House of Commons Hansard #91 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was c-11.

Topics

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

NDP

Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON

Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I am very worried that it might be misconstrued that I am getting financial benefits when I do decks and drywalling. That is not the fact at all. I just want that on the record.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

That is not a point of order.

The hon. member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Bloc

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

Madam Speaker, it is well known that Pierre Trudel, a law professor at Université de Montréal, said that broadcasting must be protected—

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

The hon. member is trying to pose a question. It is very hard for the parliamentary secretary and me to hear that when there are side conversations going on from one end of the chamber to the other.

The hon. member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Bloc

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

Madam Speaker, I was saying that Pierre Trudel, a law professor at Université de Montréal, said that broadcasting must be protected, that the freedom of Internet users is not at risk, that there is no thought police on television and that there will be no thought police online.

In May 2021, the Department of Justice filed a legal opinion refuting these allegations and confirming Mr. Trudel's statement that freedom of expression is not at risk.

I do not understand why the parties are bickering about protecting broadcasting.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON

Madam Speaker, perhaps that is a better question for the Conservatives, who continue to rail on this issue, despite the fact that these legal opinions have come forward. Of course they are going to dig up one or two individuals who can support what they are saying, as they continuously do in the House.

However, in my opinion as to why we are debating, it is because the Conservatives, in the last Parliament, drew a little blood out of this issue. They saw that, and like a group of sharks, they circled around it. They are attempting to get more and more blood out of it, quite frankly. I just do not see any concern, and this member has indicated that perfectly through her question.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:30 a.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C‑11 at report stage. Let me start by saying that this bill matters a lot to the Bloc Québécois and has since the last Parliament.

I spoke in favour of this bill in a speech last month. However, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the hard work of my colleague from Drummond, who has devoted himself, body and soul, to this bill ever since its previous incarnation as Bill C‑10. He deserves every bit of the applause I am hearing right now.

I will begin my speech today with a reminder about how important Bill C‑11 is to the discoverability of francophone culture. I will move on to a reminder about the importance of local media, and I will wrap up with an expression of hope regarding the importance of fighting misinformation, which has had such an impact on this parliamentary session.

As I was drafting my speech, I came across the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The CDCE states that Bill C‑11, which updates the Broadcasting Act, is one of Canada's important and long-awaited cultural policies. On its website, the CDCE has what I think is a very good summary of the importance of Bill C‑11.

It ensures that Canadian creations and productions have a prominent place on our airwaves and on our screens, and that the companies generating revenues from access to culture in the music and audiovisual sectors contribute to their creation, development and distribution.

Canadians are increasingly accessing culture through online platforms. Much of the broadcasting ecosystem is transitioning to digital content. This has a number of benefits for the public and for creators: increased access to a variety of stories, music and ideas, increased opportunities for creators to launch their work, and renewed ability to reach audiences in Canada and around the world...

Many large corporations take advantage of this digital age without any obligation to contribute. Artists, creators, producers, publishers and other professionals of the music and audiovisual industries, as well as for Canadian society, do not reap the potential benefits of investment in the Canadian cultural ecosystem. C-11 was introduced to correct this unfairness.

Unfairness is indeed a problem.

The purpose of the new bill essentially remains the same as the previous one, namely to apply the Broadcasting Act to the web giants by forcing them to contribute financially to the creation and discovery of Canadian cultural content.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, or CRTC, will receive new powers that will allow it to determine which online services will have to be regulated and what quotas will need to be respected. Bill C‑11 will help better regulate video streamers such as Netflix, Apple and TV Plus, Disney+, Prime Video, but also companies that specialize in streaming music online such as Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music. The bill will require them to contribute to Canadian content when commercial items such as albums are downloaded and distributed on platforms.

However, the exclusion clause, namely clause 4.1, addressed earlier, has been revised. Now creators, users and social media influencers are exempt from the legislation. The money a creator earns from their content is immaterial in the eyes of the new legislation. So‑called amateur content on social media would be exempt. The legislation focuses specifically on commercial products.

The level of monetization of the use of content in full or in part by a broadcasting undertaking regulated by the CRTC will, among other things, be taken into consideration. The CRTC will also have the option to impose conditions associated with discoverability and the development of Canadian content.

