Debates of Feb. 4th, 2021

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I wonder if, in the opening prayer the next time, we could pray for a Governor General. At the moment, we do not actually have one, and maybe perhaps we could also offer prayers on behalf of our future Governor General.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to thank the hon. member for his input and will take that under consideration.

Status of Women

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women in relation to the motion adopted on Tuesday, February 2, regarding national human trafficking awareness day.

Income Tax Act

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

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-264, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (volunteer firefighting and search and rescue volunteer services).

Mr. Speaker, volunteer firefighters account for 83% of Canada's total firefighting essential first responder calls. In addition, 8,000 essential search and rescue volunteers respond to thousands of incidents every year. I am proud today to rise and present my private member's bill to extend tax credits currently available to volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers.

We know that many volunteer emergency responders already hold full-time jobs. They continue to volunteer and demonstrate enormous sacrifices within their communities to keep us safe. In many cases they put their lives at risk. They could be running into a burning home to rescue someone or searching for a missing neighbour or friend they know personally.

Especially now, with an increasing number of first responder calls and the evergrowing opioid crisis, their critical role in society is even more important. This bill is the least we can do. Across the country, with the ever-increasing cost of living, local departments are struggling to recruit new volunteers to meet the needs of their communities. Extending tax credits would demonstrate that the federal government supports the work of local fire departments and search and rescue detachments and it would show appreciation for the future work of dedicated volunteers. When volunteers have our backs in times like these, it is essential that we have theirs.

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

Employment Insurance Act

[Claude DeBellefeuille, Bloc, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-265, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (illness, injury or quarantine).

Mr. Speaker, introducing this bill to amend the Employment Insurance Act with respect to illness, injury or quarantine on behalf of the Bloc Québécois is a poignant moment for me.

This bill will be known as the Émilie Sansfaçon act. Émilie was a young mother who left us much too soon at just 31 years of age, and this bill is the culmination of her political struggle to extend special EI benefits from 15 to 50 weeks, thereby enabling sick workers to fight with dignity.

This bill reiterates the Bloc Québécois motion calling for this change, which the House adopted last February.

All workers who are off work due to illness deserve better, and we are here for them.

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

Genetically Modified Foods

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, because transparency with respect to genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, is seriously lacking in Canada, because the government refuses to make the labelling of GMOs mandatory despite the strong consensus in Quebec and Canada, because Canada was the first country in the world to authorize the commercial production of a genetically modified animal, salmon, and Canadians were the first to consume it without their knowledge, I am pleased to present a petition today signed by 4,390 people from many groups, including Vigilance OGM, that want the government to step up and protect consumers and ecosystems.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before we continue, given the long list of petitions, I would remind hon. members to be as concise as possible when presenting their petitions.

The hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.

Opioids

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to present a petition on behalf of Christine Wingate in memory of her late son Shane.

The opioid crisis, the most deadly public health crisis of my lifetime, which claims a life every two hours in our country, has seen a significant increase as a result of COVID-19. Opioid use and other drug use that is affecting communities from coast to coast is a scourge and must be addressed by the government.

The signatories call on the government to declare the opioid crisis a national health emergency. They call on the government to develop a Canadian overdose action plan in collaboration with provinces and territories and to take the steps needed to prevent overdose deaths and injuries, particularly by looking at best practices and successful practices from other countries.

On behalf of Christine Wingate and her son Shane, it is an honour to present this petition.

Human Rights

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to be presenting a petition today highlighting the horrific persecution of Uighur Muslims in China. The petitioners call on the government to recognize that a genocide is taking place and impose Magnitsky sanctions on those involved in these horrific abuses.

Tourism Industry

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition with over 5,000 names on behalf of travel advisers across Canada.

For the past year, life has not been easy for them. They have no revenue, as no one is travelling, yet they continue to spend countless hours on behalf of their clients, dealing with postponements, re-bookings and cancellations. Now they are very concerned that an airline bailout package will force them to repay clawbacks with money they do not have.

This petition calls on the government to ensure that travel advisers' hard-earned commissions for services they have already provided will be protected from such clawbacks.

Human Rights

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by dozens of Canadians calling on this House to formally recognize that the Uighurs in China have been subject to genocide and to use the Magnitsky act to sanction those responsible for those heinous crimes.

We know that the Chinese Communist Party is subjecting Uighur Muslims to atrocities that include birth suppression through forced sterilization, abortion, political and anti-religious indoctrination, arbitrary detention, separation of children from families, invasive surveillance, destruction of culture sites, forced labour and forced organ harvesting.

Canada's Conservatives are extremely concerned about the treatment of Uighurs and other minorities in China. We have seen the Chinese Communist Party's escalating disregard for human rights and international law, including in Hong Kong and with Tibetans, Falun Gong, Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities.

It is time for this House to join the growing international consensus and recognize that this is a genocide.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

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

The first petition I am presenting is on behalf of over 9,500 Canadians, and I want to thank Don't Forget Students for its advocacy. Post-secondary students are taking on unprecedented amounts of debt. Student debt in Canada exceeds $36 billion, with $18 billion owed federally, and is the cause of one in six bankruptcies.

