House of Commons Hansard #138 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was communities.
Foreign Affairs and International DevelopmentCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Liberal
Ali Ehsassi Liberal Willowdale, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development in relation to Bill S-211, an act to enact the fighting against forced labour and child labour in supply chains act and to amend the customs tariff.
The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendments.
Salma Zahid Liberal Scarborough Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, entitled “Supplementary Estimates (B), 2022-23: Votes 1b, 5b and 10b under Department of Citizenship and Immigration and Vote 1b under Immigration and Refugee Board”.
Joël Lightbound Liberal Louis-Hébert, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, entitled “Post-Covid-19 Economic Recovery: How can we rebuild better?”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109 the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, as you know, we are submitting a dissenting report.
This government went on a spending spree during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Over $200 billion of that was not associated with COVID‑19 at all.
Inevitably, we cannot accept this report as is. That is why we will be filing a dissenting report.
Yasir Naqvi Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of my constituents here in Ottawa Centre.
The petition concerns the corporate social responsibility of Canadian companies, in particular as it relates to human rights abuses and environmental damage around the world.
The petitioners from my community want to make sure that companies, Canadian companies in particular, prevent adverse human rights impacts and environmental damage throughout their global operations and supply chains. They also ask that companies do their due diligence, including by carefully assessing how they may be contributing to human rights abuses or environmental damage abroad and providing access to remedies when those harms occur.
The petitioners ask that there be meaningful consequences for companies that fail to carry out and report adequate due diligence, and that a legal right be established for people who may be harmed to seek justice in Canadian courts.
Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of the good people of Winnipegosis, who are forced to drive over 40 minutes to pick up their mail after Canada Post closed their local post office multiple times. These rural residents are feeling punished for simply living in rural Canada. These valid concerns are amplified by seniors, persons with disabilities and those who do not have the ability to travel. They are calling on the Liberal government, first, to provide a detailed explanation of why this essential service was closed despite anticipated staffing shortages, and second, to work with Canada Post and the Minister of Rural Economic Development to ensure that these temporary post office closures in rural areas are not normalized.
I support the people of Winnipegosis.
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Mr. Speaker, farmers' markets are a really key tool for COVID-19 recovery. As small business owners and incubators, they state that they are domestic system and food security builders and local economy community builders, and that farmers' market coupon programs are a key support for new market development and a support for existing markets and their provincial associations.
There is a farmers' market coupon program in B.C., which is why these petitioners from my riding are calling for a federal matching program. They are stating that a national matching program would assist in meeting those demands, encourage provinces without a provincial program to create one, and support provinces that have a provincial program to expand to meet demand. They are calling for the federal government to match provinces that are already contributing to their farmers' market coupon programs.
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, I am rising in the House today to present a petition forwarded by my constituents in Calgary Centre concerning their support for Bill S-223, which is before Parliament at this point in time. It is all about banning the sale of organs from around the world. This petition is obviously a concern for people who feel there are regimes around the world that are harvesting organs from people who are unwillingly going there. Obviously, that should be banned in Canada.
These people are petitioning to make sure we support that ban in the House and in Parliament in general.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the first petition I am tabling today is in support of an excellent private member's bill that I presented in the House. We have a parallel version of that bill that was tabled just yesterday in the Senate. These bills are Bill C-257 and Bill S-257. Conveniently, they have the same number.
Petitioners are calling on the House to recognize the problem of political discrimination and how Canadians can face political discrimination and have a right to be protected from that kind of discrimination. It is a fundamental right to be politically active and vocal. It is in the best interests of Canadian democracy to protect public debate and the free exchange of ideas, and Bill C-257 and Bill S-257 seek to add protection against political discrimination to the Canadian Human Rights Act.
Petitioners call upon the House to support Bill C-257 and Bill S-257, which seek to ban discrimination on the basis of political belief or activity, and to defend the rights of Canadians to peacefully express their political opinions.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition also deals with an issue of freedom of speech and expression. It is a petition raising a grievous concern about a commitment in the Liberal Party's election platform to deny charitable status to organizations that take positions the Liberals disagree with, particularly on the issue of abortion.
