Debates of May 17th, 2023

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I understand the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands will lead us in the singing of the national anthem.

[Members sang the national anthem]

West Island Communities

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise and welcome two groups to Parliament Hill today, the Pierrefonds—Dollard youth council and a mixed group of youth and seniors from the West Island Black Community Association, WIBCA.

The Pierrefonds—Dollard youth council meets every month to discuss issues of importance to the riding. The council is a regular contributor to community activities.

The presence of young people in our political system is crucial. It is these very people who will, before we know it, lead our country.

A second group, WIBCA, is also here today. For over 40 years, WIBCA has contributed to promoting an accurate understanding of who Black Montrealers are. It also regularly brings together West Islanders.

This is an important intergenerational visit.

Seniors impart wisdom and life experience to youth. Seniors also help guide our future generations. I am eager to continue working with youth, seniors and diverse communities to strengthen the social ties within West Island and beyond.

Edmonton West Pastor

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to recognize Father Francis Mariappa, a pastor in my riding of Edmonton West. Father Francis moved to Canada in 2007 and served for 11 years in Fort Saskatchewan before moving to the Annunciation Catholic Church in west Edmonton.

Father Francis is a member of an order commonly known as the Pallottine Fathers, and he helped bring 25 of them from the Pallottine community abroad to Canada to serve the faithful here. Father Francis epitomizes St. Pallotti's motto, “The love of Christ compels”. In addition to his work at his own thriving church, Father Francis finds time to visit schools, senior homes and hospitals, such as Misericordia, to serve and celebrate mass. During COVID, despite being immunocompromised himself, he still went to the hospitals to serve and help the sick.

We are blessed in Edmonton West with so many wonderful faith leaders, and Father Francis is certainly one of them. I thank Father Francis for everything he does for his community.

Asian Heritage Month

[Paul Chiang, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, May is Asian Heritage Month, and as we celebrate Asian culture and heritage, we also recognize the incredible diversity and contributions of the Asian community to our great nation of Canada. The story of Canada has always been a story of immigration and, thanks to the many immigrants who have contributed to our economy, culture and social fabric, Asian Canadians have always played an important role in shaping Canada's history and identity.

During this month, we celebrate the achievements and contributions of Asian Canadians across all aspects of Canadian life. Let us celebrate the diversity of our country and recognize the part that Asian Canadians play in making our nation the greatest on earth. Let us also continue our commitment to working together toward a brighter future for all Canadians, especially the Asian Canadians in my riding of Markham—Unionville.

Panchen Lama

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on May 17, 1995, a six-year-old Tibetan monk disappeared. He was recognized as the 11th Panchen Lama, one of the most revered leaders in Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama. The Panchen Lama is a symbol of tremendous importance to the Tibetan community, which is currently being denied its religious and cultural freedom. Most importantly, he was a child. The young Panchen Lama and his family were allegedly abducted 28 years ago by the Chinese government and have not been seen or heard from since.

Six months later, the Chinese authorities selected a replacement, a Tibetan boy whose parents were said to be members of the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese government's actions in this matter have raised serious concerns about interference in Tibetan traditions, cultural repression and human rights violations.

Quebec's mutual affinity with the Tibetan people is unequivocal. Tibetans are a people who are striving to ensure the survival of their language, culture and traditions. Today, I just wanted to voice a few words of solidarity with the Tibetan people.

Brain Tumour Awareness Month

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in this House today in recognition of May as Brain Tumour Awareness Month. Every day, 27 Canadians receive life-altering news that they have a brain tumour. Brain tumours impact people of all ages, incomes, social backgrounds and, of course, political affiliation.

Just last year, our Liberal family tragically lost two young people who were in the prime of their lives and who are now survived by their spouses and children. I want to take a moment to recognize the courageous battles fought by both Andrew Boyle and Trevor Harrison, whose memories remain with us now and forever.

This month, as we spend time with our families, friends and constituents, let us work together to raise awareness and break down stigma.

Since we still do not know what causes brain tumours or how to cure them, it is essential that we promote testing and early treatment. Let us continue to work together for the good of those who have been diagnosed with a brain tumour and those who treat them.

I encourage everyone to contribute what they can by visiting braintumour.ca and by participating in the annual walk here in Ottawa in a few weeks.