The bill will not touch the algorithms that can influence the recommendations made to users, and that is very important. The Department of Canadian Heritage says it wants to focus on discoverability outcomes and not intervene directly with respect to web giants' algorithms. There are still questions to be asked, for example, on whether the two are not already intertwined and whether greater discoverability of Canadian and francophone content is necessarily dependent on algorithms.

In our case, it is the outcome that counts. Quebec, francophone and Canadian content must be much more accessible on platforms. Ottawa is trying to give the CRTC the power to hold discussions with each of the digital companies to determine how much they should contribute to Canadian content based on their business model. The CRTC will be able to impose administrative and monetary penalties on those digital broadcasters that refuse to comply with the Broadcasting Act.

Finally, the Minister of Canadian Heritage is proposing other legislative changes in his bill that will apply to all broadcasters, traditional or otherwise. The law should also strengthen programs produced by Canadians that cover news and current events—from the local and regional to the national and international—and that reflect the viewpoints of Canadians, including the viewpoints of indigenous persons and of Canadians from racialized communities and diverse ethnocultural backgrounds.

After everything we just talked about with regard to this legislation, I also want to mention the gains that the Bloc Québécois was able to secure with Bill C-11.

The Bloc Québécois did a lot to improve the previous version of the bill, namely Bill C-10, by ensuring the protection and promotion of original French-language programs; the discoverability of Canadian programming services and original Canadian content, including French-language original content, in an equitable proportion; the promotion of original Canadian content in both official languages and in indigenous languages; a mandatory contribution to Canada's broadcasting system if a company is unable to make use of Canadian resources as part of its programming; the requirement for first-run French-language content, in order to ensure there are new French-language shows on Netflix, for example, and not old ones; and a sunset clause that would provide for a comprehensive review of the act every five years.

This is very important, because we will thoroughly review C‑11 and meet with the various industry stakeholders and experts to get a sense of what is happening in the industry. We will have to keep evolving this law. We will not hesitate to try to improve it, if necessary, and we will surely propose again many of the hundreds of amendments that were rejected in the spring. Some of our proposals would have made improvements for local, community and independent players, for example.

We have to keep in mind we want a piece of legislation that will not be obsolete as soon as it is passed. Technology is developing very quickly, and we need a long-term vision to ensure that the act does not become outdated after just a few years. Flexible legislation is important, especially since Quebec's and Canada's cultural sectors have been waiting for decades for this act to be updated.

The cultural sector made a simple demand just a few days after Bill C‑11 was introduced. We need to ensure that this bill is passed quickly. The sector has waited long enough.

In May 2021, on Tout le monde en parle, even the former minister of Canadian Heritage said that every month that goes by without us enacting Bill C-10, now Bill C-11, represents more than $70 million that does not go to our artists in Quebec and Canada.

Second, do not forget that, like Bill C-18, which specifically focuses on assistance to print media and is based on the Australian model, Bill C-11 also fits into the context of this media crisis.

Since their inception, Facebook, Twitter and Google have been appropriating news articles and reports without giving any compensation to the authors or the media outlets concerned. For too many years, the digital giants have therefore been instrumental in dismantling our traditional media. This phenomenon began with national advertisers deserting traditional media for Facebook and Google, later followed by local advertisers, who also stopped buying advertising in local weeklies in favour of the giants.

Advertising on digital platforms is now the property of Google and Facebook, which alone are pocketing 80% of online ad revenue. Moreover, digital giants pay nothing for journalistic content that ends up on their platform, and they disregard the copyright of journalists whose work others share on social media.

Third, I really want to talk about misinformation, especially since there has been so much of it in connection with Bill C‑11: cat videos that will not be allowed to circulate, freedom of expression denied and information controlled, like in Russia. I have heard so many shocking things during the debates on this issue.

Just this week, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada expressed concerns about the impact of misinformation on the health of our democratic institutions. He pointed to the demonstration in downtown Ottawa that paralyzed the city for three weeks, but he emphasized the importance of our shared responsibility to fight ignorance and hatred, which lead to misinformation. He expressed one wish for people in positions of authority, such as ourselves, namely that we pay more attention to the statements we make and their veracity.

I also replaced a colleague at the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security during its deliberations on radicalization and online hate. We cannot continue to ignore our role as elected representatives in the deterioration of public discourse on topics like Bill C-11 and in the divisiveness that exists. I hope to see this place debating a bill to address online hate sooner rather than later.