Petitioners note that this commitment to deny charitable status on the basis of the convictions of an organization could put at risk the charitable status of organizations like hospitals, houses of worship, schools, homeless shelters and other charitable organizations, simply on the basis of the personally and sincerely held views of those who lead or work at these organizations. This proposal from the Liberal platform would involve applying a values test, discriminating against people based on their political views, similar to what we saw in the previous values test put in the Canada summer jobs initiative.
Therefore, petitioners call on the House to protect and preserve the application of charitable status rules on a politically and ideologically neutral basis, without discrimination on the basis of values and opinions and without the imposition of another values test. Also, petitioners want to see the House affirm the right of Canadians to freedom of expression.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling speaks to concerns about the situation in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Notably, this petition came in prior to the signing of the recent peace deal. I know now there is a great deal of hope that the deal will be fully and quickly implemented and will lead to lasting peace, justice and reconciliation.
However, I still want to put this petition on the record to demonstrate the active engagement and concern of Canadians about the situation in Tigray. It includes a call that is very much still relevant, which is to engage directly and consistently with the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments on issues that emerged from the conflict and to call for international investigation into credible reports of war crimes and gross violations of human rights law.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling deals with concerns raised by constituents about the Minister of National Defence's Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination in its final report, published in 2022.
The report includes a recommendation that religious clergy who come from denominations and faiths that have particular views on gender and sexuality should be excluded from being chaplains to the Canadian Armed Forces. This was a recommendation from the national defence minister's advisory panel, and petitioners are very opposed to this recommendation. The report slanders mainstream Canadian religions as discriminatory. Petitioners note that chaplains are entitled to charter-guaranteed freedom of religion, and they should be able to serve without the kind of discrimination advocated by this ironically named panel.
Petitioners call on the House to reject the recommendations on chaplaincy in the Canadian Armed Forces in the final report of the Minister of National Defence's Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism and Discrimination and to affirm the rights of all Canadians, including armed forces chaplains, to freedom of religion.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition that I am tabling deals with the human rights situation of Hazaras in Afghanistan.
Petitioners note various campaigns of genocide that have targeted the Hazara community in the last 100 years and state that the situation has only gotten worse since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Petitioners call on the government to recognize the 1891 to 1893 ethnic cleansing perpetrated against Hazaras as a genocide and to designate September 25 as Hazara genocide memorial day.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, next I am tabling a petition that draws attention to the situation of Huseyin Celil. Huseyin Celil has been detained in China for over 5,000 days. Petitioners note that they were very pleased to see the release of the two Michaels from unjust and arbitrary detention in China. They would like to see the Government of Canada make similar efforts to secure the release of Huseyin Celil.
The petitioners note that Celil is a Canadian citizen; that he was taken from Uzbekistan to China; that the Chinese government has continued not to recognize his Canadian citizenship and denied him access to lawyers, family and Canadian officials; and that he was coerced into signing a confession and underwent an unlawful and unfair trial. Evidence now makes clear as well that the Chinese government's treatment of Uighurs meets most, if not all the criteria for genocide, as outlined in the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Mr. Celil was active in promoting the human rights of Uighurs prior to his arrest and detention.
Petitioners call on the government to take a number of specific steps: to demand that the Chinese government recognize Mr. Celil's Canadian citizenship and provide him with consular and legal services in accordance with international law; to formally state that the release of Mr. Celil from Chinese detainment and his return to Canada are a priority of the Canadian government of equal concern as the unjust detentions of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor; to appoint a special envoy to work on securing Mr. Celil's release; and to seek the assistance of the Biden administration and other allies on working to obtain that release, as we have seen in the past.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition that highlights the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
The petitioners note various reports that have identified this persecution, and that the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners includes organ harvesting, killing people for their organs and transplanting those to others, obviously without the consent of the person being killed.
