Debates of Oct. 3rd, 2023

Sitting Resumed

[The Presiding Officer, Bloc, Louis Plamondon]

I now invite the right hon. Prime Minister and the hon. Leader of the Opposition to escort the Hon. Greg Fergus to the chair.

(The Presiding Officer having vacated the chair, the right hon. Prime Minister and the hon. Leader of the Opposition conducted Mr. Greg Fergus from his seat in the House to the chair)

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Hon. members, I want to humbly thank the House for doing me the great honour of selecting me as Speaker.

Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge a number of individuals and, indeed, all of you.

Let me begin with the hon. member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, the dean of the House of Commons, who has had a lengthy career in the House of Commons. He has been here for 39 years; that is a great inspiration to us all. For the younger members who came in 2021 and those who arrived quite recently following by-elections, you have before you a man who is an inspiration to us all, a man who with close ties to his voters, to his people. He has served in the House with great integrity since 1984. I congratulate him.

He may not remember this, but I came here in 1988 as a parliamentary page, and I had the pleasure of serving him water and delivering him messages on paper. He was an upstanding gentleman then, just as he is, even more so, now. I hope I will have the chance to beat his record and be in this chair for longer than five days, at least, but we will see. I will start with one afternoon.

I would also like to thank my hon. colleagues who let their names stand to become Speaker of the House of Commons. Let us all give them a huge round of applause. They are amazing Canadians. They have served this House, especially the speakership team. The two assistant deputy speakers and the Deputy Speaker in particular have served the House very well and with great honour and integrity. I hope to continue to count on your sage advice and your support as we move forward for the rest of this Parliament. I really look forward to working collaboratively with all of you.

Thank you for the applause. I know that, in politics, there are only two times when people give strong applause and are happy to see you: the day you arrive and, of course, the day you leave.

The Speaker, to use the old hockey analogy, is nothing more than a referee. If there is one thing I know, it is that nobody pays good money to go see the referee. They go to see the stars: you, the players on the ice.

People go to see the men and women who have long been demonstrating their talents in the minor leagues, who practised at home with their families, and who have since found themselves here in the House.

My role as Speaker is to assure you that the rules and regulations will be followed so that you can engage in what I hope will be respectful, friendly, sincere and passionate debates in the House.

As I said earlier, in my speech to all of you, respect is a fundamental part of what we do here. We need to make sure that we treat each other with respect and that we show Canadians an example, because there can be no dialogue unless there is a mutual understanding of respect. There can be no ability to pursue arguments, to make points be heard, unless we all agree to extend to each other that sense of respect and decorum. Therefore, I am going to be working hard on this, and I need all of your help to make this happen, because this is the place where hard debates will happen.

This is the place to have passionate yet respectful debates.

I will soon begin meeting with the table officers. I will be meeting with the Deputy Speaker and the assistant deputy speakers to discuss how we are going to proceed over the next few months to make sure we get things right. We must follow the rules of the House of Commons. By doing so, we can have fruitful and meaningful debates, and we can proceed in a way that promotes mutual respect.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the trust you have placed in me. I hope to prove myself worthy of that trust in the coming years. I hope to have the chance to speak with each and every one of you, to get to know you better. That way, we can set an example and show Canadians that politics is a noble profession.

Thank you very much. I wish us all a very successful session.

The hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, you have to say “the right honourable”.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Well, there is my first mistake.

The right hon. Prime Minister.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the government and every member of this House, I want to congratulate you on your election.

I also want to thank all the other candidates for the speakership. I thank them for answering the call to keep our democracy healthy and strong.

Mr. Speaker, today, you are the first Black Canadian to become Speaker of the House. This should be inspiring for all Canadians, especially those in younger generations who want to get involved in politics. Congratulations.

The House is the home of Canadian democracy. Members of Parliament come from every corner of the country to represent their communities. Canadians from coast to coast to coast elect us to work hard for them and to be their voices in this place. They elected us to deliver results to help make their lives better. This remains our number one job. The only way we can make progress is by working together and by respecting each other.

The House of Commons is a place of debate. It is to be expected that we will not always agree with each other.

Mr. Speaker, we have elected you to help us keep our debates civil and to remind us that we are all here for the same reason: to serve Canadians.

These are consequential times for Canada and for the world. We must continue to work together to make life more affordable, to build more homes, to keep our democracy strong, to fight climate change and to power the clean economy of tomorrow.

We must keep working to uphold Canada's promise of a better quality of life for every generation.

In these consequential times, Canadians expect us all to work together to deliver results. They expect us to behave to the highest standards. I know you will help us rise to meet this moment.

Canada is the best country in the world. Let us keep working all together to make it even better.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to congratulate you.