Brain Stem Glioma

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that today will be the last May 17 before this day officially becomes national diffuse midline glioma awareness day in Canada. Diffuse midline gliomas or brain stem gliomas are aggressive, incurable brain tumours that mainly affect children. There is no chance of survival.

It is impossible to imagine the suffering that these sick children and their parents have to endure. I learned about the existence of this disease when I met Florence Gagné, a little warrior princess from Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier who lost her battle over a year ago. I became involved in this cause to support the families who courageously stand beside their children until the end.

Thanks to the invaluable contribution of Senator Yonah Martin, a bill was introduced to make every May 17 a day to think about these children, a day to raise awareness of brain stem glioma, a national day to advocate for research and development, and a day to hope for a cure.

This is for the little warrior Florence and all the others.

Keira’s Law

[Pam Damoff, Liberal, Oakville North—Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Keira Kagan was going to change the world, before her life was taken at the age of four.

Her mom Dr. Jennifer Kagan and stepdad Philip Viater have been tireless advocates for Keira's law, which has sparked a national conversation regarding domestic violence, coercive control and the safety of our children.

Bill C-233 will be Keira’s legacy of hope, and it is a huge step forward for survivors and victims at the forefront of judges' decisions in court. Keira’s law recently received royal assent, and it will provide judicial education about domestic violence and coercive control, thanks to the member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, the member for York Centre, Senator Pierre Dalphond and so many others who ensured Keira will forever be a beacon of protection.

Keira would have been turning eight years old on May 29. Please join me in wishing Keira a happy heavenly birthday later this month.

Ukraine

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Mr. Speaker, along with international allies, Canada stands in solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people as they defend their sovereignty against tyranny. While Ukrainians are paying with their lives, no one can deny that through inflation Canadians are also paying for the illegal, genocidal war Putin has waged on Ukraine. I have no doubt that everyone in this House agrees that for justice to prevail, Putin and his regime must be stopped and must pay reparations to Ukraine for the crimes committed.

The Peace Coalition Ukraine, in collaboration with the social innovation caucus, is proposing an innovative social finance tool called the peace bond, which uses the value of seized Russian assets to draw in private investment and ratchet up the sanctions regime to hold Russia accountable while financing the reconstruction efforts now.

Today I want to ask all members of this House to join me in recognizing a remarkable Ukrainian Canadian by the name of Michael Cholod, founder of The Peace Coalition Ukraine. Michael is an inspiration, and Canadians and Ukrainians everywhere are grateful for his relentless pursuit to ensure Ukraine can realize a vision for its renewal.

Slava Ukraini.

Passports

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Nova Scotians are once again shocked and disappointed by the Liberals. Nova Scotia’s only minister in the Liberal cabinet, the MP for Central Nova, stood by silently as the Liberals erased the fishing schooner Bluenose from our passport. He sat idly by as Nova Scotia’s sailing ambassador was erased, our iconic fishing schooner that never lost a race, until now. Only two years ago, Canada celebrated the 100th birthday of the Bluenose. Now Liberals are erasing it.

He sat silently by as the Liberals removed the national immigration museum in Halifax from the passport, where over one million immigrants arrived to begin a new life in Canada. What is next? Will the MP for Central Nova remove the Bluenose from Canada’s dime and replace it with a blade of grass? It is time for the Liberal government to stop erasing Nova Scotia's history in favour of acorns.

A common-sense Conservative government will bring back common-sense policies for the common people. We will bring home the Bluenose and Canada’s heroes and history.

Women's National Basketball Association

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last weekend, in front of a sold-out crowd of over 19,000 in Toronto, women MPs from our Liberal caucus and I attended the historic first WNBA pre-season game ever played in Canada.

On Saturday, Canada welcomed the Chicago Sky and the Minnesota Lynx, in what was a proud moment for Canadians and, particularly, women in sport. These talented professional athletes, including Canadian athlete Bridget Carleton of the Minnesota Lynx, are an inspiration to us all. This weekend was not only a milestone for the expansion of basketball but also a show of strength of the Canadian sport market for women.

Our government strongly supports women in sport, which is why we have renewed funding of over $25 million over the next two years, to support gender equity in sport. When we break down barriers for women to participate in sport, while giving them strong role models to look up to, we are all the better for it.

Crimea

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, today, on the 79th commemoration of Sürgünlik, the genocide of Crimean Tatars, we look back with horror and sadness as we remember how Joseph Stalin and his Communist thugs forcibly deported over 200,000 Tatar men, women and children by packing them into cattle cars and shipping them off to the gulag.

