Debates of Feb. 23rd, 2021

Petitions

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We have quite a list of members presenting petitions today, but we only have 15 minutes, so I want everybody to be as concise as possible.

The hon. member for Bow River.

Hong Kong

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present.

In the first petition, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to join with other nations, such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Taiwan, to open our doors to the citizens of Hong Kong wishing to leave increasingly oppressive conditions created under the new Hong Kong national security law.

Health of Animals Regulations

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, the undersigned citizens of Canada draw the attention of the House of Commons to the Government of Canada's proposed amendments to part XV of the health of animals regulations, animal identification. These amendments would be very detrimental to agriculture societies and to organizations such as rodeos and fairs in Canada, and particularly in Alberta, where we have hundreds of these events.

The level of tracing that the CFIA is proposing is very concerning to agricultural organizations, the rodeo culture and fairs in the province of Alberta. The petitioners are very concerned about what this proposed piece of legislation from the CFIA would do.

Secure Air Travel Act

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present today.

The first is an e-petition. It is sponsored by Holly Oshust and signed by 576 Canadians.

The petitioners draw the attention of the House and the Government of Canada to the fact that minors do not need a piece of identification in order to board a flight in Canada. The petitioners are asking to amend subsection 3(1) of the Secure Air Travel Act to provide that air carriers must, at the boarding gate for a domestic flight, verify the identity of each passenger regardless of age and not just those who appear to be 18 years of age.

Fiscal Stabilization Program

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from residents in my riding who are calling upon the Government of Canada to remove the per capita cap on the fiscal stabilization program, referred to as the equalization rebate, which the petitioners say equals about $3 billion to the public treasury in Alberta.

Community Policing in Alberta

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is from residents all across Alberta, who are reminding the Government of Canada that there was a Fair Deal Panel that was struck and had reported recommendations. The petitioners draw the government's attention specifically to the recommendation related to community policing. The petitioners are asking for the following, which I will read into the record:

The petitioners are calling upon the Government of Canada to make a public statement that, should the Alberta government decide to terminate the community policing agreement with the RCMP as per the recommendation of the Fair Deal Panel, there would be no penalty levied against the Province of Alberta from the Government of Canada, and that the Government of Canada would support the transition towards a province-wide community police force, as is Alberta's constitutional right.

Carbon Pricing

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Mr. Speaker, today is Canada's Agriculture Day. It is my honour to table in the House a petition from my constituents of Red Deer—Mountain View, as well as from other residents of Alberta, on such an important day for farmers.

The petition calls on the Liberal government to exempt all direct and indirect input costs incurred by farmers as a result of the carbon tax. This ill-conceived tax costs Canadian farmers tens of thousands of dollars each year and puts them at a competitive disadvantage internationally. Even worse, the Liberal government's carbon tax will nearly triple by 2030.

The petition also calls on the government to immediately cancel implementation of the clean fuel standard. Studies estimate that the so-called clean fuel standard will represent a total cost to the Canadian economy of $7 billion to $15 billion. Canadians cannot afford another tax on top of an ill-conceived tax.

The Senate

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present six petitions today on behalf of constituents and Albertans.

The first petition asks that the Government of Canada take the steps required to establish equal representation for each province in the Senate of Canada.

Fiscal Stabilization Program

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition asks that the government immediately increase and backdate the fiscal stabilization program and that the government commit to working with provinces to address the current inequities that exist within the equalization formula.

Property Rights

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition asks that the government seek the agreement of the provinces to amend the Constitution to include property rights and that the government also take steps to enact legislation to ensure that full, just and timely compensation will be paid to all persons who are deprived of personal or private property as a result of any federal government initiative, policy, process, regulation or legislation.

Natural Resources

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the fourth petition asks to formally recognize Alberta's place as an equal partner in the federation, remove any barriers to Alberta being able to develop its resources without interference and ensure unfettered access to international markets for those resources.

Provincial Autonomy

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the fifth petition asks that the government take responsibility for creating a national unity crisis and that the government ensure there are no bureaucratic or legislative roadblocks for provinces that wish to exercise their constitutionally allowed measures of autonomy.

Natural Resources

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the final petition I have the honour of presenting today asks that the current Prime Minister of Canada apologize for the actions of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and the government's destructive national energy program and affirm the rights of provinces to develop, manage and market their natural resources.

These petitions address a series of very serious issues that Albertans are facing today in the federation.

Sri Lanka

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today I present e-petition 3039, which has been signed by over 1,300 people, including constituents from Scarborough Centre and Scarborough—Guildwood as well as people across the country, including many Canadians of Sri Lankan origin.

The petitioners call our attention to the Government of Sri Lanka's mandated cremation order for all people in the country whose cause of death is related to COVID-19. They know there is no scientific evidence to support this practice and that it runs contrary to World Health Organization guidelines. The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to urge the Sri Lankan government to honour the religious and cultural practices of Muslims and Christian minority communities around burials and end this practice of forced cremation.

Pefferlaw Dam

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Pefferlaw is small town with a big heart, and I rise again today to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Pefferlaw, Ontario, in my great riding of York—Simcoe.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to rehabilitate the historic Pefferlaw dam and to ensure that the Pefferlaw River flows again. Built in the 1820s, the Pefferlaw Dam has cultural, historical, environmental, economic and recreational significance to the residents of Pefferlaw and to visitors, which is why the petitioners' efforts are so important. Again, I would like to thank the petitioners.

