Debates of March 31st, 2023

Oral Questions

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Madam Speaker, justice does not only have to be done but also be seen to have been done in order to uphold the dignity of the House.

When a member, four times, says something so patently offensive as calling another hon. member a liar, it must be dealt with. Our member said it once and was removed from the House. Justice has to be seen to be done in the House.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Madam Speaker, the member for Haldimand—Norfolk said it very well, and I do appreciate that. I just want to second what she said.

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

Madam Speaker, prior to the interaction that took place, you were making a ruling on another point of order. I think it is best that you conclude the first point of order.

I know there are one or two members who might want to address the second point of order raised, but maybe we can put to rest the first point of order and then go on to the second one.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Indeed, I will continue on the point of order raised by the member for Mégantic—L'Érable regarding the list used during oral question period. The lists provided by the parties are only used as a guide. The Chair has no obligation to follow them.

After I decided to take out the question, I discussed the matter with the clerks. An exchange took place with the individuals working with the official opposition whip in order to reach an agreement. It is really at the Chair's discretion as to whether to follow the order on the list when taking out a question.

The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

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

Madam Speaker, I understand, but I wanted to know one thing specifically. One of our members rose to speak when none of our other members were rising. However, you gave the floor to the next member on the list. That is why I think it is important to get clarification.

The member we chose to ask the question was entitled, in my opinion, to ask it, because he was the only member rising to be recognized and able to ask the question.

For your information, there should be no list, so you could not have asked the next member to rise in place of another, since this list normally does not exist, according to the rules.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The member is absolutely right. It is true that, technically, there is no list. There is just an agreement among the parties. That is why we consulted the whip's office to sort this out. Thank you.

On the other point of order, the hon. member for Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Madam Speaker, I just wanted to clarify something on the original point of order. I was literally sitting in front of the member and heard the exchange. I can attest that what the member for Pickering—Uxbridge said was not what was said by the member opposite. I can attest that the member, in no way, ever referenced that, but I understand—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

We are not going to debate what the initial point of order was, which is what happened during Oral Questions. It was more on the use of the words “liar” or “lies” afterward, which is truly the unparliamentary part of the issue.

On the exchange that happened during question period, I did not hear what was said. We will have to go back to the recordings and Hansard. I am talking about the initial comments. I am not talking about the word “lies”. Everybody heard that, and that is certainly not parliamentary language.

The hon. member for Pontiac on the same point of order.

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Pontiac, QC]

Madam Speaker, I want to say that I was here too. Like my colleague, I clearly heard the words that were said. I am the mother of twins. I have been pregnant too. I do not understand how someone can exploit that for political purposes. Frankly, it is disappointing.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

We are not debating the issue that gave rise to the point of order, but rather what followed. That is what needs to be addressed.

We will continue, and I will come back to the hon. member with a resolution.

Government Response to Petitions

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

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 10 petitions.

These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.

Status of Women

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to present the sixth report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, entitled “A Step-by-Step Approach to Supporting the Mental Health of Young Women and Girls in Canada”.

This was one of the most difficult studies the committee has done in my years in the House of Commons. It was done with incredible collaboration from the staff, including Alexie, Dominique, Clare and our new clerk Danielle, the incredible staff of members of Parliament who worked on this and everybody in the room. However, most of all, it was the 11 members of Parliament who sat around the table to make sure that we were presenting a study that was good for women and girls. We worked to make sure the recommendations are things that should be listened to.

I thank my incredible colleagues for putting forward this unanimous report and putting the welfare of women and girls first.

Corporate Social Responsibility

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

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition signed by citizens of Chateauguay—Lacolle that has collected over 180 signatures and focuses on Canadian-based companies that contribute to human rights abuses and environmental damage around the world. Unfortunately, people who protest these abuses and stand up for their rights are often harassed, attacked or killed.

The petition calls on the House of Commons to pass human rights and environmental due diligence legislation that would require companies to prevent negative impacts throughout their global operations and their supply chains and require companies to exercise and report on due diligence.

