House of Commons Hansard #71 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was journalists.

Topics

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Perth—Wellington.

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

Mr. Speaker, it certainly is an honour to rise in the House today to debate Bill C-18, the online news act.

I did not get a chance to ask the parliamentary secretary for Canadian heritage a question. He spoke a lot in his speech about the online tech giants, the Facebooks and Googles of the world, gobbling up advertising revenue and leaving small local newspapers without the same access to revenue. If I would have had a chance to ask the parliamentary secretary a question, I would have asked him why he spent $13,000 on Facebook advertising, rather than investing that in his local newspaper, the St. Catharines Standard.

Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to ask the parliamentary secretary that question, but perhaps he can come back to the House at some point and clarify why he felt the need to spend $13,000 on a tech giant, rather than on his local community newspaper.

I want to begin by stating there is a clear sense that Canada's news environment has changed dramatically, and it has changed especially significantly in the last 10 to 20 years. The Internet has changed how we do business. It has brought many changes to all aspects of our lives, our communities and how businesses operate. As these changes and disruptions have happened in the digital marketplace, they have had a very specific impact on the media industry and in particular the traditional print media industry.

As many Canadians know, the cumulative advertising dollars that are spent in Canada are now being spent more and more on online means. As these dollars move online, a smaller and smaller number of dollars are being spent on traditional advertising and print advertising, which for years and decades have been used to sustain the news industry.

Newsrooms in 2022 are far smaller than they were even a decade ago. We can contrast that even further back, to 20 to 30 years ago. Many of the newsrooms that are now operating with one or two journalists at one point operated with a dozen. I know the Speaker has a background in the media industry and will be able to reflect on the changes that have happened over these number of years. Still other newsrooms have closed entirely, and when these newsrooms close, they leave in their wake news deserts in which parts of the community, or in some cases entire communities, are left without access to reliable local news sources. These closures have particularly hurt small towns and rural communities, like those communities in many of our ridings.

Canadians rely on local news to inform their lives and help inform their decision-making at the local, regional and national levels. Whether it be the members of the parliamentary press gallery, the press galleries of the provincial legislatures or countless individual journalists who cover the goings-on at city halls and town halls in communities across our country, all of these journalists have a role to play in Canada's democratic life. In fact, a free and independent press is essential to a functioning democracy.

I draw the House's attention to one of the famous comments on a free and independent press from George Mason, one of America's founding fathers. He said, “the freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments.” That quotation is as true now as it was then. The freedom and ability of the press to fairly, impartially and honestly report the news to citizens of this country are absolutely essential.

That local news is struggling is not in doubt. The traditional business model that saw print publications sell advertising space in hard-copy publications worked for decades and saw successes. Small independent newspapers and large media empires alike relied on the basic practice of using this advertising space to reach the eyes of readers and help sustain their newsrooms. Now, in 2022, while the advertising model has diminished, what has not diminished is the continued need for impartial, honest and trustworthy sources of news.

The government itself has admitted that it has not yet found a solution to this problem. In fact, in his press conference after introducing the bill, the Minister of Canadian Heritage himself conceded that a significant number of news providers have closed their doors in recent years during the government's time in office. This is not only unfortunate; it is weakening our communities.

Local newspapers, radio stations and television stations bring us the stories that impact us in our daily lives. At the local level, they report the stories of community. They cover municipal councils, charitable events and fundraisers, community festivals, fall fairs and the success of our local sports teams or, in some cases, hope for the future success of these teams. Local journalism also covers the more unfortunate but nonetheless essential stories that need to be told in our communities: stories of crime, fires, floods and violence.

As I drive across the 3,500 square kilometres of Perth—Wellington, I find myself flipping through my car radio's preset stations. I want to be clear that I use my radio in my car. I do not use Spotify and I do not use satellite radio. I prefer traditional radio when I am driving, and I listen to it as I drive across my riding and from there to Ottawa. I also listen to local stations as I drive along Highway 401 or Highway 7, depending on which direction I am taking. It gives me an opportunity to hear what is going on in not only my own communities in Perth—Wellington, but those across the country.

