Debates of May 30th, 2022

Outaouais Multicultural Entrepreneurs Action Network

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to draw your attention to the 10th anniversary of the Outaouais Multicultural Entrepreneurs Action Network, or RAEM, which contributes significantly to the socio-economic integration of immigrants through entrepreneurship. Together with many local stakeholders, RAEM is known for the services it offers to immigrant entrepreneurs in the Outaouais region.

A celebration was held in the organization's honour on May 24, and I was there to personally attest to its valuable contribution to the socio-economic development of Gatineau over the years.

I would like to highlight the commitment of Señor Jaime Baquero and his team, the board of directors, and the many volunteers and partners who contribute to the success of immigrant entrepreneurship.

Once again, I wish the entire Outaouais RAEM team a wonderful 10th anniversary.

Brooks Bandits

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

Mr. Speaker, after winning the Canadian championship in 2019 and two cancelled seasons, the Brooks Bandits are once again the Canadian Junior Hockey League national champions. In 2022, they scored 109 points in regular season, and in the playoffs' four rounds, they went 12 and one. This is their fifth Alberta junior hockey championship in 10 years. Yesterday, with a four-to-one victory, they finished undefeated in the Centennial Cup final. They are back-to-back champions. It was their third in 10 years.

I send my congratulations to everyone in the organizations: players, coaches and management. They focused on education and scholarship, attracted young talent and furthered the players' educational and career goals. They are doing the city of Brooks, the county of Newell, the Bow River riding and Alberta proud while forging a legacy in junior hockey. Next year, the Bandits are going for three in a row. Go, Bandits.

The Great Lakes

[Vance Badawey, Liberal, Niagara Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, representatives of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence stakeholder communities are today visiting Parliament Hill to share their vision for the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence. Then, later tonight, we are hosting an event for MPs, Senators and staff to learn more about the triple bottom line impacts of this massive freshwater system.

Representatives from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, the OFAH, the Council of the Great Lakes Region, the Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association and more will be on hand to take questions and to showcase the great things happening in the area.

These resources are binational treasures that we hold in trust for future generations. They support hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in trade and economic output. They are a source of clean drinking water for millions, and they are part of an environmental trust we all share.

I thank these groups for helping to keep the Great Lakes great, and I thank all members of the House for supporting this essential work.

Canadian Jewish Heritage Month

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this Canadian Jewish Heritage Month I would like to recognize and celebrate Jewish culture, heritage and history in Canada. Jewish Canadians have made and continue to make important contributions to the socio-economic development of Canada. I would like to recognize and thank Rabbi Mendel Blum of Ottawa Torah Centre and the leadership team at Congregation Beit Tikvah of Ottawa for their services to the Jewish community and beyond in Ottawa.

I would like to recognize and thank Andrea Freedman of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa for her services to the Jewish Canadian community. I also would like to recognize and thank Corey Balsam for his hard work representing Independent Jewish Voices Canada.

Retirement Congratulations

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Red Deer—Lacombe, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to recognize a local legend in Alberta municipal politics, Helen Posti.

Helen left office last year after 30 years as mayor of Eckville and a total of 35 consecutive years on council. While Helen may be leaving the job she held, which spanned five different decades, she is certainly not leaving her role as a public servant. I know Helen will continue to be a cherished volunteer and lend her expertise to a number of community groups and boards.

Over the course of her career, Helen saw the transition from typewriters to Zoom meetings and has a list of accomplishments that anyone in this chamber would be envious to call their own. From being instrumental in bringing family and community support services to town and overseeing the creation of multiple subdivisions, to a new water treatment plant, countless new pieces of community infrastructure and a new fire hall with ambulance personnel quarters, there is not much she has not done.

I thank Mayor Posti, Helen, for being a shining example of what public service ought to be.

National AccessAbility Week

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

Mr. Speaker, this week is National AccessAbility Week, when we get to celebrate the tremendous contributions of persons with disabilities and highlight the work of Canadians and organizations working together to remove barriers in communities across Canada.

That was the case last Saturday in my hometown, with the official opening of the Farrow Riverside Miracle Park. Miracle Park is the first fully accessible park, playground and baseball diamond in Windsor, and it has already brought countless smiles and pride to our community.

So many stepped up to make this miracle happen, inspired by the leadership of the Riverside Minor Baseball Association and the generosity of families, including the Farrow, Solcz and Toldo families, among other. Bill Kell, the Miracle Park co-chair said, “No matter how big or small, you made a difference.”

I urge all my colleagues and all Canadians to highlight the miracles happening in their communities during this year's National AccessAbility Week celebrations.

Supreme Court Ruling

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, recently, the Supreme Court struck down life without parole for mass murderers, dealing yet another blow to victims' rights in Canada. When I first heard this, I was shocked and then I got angry. I later spoke with my constituent Sharlene Bosma, whose husband Tim was brutally shot in the head and then incinerated in 2013.