I would like to thank Linda Bergeron, Micheline St-Arnaud and Josianne Leblanc for their long-standing work on this important issue.

Sport

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Madam Speaker, I have two petitions to table.

The first involves a sports inquiry. Over 700 petitioners have called for children and youth to have the right to participate in sports in Canada without maltreatment, abuse and harm. The athletes are asking the House of Commons to have judicial inquiry into the sports system.

I would like to thank Victoria Paraschack, a retired professor in Windsor, for doing this across Canada.

Taxation

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Madam Speaker, the second petition is with regard to taxation for those who work in the United States. Over 500 petitioners are affected by the tax rules of the Canada Revenue Agency and have almost double the tax.

They are calling upon the Government of Canada to extend the commuters a full grant of foreign tax credits for the withholdings, to make sure the CRA's 2020 temporary international income tax relief from section VII become permanent and to enact measures that the U.S. companies employing Canadian commuters are not required to hold a separate Canadian payroll for their taxation as it affects our economy.

Firearms

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Madam Speaker, I rise today to present 12 petitions signed by residents of my constituency and surrounding communities.

The first seven petitions, signed by 1,287 residents, call upon the Parliament of Canada to stop the Liberal government's ban on hunting rifles.

Medical Assistance in Dying

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Madam Speaker, the next four petitions, signed by 115 residents, call upon the Government of Canada to delay its expansion of medical assistance in dying.

Government of Canada

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Madam Speaker, the final petition, signed by 173 residents, calls upon the Parliament of Canada to remove the Prime Minister and his government from office.

Firearms

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to table three petitions on behalf of constituents in Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon.

The first petition calls upon the government to repeal Bill C-21. Hunting has a long-standing history in Canada for both indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians, and needlessly revoking citizens' firearms erases and discounts our history and traditions.

Human Trafficking

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Madam Speaker, the second petition calls upon the government to do more to combat human trafficking.

Petitioners are particularly displeased about the egregious action the Government of Canada took in Bill C-5, which reduced sentencing and allows for house arrest for the crime of human trafficking. They want to see that aspect of Bill C-5 repealed.

Air Transportation

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Madam Speaker, the third petition I am presenting today is calling upon the government to actually fulfill its commitment to allow for direct flights to Amritsar international through changes to the Canada-India Air Transport Agreement. We know the Government of Canada recently made amendments to the ATA with India, but it did not take that initial step of including Amritsar specifically in the agreement.

Opioids

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to table these petitions.

I speak on behalf of Canadians who are calling for action on the opioid crisis. It is no secret to Canadians that the opioid crisis is one of the most deadly crises we are facing in Canada. During the period between January 2016 and March 2020, over 30,000 Canadians died to the opioid epidemic.

These petitioners are calling for an end to the overdose crisis, ensuring that we have legal regulation of drugs, and ensuring the decriminalization of personal to end the stigma and save lives because we cannot, in fact, treat those who are dead.

Climate Change

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I am standing on behalf of is calling, on behalf of Canadians, for just transition legislation in the face of the climate emergency. It is no secret that the climate emergency is a serious issue here in Canada and across the world, and these petitioners are calling for action.

Charitable Donations

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

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo.

It is a tremendous honour to rise today and present petition e-4155 on behalf of the people from Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. This is a petition that advocates for a change to the Income Tax Act that would reflect community land trusts and beneficial tax interests for people who are donating land for the betterment of the community as a whole. This would be a game changer, when it comes to donations and building, to the benefit of all people in Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo and throughout Canada.

I want to thank the person who has been behind this drive with the Kamloops and District Chamber of Commerce and Colin O'Leary. I also want to thank Acacia Pangilinan and Brian Jones with the Kamloops and District Chamber of Commerce for their service. It is an honour to table this petition.

Given that Kamloops was the birthplace of the tax-free savings account, I hope we can have something as significant as that.

[The Acting Speaker, Green, Mike Morrice]

I will remind members that they are meant to stick to the words on the petitions in front of them.

The hon. member for Spadina—Fort York.