As I drive through Perth and Wellington counties, I find myself flipping to The River, which is a non-profit entity out of Mount Forest, Ontario, that celebrates everything local and everything important to the community. I often switch to a number of the Blackburn radio stations that are present throughout southwestern Ontario given the important services and news they provide. In fact, one of the Blackburn stations is AM920 out of Wingham. I fondly remember as a child listening to AM920 and being shushed by my mother every time the “in memoriam” part came on, because we certainly did not want to miss that. To this day, it is still part of the station.

In Listowel and North Perth, we can tune in to The Ranch, the newest entrant to the news and radio market. It has quickly found an important spot in the media landscape in Listowel and North Perth and, indeed, in the northern part of Perth County. Of course, in Stratford, we can tune in to 2day FM or Juice FM to hear Jamie Cottle in the morning, and before him, local legend Eddie Matthews.

I would like to highlight the fact that the radio predecessor to 2day FM and Juice FM was CJCS 1240 AM. It was in 1945 that the CJCS commentators were providing coverage of the Perth Regiment's return from World War II. That coverage on CJCS 1240 AM inspired a young, 12-year-old boy from Stratford to begin a lifelong career in broadcasting. That young boy began working at CJCS as a high school student, and while he got his start in radio, generations of Canadians know him for his television career as Canada's most trusted news anchor. However, Stratford and Perth County will always lay claim to the fact that Lloyd Robertson got his start in our little community on the radio.

In Perth—Wellington, we also have a number of tremendous local newspapers. In Wellington County, we are lucky to have the Wellington Advertiser, which has proudly served the people of Wellington County for more than half a century. It has been recognized for its work on multiple occasions, including being named the top community newspaper in Ontario in its class by the Ontario Community Newspapers Association.

When I attended the 50th anniversary celebration for the Wellington Advertiser, I was struck by a story told by Dave Adsett, publisher of the Advertiser. He recounted how his father, Bill Adsett, the founder of the Wellington Advertiser, once had the option to save money by removing delivery to a small portion of Wellington County. He refused to do so out of principle to ensure that every citizen in Wellington County had access to the news and information contained in the Wellington Advertiser. When Bill Adsett passed away on October 5, 2021, he was rightly remembered and honoured for his lifetime of contributions to the County of Wellington.

In my hometown of Mitchell, I have been a reader of the Mitchell Advocate literally since I was able to read. I say that completely honestly. Throughout all the years that I have been reading the newspaper, Andy Bader has been working hard to bring the news and our local stories to us each and every week. Similarly, I have wonderful memories of reading The Stratford Beacon Herald, and watching as photographers like Scott Wishart chronicled the life of the community through his photos, or as Steve Rice recorded the rise and fall of any number of local sports teams.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned, many local news providers have closed in the past number of years, hurting communities across Canada, including those in Perth—Wellington.

The Mount Forest Confederate, a paper that was first published in the year of Canada's Confederation, in 1867, has closed. The Arthur Enterprise News, founded before Confederation, in 1862, has closed. In 2019, the Minto Express was closed.

In Perth County, many of my constituents were shocked in 2017 when the major media giants abruptly shut down both the St. Marys Journal Argus and Stratford Gazette. The closure of the St. Marys Journal Argus was especially difficult because after 154 years as a newspaper serving the community, it was unexpectedly shut down in one single day without even the opportunity to deliver a final edition to the town's faithful readers.

Fortunately for the town of St. Marys, the St. Marys Independent, led by Stewart Grant, has stepped in to fill that void. I might add that he does so as a true public service to the communities of St. Marys, Perth South and beyond.