Thirty-nine per cent of students are struggling with food insecurity as a result of the rising cost of food, housing and tuition, and during the pandemic, youth unemployment has reached an all-time high.

The petitioners are asking the government to implement a plan for pandemic relief and stimulus for Canada's post-secondary students and recent graduates, and they emphasize that the government must extend the moratorium on student loan payments.

Natural Resources

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from constituents concerned about the Trans Mountain expansion project.

They highlight a number of important points. The cost of the project has more than doubled to $12.6 billion, and given construction delays, will likely be much higher. Canadian tax dollars are at risk, but billions of dollars yet to be spent and could be reallocated toward ambitious investments in the clean economy, which would create much-needed jobs in sectors hard hit by the pandemic and by the downturn in the oil industry.

Petitioners are asking the government to delay further spending on Trans Mountain and to prioritize investments in clean energy now.

Foreign Affairs

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

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition on behalf of petitioners who are concerned about a situation in Cameroon, a human rights and conflict situation in the anglophone areas of Cameroon. They call on Canada to pressure its allies to stop all weapon sales to Cameroon. They note that Canada is a welcome addition to the Arms Trade Treaty and ask we use our position as a party to that treaty to cease all weapon sales to Cameroon.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition signed by approximately 1,000 people in support of a petition started by Stéphane Handfield.

We have learned from Mathieu Paiement's documentary, Les poussières de Daech, that there are children with a Canadian parent who are currently trapped in refugee camps in northeastern Syria. They are living in extremely poor and even inhumane conditions. These children could be brought back to Canada. There are families who are asking that it be done. In fact, a young girl was brought back to Canada last fall.

These children are innocent and have the right to a good life. Canada needs to meet its obligations under international conventions. These people are calling for the federal government to take action and bring Canadian children who are trapped in refugee camps in Syria back to Canada.

Volunteer Firefighters

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a real privilege to table e-petition 2846, signed by over 2,655 Canadians. The petitioners cite that volunteer firefighters account for 83% of Canada’s total firefighting essential first responders. In addition, 8,000 essential search and rescue volunteers respond to thousands of incidents every year.

Currently, the tax code allows volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers to claim a $3,000 tax credit if 200 hours of volunteer hours are completed in a calendar year. This works out to a mere $450 per year that we allow these essential volunteers to keep as their own income, which equates to about $2.25 an hour. They not only put their lives on the line and give their time for training to protect Canadians, but they also allow cities and municipalities to keep property taxes low.

Petitioners cite that increasing this tax credit would allow these essential volunteers to keep more of their hard-earned money, likely to be spent in the communities in which they serve, and it would also help in retaining these volunteers in a time when volunteerism is decreasing. The petitioners are calling on the government to increase the tax exemption from $3,000 to $10,000. This was reflected in the bill I tabled this morning.

Air Transportation

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition today on behalf of over 500 of my constituents who are gravely concerned about the operation of a racetrack that was set up last summer at the St. Andrews Airport.

The St. Andrews Airport used to be owned by the federal government and still falls under federal jurisdiction. The petitioners have complained multiple times to the Municipality of St. Andrews, but there has been no clarity or decision made by the Municipality, even though the Municipality is the owner of the airport, on whether this racetrack is permitted under municipal bylaws or whether the airport authority should allow it to exist.

The petitioners are calling upon the government to provide clarity, under the transport regulations, on whether a racetrack on an airport property fits into aerodrome regulations.

The petitioners ask that the House petition the Minister of Transport directly to provide the clarity required by my constituents so there can be an ultimate decision made on the legitimate operation of a drag strip on an airport runway.

Opioid Crisis

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition today organized by Katherine Steinhoff in memory of her son Simon. It calls on the government to declare an opioid crisis, which is one of the deadliest public health emergencies of our lifetime. One death is taking place on average every hour, and the death toll has been 15,400 in the last four years alone. Petitioners call on the government to declare this a national emergency and immediately collaborate with the provinces and territories to establish a pan-Canadian action plan to end overdose deaths and injuries.

Rail Worker Safety

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to present the petition calling for an independent investigation into the killing of Dylan Paradis, Andrew Dockrell and Daniel Waldenberger-Bulmer on CP Train 301 near Field, B.C., in 2019.

Today is the second anniversary of their deaths and many of us share our thoughts with the three families. This petition, signed by thousands of Canadians, pushes for justice. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the families and Teamsters Canada, an independent investigation has begun. As CBC's The Fifth Estate made clear, many have said there must be answers.

The petition also makes clear that this tragedy pointed to the major concerns of the ongoing policing of rail forces. Through this petition, Canadians are saying Dylan, Andrew and Daniel, rail workers and working people in our country, deserve justice. No Canadian worker should die to make a living.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, if a revised response to Question No. 344, originally tabled on January 25, could be made an order for return, this return would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No.344

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

With regard to applications received by the government for a new Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) or a new Restricted Possession and Acquisition Licence (RPAL), during the COVID-19 pandemic: (a) what was the exact date when new applications for PALs and RPALs (i) stopped being processed during the pandemic, (ii) began being processed again; and (b) how many new (i) PAL, (ii) RPAL applications were processed between March 15, 2020, and December 1, 2020, broken down by week?

(Return tabled)

Questions on the Order Paper

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand.