Debates of Oct. 31st, 2022

The Economy

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, we know that eight out of 10 families will be better off after the climate action rebate, but the member is from B.C. No one understands climate change better than the residents of B.C. where the costs are very high. There was a $6-billion tab for the atmospheric rivers after drought, fires and flood, and 600 lives were lost in the interior of B.C. The price is very high.

We have a moral obligation to deal with the climate issue and an economic imperative.

Foreign Affairs

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as a result of the ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, my Scarborough—Agincourt constituents and beyond are concerned about the 240 deaths and the many destroyed civilian settlements in Armenia. A ceasefire was agreed upon on September 14. However, recent reports suggest further escalation.

Our government announced it will open a full embassy in Armenia, and we are actively engaging with our Armenian partners to strengthen their democracy. Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs update us on the steps we have taken to secure peace in this area and how we are supporting the strengthening of democracy in Armenia?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for Scarborough—Agincourt for her strong advocacy for the Armenian community.

I announced back in June that Canada would be opening a new embassy in Yerevan, and that has been long awaited by many. This will also allow our countries to have stronger ties. We know there is a lot of instability and security challenges in the region. Canada will step up and be involved in making sure that we have stronger ties, and protect peace and democracy in the region and globally.

Health

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

Mr. Speaker, last week, a North Island resident told me she is scared for the safety of her family because of the Port Hardy Hospital emergency room closures. There is not enough staff to keep it open. This is a crisis. Canadians cannot access public health care. Rural communities have been left behind by underfunding for health care by both Conservative and Liberal governments.

Will the government finally listen to the pleas of British Columbians for more federal funding for public health care?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, funding public health care in Canada is not only a need but also an obligation under the Canada Health Act. We know how important it is to millions of Canadians now with the crises that we see in emergency departments across the country. We also know we need to support access to family health teams, because that is a key part of the solution. People need to have access to their family doctors in order to avoid having to go to the emergency room to treat things that should be treated or prevented before people end up in a hospital.

Employment Insurance

[Alain Rayes, Independent, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I asked a question last Friday but I did not get an answer from the parliamentary secretary. I will ask my question again, but this time I will ask the minister.

In our riding offices, we all hear from desperate people affected by illness. All parties unanimously agree that we need to extend the financial assistance provided to Canadians suffering from serious illnesses.

In its last budget, the government announced that the period for EI sickness benefits would be increased to 26 weeks. This measure was supposed to be implemented in the summer of 2022, but unfortunately, that has not happened yet.

My question is quite simple. When will that measure be implemented?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, I have good news for my hon. colleague.

Beginning in December, workers will have access to 26 weeks of EI sickness benefits. The number of weeks will increase from 15 to 26. We are very pleased to announce that workers who become sick will be entitled to more support.

Removal of Iran from UN Commission on the Status of Women

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

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. I move:

That, given:

(i) the brutal death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),

(ii) the subsequent crackdown in Iran on women's rights, civil liberties, and fundamental freedoms; and,

(iii) a long history of grave human rights abuses and violence against women perpetuated by the Iranian state,

this House declare its support for the removal of Iran from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay. It is agreed.

The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

(Motion agreed to)

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion:

That the House:

(a) reiterate its unconditional support for Iranian women who are peacefully demonstrating for their rights in Iran;

(b) condemn the killings, intimidation, and acts of violence initiated by the Iranian state against protesters who support the women's liberation movement in Iran; and

(c) call on the United Nations to withdraw Iran from its Commission on the Status of Women.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

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

The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

(Motion agreed to)

The House resumed from October 28 consideration of the motion that Bill C‑9, An Act to amend the Judges Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee.

Judges Act

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

It being 3:10 p.m., pursuant to order made on Thursday, June 23, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at second reading stage of Bill C‑9.

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #206

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I declare the motion carried.

Accordingly, the bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

(Bill read the second time and referred to a committee)

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I wish to inform the House that because of the deferred recorded division, Government Orders will be extended by 12 minutes.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, a report of the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas respecting its participation in the 6th Gathering of ParlAmericas' Open Parliament Network. The virtual sessions were held on March 9, 15 and 22, 2022.

Opioids

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

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and privilege to table a petition today on behalf of constituents from Comox Valley, Courtenay and Cumberland in my riding and those of my colleague from north Vancouver Island.

The petitioners cite that 27,000 Canadians have died since 2016 due to preventable drug poisoning resulting from a toxic drug supply. The war on drugs has resulted in widespread stigma toward those who use controlled drugs and substances, and it has allowed organized crime to be the sole provider of substances. Problematic substance use is a health issue and is not resolved through criminalizing personal possession and consumption.

They call on the Government of Canada to reform drug policy to decriminalize simple possession of drugs listed in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, something that is recommended by the expert task force on substance use; provide a path for expungement of conviction records for those convicted of personal possession; with urgency, implement a health-based national strategy for providing access to a regulated safer supply of drugs; and expand trauma-informed treatment, recovery and harm reduction services and public education awareness campaigns throughout Canada.

Charitable Organizations

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

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

The first petition is on behalf of Canadians from across Canada who are concerned about the Liberal Party's platform promise to revoke charitable status for pro-life organizations such as pregnancy crisis centres. They note that the Liberal government tried this once before with the Canada summer jobs grant program. They aim to raise awareness and ask the Government of Canada to ensure that charitable status it not politicized.