While these examples are local to my riding, the challenges are certainly national in scope. Today's debate is not the first time the issue of struggling local news providers has been raised. In fact, at the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, we have undertaken a study of the Rogers-Shaw deal and the impact that it will have on local news. This study was initiated by my friend and colleague, the member for Saskatoon—Grasswood, a former broadcaster who prided himself during his broadcasting career on delivering local news to his communities in Saskatoon and beyond.

Like many Canadians, I was disappointed to see the CRTC make a ruling to approve the sale based on certain conditions. Obviously recent events involving the Competition Bureau may alter the future of this deal, but what I found interesting and frankly disappointing about the Rogers-Shaw decision by the CRTC was its use of wishy-washy, non-committal language. In its decision, the CRTC used words such as “encouragement”, “expectations” and “reminders”, rather than taking a real stand.

Setting aside for a moment the CRTC's decision on the Rogers-Shaw deal, there is no question that the decisions made by the CRTC and other entities will have an impact on local news. The question is whether the CRTC has the capacity or the competency to actually make decisions that will improve the media landscape in Canada.

That brings me to some of the concerns we have with the bill at hand.

In the last election, there was a general consensus among the different political platforms that something should be done to help local news and journalism survive. In our Conservative platform under our former leader, the member for Durham, we made the following commitment:

Canada’s Conservatives will:

Introduce a digital media royalty framework to ensure that Canadian media outlets are fairly compensated for the sharing of their content by platforms like Google and Facebook. It will:

Adopt a made in Canada approach that incorporates the best practices of jurisdictions like Australia and France.

Include a robust arbitration process and the creation of an intellectual property right for article extracts shared on a social media platform.

Ensure that smaller media outlets are included, and that the government won’t be able to pick and choose who has access to the royalty framework.

That is what we committed to in the last election campaign.

It may surprise everyone, but we did not win that election. We came close, certainly, and we did win the popular vote, but we did not form government, to the great disappointment of my friends on the other side of the House. While we did not get to draft this legislation, it is our duty as Her Majesty's loyal opposition to review the legislation introduced by the Liberal government and provide the comments that our citizens and constituents require of us.

Let me say very clearly that Canada's Conservatives believe that news providers should be fairly compensated for the use of their content. That said, we do have questions about this particular piece of legislation. As I explained earlier, local news providers are struggling. This begs the obvious question as to whether Bill C-18 will help the newspapers and radio stations in communities like Perth—Wellington, Sarnia—Lambton, Elgin—Middlesex—London, and other rural communities and small towns across our country. Unfortunately, that is unclear.

A recent report from the Toronto Star, itself a long and distinguished media provider in this country, indicated that the Australian model on which this legislation is based may be leaving out small and medium-sized businesses. The article states, “But while major publishers and networks in Australia had struck deals with Facebook and Google, some smaller, independent outlets were finding themselves shut out from making deals of their own.”

The article goes on to quote Erin Millar, the CEO of Indiegraf, who said, “If we’re going to have this bill, how are we to design it in such a way that it doesn’t lead to the same outcomes as Australia, which is, from my perspective, really not supporting journalism?”

There are other questions that remain unanswered with this bill as well, such as why the CRTC was selected as the regulatory body to enforce and oversee the act when the CRTC does not have a history or experience in regulating online platforms. Let us not forget that the CRTC is the same entity whose chair met privately for beers with someone from one of the largest industries it regulates. However, beyond the chair's clear lack of judgment, let us remember that the CRTC has still not implemented a three-digit suicide prevention hotline more than 500 days after this House unanimously passed a motion calling for such a resource. It has also been more than 16 months since the CRTC held hearings about the licence renewal for the CBC licences. If the CRTC cannot make a decision within 16 months on what I would assume to be a fairly routine renewal, how in the world can it have the capacity and competency to do anything that is asked of it?

We also have no indication on how much revenue will be generated when this bill is enforced. Budget 2022 earmarks $8.5 million for the bureaucracy necessary to administer Bill C-18, so it is logical to ask whether the revenues generated through this bill will be greater than or less than the costs to administer it.

