Debates of Dec. 4th, 2023

Consideration of Government Business No. 31

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Madam Speaker, I withdraw my statement since it caused disorder in the House.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

It is not about whether it caused disorder in the House. It is not acceptable to say.

The hon. deputy House leader has a point of order.

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

Madam Speaker, the whole point to having proper decorum that is not unparliamentary is so that if somebody says something and—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Other members are talking while someone has the floor. I would ask them to please be respectful.

The hon. deputy House leader.

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

Madam Speaker, when somebody withdraws a comment because they self-reflected on it, it has to come from an acceptance that it is not parliamentary. A member does not withdraw a comment just because it—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. members for Calgary Forest Lawn and Lakeland will come to order. I would ask members to please be respectful.

Maybe members should look at the rules of order and realize that they are all responsible for decorum and for the business of the House to continue.

The hon. deputy House leader did not finish his comments.

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

As I was trying to say, Madam Speaker, when you are asking a member to withdraw a comment and they withdraw it, it should be based on their acceptance that you have ruled it as unparliamentary, not because they think it caused a disturbance and therefore they should be doing it.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

There is still feedback from the hon. members I have already mentioned. I am not sure what the issue is, but they should all wait until they are recognized.

The hon. member for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner is also rising on a point of order.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Madam Speaker, it was very clear in the House moments ago that the member for Timmins—James Bay not only disrespected you but is challenging the Chair. He should be named and dealt with accordingly.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

From what I have seen, more members than just the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay have been challenging the Chair or have not responded appropriately to what the Chair is asking. I would ask members to please be respectful.

There is another point of order by the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay.

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

Madam Speaker, you said that I was challenging the Chair. What I said is that when someone tells me to step outside, I have a right to be in here.

If you choose, Madam Speaker, that I am not allowed to speak for defending my right to speak in here, then you can make that decision, I am not challenging it, but the issue you are putting before the House is my inability to speak in the House because of intimidation from Conservatives. I will always defend my right to speak in the House.

You can have me removed any time, Madam Speaker. I am not challenging your authority to have me removed, but it is my right to speak against intimidation.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Order. The House is still in session. If individuals want to have conversations they should step out.

Again, I had asked the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay to withdraw his comments and I have also asked the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands. One is not willing to withdraw the comment, the other withdrew his comments without appropriateness.

I would ask members to please be respectful. Any challenges to the authority of the Chair when asked to withdraw language ruled to be unparliamentary or when asked to withdraw comments because of the disorder they are causing can be addressed through a number of options.

I have indicated that I will not be recognizing the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay unless he withdraws his comments, and if he wishes to continue his speech, we will go to the next speaker.

Again, I would ask the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands to provide a proper withdrawal or proper apology, whichever way he wishes to do that.

If he wishes to withdraw, the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands.

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Madam Speaker, I unreservedly withdraw the statement.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I thank the member.

Does the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay wish to withdraw his statement so that we can go on with the debate?

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

Madam Speaker, I would certainly like to go along with the debate, but being called a “fake feminist”, a “misogynist” and being told to “step outside” is unparliamentary.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Until the hon. member withdraws his statement, he will not be recognized today.

Resuming debate, the hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge.

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, I was absent for a few minutes. I understand I may have missed a few words or so, but I would like to get to the heart of the matter on Bill C-50—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

There seem to be conversations on both sides of the House. I am sure that they are the same members I told, if they wished to have conversations, to please step out of the chamber.

Again, I think members should be reviewing the rules of order and the decorum that needs to be happening in the House so that we can actually have a functional House during the debate.

The hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge.

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would ask colleagues to always remember that the wonderful residents of every single one of our ridings sent us here to do the good work they want us to do, and also to be as respectful as we can and as passionate as we are as members of Parliament. That is our first priority.

I want to speak to the importance of the energy industry in Canada, because Bill C-50 is supported by the Canada's Building Trades Union and by industry. There is a lot of collaboration going on. Most importantly, it deals with Canadian workers, from Newfoundland and Labrador all the way to British Columbia and all the way up north. I covered the energy sector for a good 15 years of my life, if not longer, whether it was the upstream, downstream or midstream sectors in Canada, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians who work in the Canadian energy industry. Before, the adage would have been the “non-renewable” sector, which is predominantly the energy industry and the conventional and in situ oil sands production by many great companies based in Canada, and now we have what is called the “renewable” sector.

Before I forget, it is my duty to say that I will be allocating some of my time to my dear friend and colleague, the hon. member for Cloverdale—Langley City, in the beautiful province of British Columbia. He is a very learned member of the House.

The energy sector in Canada accounts for over 10% of the Canadian GDP, with over $200 billion in monthly trade statistics. We see proceeds from what we sell and trade. I think about when people talk about the PADD 1, 2, 3 and 4. Everybody who covers natural gas and those sectors will know that energy is powered by Canada's natural resources: in the western Canadian sedimentary basin where a lot of gas is produced; in northeast B.C.; and in what is known as the Alberta advantage on feedstock, its ethylene and polypropylene itself, where we see Dow announcing an $11-billion investment in Alberta. A few years ago, pre-COVID, I went to the Alberta industrial heartland. I was there for a number of days touring the facilities because many of the companies there are ones I covered in the private sector. They are generating great Canadian middle-class jobs. They continue to do so and we want them to do so.

We also understand, with Bill C-50 and with what is happening in the world, that there are alternative energy sources coming on stream. We know that at COP28, a number of countries, including Canada, have dedicated themselves to tripling the amount of nuclear energy production, so, yes, we are going to support small modular nuclear reactors in Canada and we are going to support refurbishments. Last summer, I went up to Bruce Power in Kincardine, here in Ontario. I am part of the nuclear caucus. I was out at OPG in Darlington a few months ago, learning about how important nuclear is here in Ontario, generating over 60% of Ontario's electricity production, along with other energy sources.

I will provide an analogy for what Bill C-50 would allow us to do. Many members know I grew up on the north coast of B.C., in Prince Rupert, where at one time, over 700 workers were employed in a pulp mill under the company of Repap Enterprises. Anybody who knows the pulp and paper industry's history will recognize Repap or MacMillan Bloedel, West Fraser, Canfor, etc. The mill no longer exists. Over 700 workers, including my father, were let go from the mill in what was really a one-industry town. Thankfully, today, Pembina has a propane export facility there, and another Alberta-based company has another facility, another pipeline exporting Canadian resources offshore to market. These are Canadian resources that are in demand, governed by the best environmental and worker legislation there is, and Bill C-50 would take us there.

I would say to my opposition colleagues that I sit on the natural resources committee. We had 10 committee meetings, and all the Conservatives did was filibuster. Believe me when I say that I value every penny the Government of Canada or any government at whatever level spends. We are not sent here to waste taxpayer money. That is exactly what the opposition did; it wasted it.

[Chris Warkentin]

What? That's all you've been doing for the last eight years.

[Francesco Sorbara, Liberal, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Madam Speaker, I would say to the hon. member who is chatting at me from the other side that the Canada child benefit, two middle-income tax cuts, the Canada workers benefit, the dental benefit, raising the—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Port Moody—Coquitlam is rising on a point of order.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, I apologize to the member for the quick point of order.

I am on this side of the House and hearing all of the heckling, shouting and yelling from Conservatives today. I just want to be able to hear the debate. I too spent four hours at the committee and was not able to speak. I had to listen to Conservatives over and over again.

I want to hear some debate on this and do not want to hear any more from the Conservatives, so I would appreciate it—