Debates of May 28th, 2021

Health

[Dave Epp, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Leamington, ON]

Madam Speaker, the upper amount of cannabis individuals are authorized to possess for medical purposes is almost impossible for an individual to consume personally, and the sourcing of this production is being given over to designated growers. According to law enforcement officials, these production licences are often abused, with the excess production being illegally sold into the black market, traded into the U.S. for fentanyl or, even worse, traded for handguns, fuelling our gang violence.

When will the Minister of Health address the loopholes in these regulations? These loopholes are large enough to drive a U-Haul truck through, delivering illegal, black market—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. minister.

I see the Minister of Health is not available to answer, so we will go to the next member.

The hon. member for Peace River—Westlock.

Justice

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

Madam Speaker, for years, companies such as MindGeek have published videos of sex trafficking, child exploitation and sexual assault. Removing these videos after 24 hours, as the government is proposing, is not good enough. Within that time, a video could be viewed and downloaded millions of times, creating an endless nightmare for victims.

Yesterday, I introduced the SISE act, which would require pornographic platforms to verify the age and consent of every individual in a video before it is published. Does the government support this approach of putting the burden of responsibility on companies, instead of on victims?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Madam Speaker, we take the issue of exploitation and trafficking extremely seriously, and we have worked diligently to address this through provisions that currently exist in the Criminal Code and through funding investments included in our most recent budget.

That funding would assist in the prosecution of those who exploit people, including through trafficking. We are dedicated to promoting that funding so we can ensure people are kept safe, particularly children who are being sexually exploited.

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Madam Speaker, 50 years ago today, on a tragic night in my riding, the life of Sandy Seale, a young Black man, was taken, and a young Mi’kmaw named Donald Marshall Jr. spent 11 years in jail for a murder he did not commit. The inquiry into these events later found that the criminal justice system failed Donald Marshall Jr. at virtually every turn.

Can the Minister of Justice inform the House what steps have been taken by the government to address systemic racism in our justice system?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Sydney—Victoria for his advocacy on this important issue.

While we will never be able to fully right the wrongs since the wrongful arrest and imprisonment of Donald Marshall Jr., I am proud to say that a lot has changed since then. We have taken significant action, including crucial steps toward the creation of an independent criminal case review commission to review potential wrongful convictions. We have also brought forth legislation to address the overrepresentation of indigenous persons and Black Canadians in the justice system.

There is more to do, and our government is committed to doing the work that will lead to a justice system and a country that is more just and more fair for all.

Pensions

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Speaker, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board invested $900 million in a private water scheme in Brazil, driving up the cost of the water utility for residents in Rio de Janeiro's most impoverished communities. Labour and human rights groups are fighting this move, calling it a violation of Brazil's national laws. Liberals and Conservatives, two months ago, defeated my bill to bring more accountability to the Canada pension plan investment policies.

Clean water and sanitation are human rights. Why are the Liberals encouraging this unethical investment of our public money?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his sincere concern for our relationship abroad and the importance of protecting the environment and working with international partners to do so.

However, I do want to point out that when it comes to the investment decisions of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which are designed to protect the retirement security of Canadians, those decisions are made entirely independently of the Government of Canada. It is important to maintain that space between the government and the Pension Plan Investment Board to ensure that there are not political decisions taken that could compromise the retirement security of Canadians.

Health

[Derek Sloan, Independent, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister speaks from both sides of his mouth when defending our rights and freedoms. Last year, he attended a public protest in Ottawa, a violation of Ontario's emergency measures, yet he also claims lockdown protesters spread COVID, as if COVID spreads only at rallies he does not like.

He has affirmed the right of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters who were not ticketed by police, yet I, as a sitting MP, received two court summons for attending other peaceful outdoor protests.

Can the government confirm the Prime Minister is in favour of all Canadians' right to peacefully protest, or just the causes he personally endorses?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, it is unfortunate that the hon. member does not understand how to follow local public health rules, but they are in place to keep Canadians safe and to stop the spread of COVID-19. I recommend that if he continues to get summons, there is a problem with his interpretation of these public health measures.

They are serious. They are put in place to keep Canadians safe, but a person's ability to peacefully protest has not changed. The measures are in place to keep Canadians safe by stopping the spread of COVID-19, and I recommend he take them seriously.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Following discussions among representatives of all parties in the House, I understand that there is an agreement to observe a—

The hon. parliamentary secretary on a point of order.

Oral Questions

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member opposite asked a question earlier about CERB repayment. With your permission and the permission of the House, I would like to correct the record and my response regarding the CERB repayment.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I did call on the parliamentary secretary twice for a response. I would ask those who are participating virtually to ensure they are ready to respond. Unless there is a technical issue, that is a different story.

I will allow the hon. parliamentary secretary to respond, but I would also indicate that members should be ready to respond immediately, so it does not take away from other orders of the House.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Speaker, for the sake of clarity, I would like to know whether the parliamentary secretary wants to answer a question or correct a previous answer. What he is asking is not exactly clear, and I think you should clarify that with him before ruling.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Does the hon. parliamentary secretary want to clarify an answer or respond to a question that was asked?

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would like to clarify a response that I gave to a question regarding the repayment of CERB. I would like to correct the record and provide an improved answer.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Does the member have unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

There is no consent to do that at this point, but the member can clarify that during debate in the House.

Is the hon. government House leader also rising on a point of order?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Things have been clarified.

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There was a question directed to me and unfortunately the mute button would not come off. It was a technical issue. I was prepared and ready to answer. I can do so now.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Is there unanimous consent to allow the parliamentary secretary to respond to the question that was asked in the House?

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

Madam Speaker, I do not believe unanimous consent would be required in this situation. Precedent has been set by the Chair that if there is a technical issue raised by a member, he or she is allowed to respond or re-ask the question. I think we need to be careful about asking for unanimous consent because the precedent has already been set that it is not required.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. House leader of the official opposition on a point of order.

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

Madam Speaker, we understand very well that sometimes there are technical problems. We respect that but would remind members that there are never any technical problems in the House.

The government was free to choose another person to answer the question and had the time to do so. Sometimes, a member asks a question directly to a minister and someone else answers. We may not like that, but the government always answers because whoever responds does so on behalf of the government.

The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons was therefore free to choose another colleague. He decided not to do that. That is his choice and his right. Everyone has the opportunity to speak when they have permission.