We have a number of other questions, including how the code of conduct will be developed and whether it will be tabled in Parliament. We have questions about what undue preference will be considered within the bill. Will non-Canadian news providers be able to benefit from the Canadian system? Why has the government not tabled a charter statement on this bill? Why was a public broadcaster included when it already received other entities? We have these questions and, as such, I think an important committee study ought to be had.

Therefore, I move:

That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word “That” and substituting the following: “Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada, be not now read a second time but that the Order be discharged, the Bill withdrawn and the subject matter thereof referred to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.”

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

The amendment is in order.

Moving on to questions and comments, the hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader has the floor.

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:50 a.m.

Kingston and the Islands Ontario

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate)

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I am glad to hear the member listens to radio in his riding. I would encourage him to download the iHeart radio app, or a similar app, so he can continue to listen to those radio stations when he is in Ottawa, as I listen to Reid and Ben every morning, who are on Move 98.3 in Kingston. It is a great way to stay connected to our communities.

I am thinking of those small news outlets. I referenced the Kingstonist, which is is one in my riding. I know there is the Stratford Times in his riding. These are small news organizations that do not have the ability to compete against the distributive networks of Facebook and Google. They need supports. This bill creates the framework for those discussions to happen between those big distributors of the content, such as Facebook and Google, and those smaller independent organizations, such as the Stratford Times.

I am wondering if the member can comment on why he wants to reject the bill and send the content to committee through his amendment, as opposed to moving forward on this so we can put together a good framework to allow these discussions to happen so that the Stratford Times can benefit.

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

Mr. Speaker, I do have the app on my phone, and I stay in touch with my local stations when I am here in Ottawa. I have spent time in Kingston. I served a year there at university, not in the other institution of that great town, and I did read the Kingston Whig Standard when I was there.

The member asked a question about why we would send this bill to committee and have the subject matter reviewed by the committee. It is exactly for the question he asked, which is so we can hear from the small community newspapers. What we are hearing now from Australia is that they are not able to access the benefits of the Australian model, which is the model being sent here.

There is mention in the bill that the rules of the Competition Act would be set aside to allow for collective bargaining, but we have no clarification on how that works, so we want this to go to committee. We want to see the subject matter go to committee quickly so we can have those discussions with local newspapers, whether they are from Kingston or Perth—Wellington or Chatham-Kent—Leamington. We want to hear those voices, and those voices must be heard.

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:50 a.m.

Bloc

Sylvie Bérubé Bloc Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-18 sets out, in black and white, the rules that the various media players must follow to ensure much healthier competition and quality content for everyone.

It is no secret that small media outlets are in immediate need of financial assistance from the government. What does my colleague think about that?

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

Mr. Speaker, we know full well that newspapers and media outlets are in trouble.

Also, more and more advertising space is being bought from the web giants, including Facebook, Meta and Google. This is a concern for all Canadians who see the value of their local media or local newspaper.

We need to be able to share the stories from our communities. The government needs to do something. I think it is a good idea. We need to make sure that this bill is referred to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage so it can be studied.

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

NDP

Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC

Mr. Speaker, I was listening to the speech from the member, and it was perplexing to me to hear him suggest that the bill should be withdrawn and the heritage committee should study the matter. In fact, if this bill passes second reading, it would be referred to committee, where we would be able to call witnesses and ask questions pertaining to the bill. It is perplexing to me that he would want to effectively kill the bill with his amendment. The NDP supports this notion and has been calling for the government to equalize the web giants with small, local media outlets. This bill is a good start.

Why would the member want to kill the bill if he truly wanted to have a discussion about it and have witnesses presented on this issue?

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

Mr. Speaker, I think the preference of our side would have been to draft our own piece of legislation if we were in government, but that is not the case. The next best scenario is this type of amendment.