The murderer, who also killed his father and girlfriend, was then convicted and sentenced to life in prison for three consecutive 25-year sentences. Sharlene believed she would never have to go through a parole hearing in her lifetime, but the murderer will now be able to apply for parole in just 16 years, and every two to five years thereafter. This is revictimization. This dangerous and disappointing ruling essentially gives would-be mass murderers the licence to kill at will because our Supreme Court believes in the dignity of the offender over the well-being of victims’ families.

This decision should outrage all parliamentarians. I urge the government to think of the Bosma family and bring balance back to our justice system.

National Tourism Week

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if we want to know how much we need something, simply take it away. That is what happened this past week in my riding of Peterborough—Kawartha, in Ontario, when we lost our power. I want to take a minute to thank all the hydro workers, both local and from all over, who came to restore power.

It is also what has happened in the last two years to our tourism sector. When we lost tourism, we lost human connection. It is responsible not only for one in 10 jobs, but for memories.

As shadow minister for tourism, I am excited to work in the all-party caucus. We have a lot of work to do, and I know every member in here believes in tourism because it impacts every single one of our ridings. We have a lot to be enthusiastic about, but we have a lot of work to do. It is my job to be critical and to put pressure where pressure needs to be applied.

It is time to open up Canada for business, it is time to drop the mandates and it is time to support the industry that needs us so much. Happy National Tourism Week. Canada is the best of the best, and I am so honoured to represent it.

Patriots Exiled to Australia

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I just returned from an incredible trip to Australia, to which 58 patriots from Quebec were exiled 182 years ago for participating in the 1836-39 rebellions.

These courageous men, including farmers, businessmen, notaries and doctors, had fought for better democratic representation in the colony of Lower Canada.

Two men from Sainte‑Martine, Louis Dumouchel and Gabriel Chèvrefils, died there. All the others returned home after being pardoned by Queen Victoria, except for Joseph Marceau of Napierville. He fell in love with a young Australian woman and stayed there. The couple had 11 children and many descendants who still proudly celebrate their Québécois Canadian heritage to this day.

This is a little-known story that deserves to be told.

Land Claims Agreements Coalition

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this week, the Land Claims Agreements Coalition gathers in Ottawa to continue its important work developing a comprehensive, modern treaty implementation framework. I am pleased to share that among the participants is a group of leaders from the Nisga'a Nation in northwest B.C. who, almost exactly 22 years ago, achieved B.C.'s very first modern treaty. After 113 years of hard work and struggle by the simgigat and sigidimnak', they won self-government for their people at long last.

Today, the work of treaty is as important as ever, and we are reminded of the need for Canada, as a treaty partner, to engage in good faith and address treaty concerns in a timely way.

Joining us in Ottawa this week are Nisga'a Lisims Government President Eva Clayton, Council of Elders chairperson Herb Morven and over a dozen other elected leaders from the Nisga'a Lisims Government and the four Nisga'a village governments. I invite my colleagues here to join me in honouring these leaders for their hard work and in wishing them a productive week of meetings while they are in our capital.

Shootings in Uvalde

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, last Tuesday, tragedy once again struck our American neighbours when a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in cold blood at an elementary school in Texas. Our hearts go out to the families affected by this heinous crime.

It would be a mistake for us to think that we are safe because we live on the other side of the border. If we do not take action, something that has become all too common in the United States could become the norm here too. The recent shootings in Montreal show that there is already a worrisome move toward a real culture of gun violence here.

The mayor of Montreal and the Premier of Quebec have been clear. They have reiterated that we need to ban handguns and crack down on gun trafficking at the border. With all due respect for hunters, we also need to take action against all military-style assault weapons, not just on a model-by-model basis. These weapons are not made for duck hunting, and they have no place in a society that needs to keep its citizens safe.

Justice

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply concerned about recent events in our justice system. Someone who commits multiple murders is now eligible for parole as though they had committed only one, and extreme intoxication can be a defence for sexual and violent crimes.

One event that recently hit me most when I reread it just this morning came in a case from a few months ago of a seven-year-old child sexually victimized by her own mother. Her childhood was stolen. The Crown sought a lengthy jail sentence, but a B.C. judge imposed house arrest. Why? The offender had no criminal record, which is not uncommon in these types of offences, the offender was intoxicated and, worse, the judge reasoned that it happened only once.

One time is too many. This seven-year-old child may now have a psychological life sentence, while the person who was supposed to protect her avoids a jail cell. I have three words for the government: Change this now.

Women and Gender Equality

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, vaginas and vulvas are a source of strength, empowerment and pleasure, yet throughout our lives we have been taught that the terms “vulva” and “vagina” do not have a place in polite conversation. That is one more way that the bodies of over half the world’s population are stigmatized, sexualized and objectified.

With the recent news in the United States regarding Roe v. Wade, conversations about sexual and reproductive health are more important than ever, and they start here on Parliament Hill. We need to reclaim space in health research, in politics, in policy-making and at the doctor’s office to celebrate the power of vulvas and vaginas.

It is 2022, and we should not be embarrassed or ashamed to talk about our bodies. Join me, the MPs for Winnipeg Centre, Saanich—Gulf Islands and Shefford, Senator McPhedran and Action Canada as we jointly host a celebration on May 31 to reclaim the conversation and celebrate vulvas and vaginas as powerful and important.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives always put victims' rights above criminals' rights.