As a final point, I do not know whether this will be my last speech of the session, so I want to remind everyone listening of my unwavering commitment to the people of Shefford. I always keep in mind that I am accountable to my constituents, first and foremost, and, in this case, I am thinking of our local media in particular. I want nothing but the very best for the people of my region who have a right to access francophone cultural products, and for our artists, who have such an important and vibrant presence in our communities. They have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, so they need some good news. Let us do something for them and pass Bill C-11.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:40 a.m.

Liberal

Jenica Atwin Liberal Fredericton, NB

Madam Speaker, in her speech, the member for Lethbridge gave the example of a Canadian content creator on YouTube who worries about not being included in the digital landscape, if Bill C‑11 is passed, and about their voice being silenced by the government.

In an effort to set the record straight, could my colleague indicate whether this theory is correct?

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:45 a.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question and for her love of French. She is improving. That is great. I love having discussions with her.

I think I demonstrated that there has been a great deal of misinformation about this bill.

I remember the sarcastic intervention by my colleague from Longueuil—Saint‑Hubert when he said that after listening to the Conservatives, he had to agree with their arguments.

The Conservatives claim that we now have a system that imposes things on us, controls information and might well drift into allowing excessive control over what is broadcast.

I showed that compared to the former Bill C‑10, clause 4.1 of this bill adds protection against that. I would remind members that the bill includes a provision requiring a five‑year review of the legislation. We could therefore monitor the progress of the situation.

In this specific case, I believe that this worry is unfounded. We have shown that there is a protection mechanism in the bill. This does not infringe on freedom of expression; Canada has not become a dictatorship that tells people what they can say, do, think or broadcast. That is really pathetic.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:45 a.m.

Conservative

Marty Morantz Conservative Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia—Headingley, MB

Madam Speaker, I want to get some clarification from the member, because even at the eleventh hour of the abridged debate on this bill, there still seems to be doubt as to whether user-generated content is regulated. Liberal members, Bloc members and NDP members seem to be saying that it is not regulated. Why not remove all doubt and simply put a clause in the bill that says user-generated content is not regulated?

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:45 a.m.

An hon. member

There are numerous clauses, if you read the bill. Read the bill.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:45 a.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

It is not time for the hon. member for New Westminster—Burnaby to answer the question. It is up to the hon. member for Shefford.

The hon. member for Shefford.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

June 17th, 2022 / 10:45 a.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Madam Speaker, I find that interesting. All parties seem to recognize that there is already a provision in this bill stating that this content will not be regulated.

When someone gets to the point where they feel like everyone else is wrong and they are the only one who is right, it may be time for them to do some soul searching. Are they contributing to disinformation? Have they properly done their work as parliamentarians? Have they read the bill? Are they representing all their constituents?

Francophone artists would not agree that they have not kept up with the times and have not been able to adapt to the digital age since 1993. That is what I heard said about certain francophones and artists from Quebec.

It is shocking that the Conservatives are trying to accuse our artists of not being able to adapt to the digital age. Quite frankly, that is insulting.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:45 a.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC

Madam Speaker, I completely agree with the member for Shefford. The Conservatives have lost it. They spread completely false information. It would seem that they never read the bill. They are making all sorts of accusations. People have to at least try to be realistic when saying things in the House of Commons. Even though we can say anything, the Conservatives should exercise some self-control.

I have a simple question to ask the member for Shefford, who gave an excellent speech. It is now estimated that web giants, who have been profiting for years, will contribute $1 billion, which will be invested in Canadian jobs. What impact will this have in Quebec?

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:45 a.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Madam Speaker, as a former journalism student and as a lover of arts and culture, I am watching this bill very closely. I hope that the money will highlight some amazing cultural projects from Quebec and help make them successful.

I also want to say that we need to allow local media to thrive, as called for by the Voix de l'Est, a newspaper from back home. In my speech I mentioned Marie-Ève Martel's excellent book Extinction de voix, which explains why this bill is so important. This money must be redistributed to help local media and local artists. This money could be reinvested elsewhere.

The web giants have done enough copying from our local media. Now it is time for them to give back to the smallest media outlets, in order to ensure that Quebec culture can truly be enjoyed around the world.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

10:45 a.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise. I certainly salute the numerous colleagues, such as the member for Shefford and the member for Kingston and the Islands, who have actually addressed the bill. They have obviously read it. This is very important.

