Debates of Oct. 20th, 2023

Oil and Gas Industry

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Mr. Speaker, this week, the Netherlands agreed to buy liquefied natural gas from the Middle Eastern dictatorship of Qatar for the next 27 years. Last week, France agreed to buy LNG from Qatar for the same amount of time. This is in addition to similar LNG deals that Germany recently signed with Middle Eastern dictatorships.

After eight years, does the Liberal-NDP government still believe that there is no business case for Canadian LNG exports?

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and to the Minister of Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, it is really shameful that the Conservative Party would use this humanitarian situation to peddle conspiracy theories.

We need to work with our allies to deliver the clean energy they are asking for, whether it is hydrogen or reactors. If the member of the opposition actually cared about supporting Canadian energy and allies, they would not have voted against Bill C-49, which has created good jobs, improved global security and helped our allies.

The Economy

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we know that some Canadians are really struggling with the cost of living, and I recognize the outstanding support of our Muslim Food Bank, the Surrey Food Bank and the Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib in Fleetwood—Port Kells, all stepping up to provide relief in Surrey and the South of Fraser area. Their efforts complement steps our government has also taken to help with the community and help them cope.

For those looking to us for help through these tough times, can the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development tell us what Canadians should expect next?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, I have great news. Today, 3.5 million Canadians and over six million children will receive the Canada child benefit.

I know that raising children is expensive, especially now, when the cost of necessities is high. Since 2016, this benefit has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. This is just one more way that the government is supporting Canadian families.

Fisheries and Oceans

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

Mr. Speaker, for two years, the Liberal government has let a ship-breaking company in Union Bay break rules in sensitive fish habitats. This could put this important ecosystem, and 50% of the B.C. shellfish industry, at risk, threatening up to 500 jobs and the local economy.

Local first nations, governments and residents are asking the Liberals to stop extending the permit that allows Miller Freeman to sit above the high tide zone. Will the government stop allowing this dangerous activity and further develop ship-breaking regulations to protect coastal communities?

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Coast Guard is aware of an incident involving abandoned vessels at Union Bay, British Columbia. The Coast Guard is working with the Government of B.C. and is ready to assist with the situation as required. Furthermore, the Canadian Coast Guard has reminded the parties involved of their obligations under the Canada Shipping Act.

We will continue to monitor the situation, and we will be ready to assist local officials if required.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Kevin Vuong, Independent, Spadina—Fort York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this Liberal government suffers from amnesia. It has forgotten its election promise to Toronto to help the city with its deficit, and it has forgotten the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, of which Canada is a signatory with obligations to support the refugees we accept.

Under the resettlement assistance program, the government is supposed to help refugees get essential services and support for basic needs. Given last summer's debacle as refugees and asylum seekers slept on the streets, could the minister confirm that the government will provide Toronto with financial support to avoid a repeat, or does the government want to see refugees sleep in the snow?

[Paul Chiang, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, as the number of refugees worldwide grows, Canada continues to protect the world's most vulnerable and be a leader in refugee resettlement. In 2020, Canada resettled one-third of all refugees around the world. In addition, between January and July of 2023, Canada has resettled 27,400 refugees, which is over half of our 2023 target of 51,300.

Oral Questions

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, looking at the Standing Orders, I am raising a point of order under Standing Order 18.

I believe the member for Whitby made a very serious allegation against the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.

During an exchange in question period, the member for Whitby said that the member “falsely claims”. He did not say “alleged” or “made an allegation”, which means he is implying that the member misled the House and was lying to it.

I wonder if the member for Whitby could clarify whether he was saying that the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes was in fact lying, which would be a breach of privilege to mislead the House. If not, I would invite him to retract his statement and apologize.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on the same point of order. I think that from the explanation the member just gave, he is uncertain as to what the intent was. Therefore, I do not think it would be appropriate to be calling on somebody to apologize without even fully understanding what that member said.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Before I give a response to the member for Calgary Shepard, if the member for Whitby would like to rise, he is welcome to do so.

I thank the member for Calgary Shepard. I am going to take this back, and I will come back to the member at the first possible opportunity.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on the same point of order. I appreciate this. I think it is important because people make claims all the time, such as “the member claimed”. People will also say that “the member has falsely stated”.

My understanding is that is fair commentary because we are not calling the member a liar, but when people are making false claims, that can be called out within the parliamentary tradition. I think you will find that we have a strong tradition of that. Therefore, I am not exactly sure whether the person was making false claims or not, but a member can make that allegation, just as members of the opposition can make allegations against the government.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I thank the member for Timmins—James Bay for adding to that matter, which I will take into consideration.

Aircraft Maintenance Engineers

[Michael McLeod, Liberal, Northwest Territories, NT]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition signed by over 1,100 Canadians from across Canada who are calling on the Government of Canada to establish an annual aircraft maintenance engineer day on April 20.

From coast to coast to coast, Canada's aircraft maintenance engineers work hard to keep aircraft of all types and sizes safely maintained in every type of weather. They are more than deserving of a day to recognize their contributions to our country.

Public Transit

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

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually today to present a petition on behalf of newer constituents who are concerned about Canada's public transit policy and, specifically, sustainable public transit funding. The government's initial 10-year transit plan, and the funding that municipalities can count upon, will end in a few years, in 2027.

The petitioners are calling on the government to follow the requests and advice of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ensure that it is consistent with our climate objectives and sustainable. Affordability is also a very key issue in ground transit and access to adequate, safe, reliable public transit.

