Debates of March 6th, 2023

Canadian Heritage

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Order, order.

The hon. minister, from the top.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are here, supporting our culture, our artists, our creators, our music industry, our books, our television, our movies.

What are Conservatives supporting? They are supporting web giants and tech giants. That is it. They are standing up for them, not for Canadians.

On this side, we are standing up for Canadians.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we, the Conservatives, stand up for Quebec and the provinces.

Last April, the Government of Quebec sent a letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. What did the Minister of Canadian Heritage do with that letter? He went into his office, looked around to ensure no one was there, lifted his pile of files and put the letter at the bottom. He did nothing for one year. With the collusion of the Bloc Québécois, there has been radio silence.

The Minister of Canadian Heritage is a seasoned parliamentarian. He knows that the best way to tackle a file is to bring people before a parliamentary committee.

Will the Minister of Canadian Heritage persuade his Bloc friends to say yes to Quebec's demand?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, the government has said yes to various demands made by Quebec. We are working with Quebec. What Quebec wants is to see Bill C‑11 passed for the music, film and television industries.

The Conservatives, who have filibustered the bill the entire time, have suddenly woken up to say that culture is important. Since when has culture been important to the Conservatives? They could not care less. Our government will be there for our artists despite the Conservatives.

Official Languages

[John Aldag, Liberal, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in British Columbia and across the country, more and more young people are interested in learning French. Last week, to launch Francophonie Month, I visited an immersion class with the Minister of Official Languages.

Can the minister tell the House how she is supporting French-language instruction in our province?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague from Cloverdale—Langley City for his important question. I also wish him a happy Francophonie Month.

I was very pleased to be in the Vancouver area last week where we announced an investment of nearly $13.5 million, in partnership with the Government of British Columbia, to support a series of projects to recruit, train and retain more francophone teachers.

The federal government will always be there to support our francophone communities across the country.

Health

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said this week that he was surprised that his own health department granted a permit to a company to get into the cocaine business. I do not know why he would be surprised. His own addictions minister put out an ordinance on January 30 allowing for cocaine, crack, heroin and other deadly drugs to be possessed and used in British Columbia. This is the obvious consequence of his decision.

Why does he not reverse his decision and ban cocaine and other deadly drugs?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, there are very strict rules in place for obtaining and maintaining a controlled substance licence in Canada. These licences by Health Canada for controlled substances are for scientific and medical purposes only. Companies cannot sell products to the general public.

Health Canada has contacted the companies holding a licence to reiterate the very narrow parameters of their licence and asked them to retract any misleading statements. If the strict requirements are not being followed, Health Canada will not hesitate in revoking the licences.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the misleading statements are coming from the government, which actually decriminalized cocaine, crack, heroin and other deadly drugs. We can forgive the company for believing that when it got a permit to get into the cocaine business that is exactly what it meant. In fact, the company got the permit for cocaine in two months, so it is faster to get a cocaine permit than a passport in Canada under the Prime Minister.

Why do we not bring back some common sense and ban cocaine and other dangerous drugs to protect our people?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the member knows full well that Health Canada acted swiftly and has issued regulatory letters to Adastra Labs and Sunshine Earth Labs regarding the misinformation they published. Health Canada spoke to both companies and requested immediate action to retract and clarify their statements. Both Adastra Labs and Sunshine Earth Labs issued a retraction and updated their press release. Health Canada issued a bulletin to all licensed dealers across the country clarifying their responsibilities and authorities under their licences.

Committees of the House

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. The committee has charged the chair to table before the House a report calling on the government to launch an inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections, while also maintaining the committee's agenda and scheduled meetings into these serious allegations.

Will the chair of the procedure and House affairs committee do the right thing, rise in the House today after question period and table the committee's report?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, as is the case with all committees, that committee report will be given the opportunity to be—

[An hon. member]

If the chair's not here, can the vice chair answer?

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Order, please. Can a member answer their own question? Let me talk to the people at the table for just one moment and I will come back.

After consulting with the table, a member cannot answer their own question, so the first person to stand up gets the opportunity to answer that question.

The hon. government House leader.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to stand, and I appreciate the enthusiasm for hearing me speak. However, as is always the case, when committees bring forward reports, in due course they will appear before the House and there will be an opportunity for the chamber to deliberate on those reports.

Telecommunications

[Tony Van Bynen, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the York Region Liberal caucus announced a $19-million investment in YorkNet through the universal broadband fund. This funding will improve broadband capacity for over 3,800 underserved households in York Region, closing 99% of the underserved gap.

Could the Minister of Rural Economic Development please update the House on the work our government is doing to make sure all Canadians have access to reliable high-speed Internet?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Newmarket—Aurora for his dedication to rural Ontarians.

It is great news for the people of the York Region, for small business, big business, not-for-profits and, frankly, good news for everyone. We know that having access to reliable high-speed Internet is the economic equalizer to open up countless opportunities. Since 2015, we have on the table over $7 billion for connectivity. We have connected over a quarter of a million households, but we are not stopping. By 2026, 98% of Canadians will be connected and by 2030, 100% of Canadians will have access to Internet.

Fisheries and Oceans

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

Mr. Speaker, open-net fish farms pollute our waters and harm wild Pacific salmon. The health of wild salmon is critical. First nation chiefs across British Columbia have been calling on the Prime Minister to get these harmful fish farms out of our waters, but he is refusing to meet them. He is in luck as B.C. first nations are currently in Ottawa advocating to protect wild Pacific salmon.

Will the Prime Minister meet with these first nations and commit to get these fish farms out of the water, with a plan for all those impacted?

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to say that I met with the delegation this morning and we have plans to continue working together so that we can include all of the first nations affected by open-net pen aquaculture as we transition away over the coming years.

Official Languages

[Alain Rayes, Independent, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have reached the final analysis of Bill C‑13 on modernizing both official languages.

Tomorrow, in committee, members will address the amendments on the issue of language clauses to ensure that francophone minority communities will indeed receive the money invested by the federal government when an agreement is reached between the provinces and the federal government or between the territories and the federal government. Such clauses would ensure equity for all francophones in the country. Every francophone advocacy group agrees on that.

I would like the minister to clearly indicate whether she agrees with these language clauses, please.

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his important question.

As he aptly noted, Bill C‑13 is currently before the Standing Committee on Official Languages for a clause-by-clause review. Official language minority communities have been waiting for this bill for a long time. Like them, I look forward to having this bill adopted.

I hope that the committee will complete its work shortly since stakeholders from one end of the country to the other want this bill passed as soon as possible.

The House resumed from February 16 consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Public Health Care Funding and Delivery

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

It being 3:13 p.m., pursuant to order made on Thursday, June 23, 2022, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion relating to the business of supply.

Call in the members.

And the bells having rung:

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

The question is on the motion. May I dispense?