What is unbelievable to me is the over-the-top, crazed, Republican-style rhetoric that we have heard from the Conservatives over the last few weeks. This is very simple. There were the equivalent of five weeks of hearings, and the vast majority of witnesses who came forward, as members know, were in favour of the bill but wanted improvements. I will be pleased in a moment to talk about how the NDP was successful in improving the bill, playing our role yet again as the effective opposition party and pushing to make sure that bills are better.

After the equivalent of five weeks of hearings, for two weeks the Conservatives blocked witnesses, refused to let the amendments that had already been submitted be discussed and debated, and blocked everything. They completely filibustered so that nothing could move forward. We have seen the same sad travesty here in the House. The Conservatives, ever since they basically imploded six months ago, have refused to let anything good go through the House for the benefit of Canadians. It is sad. The Conservative Party used to be a respected opposition party, but what it has done over the last few months undermines that.

I will say that there are members of the Conservative caucus whom I have a lot of confidence in, including the member for Perth—Wellington. I wish that his voice was heard more often in the Conservative caucus.

That being said, what did the NDP do? The New Democrats brought forward a series of amendments. We wanted to make sure the bill was stronger. That is our role. As the effective opposition in the House of Commons, we tackled it from five standpoints.

First, when we looked at Bill C-11, we wanted to make sure that we renew broadcasting in Canada and that online companies actually pay their fair share. We are talking about $1 billion in investments. That means tens of thousands of jobs right across the country. This will mean a significant renaissance of the Canadian creative and cultural industries. There is no doubt.

We also wanted to make sure we broke down barriers for marginalized peoples in Canada, so we tabled Bill C-11 and successfully got it through the committee. It is now before the House for consideration at report stage, and hopefully it will get to third reading as well. There are substantial improvements that break down barriers for Black and racialized Canadians in broadcasting, for indigenous peoples, indigenous culture, indigenous voices and indigenous languages, and for people with disabilities. Canadians with disabilities have been excluded from the broadcasting system and from online streaming for far too long. Those are important barriers that the New Democrats broke down, and we are proud of our accomplishments. We want to compliment the members of the heritage committee who voted for those far-reaching amendments.

Second, we wanted to renew community broadcasting. The disinformation and Republican-style rhetoric of the Conservative Party, and the hate we have seen with the “freedom convoy” that many Conservative MPs endorsed, are things that really need a renewal at the community level. Hate and disinformation come from the fact that we do not know our neighbours, and the erosion of community media and community voices has unfortunately contributed to the amplification of the hate and disinformation in our country that we are all seeing.

The NDP tabled this, and again a majority of members of the heritage committee agreed with the idea that we have to reinforce community voices, community media, community broadcasting and community radio. I would like to thank CACTUS and numerous other community organizations that offered important amendments so that we could improve community broadcasting and know our neighbours better. The best antidote to the hate and disinformation we are seeing from the Republicans in the United States and the far right in Canada is to ensure that we know our neighbours and appreciate them. That was an important second series of amendments we brought forward.

Third, we wanted to reinforce freedom of expression. Unanimously, members of the heritage committee agreed, and that means freedom of expression is now paramount in this legislation.

Fourth, we wanted to make sure that Canadian jobs and Canadian broadcasting were enhanced. We have $1 billion now, which is substantial. It is a massive increase in the resources available to Canadian cultural industries. We wanted to make sure it assures there are Canadian jobs, so we tabled with success a number of amendments that enhance the Canadian employment and Canadian jobs component.

Finally, we wanted to ensure more accountability for the CRTC, and we were successful in that endeavour as well.

As a result, what we have is a Bill C-11 that is better and more improved. We are happy that we were able to use our effective opposition voice not to destroy, block or stop any consideration, but to improve this important bill.

It is worth mentioning that the vast majority of witnesses who testified before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage were in favour of this bill. Even the Conservatives have to admit that these witnesses said that the bill must be passed. Dozens and dozens of organizations representing hundreds of thousands of Canadians from across the country told us that this bill should be passed, but that it had to be improved.

The NDP proposed amendments to improve accessibility for marginalized people, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples and racialized people in Canada, and these amendments were adopted. These measures will improve the bill overall. We also succeeded in getting the number of local and community programs increased. The fact that the CRTC will now be more accountable to Canadians is another NDP success. Canadian jobs are another very important aspect of the bill. We wanted freedom of expression to come above everything else, and the NDP's amendment in that respect was successful.

