Debates of April 23rd, 2021

Government Response to Petitions

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

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 20 petitions.

Employment Equity

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

Madam Speaker, the past few months have revealed the individual and collective difficulties that members of Canada's Black communities face. That is why I am presenting petition e-3147, which calls for Canadians of African descent to stop being marginalized in the workplace.

This petition is in line with efforts to fight systemic racism and racial discrimination. The federal government must implement meaningful reforms to ensure that visible minorities in Canada can thrive. Being Black means having a salary that is 26% lower on average and having a much higher unemployment rate. That is why we want to end all forms of workplace and employment discrimination.

The NDP supports the demands of the Black community in their fight to be considered a separate designated group in the Employment Equity Act.

Travel Advisers

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to present two certified petitions from constituents.

In light of COVID travel restrictions, there are over 12,000 travel advisers in Canada who continue to work without pay. The 25 petitioners on the first petition call upon the House of Commons to provide sector-specific funding for independent travel advisers and to extend qualifications of the RRRF in urban areas to include sole proprietors.

The 25 petitioners on the second petition call on the House of Commons to ensure that financial assistance to airlines and travel companies is conditional on the protection of travel advisers' commissions and that clawed-back commissions be repaid to travel advisers in a timely manner.

Human Rights

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

Madam Speaker, it is a privilege to present two petitions initiated and signed by constituents in Nanaimo—Ladysmith.

The first petition outlines a long series of human rights abuses sanctioned and perpetrated by officials of the Chinese Communist Party. The petitioners urge the Government of Canada to deploy all legal sanctions against these perpetrators under the Magnitsky act, including freezing assets and barring entry into Canada.

Health

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

Madam Speaker, the second petition highlights that proactive holisitic health practices play an important role in building immune system strength and help to keep people healthy. The petitioners are concerned that there is not enough focus on proactive health and wellness care. The petitioners request that the Government of Canada increase the focus on education and empowering Canadians on holistic approaches to optimize and maintain their natural immunity and well-being. They call upon the government to include proactive health and wellness care practices in the Canada Health Act and enhance access to these services.

Conversion Therapy

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

Madam Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

The first is in regard to Bill C-6, which is before the House being debated now. These individuals indicate that the definition needs to be fixed. It should state only to ban coercive, degrading practices that are designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. They indicate that as it is now, it expressly allows counselling and medical and surgical efforts to change a child's gender but prohibits support for a child seeking to detransition to his or her birth gender, and it could restrict the choices of LGBTQ2 Canadians concerning sexuality and gender by prohibiting access to any professional or spiritual support that is freely chosen by them to limit sex behaviour and detransition.

Sex Selection

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

Madam Speaker, my second petition is in regard to Bill C-233, the sex-selective abortion act, calling on the Parliament of Canada to pass an amendment to the Criminal Code prohibiting sex-selective abortion, on the basis that the majority of Canadians believe that it should be illegal to have an abortion if the family does not want the child to be a certain sex: i.e., 16% of Canadians would not agree with this bill. Canada has no legal restrictions, so it is antithetical to our commitment to equality between men and women not to do so.

Human Rights

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

Madam Speaker, I am presenting four petitions in the House this afternoon.

The first petition is a new petition for me. It highlights the passage in the last Parliament with unanimous support of the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, or the Magnitsky act. It also highlights the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China and, in the context of that, organ harvesting as well.

It notes the detention of a Canadian citizen, Ms. Sun Qian, and it calls on the Government of Canada to deploy all legal sanctions to hold those accountable for these violations of human rights, including against this Canadian citizen. In particular, it calls for the use of the Magnitsky act against those involved in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

Human Organ Trafficking

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

Madam Speaker, the second petition is related to the first, in that it responds to the particular issue of organ harvesting and trafficking. The second petition is in support of Bill S-204, a bill that has just been referred back to the Senate for third reading. The bill would make it a criminal offence for a person to go abroad and receive an organ that was taken without the consent of the person whose organ it is. It would also create a mechanism by which people could be deemed inadmissible to Canada if they are involved in forced organ harvesting and trafficking.

Various versions of this bill have been put forward by Liberal and Conservative members over a decade, and petitioners are hoping that we are finally able to get it done and passed in the current Parliament.

Ethiopia

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

Madam Speaker, the third petition highlights the situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. It highlights credible reports of war crimes, such as indiscriminate shelling of civilian towns and villages, extrajudicial killings, at least one large-scale massacre, looting and sexual violence. Petitioners are calling for greater engagement by the Government of Canada in terms of seeking justice, humanitarian support, humanitarian access and appropriate investigations. Petitioners also call on the government to promote short-, medium- and long-term election monitoring in Ethiopia.