Firearms

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

Madam Speaker, the second petition is from Canadians across the country who are concerned about the damaging noise levels of firearms.

The petitioners are calling for the Government of Canada to recognize traditional hearing protection. They recognize that Canada is the only G7 nation that does not recognize the legal use of suppressors. They call for the Government of Canada to allow sound moderators to reduce noise pollution and noise complaints in communities with gun ranges, in rural and farm communities and in areas that use firearms for recreational activities where hunting and sport shooting are legal. They note that sound moderators facilitate a significant increase in the humane husbandry of game animals, livestock and pets as hunting companions and that hearing damage is significantly reduced when these items are used.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to take a stand and empower Canadians to be responsible for their own health and safety by removing the prohibition on sound moderators from the Criminal Code of Canada; to allow the legal acquisition, possession and use of sound moderators on firearms by all licensed firearms users in Canada; and to call on the provincial and territorial governments to amend their prohibitions and allow Canadians to use these devices.

Old-Growth Forests

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

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise on behalf of constituents from Saanich—Gulf Islands who are very concerned about the status of old-growth forests. This petition focuses on the different aspects of the importance of old growth in terms of climate, indigenous rights, biodiversity and the dwindling number of old-growth forests, particularly on Vancouver Island and along areas of Fairy Creek, which is slated for logging.

The petitioners call on the government to work with provinces and first nations to halt the logging of endangered old growth, to fund protection of old-growth ecosystems and to support value-added forestry initiatives that get Canadian wood to Canadian mills instead of being shipped overseas as raw logs. They oppose the use of whole trees for wood pellet biofuel production, yet another climate fraud.

Questions on the Order Paper

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 761 and 763.

Question No.761—

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

With regard to the conviction of Brock Graham for the murder of Patricia Ducharme, BC Court of Appeal, decision R. v. Graham, docket number CA023190, and RCMP File #North Vancouver 1993-22222 Oct. 12, 2005: (a) why was Patricia Ducharme not warned that she was living with an extremely dangerous suspect in a murder case; (b) does the negligence of this case fall on the RCMP or the federal government; and (c) since this issue was raised in the House of Commons on March 27, 1996, to then minister Herb Gray, what has been changed in RCMP organizational policy or the federal Privacy Act that will better ensure Canadians’ safety in similar instances?

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, regarding part (a) of the question, further to a review of the Ducharme murder investigation file, it was noted through statements that Ms. Ducharme was aware that Mr. Graham was a suspect in a murder investigation.

In regard to part (b), in British Columbia, the ministries of public safety and solicitor general, attorney general, and the children and family development collaborated on the provincial violence against women in relationships, or VAWIR, policy. The VAWIR policy was developed in 1993 and has been revised over the years. The VAWIR was updated in 1996, 2000, 2004 and finally in 2010. The B.C. RCMP abide by the VAWIR, such as through the mandatory completion of the B.C. domestic violence risk summary and supervisors conducting priority reviews of all domestic violence investigations to ensure proper investigational steps are taken and safety plans are developed.

All civil actions are assessed on a case-by-case basis, specific to the set of circumstances and the various parties involved, for example, the provincial government, the federal government and the RCMP.

Regarding part (c) of the question, the RCMP takes the issue of intimate partner violence very seriously. In 2021, following extensive consultation, the Government of Canada amended the RCMP regulations, 2014, to allow the RCMP to participate in Clare’s Law regimes in provinces and territories that have enacted this legislation and where the RCMP is the police of jurisdiction. Clare’s Law legislation allows police to disclose a person’s prior intimate partner violence information to a current or former intimate partner, or a third party such as a parent or other relative through a provincially established process. Currently, Saskatchewan and Alberta are the only provinces who have adopted this legislation. Ontario, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador have introduced similar pieces of legislation, but they have yet to be officially enacted.

The RCMP’s participation in Clare’s Law is in line with its obligations under the Privacy Act, which governs the collection, use, disclosure, retention and disposal of personal information by federal government institutions. The act recognizes that privacy is not absolute and is subject to exceptions provided for in the law. The act contains a number of provisions that allow government institutions to disclose personal information without the consent of the individual, such as paragraph 8(2)(b), which permits disclosure if it is in accordance with an act of Parliament or its related regulations. In accordance with Treasury Board policy, the RCMP is currently finalizing a privacy impact assessment on Clare’s Law to ensure that the privacy risks of the program are mitigated to an acceptable level.

The Privacy Act also contains a provision that allows for the disclosure of personal information without consent if the public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs any invasion of privacy that could result from the disclosure. This provision, which is to be applied on a case-by-case basis, can be used in certain instances to alert the public about the risk of serious harm an individual may pose to others. In line with its mandate and commitment to keeping families and communities safe, the RCMP uses this provision to proceed with public interest disclosures in certain circumstances.

The RCMP has recently updated the violence in relationships policy, soon to be changed to the intimate partner violence policy, in order to reflect the latest legislative changes and current case law.

Question No.763—

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

With regard to Canada’s participation in Interpol’s notice system since November 4, 2015: how many green notices were issued by Canada, broken down by (i) year, (ii) type of criminal activity referred to, (iii) the country to which the notice was issued?