Debates of June 14th, 2023

Foreign Affairs

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), and consistent with the policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaties entitled “Agreement between Canada and the Republic of Finland concerning Youth Mobility”, done at Helsinki on March 31, 2023; and “Amendments to Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade”, adopted at Geneva between June 6 and 17, 2022. This treaty is tabled for information purposes only.

Government Response to Petitions

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to eight petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.

Interparliamentary Delegations

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

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the fourth part of the 2022 ordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, PACE, and parliamentary mission to Poland in Strasbourg, France, and Warsaw, Poland, from October 10 to 20, 2022.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, five reports of the delegation of the Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, or APF.

The first is respecting its participation in the APF's Parliamentary Affairs Committee meeting, held in Brussels, Belgium, from May 23 to 25, 2022.

The second is respecting its participation in the meeting of the Working Group on Reforming the APF Constitution, held in Paris on November 3 and 4, 2022.

The third is respecting its participation in the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in Sharm el‑Sheikh on November 10 and 11, 2022.

The fourth is respecting its participation in the 18th Summit of La Francophonie, held in Djerba from November 18 to 20, 2022.

The fifth is respecting its participation in the fifth Leadership Workshop for Francophone Women Parliamentarians, held in Paris from December 12 to 16, 2022.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association respecting its bilateral visit to the United Kingdom held in London, England, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, from October 24 to 27, 2022.

Veterans Affairs

[Emmanuel Dubourg, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, entitled “New Contract for the Administration of Veterans Affairs Canada's Rehabilitation Program”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a response to this report.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the witnesses who appeared before us for this report, and to acknowledge the tireless work of the committee members, the analyst and the clerks who helped us.

Industry and Technology

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the following three reports of the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology.

I am tabling the 14th report, entitled “Domestic Manufacturing Capacity for a COVID‑19 Vaccine - Prevention is Better than Cure”, and the 15th report, entitled “Blockchain Technology: Cryptocurrencies and Beyond”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to each of these two reports.

I also have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 16th report of the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology concerning Bill C-42, an act to amend the Canada Business Corporations Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other acts. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report it back to the House with amendments.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the analysts, the interpreters and our clerk, and now our new clerk. Their work was instrumental in the committee's successful presentation and tabling of these three reports.

Status of Women

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

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, entitled “Time to Listen to Survivors: Taking Action Towards Creating a Safe Sport Environment for all Athletes in Canada”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

This has been an incredible journey for all of our members. I would specifically like to thank our clerk, Danielle, and our incredible analysts, Dominique and Clare, who worked through this very difficult study. I am proud to present this on behalf of the status of women committee. I am proud of what we have done.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the supplementary report on behalf of the Conservative members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

Many witnesses expressed the need for the government to commit to conducting an independent, trauma-informed, survivor-led inquiry into maltreatment in Canadian sport.

We believe that the terms of reference for the inquiry should include, among other things, an examination of the failure of sporting bodies to report or address breaches or alleged breaches of the Criminal Code to the proper authorities.

Corrections and Conditional Release Act

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-342, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders).

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise in my place today to introduce this private member's bill. Over the past several days, Canadians have shared with us their frustration and anger with a justice and corrections system they feel is out of balance. The recent decision by the Correctional Service of Canada to transfer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security facility has shocked Canadians and galvanized them into wanting to see action taken to protect society.

This proposed legislation would amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to require that inmates who have been found to be dangerous offenders or convicted of more than one first-degree murder be assigned a security classification of maximum and confined in a maximum-security penitentiary or area in a penitentiary.

I wish to thank our Conservative leader, the hon. member for Carleton, for his tremendous leadership and support on this issue, as well as my hon. colleague, who seconded the bill, our Conservative shadow minister for public safety and the member of Parliament for Kildonan—St. Paul.

It is an honour for me to sponsor this important bill. It is an important bill for the residents in my community, but it also addresses the concerns of all members who are now hearing from constituents about the need to restore trust and confidence in our justice and corrections system. This is about doing what is right.

I look forward to working with all my parliamentary colleagues on seeing this legislation pass.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Firearms

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to table today.