The reality is that the equivalent of five weeks of meetings were held with regard to the bill before us, during which we heard from dozens and dozens of witnesses. We can say that we met the expectations of these witnesses by ensuring that the bill is better now than it was when the committee got it.

Even though I am disappointed with the Conservatives for holding up all the work for weeks, refusing to hear from witnesses and consider amendments, and refusing to do everything necessary to improve the bill, I think that what did come out of the committee study was an improved version of Bill C-11. There is more transparency. All of the work that we have done over the past few weeks has resulted in a better bill.

I would like to say one last thing. Bill C‑11 and the fact that we have managed to make more Canadian voices heard are another way to counter disinformation. There is not just disinformation around Bill C‑11. In the United States, Republican disinformation is currently a major issue because it is warping democracy and undermining the very essence of voting. This hate coming out of the United States, this disinformation, must be kept out of Canada as much as possible.

We saw the hate expressed by the so-called “freedom convoy”. At that time, we saw that these people wanted to take down our democracy, take down Canada's Parliament. Some of the Conservative members supported that. The way to counter disinformation is to provide more information. That is also one of the objectives of the improved version of Bill C‑11.

Motions in AmendmentOnline Streaming ActGovernment Orders

11 a.m.

NDP

The Assistant Deputy Speaker NDP Carol Hughes

The hon. member will have five minutes for questions and comments when we return to debate after question period.

Samuel “Art” Craig and E.W. “Al” RoederStatements by Members

11 a.m.

Liberal

Tony Van Bynen Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON

Madam Speaker, over the past year, our community of Newmarket—Aurora has lost two gentlemen whose impact on health care is immeasurable.

Art Craig passed on October 17, 2021, and Al Roeder passed on May 29, 2022. Both served our community in leadership positions with what is now the Southlake Regional Health Centre. Each served as president.

Al was a consummate professional, a health leader and in many ways a health pioneer. He was also, above all else, a gentleman, loved and respected by family, neighbours and former colleagues.

Art was a great supporter of arts and culture who believed in serving the community. He is remembered as a kind soul with a love of family and friends. The respect that he had from those who benefited from his support is exemplified with lifetime memberships in various organizations.

Our community, and specifically our hospital and health care, owe much to the leadership and the vision of both of these gentlemen.

Kyiv Home Project in EssexStatements by Members

11 a.m.

Conservative

Chris Lewis Conservative Essex, ON

Madam Speaker, look no further than to Essex to find people who will rise to the occasion when there is a cry for desperately needed help for the families of Ukraine. We all need a good-news story these days, and wow, do I have a great one.

Gary Taveirne and his amazing family were horrified by the horrible images of the illegal war on Ukraine and knew they had to do something, but they have gone above and beyond.

They have created the Kyiv Home Project and are building a two-family home in Cottam's Woodridge Estates for Ukrainian families to settle in, as well as supporting these families for three years as they get back on their feet.

With the help of BK Cornerstone, the Town of Kingsville, corporate donors, contractors, skilled trades workers and Pastor Kim Gilliland and the congregation of the Cottam United Church, their goal is to provide safe housing and necessities, which will soon become reality for Ukrainian families.

I am proud to strongly support this incredible act of compassion. I ask all of my colleagues in the House to join me in thanking the Taveirne family for their generosity and for leaving the world a better place than they found it.

Ukrainian Families in Sackville—Preston—ChezzetcookStatements by Members

11 a.m.

Liberal

Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS

Madam Speaker, Canadian families across the country are stepping up to help Ukrainians come to and stay in Canada. The Parkers, a family from Eastern Passage in my riding of Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, are now hosting their second family from Ukraine.

Anastaslia, Oleski and Paulina arrived in Canada two weeks ago. Last Friday, I visited the Parker home to give young Paulina a Canadian flag and a backpack full of goodies. It was heartwarming to see her playing on the trampoline and waving her hand-held Canadian flag.

I want to thank the Parkers and all other families across Canada who have shown incredible generosity in opening up their homes and their hearts to the people of Ukraine.

Food PricesStatements by Members

11 a.m.

NDP

Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON

Madam Speaker, food prices are going through the roof and working-class families are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. We know that Vladimir Putin's illegal war in Ukraine is driving fears of a global food shortage, but those fears are the perfect cover for the giant food conglomerates that are jacking up prices, not because of inflation but to gouge us.

