada. Canada has a reputation for being a welcoming country, even though our record is not perfect.

Let us not forget that in 1939, Canada refused to accept certain refugees because of their race. The MS Saint Louis, a German ocean liner carrying Jewish refugees, travelled to Cuba where it was refused entry even though the passengers had visas. They then went to the United States, where they were turned away. Canada also refused entry to this ship with Jewish refugees on board. The ocean liner returned to Europe and the passengers were imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps, where 254 of them died.

I think we have since learned that we need to do as much as we can to speak up and help people who are in abusive or life-threatening situations. Today's motion calls on the Prime Minister and his members of Parliament to open their eyes and face the facts. As my colleague from Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan has pointed out, independent investigations have already been conducted. The investigations relied on testimony from survivors, satellite images and leaked Chinese government documents. The evidence is clear, and the government needs to believe it.

The Prime Minister seems to have some doubts. His response this week was to say that he was not sure. I suggest that he consult his Minister of Foreign Affairs, who recently said, “The mounting evidence of a systematic campaign of repression cannot be ignored.”

The United States, Canada's Subcommittee on International Human Rights and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, just to name a few, have all confirmed the point we are making today. The Prime Minister seems to be the only one who does not want to believe it.

Even his good friend Bob Rae, Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, said that there is no question that aspects of what the Chinese are doing fit the definition of genocide set out in the UN Genocide Convention.

We are calling on the Liberal government to do four things: to officially recognize the Uighur genocide, as the Biden administration did; to encourage the other allies to recognize this genocide; to work with our allies, including the United States, in order to take coordinated action in response to this genocide; and to impose Magnitsky sanctions on those responsible for the heinous crimes against the Uighurs.

We are also calling on the government to take any action necessary to keep Canadians safe. That includes updating travel advisories to reflect the potential threat for Canadians travelling to China and stopping the foreign influence and intimidation operations being carried out by the People's Republic of China here in Canada. We will certainly use various parliamentary tools and every other tool at our disposal to ensure that Parliament recognizes this genocide as soon as possible.

I would like to remind the House that Canada's Subcommittee on International Human Rights has already examined the facts and found that the actions of the Chinese Communist Party constitute genocide. We know that the Uighurs are being systematically detained in camps, violated, sterilized and forced to become labourers on a mass scale. The time for debating semantics has passed.

I have often spoken in the House about the dangers of Huawei, a Chinese company controlled by the Chinese communist regime.

Huawei applied for a patent for a facial recognition system. This system uses cameras to conduct facial recognition in order to determine whether the person belongs to the Uighur minority. Once the analysis is complete, the person is tracked, registered and identified. Then they are sent to jail or a forced labour camp. In China, this system is being used to identify Uighurs specifically. However, Huawei asked China's government patent authorities to remove the word “Uighur” because it knows full well that it is unacceptable. That is what is happening right now, but they are still trying to hide the truth.

When we talk to the Chinese government, they claim that the camps that the Uighurs are in are educational camps and that attendance is voluntary. That is what Beijing would have us believe, but we know what is going on. There is evidence. There are witnesses. Satellite images confirm what is happening on the ground. We can see the camps. We can see what the problems are.

We have often said that Canada needs to become a leader. In 2015, five years ago, the government said that Canada is back. That is what we heard, but we have yet to see it. Canada must support the United States and publicly and officially confirm the existence of the Uighur genocide by supporting the motion. Canada must publicly say that it is prepared to do everything in its power to ally with every democratic country that is willing and speak forcefully to the Chinese Communist Party. If Canada does not, then it is complicit in everything going on over there. If the Government of Canada turns a blind eye and says nothing, it is complicit in what the Chinese Communist Party is doing, and that is unacceptable.

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:50 a.m.

Bloc

Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles for his speech.

Obviously, we learned quite a bit from the subcommittee. I am absolutely stunned by the Liberal government's indifference and its failure to act on this issue.

Of course we know that what is happening to the Uighurs meets the definition of genocide. We even have proof of that.

In my colleague's opinion, what are the reasons behind the Liberal government's failure to act?

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. As the saying goes, that is the million-dollar question.

Why do the Prime Minister and his government refuse to admit the facts and acknowledge that China is committing acts of genocide? That is the question that needs to be answered. From what I understand, the NDP and the Bloc Québécois will be supporting our motion. At least we will win this one. The advantage of having a minority government in the House is that the opposition can sometimes be stronger if it works together. We can send a message to Canadians that, even if the Liberals vote against it, we will have prevailed and sent a message through the House of Commons, telling China that enough is enough.

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:50 a.m.

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Madam Speaker, I know a previous question was asked about our Five Eyes partners and the answer was that only the United States had declared what was going on as a genocide.

Following up on the last question from the member for the Bloc about why Canada had not taken this position, could the member comment as to why he does not think that the other Five Eyes nations have taken this position at this time and that perhaps they are considering it as well?

There is always an opportunity for Canada to lead. I am not suggesting that we do not, but I am inquiring as to why the member thinks that some of the other countries may have not already followed suit with the United States?

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased that my Liberal colleague is asking this question.

At present, four of the Five Eyes countries have said no to Huawei. Only Canada has not yet taken a position. With regard to the Uighur genocide, the United States was the first country to take a position, and Canada could be the second. The other countries will follow our lead. That is what it means to be a leader.

Must Canada wait until the other four members of Five Eyes take a position? Must it be last once again? No, it must be proactive and show leadership on this issue.

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Conservative

Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB

Madam Speaker, we have seen overwhelming evidence of a systematic attack against the Uighur people and, quite frankly, the Chinese Communist Party has not hid from that reality. In 2019, a communist official stated with respect to the Uighurs, “break their lineage, break their roots, break their connections, and break their origins.” Then we saw the shocking tweet from the Chinese embassy in Washington that said with respect to Uighur women that they were “no longer baby-making machines.”

The Chinese communist regime has all but admitted that it is committing genocide. Could the member speak to that?

Opposition Motion—Religious Minorities in ChinaBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Conservative

Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

I believe that we have all the information and that it is all clear. Canada must now act and take a position against China.