As the member ought to know, as she has been in the House a long time, there are very few amendments that are acceptable at second reading debate. This particular amendment is one of the few that is permissible and that is the one we have used. It will provide the subject matter to go to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to make suggestions and make a report back to the House of Commons.

The Government of Canada can then use that advice, use the suggestions of all parties and listen to witnesses, of which we are developing a massive list of people who want input on this bill. Their views are both positive and negative, and they have clear ideas for suggestions to improve, change or rewrite the bill entirely.

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Conservative

Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for a great speech and for moving the amendment because I do have concerns about Bill C-18, especially when we heard the parliamentary secretary talk about how there would not be any discrimination. In every other media policy that the government has brought, there has been discrimination along the political spectrum and, as the member correctly pointed out, small and medium-sized news outlets.

I would like to hear his comments on that.

Online News ActGovernment Orders

10:55 a.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk on a different point she raised on where the government puts its priorities and where other members put their priorities.

We just heard the member for Vancouver East rallying their support for this bill, but the member for Vancouver East spent $17,000 on Facebook ads. The member for Vancouver East is talking about levelling the playing field between major web giants and local newspapers, but the member herself spent $17,000.

As parliamentarians, we need to look ourselves in the eye and decide what we want to do to promote, and whether government advertising should be focused on traditional local media rather than major web giants.

Volunteer RecognitionStatements By Members

10:55 a.m.

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jamshed Hassan, better known as Jimmy, an individual from my riding of Kingston and the Islands.

Jimmy is a local restaurateur who routinely goes above and beyond when it comes to giving back to our community, by continually giving to those in need.

Last year, he worked on Project Red Rose, which partnered with local organizations such as Martha’s Table and Lunch by George to host dinners for hundreds of people on celebratory days like Thanksgiving.

He also launched a new program, Santa Slice, which worked with the St. Vincent de Paul Society and several women’s and youth shelters to provide pizza, supplied by his Pizza Pizza franchise, to over 700 people experiencing homelessness around Christmastime.

In the middle of the winter, Jimmy ran a blanket drive to distribute blankets to people across the city who were struggling to stay warm.

I thank Jimmy for always looking out for the most vulnerable in our community and continually looking for ways to improve the social fabric of Kingston and the Islands.

EndometriosisStatements By Members

11 a.m.

Conservative

Karen Vecchio Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON

Mr. Speaker, one in 10 women in the world is diagnosed with endometriosis. In Canada, approximately 7% of women are affected by this disease.

Endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease, tends to go unnoticed in most women. In Canada, individuals with endometriosis often experience a diagnosis delay of more than five years. This is five years of physical, emotional and mental pain that negatively affects the day-to-day lives of many women living in Canada.

This is unacceptable. Women have suffered long enough. We must commit to providing the necessary resources and funds that will support research and advancement in the field.

The Government of Canada recently announced more than $3.5 million in funding for reproductive health information. Endometriosis continues to be widely underfunded. We need the resources to support research and ensure women do not have to wait five years for a diagnosis. The government must see this as a priority and commit the necessary funds. Supporting endometriosis research is important for our sisters, our daughters, our mothers and our friends.

First Responders DayStatements By Members

11 a.m.

Liberal

Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON

Mr. Speaker, Sunday, May 1, marked First Responders Day, a day we reflect on the selfless contributions of countless women and men in the fulfillment of their duties.

Today, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the often unsung heroes of Ottawa, the members of the Ottawa Fire Services, whose unrelenting work keeps us safe every day.

In particular, I congratulate my constituent, John Sobey, a decorated fire captain, who just retired after over 42 years of service, 32 years with the Ottawa and Gloucester fire services and 10 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. John also served as a union leader and advocated for the recognition of fallen firefighters.

John Sobey truly epitomizes what we mean when we call first responders “heroes”. With that, I ask the members of this House to join me in commending all first responders across the nation.

First Responders DayStatements By Members

11 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

We of course welcome all our guests in the gallery today.

The hon. member for Windsor West.