Conversion Therapy

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

Madam Speaker, the fourth and final petition is with respect to Bill C-6.

Petitioners are supportive of efforts to ban conversion therapy. Petitioners are highlighting problems with the definition of conversion therapy used in this bill. In particular, petitioners note that the bill refers to any effort to reduce sexual behaviour. There may be many cases where people of any sexual orientation would seek counselling or support in the context of a desire to reduce sexual behaviour. Petitioners argue that this should be a choice for an individual, but obviously have no tolerance for violent and degrading practices that would constitute conversion therapy. Petitioners want the government to ban conversion therapy and use a proper definition in the process.

I commend all four of these petitions to the consideration of my colleagues.

Indigenous Affairs

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

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to present in the House today a petition from many of my constituents and from constituents from beyond the borders of Saanich—Gulf Islands. They call on the House to consider and respect the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. They draw attention, in particular, to violations of UNDRIP in the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline. They specifically speak to the concerns of the Wet'suwet'en nation and ask the House assembled to support UNDRIP and respect the hereditary rights of the Wet'suwet'en nation.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Madam Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 473 and 478.

Question No.473

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

With regard to royal recommendations provided to the House of Commons in conformity with section 54 of the Constitution Act, 1867: (a) during each of the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments, how many government bills required royal recommendations; (b) of the royal recommendations in (a), how many, broken down by each session of the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments, were provided (i) at the time notice was given of the introduction of the corresponding bill, (ii) following the notice of introduction of the corresponding bill; (c) for each bill in (b)(ii), (i) which bill was it, (ii) what was the date when notice of the bill's introduction was given, (iii) what was the date when the bill was introduced, (iv) what was the date when the notice of the royal recommendation was given, (v) who signed the royal recommendation, (vi) what accounts for the delay between the two dates in response to (c)(ii) and (c)(iv); and (d) is the statement, at page 148 of the Guide to Making Federal Acts and Regulations (second edition), "When a royal recommendation is required for a bill, it is communicated to the House of Commons before the bill is introduced and is included on the Order Paper", still the policy of the government?

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the Privy Council Office’s systems do not compile the information requested. Information pertaining to royal recommendations appended to bills, and the timing of notice of introduction of bills and of royal recommendations, can be found in House of Commons publications, including the Status of House Business available online at www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-2/house/status-business; and the Notice Paper at www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/house/latest/order-notice.

With respect to when a royal recommendation is required for a bill, Standing Order 79 of the House of Commons provides that a royal recommendation must be produced before the bill receives a final vote at third reading.

Question No.478

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

With regard to the government’s response to e-petition e-2760 stating that, “the Gender-Based Analysis Plus [GBA+] framework was used in the development of Bill C-6 to assess its expected impact on diverse groups of women, men, and gender diverse people”: (a) what parameters of the GBA+ were used; (b) who was responsible for administering the GBA+; (c) who was consulted in conducting the GBA+ ; (d) what were the conclusions of the GBA+; (e) why has that GBA+ not been made public; (f) will that GBA+ be made public; and (g) how did that GBA+ specifically impact the drafting of Bill C-6?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), all parameters of the GBA+ framework were considered in the development of Criminal Code amendments in relation to conversion therapy. Those parameters for which there is available data, and that are more directly relevant to the issue of conversion therapy, were noted in the results of the application of the GBA+ framework: gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, age, race and income.

With regard to part (b), Department of Justice officials who are responsible for policy development and drafting relevant cabinet documents on conversion therapy prepare the GBA+ assessment with support from the Department of Justice GBA+ unit. The Minister of Justice is responsible for the final contents of the memorandum to cabinet, which includes the results of the application of the GBA+ analytical tool.

More generally, the deputy minister is responsible for providing overall leadership to support GBA+ in the Department of Justice. The senior assistant deputy minister, policy sector, is responsible for the GBA+ unit, provides leadership in the promotion, implementation and monitoring of GBA+ in the department, and advises senior management of their roles and responsibilities.

With regard to part (c), officials from the LGBTQ2 secretariat and the Department of Justice GBA+ unit were consulted in applying the GBA+ analytical tool.

