Debates of May 26th, 2021

Post-Secondary Education

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Kingston and the Islands for his hard work here in this House.

Young Canadians are Canada’s future and they are at the centre of our recovery efforts. To date, we have invested more than $7.4 billion in pandemic supports to young Canadians and students. Budget 2021 builds on this investment with an additional $5.7 billion so that young Canadians and students can keep up their studies, pay for tuition and find jobs.

I am proud that this is one of the largest youth support packages in the world. We will continue to be there for young Canadians.

Public Service of Canada

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we are learning that there are alarming cases of racism in the public service.

Black public servants are being exposed to harassment and verbal abuse in their workplace. The complaints are ignored, or the employer spends thousands to buy the silence of those involved in these cases of racism. Racism does not have a price. It must be eliminated.

What will the Prime Minister do to fight systemic racism in the public service?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we recognized system racism in this country from the outset.

We worked hand in hand with the Black community and with diverse and marginalized communities. We also worked within the public service to improve hiring and retention practices for racialized Canadians.

We will always be there to promote diversity within the public service, but we recognize that there is still a lot more work to be done. We will be there to work hand in hand with our public service professionals to include everyone.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

That is all the time we have for oral questions today.

There is a point of order. I will recognize the hon. member for Beloeil—Chambly and then the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands.

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations among the parties, and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion: That the House agree that section 45 of the Constitution Act, 1982, grants Quebec and the provinces exclusive jurisdiction to amend their respective constitutions; and acknowledge the will of Quebec to enshrine in its constitution that Quebeckers form a nation, that French is the only official language of Quebec and that it is also the common language of the Quebec nation.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

There is not unanimous consent.

Oral Questions

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order rising out of question period. I know we tried to address this issue during question period, but we continue to have members who are participating virtually interjecting into the debate and making comments, which is making it extremely difficult for members who are participating virtually to participate. I know that on at least one occasion it was the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan. He has routinely been called out by you or the Chair occupant at the time to discontinue this practice.

I would encourage you to ensure, by whatever means you have possible, Mr. Speaker, that those who are participating virtually have the ability to do so unimpeded by members who are participating in this manner.

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

Mr. Speaker, if you will indulge me, I will just briefly address the same point, because it is important for members to hear what is at stake in this conversation. Canadians of Asian origin are speaking out about the impact of—

[An hon. member]

This is not a point of order, Mr. Speaker.

[Some hon. members]

Debate.

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

Mr. Speaker, I note that I am being heckled—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order please. I am going to interrupt. It sounds like it is getting into debate, so I am going to leave it there. However, on that note as well, when someone speaks, the Chair usually determines whether it is debate or a point of order. I appreciate the help, but I would like a few seconds to determine what the member is about to say or is saying so we can determine whether it is debate.

While I do appreciate the people shouting out and trying to help, it just makes it very disorderly, which leads us to the point of order from the member for Kingston and the Islands, where, if we are here and someone does interject, it does make it difficult for everyone. This is about respect for each other in the chamber, and that is what I am asking.

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

Mr. Speaker, I remind the House that the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands is the one who brought up the participation of the member from Alberta who spoke earlier. I apologize, but I cannot remember his riding name.

If he was called out by the government member, it is perfectly normal and appropriate for him to get a chance to explain himself. That is why I think he should have the floor.

I want to point out that members on the government side are enthusiastic advocates of virtual participation, so they certainly know what they are talking about.

[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]

Mr. Speaker, on the same point of order, over the last number of months, I, as have many of my colleagues, tune in virtually and understand what our obligations are. If we want to get the attention of the Chair, we put our hand up and then we wait until we are recognized.

On several occasions during question period, members, and in this case it was the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, intentionally undo the mute button to interject. It is one thing to do it by accident, but it is the same member on several occasions, and there needs to be a consequence—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to have to interrupt, because it sounds like we are getting into debate again. The point of order is not interjecting in the chamber. We will deal with that one a little at a time.

Again, I want to remind all members that it is on the individual member's honour that we are in here following the rules. I want to encourage everyone to follow those rules so we can run smoothly.

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

Mr. Speaker, it seems as though, in raising the point, which has been raised before by the member opposite and by the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader, that it is in effect itself an attempt at a commentary or debate or to name and shame particular members, in this case the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

However, while that member was responding to that point, the member for Milton and the member for Winnipeg North also took their microphones off mute in the same way that the member for Kingston and the Islands said was inappropriate, and the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader and the member for Kingston and the Islands were seeking for the Chair to sanction the member for doing just that.

I defer always to the judgment of the chair occupant. Perhaps, if there is to be a ruling in the opinion of the Chair, we just ask members to appeal to their honour and the regular traditions and customs of this place and not look to tattletale every time they hear a member engage in what has been a traditional practice in this place for many years.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the intent of my rising to indicate this point of order was because of the fact that the particular member has done it repeatedly on a number of occasions. He routinely does this where he interjects. It is not affecting the ability for those in the House to listen to the debate; it is affecting those who are online, because suddenly the entire feed and sound is eliminated and they are unable to hear anything.

The point is that those who are doing this are doing it repeatedly, and I would encourage you, Mr. Speaker, to somehow enforce some kind of rule that would prevent this from continuing to happen.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We have two more people rising on points of order, and then we will get on with the business of the day.

The hon. member for Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation.

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in connection with that same point of order, I would like to note that the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan keeps turning his microphone on and off to interject deliberately and repeatedly.

Interjecting once and being called to order is not the same as repeatedly failing to listen to the Speaker of the House. On this point of order, I would ask that you watch the videos and see how many times the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan has deliberately raised a point of order in the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was, with all due respect, interrupted when I was initially trying to make some comments on this matter. Many members have now intervened with various aspersions about me, and I have been very interested in setting the record straight about some matters of the context. I will be in your hands as to whether I can share that context.

As I was saying before, Canadians of Asian origin are speaking about the impact on their lives of foreign state-backed interference, and this is part of the racism being faced by Asian Canadians. It is the pressure from foreign governments, in particular the Government of China, to deny them of the freedom—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am going to interrupt the hon. member there. Normally when we get up on a point of order—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Can I have the attention of the chamber, please.

Normally when we get up on a point of order, it is because the process was broken. If we are not staying within those parameters, it becomes debate.

I will ask the hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan to go on, but remember that it sounds like he is debating something, and I would like to know the point of order and what was disrespected.