Ojibway ShoresStatements By Members

11 a.m.

NDP

Brian Masse NDP Windsor West, ON

Mr. Speaker, today I have the privilege of celebrating 20 years of service to my community as its MP. Through the years, I committed to working directly with my constituents to bring their collective voices and concerns to Ottawa. I am making this commitment again today.

We have worked together for a decade now to save the Ojibway shorelands and establish an urban park for Canadians to enjoy and for species to be protected. This is a project that has endangered species and wildlife habitats and will fight the climate change that is right on the doorstep of Windsor, Ontario.

Yesterday, we learned the government is finally taking action on the request from five years ago to transfer Ojibway lands to Parks Canada. It is finally happening, so today we celebrate 20 years of advocacy together.

On behalf of the residents of Windsor West, I respectfully call on parliamentarians to support my bill, Bill C-248, and start making this park a reality. They can consider it an anniversary gift.

I conclude by thanking my partner, Terry Chow, my son, Wade, and my daughter, Alex, who graduated yesterday, for 20 years of blessed support.

Ojibway ShoresStatements By Members

11 a.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont

Happy anniversary.

The hon. member for Gatineau.

Gaston CloutierStatements By Members

11 a.m.

Liberal

Steven MacKinnon Liberal Gatineau, QC

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to share with the House that Gaston Cloutier, managing director of the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport was nominated for the Association québécoise du transport aérien's prestigious emeritus member prize.

Drawing on a wealth of experience in aviation, Mr. Cloutier positioned our airport as an attractive site and an economic lever for Gatineau. Our government will be making major investments in the airport.

When Mr. Cloutier retires on October 1 after 10 years heading up our regional airport and an impressive career with the Canadian Armed Forces, he can do so with a sense of mission accomplished.

I thank Mr. Cloutier for his valuable contribution to our regional development. On behalf of the House, I wish him a very happy second retirement.

COVID-19 VaccinesStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Conservative

Stephen Ellis Conservative Cumberland—Colchester, NS

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had the heart-wrenching opportunity to hear the story of Stephen MacDougall. Stephen was a 45-year-old man who was a proud father, a significant contributor to his community and a tremendous athlete. He was also a twin brother, a son, an uncle and a husband.

Sadly, almost a year ago, Stephen MacDougall died after receiving a vaccine for COVID-19. Speaking as a parliamentarian, a physician who worked on a COVID-19 unit and a Canadian, I believe we have a responsibility to understand the adverse events related to this new group of vaccinations. We need to understand the data as it pertains to Canada, the world, and short- and long-term safety.

Since over 11.5 billion doses have been given worldwide and the data has been collected, now is the time for all of us in the House to act. The data needs to be properly analyzed so we can present this scientific information to Canadians to enable them to make informed choices and give informed consent going forward.

Science Meets ParliamentStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Lena Metlege Diab Liberal Halifax West, NS

Mr. Speaker, as a member of our inaugural Standing Committee on Science and Research, which just concluded its first-ever study on science in Canada, I have the privilege of hearing from many of our brilliant minds. On Tuesday, I hosted two such researchers, Dr. Lachlan MacKinnon and Dr. Stefanie Colombo, as part of Science Meets Parliament, a non-partisan initiative to strengthen the connections between Canada's scientific and political communities.

These two scientists represent the breadth and depth of Canada's scientific talent.

Both are tier II Canada research chairs, Stefanie in aquaculture nutrition at Dalhousie and Lachlan in post-industrial communities at Cape Breton University.

I thank the Canadian Science Policy Centre and Canada's chief science advisor for bringing scientists and parliamentarians together to promote mutual understanding.

UkraineStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Ali Ehsassi Liberal Willowdale, ON

Mr. Speaker, two months after Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, estimates suggest that over 2,100 Russian missiles have rained down on Ukraine, displacing 12 million, damaging over 200 health care facilities, and destroying 200 heritage sites throughout the country. While visiting Irpin, Bucha and Borodyanka last week, I witnessed first-hand the mass atrocities and unspeakable crimes Russia has visited upon Ukraine.