The petitioners are calling on the government to extend and ensure sustainable support for public transit across Canada.

Child Support

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

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

The first petition comes from constituents in my riding who are drawing the attention of the House to the increasing levels of divorce rates. One of the points they raise is that Canada now has the highest rate of common-law relationships among G7 countries, with the share of coresiding common-law couples increasing from 6% in 1981 to 23% in 2021. They are saying that the federal child support guidelines created under the Divorce Act fail to reflect that diversity and complexity today.

They are calling for the Government of Canada and the Minister of Justice to initiate the statutory review of the Divorce Act, specifically concerning the federal child support guidelines, to take into account the evolving reality of blended families and the variance of income over time to better reflect the needs of children in shared custody situations.

Citizenship Ceremony

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by over 1,500 Canadians from all across the country. They are concerned about the self-administration of the citizenship ceremony. They are drawing the attention of the House to this being a tradition, since 1947, for new Canadians to swear an oath in person and live and that two-thirds of submissions during the time this was considered in the Canada Gazette opposed the proposed changes by the Government of Canada. They are calling for the four following things from the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship: to abandon plans to permit self-administration of the citizenship oath; to revert to in-person ceremonies as a default with virtual ceremonies limited to 10% of all ceremonies; to focus on administration-processing efficiencies prior to citizenship ceremonies where most frustrations are; and to explore evening and weekend ceremonies to improve accessibility with more flexible scheduling management.

Opioids

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to rise today to present a petition on behalf of 823 signatories based on the work of medical students from the Canadian Federation of Medical Students, specifically Ethan Kendlar, Winnie Foo and Kathy Zhang.

In light of the ever-increasing, tragic and preventable deaths as a result of the toxic substance crisis, the petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to: refine the national approach to treating substance use disorder to emphasize evidence-based harms, harm reduction strategies like safe consumption sites, safer supply and drug-checking services; provide additional, conditional funding to provinces for the implementation and expansion of these programs in order to facilitate access; and incorporate decriminalization of the simple possession of substances and a national overdose strategy in order to allow substance use disorder to be treated as a medical and social issue rather than a criminal one.

Public Safety

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise for the 15th time on behalf of the people of Swan River, Manitoba, to present a petition on the rising rate of crime. People are scared to leave their homes. Businesses face constant threats from the same repeat offenders, but the Liberal government says not to worry. It told the people of Swan River that its bureaucratic, pan-Canadian, strategic framework on rural crime will bring a feeling of safety to rural communities. Unfortunately, no one knows what this program does or where it is. We need jails, not bail, for violent, repeat offenders and not another framework.

The people of Swan River demand that the Liberal government repeal its soft-on-crime policies, which directly threaten their livelihoods and their community. I support the good people of Swan River.

Climate Change

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

Mr. Speaker, it is not a surprise that I am tabling this petition, given that there were forest fires across my riding, that divided my riding this summer.

The petitioners cite that there is a climate emergency crisis in our country and that Canada's temperatures are rising faster than overall global temperatures. Extreme weather events, including unprecedented droughts, hurricanes, floods and forest fires, like those I cited that occurred in my riding, are destroying lives, homes, communities and our forests. There are 120,000 Canadians who have been driven from their homes and young people are grieving. They are feeling hopeless and anxious about a frightening future. They feel abandoned by a government that is failing to act decisively to counteract the worsening climate catastrophe.

The petitioners are urgently calling on the government to legislate and swiftly enact an economically prudent oil and gas emissions reduction plan. The target of this plan would be to reduce oil and gas emissions by 40% to 45% below 2005 levels by 2030. They want to do this by placing a legislated emissions cap that delivers absolute emission reductions that includes methane; removing all publicly financed tax exemptions to the oil and gas sector and eliminating all inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by January 1, 2024; redirecting this money to the urgent development of proven clean energy; and, lastly, stopping all government assumption of transfer of risk and provision of goods and services to fossil fuel companies and prohibiting those fossil fuel companies from using offsets or exemptions on exported fuels.

Criminal Code

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

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

The first petition calls upon this place to legislate the abuse of a pregnant woman and/or the infliction of harm on a preborn child as aggravating circumstances for sentencing purposes in the Criminal Code. At the stage of sentencing, after someone has been found guilty, they want aggravating circumstances to be required.

Their rationale is that it is a well-established fact to all of us, and we know this, that the risk of violence against women increases when they are pregnant. Currently, the injury or death of preborn children as victims of crime are not considered aggravating circumstances for sentencing purposes in our Criminal Code, which means they may or may not be considered, and often they are not. Canada has no abortion law and the petitioners indicate that this legal void is so extreme that we are not even in a place in this House to recognize preborn children as victims of violent crimes.

Finally, justice requires that an attacker who abuses a pregnant woman and/or her preborn child should be sentenced accordingly. The sentence should match the crime.

Health Freedom

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, the signatories call on this place to respect the right of every Canadian to health freedom. Their explanation is that freedom of choice in health care is becoming increasingly curtailed and further threatened by legislation and statutory regulations of this Government of Canada. They say that it is a fundamental right for individuals to be able to choose how to prevent or address illness or injury in their own bodies. Canadians want the freedom to decide how they will prevent or address illness or injury in their own bodies, as they always have. Canadians are competent and able to make their own health decisions without state interference.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon this Parliament to guarantee the right of every Canadian to health freedom by enacting the charter of health freedom drafted through the Natural Health Product Protection Association on September 4, 2008.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.