In the first, the petitioners call on Parliament to reject what they rightly refer to as the Liberal government's federal gun grab. The signatories reject the premise of the Liberals' justification for confiscating law-abiding gun owners' personal property. They say that going after the lawful registered rifles of hunters, farmers and ranchers under the pretense of public safety utterly ignores the reality that illegally obtained black market guns smuggled in from the U.S. are the real reason for the gun violence in Canadian cities. Furthermore, they call on the Liberals to replace bail for jail for violent offenders if they are serious about tackling gun crime.

Bereavement Care

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, when families are grieving the loss of a child, they need all the support they can get. That is why I am rising to table a petition on behalf of petitioners demanding that common-sense and compassionate measures be implemented to help these families. They are calling on the government to implement all seven recommendations contained within the report “Supporting Families After the Loss of a Child” and to implement a bereavement benefit for all parents experiencing pregnancy and infant loss.

Carbon Pricing

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government penalizes working people in so many ways at every turn and none so blatantly as with its carbon tax on the necessities needed to live in Canada's northern climate, like transportation fuel and home heating. The petitioners say that in addition to raising fuel costs, the carbon tax applied throughout the supply chain is raising the price of everything, and the government's so-called rebates come nowhere near covering the real cost of the tax. They worry about the impact that the Liberals' scheduled tripling of this tax will have on their incomes and their ability to meet their basic needs.

The petitioners join Canada's Conservatives in calling on Parliament to scrap the Liberal carbon tax.

Search and Rescue Services

[Yvonne Jones, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be back in the House of Commons and able to stand and represent the constituents of Labrador.

I am presenting a petition today on behalf of over 3,500 residents in Newfoundland and Labrador calling on the Government of Canada to designate 5 Wing Goose Bay a dedicated SAR air base and to include a designated SAR Cormorant helicopter as part of the Department of National Defence's NORAD modernization commitment, which would be assigned to the 5 Wing air base in support of search and rescue for Labrador and adjacent northern areas of Canada.

I want to thank my colleague from Avalon for accepting this petition on my behalf when I was away, and all my colleagues in Newfoundland and Labrador on both sides of the House for their support of search and rescue in Labrador.

I also want to acknowledge the family that started this petition. Jeanette and Dwight Russell lost their son Marc and his friend Joey tragically at sea and recognize the need for enhanced search and rescue services in the Labrador region.

Veterans of Persian Gulf War

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I echo those sentiments and I welcome back the member for Labrador.

I am very proud to present petition e-4399 on behalf of the 965 Canadians who signed it. This petition follows up on e-petition 3217, which I presented in May of 2021, but it did not receive a government response because of the election.

In the petition, Canadians call on the government to reclassify the Persian Gulf mission to “wartime service”. Petition e-4399 has support from all parties and a former prime minister, the Right Hon. Brian Mulroney.

Persian Gulf veterans deserve to have the same classification as veterans from the Korean War and merchant mariners. Their classification was changed long after the Korean War and after the Second World War.

I want to thank President Harold Davis of the Persian Gulf War Veterans of Canada; Mike McGlennon, vice-president; and all veterans of the Persian Gulf war. On behalf of a grateful nation, I thank them for their service. Veterans are indeed the ties who bind this great nation together.

Port Workers

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of over 600 folks in British Columbia, most of whom are members of the ILWU, Canada's largest port workers union.

The petitioners note that Canadian port workers are essential to the efficiency, resiliency, competitiveness and sustainability of Canada's supply chain. They further note that decisions related to Canada's ports have a profound impact on the lives of port workers and that port workers bring unique and important skills, expertise and experience to the table when it comes to the management and operation of marine ports.

The petitioners call on the government to amend the Canada Marine Act to ensure there is a seat at the board tables of Canada's port authorities for the employees and the workers in those ports.

Air Transportation

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table a petition on behalf of residents of Brampton South, who are calling for the establishment of direct international flights from Toronto to destinations in India, particularly to Amritsar in Punjab.

Brampton has a significant Indo-Canadian population, and there is a rising demand from residents to have a direct flight from Toronto to Amritsar. Establishing a route between Toronto and Amritsar in Punjab will reduce the overall distance travelled, leading to shorter travel times and better travel experiences for passengers.

These residents urge the government to continue expanding and facilitating these direct flights and to collaborate with all partners to make these flights a reality.

Finance

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present this afternoon.