Mr. Speaker, are you sure you know what you have gotten yourself into? I know you have strong enough arms for the job because I had the difficult task of dragging you all the way to that chair. We thought for a moment that you had changed your mind when you took a turn to congratulate one of our colleagues on this side, but it is an incredible achievement to serve in the role that Parliament has bestowed upon you.

To serve here, in the House of Commons, is an honour for every member. Each of us should be proud to be responsible for working on behalf of some 100,000 people.

At times, however, we forget the order in which power is exercised. We think that the Prime Minister is at the top, with the House of Commons below, and the people down at the very bottom, but the opposite is true. In a democracy, the people have the power. We serve the people, and the government serves parliamentarians.

In fact, that is why Parliament was invented. The reason these floors and seats are green is that the first commoners met in fields. They were the peasants and farmers who were tired of having their crops taxed away by an impossibly cruel Crown. They gathered to force King John to sign the Magna Carta, the great charter, which of course restrained the power of the Crown.

Today, we have a similar circumstance, with a government that is excessively powerful and costly. It has overburdened the population and created unprecedented strain, particularly on middle-class and working-class people, who are now forced in many cases to live in tents and who are losing their homes and skipping meals. We have seven million people who cannot afford food because of the inflationary taxes imposed on that food by an overly greedy government.

Now, more than ever, the role of Parliament in restraining the power of the Prime Minister is primordial. We will continue to carry out that role proudly on the floor of this House of Commons because we will always remember that we are servants and not masters of the Canadian people. We will do it with common sense. Why is this important?

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

I hear that some members of the government do not like the sound of the words “common sense”. We can understand why they would not, but is it not interesting that this is called the House of Commons for a reason? Common wisdom, our common resources, our common heritage and our common future are determined by the people elected to serve in this place. We must always do it with common sense, the common sense of the common people, united for our common home: their home, my home, our House. Let us bring it home.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot begin without acknowledging the person who masterfully held the office of the Speaker of this Parliament for seven days: the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel. I thank him. He was a model of impartiality.

Mr. Speaker, before I recognize you, I would like to recognize the candidates whose names were on the list today. We had a tough choice to make. I tip my hat to them. They are great parliamentarians who have always created a space for debate and who have been extremely effective.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate you on behalf of myself and the Bloc Québécois. We are very pleased to see you in the chair. We are very proud of you.

All of the Speakers who came before you were faced with the challenge of moving from a sometimes very partisan role to one where they had to set aside partisanship and become impartial. I am sure that you will be able to fulfill this role and that you will maintain the impartiality required for our Parliament to do noble work for our fellow citizens. They expect nothing less from us.

I, too, want to use a hockey analogy. I really hope that you will be an impartial, effective and respectful referee. On behalf of myself and the Bloc Québécois, my whip and my leader, I offer you our full co-operation. I look forward to working together so that ideas can come first and be the top priority in Parliament.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the entire NDP, I would like to congratulate you on your victory today. I also want to acknowledge the work you have done for your riding as MP for Hull—Aylmer since 2015.

Let me just say—and I know many other members would say it, too—you always offer a wonderful smile and friendly greeting to everyone.

It is fair to say, without much exception, that you are one of the friendliest members of Parliament, and it is great to see you in the chair now. Congratulations.

I know this has been said, but I want to underline what having you elected means. First of all, I want to acknowledge the humility that you expressed when saying that people do not go to a match to watch the referee; they go to watch the stars. You started off with a message of humility, which is very powerful.

I also want to acknowledge the incredible weight that you now bear and the incredible feat that you have achieved. When people walk the halls of this place and look at the pictures on the walls to be reminded of some of the great achievements of Canada and some of the grave errors we have made as a nation, they are one day going to see your face on the walls of this chamber. What is that going to mean to kids visiting from far and wide who come to the capital city? There are kids who have come here and not seen themselves reflected on the walls, and that is going to change now. That is very powerful.

I know you know how important that is, and it brings me to my next point, which is the incredible role that you will now have to play to restore the honour of this chamber, something you mentioned in your speech as well. We know there is going to be, and rightly so, increased attention on all parliamentarians and on this House. I have no doubt that you will be able to satisfy your responsibilities with the utmost capacity, but it is indeed an increased responsibility.

I also know that there are deep concerns about divisions in politics and the polarization of debate. While vigorous debates are of course important, there is a certain tone and decorum that must be upheld. Going back to kids visiting this place, sometimes when school kids are watching the elected officials of this country engaging in debate, I am embarrassed that they are watching people yelling outlandish things and acting as if it is cool to be yelling at someone while they are speaking. I hope you can restore some decorum. It is important. Everyone is going to have a chance to share their viewpoints, but it should be done in such a way that people are able to express them and then sit down. Then someone else can respond and rebut. I hope you can create that decorum, restore the prestige of this place and restore confidence in the important work that happens here.

