Debates of April 26th, 2023

The House resumed from April 20 consideration of the motion that Bill C‑288, An Act to amend the Telecommunications Act (transparent and accurate broadband services information), be read the third time and passed.

Telecommunications Act

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

It being 3:25 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 at third reading stage of Bill C‑288.

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #304

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I declare the motion carried.

(Bill read the third time and passed)

The House resumed from April 21 consideration of the motion that Bill C‑248, An Act to amend the Canada National Parks Act (Ojibway National Urban Park of Canada), be read the third time and passed.

Canada National Parks Act

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

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 at third reading stage of Bill C‑248 under Private Members' Business.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #305

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I declare the motion carried.

(Bill read the third time and passed)

The House resumed from April 24 consideration of the motion.

Foreign Affairs and International Development

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations between the parties and I think if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to pass the motion on division.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay. Hearing none, it is agreed.

The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay. Hearing none, it is carried.

(Motion agreed to)

I would like to inform the House that because of the deferred recorded divisions, Government Orders will be extended by 26 minutes.

Federal Electoral Boundaries Commissions

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

It is my duty to lay upon the table, pursuant to subsection 23(2) of the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, certified copies of the reports of the federal electoral boundaries commissions for the provinces of Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), these reports are deemed permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

International Trade

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, in relation to Bill C-282, an act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act, on supply management.

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendment.

Health

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following two reports of the Standing Committee on Health.

The committee's 12th report concerns the main estimates 2023-24.

In addition, I present the 13th report, in relation to Bill C-252, an act to amend the Food and Drugs Act, on the prohibition of food and beverage marketing directed at children.

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

Hazaras

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I am presenting a petition on behalf of Canadians of Hazara heritage. This is a minority group originally from Afghanistan.

The petitioners are asking the government to recognize the ongoing genocide and persecution of the Hazaras by the Taliban. As well, they are calling upon the Government of Canada to prioritize Hazara refugees as part of the 40,000 Afghans being brought in by the end of this year.

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the Seabird Island First Nation.

On June 23, 2022, Bill C-28 received royal assent. It allowed for extreme intoxication to be used as a defence for violent crimes, such as sexual assault, where a “reasonable person” would not have foreseen the risk of a violent loss of control. Residents are concerned about the impacts this will have on first nations communities like theirs, which are often in rural areas that are underserved by law enforcement.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to repeal the amendments made to the Criminal Code in Bill C-28. They call on it to uphold its commitment to protect the safety of first nations and a right-to-justice system that honours victims by holding offenders responsible for violent crimes.

Canada-Owned Extractive Industries

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I rise today to table a petition on behalf of St. Joseph's Parish here in Ottawa. The petition is regarding the overseas practices of Canada-owned extractive industries. It was circulated across Canada by Development and Peace Caritas Canada, an organization that continues with the important mission of promoting social justice.

I am honoured to present this petition on behalf of these concerned Canadians. I would like to thank my constituent, Mr. Joe Gunn, for his continued hard work and dedication. I look forward to the government's response.

Justice

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by Canadians. Some of Canada's most heinous killers have seen their sentences significantly reduced after the Liberals failed to respond to a Supreme Court of Canada decision that struck down a Harper Conservative law that gave judges the discretion to apply consecutive parole ineligibility periods to mass murderers and to take into account each life lost.

The petitioners are calling on the Liberal government to finally stand up for victims, invoke the notwithstanding clause and override the Bissonnette decision.

Fisheries and Oceans

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

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition on behalf of Hornby Islanders and Denman Islanders.

They are calling on the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to ensure that she uses all the restorative aims and tools in the sustainable fisheries framework to ensure that any shellfish aquaculture facilities in Baynes Sound/Lambert Channel are ecosystem-based. The petitioners also want to ensure that all of the applications that are developed with first nations, like a co-management plan for Baynes Sound/Lambert Channel, are area-based and ecosystem-based, respect and recognize the unceded traditional territories of this location's unique area, and consider all other stakeholders.

Nuclear Energy

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

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

The first was initiated by my constituent, Dr. Chris Keefer, and it relates to Canada's nuclear know-how and a particular CANDU technology, what this represents in terms of Canadian expertise and what it represents in terms of getting us off polluting types of energy forms.