The Environment

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to present three petitions in the House today.

The first petition calls on the House of Commons to recognize the reduction of global net carbon emissions is a critical endeavour in our fight against climate change.

As the government committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 and furthermore committed to exceed Canada's 2030 goal by introducing new carbon-reducing measures, and recognizing that carbon capture, utilization and storage is a leading measure to reduce global carbon emissions, this petition calls upon the Government of Canada to introduce new incentives to encourage carbon capture utilization and storage investments in Canada.

Carbon Pricing

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I have the pleasure to present today is from Canadians who realize the current pandemic is causing significant disruptions to business models.

The petitioners remember that during the 2019 federal election, the environment minister at the time assured Canadians that the carbon tax would be frozen at $50 a tonne annually as of 2022 and that the Liberal government has repeatedly told Canadians that the carbon tax would be revenue neutral for most taxpayers.

Now the first-ever annual carbon tax revenue report indicates tax collections were as much as 21% higher than rebates paid to taxpayers in four provinces: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick. The plan, entitled “A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy”, now proposes to increase the consumer carbon tax to $170 per tonne as of 2030.

This petition calls upon the government to keep its promise to Canadians and not increase the carbon tax beyond $50 per tonne.

Trans Mountain Pipeline

[Greg McLean, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition I am presenting today is from Canadians who draw to the attention of the House that Canadian oil is produced to the highest environmental standards in the world, and the government needs to acknowledge the industry's pioneering efforts.

Oil sands producers reduced their GHG emissions intensity by 28% from 2000 to 2017, and oil and gas is Canada's leading export and the number one private sector investor in the Canadian economy. This past year, the Trans Mountain expansion project provided almost 8,000 jobs and contributed $78 million to personal, corporate and sales taxes.

The continued uncertainty of Canada's ability to get our energy products to tidewater erodes global trust in Canada's environmentally advanced energy sector.

As pipelines are the safest and the cleanest way to transport oil and gas, this petition calls upon the Government of Canada to expedite the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Indigenous Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, I am rising this morning to present a petition on behalf of a number of my constituents and petitioners outside my community. They are calling on the government to respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to embed UNDRIP into our laws, and specifically to move to address the unresolved issues related to the rights of the people of the Wet'suwet'en nation, to move expeditiously to hear their concerns and to implement UNDRIP in relation to the pipeline moving through their territory.

Stillbirths

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table petition e-2467, which was initiated by Nadine Belzile of Gatineau and signed by 726 people. There are more than 3,000 stillbirths in Canada each year, and experts say that at least 30% of these babies could be saved.

The petitioners are asking the government to create a national committee on stillbirth and launch a national awareness campaign.

Natural Resources

[Gerald Soroka, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present two petitions today.

The first is with regard to the fact that Canada is still many years away from eliminating the use of oil and gas. Oil and gas produced in western Canada is produced with the highest labour and environmental standards in the world. Using Canadian oil nationwide first, before importing any oil from any other country, would greatly benefit the economy.

The petitioners call on the government to eliminate all importation of foreign oil and gas into Canada within the next five years, thus creating more jobs and building back a better economy.

[Gerald Soroka, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is on thermal coal.

The petitioners call on the government to keep mining thermal coal in Alberta because it is produced to the highest environmental and labour standards, with very low sulphur content, thus giving China access to better coal to lower its environmental footprint.

Alberta

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

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition on behalf of Albertans who want to draw to the attention of the House the recent Statistics Canada report that highlights how a disproportionate number of young men have died between May and October. The petitioners recognize that men are three times more likely to commit suicide.

Likewise, Albertans have suffered an energy downturn, an oil price war and a federal government unwilling to support major pipelines. Alberta has one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada.

The petitioners ask the House to approve shovel-ready projects across the country, letting Albertans get back to work, ensure that the TMX expansion is completed, that local communities and organizations are supported, and that the 988 suicide hotline is quickly created.

Energy Sector

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

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting five petitions today.

The first petition deals with something very important in my riding, which is Alberta's industrial heartland. It notes that the industrial heartland is one of the world's most attractive locations for chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas investment. It is Canada's largest hydrocarbon processing region and has 40-plus companies, several being world scale, providing fuels, fertilizers, power, petrochemicals and more to provincial national and global consumers.

The petitioners highlight the importance of energy-related manufacturing in Canada as a key component of our energy sector and our national economy. They call on the government and the House of Commons to advance policies that support growth in Alberta's industrial heartland and growth in energy-related manufacturing in general. Specifically, it calls on the House to support permanent accelerated capital cost allowance for energy-related manufacturing.

Carbon Pricing

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

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is in response to the Liberal government's decision to massively hike the carbon tax and push that forward in the midst of a pandemic. The petitioners note that this is not going to be an effective environmental measure at all. This is much more to do with the government trying to tax Canadians more and take more of their hard-earned dollars from them.

The petitioners therefore call on the government to repeal the decision to increase the federal carbon tax to $170 per tonne. Also, as an important accountability measure, they call on the government to have the carbon tax shown as a separate expense when buying products so citizens can actually be aware of how much money they are paying at a given time in the carbon tax.