The petitioners call on the Canadian Parliament and the government to seek to stop the mass murder of innocent people for their organs, including but not limited to Canadian legislation to ban organ tourism, also to take additional steps to call for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, and to urge that those who participate in this persecution be brought to justice.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling is similar but somewhat more specific. It also deals with the issue of organ harvesting and trafficking broadly, and calls on this House to adopt legislation to combat forced organ harvesting and trafficking.
The petitioners note a number of bills that have been brought forward on this topic. Most recently we have Bill S-223, which has just come out of committee and will soon be going to third reading in this House.
The petitioners hope that this Parliament will be the one that finally succeeds in passing organ harvesting and trafficking legislation.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition that I am tabling highlights the plight of the Sikh and Hindu minority in Afghanistan. It calls on the government to take action to support that minority by having a special program to allow persecuted minorities from Afghanistan to come to Canada.
Many of these signatures were gathered prior to the Taliban takeover, and petitioners no doubt were expressing their will at the time that the government could have acted, when it would have certainly been much easier to provide support to these minorities. Nonetheless, I think it is still important to table this petition to recognize what could have been done and was not, and still needs to be done to support Sikhs, Hindus and other minorities facing persecution in Afghanistan.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the final petition that I am tabling in the House deals with the issue of conscience rights. It notes that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious gaps in support and services available to seniors and those who were dying. The forced closure of care homes and hospices which do not wish to participate in or facilitate the killing of their patients risks exacerbating the crisis in available long-term and palliative care.
The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to respect the charter-protected conscience rights of those who operate and work in care homes and hospices, ensuring that these facilities will be able to continue to operate.
Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
November 30th, 2022 / 4:05 p.m.
Winnipeg North Manitoba
Liberal
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 869, 871 and 873.
Raquel Dancho Conservative Kildonan—St. Paul, MB
With regard to the illegal border crossing at Roxham Road: does the government have any plans to shut down the border crossing, and, if so, when?
Question No.869—Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Oakville North—Burlington Ontario
Liberal
Pam Damoff LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, Roxham Road is not an official port of entry. The closest port of entry is Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle. When asylum seekers cross the border at Roxham Road they are advised by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that they are entering Canada illegally and are subject to arrest. When the asylum seeker expresses their intent to continue and make a refugee claim, they are arrested and processed by the RCMP and subsequently transferred to the CBSA for the processing of the refugee claim. Since the border restrictions under the Quarantine Act ended in 2021, there has been an increase of refugee claimants entering Canada between the POEs. Asylum seekers are once again accessing the route to Canada at Roxham Road.
The Government of Canada has been in continuous contact with the United States on issues related to our shared border, including our desire to modernize the safe third country agreement. Canada continues to work towards the modernization of our immigration and refugee protection system to support economic recovery, national security and public safety priorities while offering asylum to those in need of protection.
Robert Gordon Kitchen Conservative Souris—Moose Mountain, SK
With regard to Order in Council P.C. 2020-903 and the coming into force of Section 292 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1 (S.C. 2019, c. 29): (a) on what date did Section 292 of the act come into effect; (b) who, in the Office of the Prime Minister, signed the order fixing the date for the coming into force of Section 292 of the act, which was published on December 9, 2020; and (c) what are the details of any government website entries related to the coming into force of the Order in Council, which have been modified in any way since January 1, 2021, including, for each, (i) the website which was modified (ii) the date it was modified, (iii) what was modified, (iv) the manner in which the information was modified, (v) the reason for the modification, (vi) who ordered the modification?
Greg Fergus LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the President of the Treasury Board)
Mr. Speaker, the response from the Privy Council Office is as follows.
Regarding part (a) of the question, in general, orders in council, or OIC, come into force on the day they are made by the Governor General, unless an order contains a specific effective date.