Nearly 10,000 people died during this brutal journey, and many more died under inhumane conditions when they were relocated. This genocide stands out among the many atrocities carried out by Stalin and his henchmen, and we remember all the victims.

Although the Crimean Tatars heroically returned to their homeland by the thousands during the 1980s and 1990s, Vladimir Putin, just like dictator Joseph Stalin, is again waging a genocidal war against Ukraine and the Crimean Tatars. Since his illegal invasion in 2014, Putin has targeted the Tatars and shut down their mosques, their independent press and their legislative assembly, the Mejlis. Moreover, he is carrying out a slew of horrific human rights abuses against them.

Putin and his barbarians must get out of Ukraine. Crimea is and will always be Ukraine, homeland of the Tatars.

Vyshyvanka Day

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every third Thursday in May, we celebrate Vyshyvanka Day, a day to honour Ukraine's rich culture and heritage. This year, with the unprovoked Russian war, the holiday plays a critical role as Ukrainians defend their independence and identity.

For centuries, Moscow has consistently banned the Ukrainian language and made efforts to appropriate Ukraine's history. Generation after generation, Russian imperialists persecuted and executed Ukrainian cultural figures. Since the beginning of its most recent aggression, the Kremlin has committed over 1,200 crimes against Ukraine's cultural heritage. Hundreds of cultural sites have been destroyed by missile strikes. The Putin regime has persecuted Ukrainian creators and educators and recruited hundreds of Russian teachers to implement their curriculum in temporarily occupied territories. It is now deadly dangerous to speak Ukrainian or wear vyshyvankas there.

On behalf of Canada's Conservatives, I wish to reinforce our pledge to stand with Ukraine until its victory. Let us all in the House, by wearing vyshyvankas and Ukrainian ribbons, show the world that Ukrainian culture is celebrated in Canada and can withstand any attacks.

Slava Ukraini.

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Hochelaga, QC]

Mr. Speaker, May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

In 2003, Fondation Émergence, a non-profit organization in Hochelaga, created the first-ever national day to fight homophobia. Today, it is celebrated in over 100 countries.

I am pleased and proud to welcome a delegation to Ottawa today to highlight the theme of this year's campaign, “LGBTQphobias are Irrational Fears”.

As Patrick Desmarais, president of Fondation Émergence, put it so well, “LGBTQphobias have a serious impact on the people who experience them. We erase them, we assault them, and we try to correct them. A quarter of the world’s population believes that being LGBTQ+ should be a crime, which is a troubling reality.”

That is why recognizing May 17, both here and elsewhere, is still so important and relevant. We must continue to educate the public, inform them and raise awareness about the realities of those who identify as sexually and gender diverse in order to defuse these irrational fears.

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. It is a day that recognizes the tremendous contributions of the 2SLGBTQII+ community to freedom, equality and justice.

However, thousands of gender-diverse Canadians are still denied access to the gender-affirming health care they deserve. They are denied access to the public spaces that make a community; many times, they are denied their very right to exist. Even worse, this is happening in broad daylight. Far-right extremism is organizing and propping up hatred. We are witnessing horrific levels of scapegoating, threats and violence targeting the queer community, particularly the trans community. This antifreedom hatred amounts to nothing less than a plan to eliminate the rights and freedoms of others.

However, my friends, I know we can build a better and freer Canada, where no matter who someone is, where they live, how much they make or who they love, Canada is their home. We will not stop until everyone is free.

Frédéric Bastien

[Yves-François Blanchet, Bloc, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I learned, that we learned of the passing of historian Frédéric Bastien yesterday. He was just 53.

An outspoken historian, a debunker of reheated myths that do not stand up to scrutiny, cool yet merciless before adversaries of the Quebec nation, Frédéric was keen to ask uncomfortable questions even at the risk of being the target of those who feared him for his reading of history.

A harsh critic of hypocrisy, Frédéric ferreted out groups funded by Ottawa to denigrate Quebec, create and spread a false narrative to put us down. He shed light on the wavering impartiality of judges on Bill 21. He stood up against Toronto when it attempted to fund the legal challenge against Bill 21 before the Supreme Court.

Frédéric Bastien also published works such as La bataille de Londres, in 2013, on the coup by the Supreme Court against Quebec during the patriation of the Constitution. The impact of that book earned him the title of patriot of the year from the Société Saint‑Jean‑Baptiste. In other circles people came to fear his truths and demonize him.