I thank you so much for putting your name forward, and congratulations on being elected. I look forward to working with you.

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for this opportunity to offer my congratulations.

First of all, I want to say a hearty thank you on behalf of the Green Party caucus to the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel for his excellent work as interim Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, turning to you, it is a joy to see you in that chair and to address you for the first time in this way. I deeply appreciate the words you shared with us just hours ago, highlighting how important respect is in this place. Yes, we may have different opinions across the country, and yes, the debate here may be difficult at times, but Canadians expect this to be a place where parliamentarians can come together to elevate the quality of debate and make progress on what they care about most.

I have no doubt that with you in that chair, with the support of all parliamentarians and certainly on behalf of the Green Party caucus, you will be well supported to ensure that continues to be the case. While this may be a toxic place at times, it does not have to be that way. I know you will ensure that the debate is elevated here.

On behalf of the Green Party caucus, once again I wish you all the very best.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Papineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform the House that it is the pleasure of Her Excellency the Governor General that the House shall present its Speaker later this day in the chamber of the Senate to receive Her Excellency's approval.

Sitting Suspended

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The sitting is suspended to the call of the Chair.

(The sitting of the House was suspended at 1:58 p.m.)

A message was delivered by the Usher of the Black Rod as follows:

(The House resumed at 2:24 p.m.)

Mr. Speaker, Her Excellency the Governor General desires the immediate attendance of this honourable House in the chamber of the Senate.

Accordingly, the Speaker with the House went up to the Senate chamber.

And the House being returned to the Commons chamber:

Sitting Resumed

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I have the honour to report that, the House having attended on Her Excellency the Governor General in the Senate chamber, I informed Her Excellency that the choice of Speaker has fallen on me.

Situation in Artsakh

[Han Dong, Independent, Don Valley North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your election.

Today I wish to share the eyewitness account of a humanitarian emergency from an Armenian Canadian and resident of Don Valley North, Rupen Janbazian.

Mr. Janbazian recounts:

“In the past few days, myself and my wife have witnessed the unimaginable hardships of the people of Artsakh trying to escape the Azerbaijani-controlled region, which has undergone mass ethnic cleansing over the last two weeks.

“The journey from Artsakh to Armenia normally takes under two hours and now took 30 to 50 hours.

“I've witnessed families arriving with everything they could take from their homes strapped onto the roofs of their cars, the insides stuffed with eight to 10 people.

“My wife and I are currently hosting a family of 15 who escaped from Artsakh. They are my dear friend's family; he has been missing since an explosion at a crowded gas station near Stepanakert, Artsakh's capital, left scores of people dead and injured.

“My people are enduring a brutal ethnic cleansing, and in this era of technical advancements, this atrocity is unfolding in real time on people's smart phones and computers, yet”—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for Nepean.

Indo Caribbean World

[Chandra Arya, Liberal, Nepean, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Indo Caribbean World on its 40th anniversary, which published its first edition on September 14, 1983. It has succeeded in its mission to become the voice for an under-represented and largely unrecognized lndo population in the growing Caribbean diaspora in Canada.

I would like to recognize the founder and publisher, Harry Ramkhelawan, and editor, Romeo Kaseram, for their excellent work and achievement. Their team informs and educates not only the growing community, but also all of Canada about lndo-Caribbean, Caribbean and our Canadian subcontinental roots.

lndo Caribbean World plans to stay committed to its 40 years of history and philosophy in bringing the voices from the margin into the centre, and to continue contributing to building a glorious and free Canada.

Mental Illness Awareness Week

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the invaluable work of the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health, CAMIMH, and to recognize the significance of this week, October 1 to 7, as Mental Illness Awareness Week.

For over two decades, CAMIMH has been a steadfast advocate for those living with mental health challenges, working tirelessly to reduce stigma, increase awareness, and advocate for improved and expanded mental health and substance use health services. Its dedication to this critical cause has positively impacted countless lives across Canada.

Earlier today on Parliament Hill, CAMIMH was proud to announce the 2023 champions of mental health. I am happy to commend and welcome the seven individuals and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing mental health in Canada. Their relentless efforts create lasting change in their communities and improve the lives of many. Together, we can create a more accessible and inclusive society where mental health is a priority.

Seamus Grew

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, London North Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour the life of Seamus Grew, whose life was tragically cut short in July of this year after a long and courageous battle with ALS.