With regard to part (d), the department’s analysis identified the proportion of the population that identifies as homosexual, bisexual and transgender; the presence of higher rates of diagnosed mental disorders among LGBTQ2 Canadians than non-LGBTQ2 Canadians; and, that LGBTQ2 Canadians are disproportionately impacted by various types of victimization. The department drew from data of the Sex Now Survey and the 2019 TransPulse national study to note the proportion of respondents who reported having been exposed to conversion therapy. The GBA+ analysis also noted the association of conversion therapy with negative psychosocial health outcomes; the susceptibility of youth to conversion therapy’s harms; and that transgender, indigenous and racial minority men and those earning lower incomes were more likely than cisgender, white and higher income men to have experienced conversion therapy. In the case of indigenous respondents, this may be a function of the lasting effects of colonization. In the case of transgender respondents, this may be a result of the double stigma experienced by those who are simultaneously part of sexual orientation and gender minorities.

With regard to part (e), since 2008, it has been mandatory to include GBA+ considerations in memoranda to cabinet. As such, the GBA+ assessment in this case was included in the memorandum to cabinet that presented options for the government’s approach to Criminal Code amendments related to conversion therapy. The memorandum to cabinet is a Secret document subject to the Confidence of the Queen’s Privy Council.

With regard to part (f), the GBA+ assessment is prepared for cabinet deliberations and is protected by cabinet confidence.

With regard to part (g), the information considered in the application of the GBA+ framework pointed to youth’s greater vulnerability to the harms of conversion therapy, supporting Bill C-6’s proposed comprehensive prohibition on causing a person under 18 to undergo conversion therapy, whether in Canada or abroad. The information considered also notes that some adults seek out conversion therapy, sometimes because of a conflict between their deeply held religious beliefs and their sexual orientation, and that in some cases, adults who voluntarily choose conversion therapy suffer harms as a result. This evidence supports Bill C-6’s approach of permitting consenting adults to choose conversion therapy when it is offered free of charge, while still prohibiting profiting from, advertising or promoting conversion therapy, to reduce the presence of public messaging that is discriminatory and harmful towards LGBTQ2 communities.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

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

Madam Speaker, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 472, 474, 475, 476 and 477 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No.472

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

With regard to repairs to the government's CC-150 Polaris aircraft that was damaged in a towing incident in October 2019: (a) what were the total costs of the repairs; (b) what is the itemized breakdown of (a); (c) on what date did the aircraft return to service; and (d) what is the expected remaining lifespan of the aircraft?

(Return tabled)

Question No.474

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

With regard to Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) training at Veteran Affairs Canada (VAC), broken down by staff position, office location and year since 2010: (a) how many employees have taken the online GBA+ course offered by the Department for Women and Gender Equality; (b) how many employees have taken the GBA+ premium course offered by the Canadian School of Public Service; (c) how many staff have taken the half-day enhanced senior leadership training; (d) who is leading or delivering the training sessions; (e) how many training sessions have been offered; (f) has the enhanced senior leadership training been established as a requirement for onboarding of new senior leadership members; (g) has VAC developed or adapted tailored GBA+ tools; (h) how much was spent for training; (i) how much was spent on contractors and subcontractors; (j) of the contractors and subcontractors in (i), what is the initial and final value of each contract; (k) of the contractors and subcontractors in (i), what is the description of each service contract; and (l) have any applications for training been denied, and, if so, how many and why?

(Return tabled)

Question No.475

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

With regard to the Development Finance Institute Canada (FinDev) and M-KOPA holdings, since May 1, 2017: (a) what is the total in dollar terms FinDev has invested in M-KOPA; (b) did any cabinet member approve the M-KOPA investments, and, if so, who and on what date; (c) how many M-KOPA shares were purchased, on what date, and at what unit price; (d) what percentage of all shares does FinDev own; (e) what is the predicted rate of return on FinDev’s investment in M-KOPA in (i) two years, (ii) five years, (iii) ten years; (f) how many new jobs in Kenya are attributed to the FinDev investment; (g) what is the name and full-time job title of FinDev’s observer at the M-KOPA board; (h) has FinDev or its board observer determined if M-KOPA employees, salespeople or agents are paid in compliance with Kenya’s minimum wage; (i) has FinDev or its board observer approved executive pay to chief executive officer Jesse Moore of a minimum US$250,000 per annum plus bonus and stock options; (j) has FinDev or its board observer determined if M-KOPA practices usury or charges customers criminal interest rates as defined by Canada’s Criminal Code; (k) did FinDev or its board observer include an “Environmental and Social and Governance” clause in its agreement with M-KOPA; and (l) has FinDev or its board observer invoked any Environmental, Social and Governance breach in seeking a return of its original investment?