The petitioners are talking about the fact that CANDU nuclear power was responsible for 90% of the power that helped the province of Ontario get off coal burning in the last 15 years. The petition asks for the Government of Canada to include CANDU nuclear refurbishments and CANDU newbuild projects within the clean technology investment tax credit. This is an important issue, and I thank Dr. Chris Keefer for raising it.

Tuberculosis

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I have the honour of presenting in this House today is by my constituent Leigh Raithby. She draws attention to the plight of tuberculosis, the fact that tuberculosis disproportionately affects indigenous communities in Canada and the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated a TB crisis. In this petition she calls on a national working group to work on a national TB elimination strategy that will help eradicate TB, particularly its disproportionate impacts on indigenous people in this country.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very strict with my ability to speak to petitions without saying if I am for them or against them, but forgive me for saying this is heartbreaking.

E-petition 4356 has 4,239 signatories begging the government not to do something it has now done. The petitioners ask that the government consider that terminal 2 of the Roberts Bank establishment in the Fraser estuary will destroy critical habitat for an estuary that has already lost more than 70% of its flood plain habitat. The Fraser estuary supports 102 species considered at risk of extinction, including our southern resident killer whales, very highly endangered, and the Fraser chinook salmon, which are already listed under schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act. This is a transboundary species with international implications on the Pacific Salmon Treaty. The federal Impact Assessment Agency identified irreversible impacts that terminal 2 would have on these whales, on these salmon and on other wildlife, such as the particularly endangered western sandpiper.

The petitioners ask the government and particularly the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to utilize the collective evidence that had been presented, peer-reviewed scientific research and local conservation organizations to please reject the proposed Roberts Bank terminal 2. This brings new meaning to the word “terminal”.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition initiated by residents of Don Valley West. I want to thank Gilles Fecteau for his leadership on this issue.

This petition calls on the Minister of Natural Resources to direct the Canada Energy Regulator to limit Canadian oil exports by requiring that they do not exceed Canada's current percentage of total world exports and by banning the transfer of licences for domestic consumption to export when Canada's domestic consumption declines.

Protecting the environment is top of mind for many Don Valley West residents and this petition reminds us of the importance of building a clean economy that works for everyone.

Climate Change

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition on behalf of petitioners who make a very clear case. They state, first of all, that our economic and financial systems depend on a stable climate and that the Bank of Canada recognizes that climate change poses a significant risk to the financial system and the economy.

They go on to note that continued financial support for emissions-intensive activities increases future climate-related risks to the stability of financial systems. They note that there has been no significant legislative action on this matter in Canada and that Bill S-243, an act to enact the climate-aligned finance act, was already drafted based on consultation with national and international experts.

They then call on the Government of Canada to support the principal concepts of the climate-aligned finance act, of which I will just share two of seven, first, to establish a duty for directors and officers of federal financial institutions to align with climate commitments and to also ensure that climate expertise on certain boards of directors avoid conflicts of interest.

Travel Screenings

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present petition 12361388. It is a petition of constituents of mine and Canadians across the country of Iranian descent who are being wrongfully profiled based on their background and birthplace while travelling to the United States with Canadian passports.

These are folks who are being denied entry to the U.S. without explanation, despite previous incident-free entries. They are undergoing biometric screening, device searches and questioning about their background and compulsory conscription in Iran, leading to personal and professional distress for them and endangering their careers. Their partners and children, even those born in Canada, are also being unjustly flagged as travel risks and being denied entry into the U.S. without explanation.

The Transportation Security Administration has added these Canadians' names to travel risk lists, which are also being shared with U.S. allies, leading to unreasonable secondary screenings for Canadians travelling to and from Canada, and to deportation from other countries.

They are calling upon the Government of Canada to ask the United States to provide reasons for unjust profiling of Canadians of Iranian descent and long administrative processing of aforementioned Canadians, to engage and negotiate with the U.S. Department of State, to provide a mandate for impacted Canadian citizens of Iranian descent similar to the exercise of authority under Federal Registration Vol. 87, No. 120 and to take action on the unjust security measures that Canadians face on leaving and returning to their homes in Canada, by removing the unjustified security flights.