Cargill's profits were up 64% in a single year. Loblaws' first-quarter profits are 40% higher than last year.

What is the government doing? The Liberals, remember, used taxpayers' money to fix Galen Weston's fridges while Loblaws was scamming us over the price of bread, and the Conservatives? Well, their would-be leader says to invest our savings in crypto-Ponzi schemes to beat inflation. I mean, a financial genius this guy is not.

What we are dealing with is not inflation but old-fashioned price gouging and corporate giants ripping off Canada's working class. The New Democrats say that it is time we took on these corporate giants and got this money into the pockets of working-class families.

Men's Health WeekStatements by Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Adam van Koeverden Liberal Milton, ON

Madam Speaker, we need to talk about men's health. This is Men's Health Week, and June is Canadian Men's Health Month, but we need to recognize how important it is for men to be aware of their physical and mental health every day of the year.

Canadian men die at alarmingly high rates of chronic illnesses in Canada, yet 70% of men's health problems are preventable just by living a healthier life. Healthy eating and daily physical activity play an important role in the health, well-being and quality of life of all Canadians, but physical activity in particular decreases stress and helps prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and many other things we should all work to avoid.

The good news for guys is that resources are available, and there is a huge community to support them. MensHealthFoundation.ca is a great place to start if my colleagues are ready to focus on their mental and physical health.

In closing, I would like to wish my dad, Joe, and all the other dads out there in Milton and across Canada a very happy Father's Day.

BeauceStatements by Members

11:05 a.m.

Conservative

Richard Lehoux Conservative Beauce, QC

Madam Speaker, summer is just days away. In my riding, patio umbrellas are starting to go up in backyards and the smell of barbecue is in the air.

I would like to wish all the people of Beauce a fantastic summer holiday. The past two years have been tough, but the summer promises to be more or less normal. We have to keep supporting our local grocery store, coffee shop or corner store this summer because the neighbour, friend or family member who runs it needs us now more than ever.

Let us not forget that we cannot spell “Beauce” without “beau”, which means beautiful. I know that I am a bit biased, but our scenery, our hospitality and our sweet treats are a cut above the rest. I invite all my colleagues to come to Beauce this summer to enjoy our Beauce Route and learn all about our local legends along the way. Those who find it hard to leave are welcome to stay at my place.

I wish everyone a great summer. In Beauce, they will feel at home.

Funeral Aid Society of PeelStatements by Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Shafqat Ali Liberal Brampton Centre, ON

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the residents Brampton Centre, I rise today to recognize Tahir Khan, Shafiq Ahmad, Aqeel Akram, Raja Ashfaq, Farooq Ahmad, and Zia Inam for their selfless service to the community as the founding members of the Funeral Aid Society of Peel. The society is a not-for-profit organization, and its more than 1,100 members self-insure against funeral and burial expenses.

When a loved one passes away, the funeral and burial expenses can add to the stress of bereavement. Upon the demise of one of its members, the Funeral Aid Society steps in to pay all funeral and burial expenses. It then distributes that cost pro-rated among its members.

I have much appreciation for the Funeral Aid Society of Peel, as well as its founders, volunteers and members, for helping community members during one of the most difficult times of life.

National Indigenous History MonthStatements by Members

11:05 a.m.

Liberal

Leah Taylor Roy Liberal Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON

Madam Speaker, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill is situated on the traditional territory of the Wyandot, Haudenosaunee and Anishinabe peoples. It is covered by Treaty 13 and the Williams Treaties. We are privileged and grateful to share this part of Turtle Island.

The actions of many, including our government, have been revealed under the bright light of truth. We cannot deny the residential school graves or that the number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls has become an epidemic. It should enrage us all that more than 63% of indigenous women have experienced physical or sexual violence. We cannot remain complacent. That is why national action plans have been put into place and why a special interlocutor on residential schools has been appointed.

Change finds its roots in many places. High school students in York Region, where my riding is located, will be studying indigenous literature. In 2021, Richmond Hill closed its facilities for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and Aurora held a gathering, led by Jared Big Canoe of Georgina Island, to mourn and affirm that every child matters.

June is National Indigenous History Month, and June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day, but these are just dates, unless we all commit ourselves to ensuring that the future is different than the past and choosing to change. I am committed, and I believe change is possible. Together we must all walk the path of reconciliation.