His kindness will be missed by all those who knew him, and his intelligence, sternness and courage will be missed by all of us Quebeckers. His passing leaves a cruel void in the heart of his family. His discipline and powers of reflection now extinguished, it will be up to us to pull together and carry on his work.

On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I offer my condolences to all those who loved and respected him.

Transport

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

Mr. Speaker, six times this year, the Prime Minister has been away on planes, trains and automobiles, while Canadians' actual planes, trains and automobiles are not working.

To fix this problem, Picton Terminals, which would be the first Great Lakes shipping container entry, could be approved. This would alleviate supply chain shortages and drop inflation. This requires no money, just CBSA approval, but it has been sitting on the minister's desk for three years. VIA Rail train 651, which takes workers making powerful paycheques from Kingston, Belleville, Trenton, Napanee and Cobourg to Toronto each morning, could be reinstated. It has not been working for three years because the trains are broken. The carbon tax could be axed, which would add 41¢ a litre of fuel to Canadians who only want to get to work or, God forbid, take a vacation. We do not have to go as far as South Korea to fix these problems. We can find a way to fix them right here at home.

A Conservative government would bring common sense to the common people, to my home, to everyone's home and to our home. Let us bring it home.

Crimea

[Yvan Baker, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Crimean Tatars are the indigenous people of Crimea. On May 18, 1944, the Soviet Union began the “Sürgünlik”, which was the mass deportation of the Crimean Tatars. This was meant to destroy the Crimean Tatar people.

The Sürgünlik led to hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatars being deported and tens of thousands dying en route and afterward. It was a genocide.

On May 18 last year, here in this House, I had the honour to introduce a motion that received unanimous consent to declare May 18 as a day of commemoration and to recognize that the Sürgünlik was a genocide. Today, on Parliament Hill, with leaders of the Crimean Tatar community, we commemorated this genocide.

Unfortunately, as we speak, history is repeating itself. Russia invaded Crimea in 2014. Since then, Crimean Tatars have once again faced human rights abuses at the hands of the Russian regime, just as they did during the deportation and genocide.

Today, let us honour the victims by ensuring that Crimea is liberated from Russia's oppression and becomes part of Ukraine again, so that Crimean Tatars and all Ukrainian people can live in freedom in their homeland once again.

Finance

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that doubling our national debt would not be a problem because interest rates were low, but his spending has increased inflation and interest rates.

Yesterday, at the finance committee, the minister was unable to say how much interest we are paying on her national debt. If a mortgage broker could not tell someone the interest payment on a loan, they would be fired.

Should we not fire the finance minister?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the person unable to answer a simple question is the leader of the Conservatives.

My question is the following: What is his economic plan? Where will he make cuts? Will it be in health transfers? Will it be in the $200 billion that our government will invest in health care? Perhaps it will be in the $30 billion that we will be investing in a national day care system.

[Disturbance in the gallery]

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

We will allow people to do their job and then we will proceed.

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said there was no problem doubling our national debt, adding more debt than all previous prime ministers combined, because interest rates, he claimed, were low.

His same spending has actually increased inflation and interest rates. Yesterday, the finance minister was unable to answer how much Canadians are paying for interest on the debt that she has racked up. If a mortgage broker could not tell someone the interest payment on a loan, he would be fired.

Why is the finance minister not fired for her inability to answer that basic question?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, there is someone whom we do not intend to have fired after the 2025 election, someone who I actually think should keep his job as leader of the Conservative opposition. One of the reasons he is going to keep his job is that he cannot answer a simple question for Canadians, and that is, what is his positive plan? What does he actually propose to do for the Canadian economy?

The only thing we know is that he is going to cut. He is going to cut the $200 billion we are investing in our health care system. He is going to cut the $300 billion we are investing in—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. Leader of the Opposition.

Carbon Pricing

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, one thing we are going to cut is the carbon tax.

Speaking of that tax, we know that the Prime Minister plans to raise it to 41¢ per litre or $1,500 net, after rebates, per family. What most people do not know is that there is a second carbon tax he plans to stack on top of the first one, a sneaky tax he calls a “fuel standard”, which would hit home heating, gas and our factories, and create countless other higher costs.

How much will Canadians pay in higher gas and diesel prices because of the second Liberal carbon tax?