Seamus was born in 1944 in Ireland. Although he was certainly proud of his Irish roots, he was a proud Canadian to be sure, and he made a great contribution to this country. It was here where he worked as a public servant for the City of Toronto. It was also here where he was known to Canadians for his first passion, which was music. He was the founder of the Carlton Showband, which entertained particularly the Irish diaspora, and beyond to Canadians across the country. The band won a Juno Award for its efforts.

I had the opportunity to know Seamus because he was the father of one of my closest friends, Kevin, so I saw the love he had for his family up close. His wife, Maureen, along with their six kids and 10 grandchildren, can be very proud of the man he was.

Canada was better because of Seamus. I thank him very much for who he was. We miss him.

Raynald Blais

[Louis Plamondon, Bloc, Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the Gaspé region lost one of its most stalwart advocates. Former member of Parliament Raynald Blais passed away at the age of 69.

Elected three times as the member for Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Raynald Blais represented his region in the House of Commons from 2004 to 2011.

I had the honour to work alongside him in the Bloc Québécois. He truly distinguished himself when advocating for eastern Quebec fishers in their dealings with a federal government that was very out of touch with their realities.

The Bloc Québécois remembers him as a real boots-on-the-ground kind of guy, a proud regionalist with deep roots in his beloved Gaspé, a man who stood up for his people, whether here in Ottawa or back home as a radio journalist or union leader. He might have left the House in 2011, but he never truly left politics behind. He was still working as a political adviser up until recently.

On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I offer my deepest condolences to his loved ones and to the whole region he loved so much.

Women's History Month

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Congratulations, Mr. Speaker. October is Women's History Month in Canada. It is an opportunity to reflect on and to honour the efforts and dedicated work of countless women in the feminist movement.

One such actor is the Montreal Council of Women. I joined them this weekend to celebrate their 130th anniversary. MCW has played a pivotal role, not only in empowering women but in encouraging them to be vectors for change and progress. In fact, three decades after the inception of MCW, we witnessed the resilience, strength and courage brought on by the Famous Five women: Parlby, McKinney, McClung, Murphy and Edwards, who spoke up, argued before the courts and were instrumental in gaining women the right to vote.

Let us use Women's History Month to highlight the immeasurable contributions that these women and many others have made in every aspect of our society, and let us push to make sure that every woman receives the opportunities and the rights that she deserves.

Baie Verte Peninsula Tragedy

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Mr. Speaker, on the morning of this past September 12, Dwayne, Leonard, Brian and Tim left Fleur de Lys harbour for a day of cod fishing, like so many others along the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador that day. Little did they know that three of them would not return alive, including Tim, who is still missing.

While the sea gives so much to sustain us, words from a song by the band Simani, who often played in Fleur de Lys, sum it up:

And the Newfoundland story of loss to the sea,
Was told as so often before.

I personally knew most of the boys and their families, as did many on the Baie Verte Peninsula, where the hurt from this tragedy will linger for years to come.

I give a special thanks to those involved in the search and rescue efforts. I express condolences on behalf of the House of Commons to the families of Leonard Walsh, Brian Walsh and Tim Shea. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, and with Dwayne Barrett, the sole survivor.

Day of Defenders of Ukraine

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday, on October 1, Ukraine celebrated the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, a day that honours the bravery, sacrifice and resilience of the men and women who are defending their homeland against Russia's aggression. Defenders of Ukraine have faced numerous challenges and threats, yet they have remained steadfast in their commitment to safeguarding their nation's sovereignty, freedom and democracy.

As we remember and honour the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, let us also reaffirm our support for a peaceful and prosperous Ukraine. Let us stand together in solidarity, working toward a future of victory and justice, where the principles of democracy and human rights are upheld.

To this end, I would like to invite fellow MPs to join me tonight to celebrate the Day of Defenders of Ukraine at 6:30 p.m. in the Valour Building. May we say thanks to all those in the front lines of Ukraine and those helping them to persevere.

Republic of Cyprus

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your new position.

On October 1, Cyprus celebrated the 63rd anniversary of its independence. It was indeed an occasion worth celebrating, because despite all the tragedies and all the challenges that Cyprus has faced, it has transformed into a model democracy with a high standard of living.

Cyprus gained independence in 1960 after a lengthy battle. Only 14 years later, it was invaded by Turkey, which still occupies one-third of the country. Cyprus is a member of the European Union, the Commonwealth and la Francophonie, and it maintains excellent relations with Canada and all of our allies.

We should also remember and celebrate Canada's contribution and the 25,000 Canadians who served as peacekeepers in Cyprus, with some continuing to serve to this day.

Close ties and alliances are critically important for all countries. We see what is happening in Ukraine and to the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, and we should work with all our allies, friends and the United Nations to make sure this type of aggression stops.