In the case of P.C. 2020-903, the OIC fixed the date of registration as the effective date for section 292 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1. The order was approved by the Governor in Council on November 20, 2020, and then registered on December 9, 2020, making December 9, 2020, the effective date.
In response to part (b) of the question, orders in council are approved via decisions made by the Governor in Council, not by members of the Office of the Prime Minister. The “Governor in Council” means the Governor General acting on the advice of members of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, i.e., cabinet ministers. All Governor in Council approvals require a minimum quorum of four King’s Privy Council members, who advise that the Governor General approves a government proposal by signing the related order in council.
Order in Council P.C. 2020-903 was signed by the Governor General on November 20, 2020, and came into effect on December 9, 2020, the date on which it was registered.
In response to part (c) of the question, with few exceptions, OICs are made available to the public. To facilitate access by Canadians, they are posted on the PCO-OIC website at https://www.canada.ca/en/privy-council/services/orders-in-council.html within three working days after approval by the Governor General.
The Order in Council P.C. 2020-903 was made on Friday, November 20, 2020, and posted on the PCO-OIC website on Wednesday, November 25, 2020, at https://orders-in-council.canada.ca/attachment.php?attach=40012&lang=en.
In accordance with the subsection 11(1) of the Statutory Instrument Act, it was subsequently published in the Canada Gazette on December 9, 2020, the day the order was registered and came into force: https://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2020/2020-12-09/html/si-tr73-eng.html. Also on December 9, 2020, the record for Order in Council P.C. 2020-903 was updated on the PCO-OIC website to reflect the fact that the order in council was registered and therefore in effect.
Please note that the orders in council division of the PCO is only able to comment on changes to the PCO’s website.
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
With regard to the Pacific Salmon Strategic Initiative (PSSI), since its inception: (a) what initiatives, programs, and projects have been created or received funding, broken down by key area, namely (i) conservation and stewardship, (ii) salmon enhancement, (iii) harvest transformation, (iv) integration and collaboration; and (b) what is the total amount of funding spent to date through the PSSI?
Question No.873—Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Cape Breton—Canso Nova Scotia
Liberal
Mike Kelloway LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, as the Pacific salmon strategy initiative’s, or PSSI’s, financial reporting aligns with broader departmental financial reporting requirements, the total amount of funding spent to date is categorized by vote. Vote 1 covers salaries and wages, operations and maintenance; vote 5 covers capital expenditures; and vote 10 covers grants and contributions.
The total expenditures for PSSI across year one, 2021-22, is $15.4 million, with $5 million for salaries and wages, $9.9 million for operations and maintenance, $500,000 for capital, and no expenditures for grants and contributions. Spending for the current fiscal year, 2022-23, is ramping up given various programs, such as BCSRIF 2, have just been launched in recent months, with final expenditures available by early summer 2023. Under PSSI, BCSRIF was extended to 2026, with an additional $128.55 million in partnership funding: $90 million from the federal government and $38.55 million from BC. On September 15, 2022, application information for the second phase of the BCSRIF program was made available to the public, including how to apply for this funding, with an application deadline that closed on November 15.
The launch year for the PSSI was 2021-22 and focused on finalizing financial and program authorities and engagement with indigenous peoples, partners and stakeholders regarding early program design, implementation and ongoing consultative mechanisms.
For 2022-23, numerous initiatives are under way in year two of the PSSI, with priority areas of action focused on early salmon rebuilding activities; setting up programs, tools and data solutions for transformative shifts; and determining prioritized stocks.
The department is continuing to work to ensure new and ongoing investments and activities in Pacific salmon programming are appropriately aligned to achieve key results. In particular, programs and actions will be implemented to respond to the historic declines of Pacific salmon by putting in place conservation approaches and plans for prioritized Pacific salmon stocks.
Budget 2021 announced $647.1 million over five years, as well as $98.9 million in amortization funds for the PSSI. The resulting $746 million included $4.7 million in revenues that have been lost as a result of reduced revenues from fishing licences. Consequently, the total cash profile for PSSI is $741.3 million over five years.