Despite such unconscionable brutality, every Ukrainian I encountered represented an awe-inspiring profile in courage and fortitude.

That is why the surprise visit by our Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to Kyiv was crucial, a testament to our country's unwavering commitment to support Ukraine and hold Putin to account. Proud Ukrainians will never relent, and neither should we in our assistance.

Volunteer RecognitionStatements By Members

11:05 a.m.

Conservative

Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge one of the many amazing constituents of Calgary Midnapore. Lorna Hamm recently received a national award from the Canadian Real Estate Association to recognize her more than 50 years of volunteer work.

In 1986, she helped establish the first Children's Cottage Society crisis nursery in Canada, which has provided refuge to over 40,000 Calgary children, ensuring their safety when a family is in crisis. She also raised an incredible half a million dollars in just two years to fund life-saving treatment at the Alberta Children's Hospital.

Last year, she led a grassroots initiative to provide over 600 ICU workers with “thank you” packages for their work on the pandemic front lines.

It is an honour to congratulate and sincerely thank Lorna Hamm for all she has done to change the lives of so many Calgary children and members of our community.

Age-Related Macular DegenerationStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Liberal

Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON

Mr. Speaker, my dad developed age-related macular degeneration, and I saw what a life-changing development that was.

Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is an incurable disease that affects close to 2.5 million Canadians over the age of 50. It causes damage to the central part of the retina responsible for central vision, robbing Canadian seniors of their expected quality of life. However, there is hope that a new, non-invasive treatment currently awaiting Health Canada approval could positively impact the millions of Canadians who live with AMD and could result in Canada playing an important role in managing the disease globally.

Please join me in raising awareness of AMD and supporting the close to 2.5 million Canadian seniors living with this cruel disease.

Saskatchewan AgricultureStatements By Members

May 13th, 2022 / 11:10 a.m.

Conservative

Brad Redekopp Conservative Saskatoon West, SK

Mr. Speaker, today is Friday the 13th, a very scary day for Saskatchewan agriculture.

Here in this House the environment minister and the agriculture minister are creating their own horror movie. Like Freddy and Jason before them, they are slashers. This time they want to slash two key industries in Saskatchewan, farming and fertilizer production.

In Saskatoon West, Nutrien, the largest fertilizer producer on the planet, employs over 3,000 people. If the government slashers have their way, Nutrien will be forced to sell its potash to someone else, and our farmers will pay the price.

We have seen this NDP-Liberal pattern before, attacking Canadian industries in the name of climate change and allowing other countries to take jobs and economic growth away from Canadians. In this case, we are seeing the NDP-Liberals diminish the capacity of wheat fields in Saskatchewan while getting the Americans to pick up the slack.

However, we should not fear; every nightmare ends eventually. Once Canadians give this government the boot, Conservatives will be ready to get to work and promote our resources around the globe.

Fertilizer TariffsStatements By Members

11:10 a.m.

Conservative

John Nater Conservative Perth—Wellington, ON

Mr. Speaker, there are those in our country who measure their days in acres rather than hours. With the spring planting season upon us, farmers in Perth—Wellington and across Canada are on the land, growing the food that will quite literally feed our country.

Agriculture is always an unpredictable business, with so many variables that all impact a farmer’s bottom line and their hopes to be in the black when the last field is harvested in the fall. While farmers are prepared for these uncertainties that come with the business, what they are not prepared for are the uncertainties placed upon them by the government.

For over 10 weeks now, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food has refused to clarify whether fertilizer orders placed prior to March 2 would be subject to the 35% tariff. Since those orders were placed prior to sanctions being in place, the tariffs impact only Canadian farmers and agri-businesses; they have zero impact on Vladimir Putin and his thugs.

I implore the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to finally stand up for farmers and farm families.