On Friday, the Supreme Court issued a disappointing verdict that will allow violent criminals and serial killers like Alexandre Bissonnette and Justin Bourque back into society in spite of their life sentences.

They murdered nine people. These victims will never be back in society, never be with their families again.

Will the Prime Minister do everything he can to ensure that people who commit mass shootings serve sentences that reflect their crimes?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we recognize that this has been painful for the families in Quebec City and for families in communities all across Canada.

I remind members that just because an offender is eligible for parole does not mean that parole will be granted. The Parole Board of Canada will determine whether Alexandre Bissonnette or any other convicted murderer will be granted parole after serving 25 years of their sentence.

We respect the clear and unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of Canada. It clearly stated that the law it was striking down constituted cruel and unusual punishment.

The Economy

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

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, the Prime Minister promised to make life more affordable for everyone.

Seven years later, here is his report card: Gas costs twice as much, housing prices have doubled, groceries cost a fortune, and inflation has risen from 1.1% to 6.8%. With the carbon tax, the government itself is happily picking the pockets of Canadians.

The facts speak for themselves. Under the Liberals, more and more Canadians are having trouble paying their bills. What will the Prime Minister do to help the middle class and those who are paying more and more just to stay in it?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we understand, as all Canadians do, that inflation is a global phenomenon. However, we also understand that this is making life difficult for Canadian families, and that is why our government has taken action.

Our budget includes practical measures, such as dental care for Canadians, a one-time payment of $500 for people who are facing housing affordability challenges, and the introduction of a multi-generational home renovation tax credit.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is a whole lot of nonsense.

The government's response to inflation and the rising price of gas, food and housing is sorely lacking in compassion for Canadians. It is not by comparing Canada to other countries that we are going to help the families who are struggling to make ends meet at the end of the month.

The government is one of the biggest beneficiaries of inflation since it is collecting more and more taxes from Canadians. Instead of continuing to fill its coffers at Canadians' expense, can the Prime Minister give them a bit of relief and lower taxes?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we have no lessons to learn from the Conservatives when it comes to helping the most vulnerable Canadians.

We brought in the Canada child benefit, which is indexed to inflation and has helped to lift nearly 300,000 children out of poverty. It was our government that increased the guaranteed income supplement, which is also indexed to inflation and has helped more than 900,000 seniors.

We have helped the most vulnerable and we will continue to do so.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are all acting on high gas prices. Even Germany slashed its fuel tax by $16 billion. Our Canadian government did zip, zero, nothing, nada.

The Conservatives proposed exempting GST from fuel to give Canadians a break at the pumps, but the speNDP-Liberals voted against it. Will the Prime Minister take a cue from other G7 leaders and start acting on high gas prices, or is the only acting he enjoys these days playing the Prime Minister on TV?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we understand that inflation is a global phenomenon. We understand that it is very much driven today by Putin's illegal war in Ukraine. That is why we are so active on that issue.

However, we also understand that it is causing real hardship for Canadian families, and that is why our government has acted. We created the CCB, which is indexed to inflation, and now a single mother with two children will receive up to $13,666 from this benefit. OAS, indexed to inflation, is going up by 10% this year. Of course, there is also early learning and child care.

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

Mr. Speaker, more recycled talking points are not going to help people on low income due to inflation. Nearly half of all Canadians say that skyrocketing grocery bills are making it impossible to feed their families, and food banks are at a breaking point. Economists say inflation started in meat products, but now it has broadened to the most common food items due to rising gas prices.

Will the speNDP-Liberals cut taxes at the pumps to help curb grocery inflation, or was it their plan all along to simply pass on the burden to food banks?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the most vulnerable Canadians, precisely the people who need to rely on food banks, we will take absolutely no lessons from the Conservatives when it comes to supporting them.

In 2015, when we formed government, more than 5.1 million Canadians lived in poverty. In 2019, the last year for which we have figures, that number had dropped to below 3.8 million. We have programs indexed to inflation supporting the most vulnerable, and there is more support in the budget.

Justice

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the cat is out of the bag. The Liberals have finally announced their intention to challenge Quebec's Bill 21 when it reaches the Supreme Court of Canada. They are in such a hurry to do so that they have announced their intention even though the matter is not yet before the court. They are out of control. As the Premier of Quebec said, “This is a blatant lack of respect...for Quebeckers”.

Bill 21, the state secularism bill, was passed by a majority of the members of Quebec's National Assembly, who represent a majority of Quebeckers. What part of the concept of democracy does this government not understand?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, from the start, we have made it clear that we have concerns about the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause in the Constitution. We have made that clear from the start.

I said so clearly the other day when I announced our intention to go to the Supreme Court of Canada if the Court of Appeal's decision were appealed. It is very important to ensure respect for democracy and look at legal jurisdiction and the Constitution. We have concerns relating to section 33 of the Constitution, and we will defend Canadians' rights.