The first petition is a petition to the House of Commons and Parliament assembled from 58 signatories in Guelph to support Bill S-243, an act that would enact the climate-aligned finance act, which was drafted based on consultation with national and international experts. It would enable Canada to leapfrog from a laggard to a leader in aligning financial flows with climate commitments.

Climate Change

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from 37 constituents who are calling on the Minister of Environment and Climate Change for the Government of Canada to stop fossil fuel extraction expansion, accelerate the shift to a low-carbon economy and offer much more help to the poorest and most vulnerable countries.

I thank the people from Guelph for continuing to advocate for our climate and for the alignment with financial institutions.

Air Transportation

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, like the member for Brampton South, I too have a petition dealing with the substantial growth of Canada's Indo-Canadian community. With that substantial growth, we have seen a dramatic increase in the demand for international flights, and specifically for direct flights from Canada to India.

The personal preference of the people who have signed this petition is to have a flight that goes from Winnipeg to Amritsar. Increasing the number of flights is a very positive idea, and the petitioners are calling upon the Prime Minister and members of Parliament in general, along with the airport authorities and the different airlines that provide international flights, to give more consideration to establishing direct flights between Canada and India.

Medical Assistance in Dying

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, as always, it is an honour to be able to stand in this place and present petitions on issues that are important to Canadians.

The first petition that I will be presenting today is from a number of Canadians who have stated a significant concern regarding some of the language that has been used in the committee studying medical assistance in dying, specifically by Louis Roy from the Quebec college of physicians, who recommended expanding euthanasia to “babies from birth to one year of age who come into the world with severe deformities and very serious syndromes”.

These petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to block any attempt to allow the killing of children in this country.

Charitable Organizations

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition that I am here to present on behalf of a host of Canadians from across the country is in relation to a promise that the Liberal Party made in the 2021 election, in which I would note that it got fewer votes than the party that makes up the official opposition.

During that election, the Liberal Party specifically referenced that it was going to apply a values test, referred to as “values test 2.0”, on not-for-profit organizations that do not align with its political views.

Petitioners therefore call upon the House of Commons to protect and preserve the application of charitable status rules on a politically and ideologically neutral basis, without discrimination on the basis of political or religious values and without the imposition of another values test, and to affirm the right of Canadians to freedom of expression.

As always, it is an honour to present these petitions in the people's House of Commons here today.

Human Rights

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a number of petitions today, starting with one signed by Canadians from across the country who are concerned about the unsanctioned detention of people around the world, particularly by Turkish, Pakistani and Bahraini officials who have committed gross violations of human rights against Turks, with eight Turkish Canadians being detained at this point.

Turkish officials are responsible for causing hundreds of deaths, including the torture of Gokhan Acikkollu. Turkish officials have wrongfully detained over 300,000 people.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada and the House of Commons to closely monitor the human rights situation in Turkey and to place sanctions on 12 Turkish officials who are responsible for these gross violations against eight Canadians and the death of their friend Gokhan Acikkollu. They are calling on the Turkish, Pakistani and Bahraini governments to end all violations of human rights in their countries.

Medical Assistance in Dying

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the next petition is from Canadians from across the country who are concerned around the comments made by Louis Roy of the Quebec college of physicians, recommending the expansion of euthanasia to babies from birth to one year of age who come into the world with severe deformities and serious syndromes.

This proposed legalization of the killing of infants is deeply offensive to the folks who have signed this petition, and they want to state emphatically that infanticide is always wrong. They call on the Government of Canada to block any attempt to allow for the euthanasia of children.

Military Chaplaincy

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the next petition comes from Canadians from across the country who are concerned about a report from the national defence advisory panel that calls for the clergy from religions that have views on gender and sexuality that differ from the views of the Department of National Defence to be banned as chaplains in the Canadian Armed Forces.

This report slanders mainstream Canadian religious communities, and the petitioners are calling on the Canadian government to ensure that the freedom of expression of chaplains and the freedom of religion of chaplains be maintained without discrimination.

Discrimination on the basis of religion is wrong and is offensive to Canadians. The Canadians who have signed this petition are calling on the Government of Canada to ensure that the chaplaincy of the Canadian Armed Forces remains the way it is and that the final report of the Minister of National Defence's advisory panel not—