Debates of June 9th, 2023

Business of the House

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, I request that the ordinary hour of daily adjournment of the June 12, June 13, June 14 and June 15 sittings be 12 midnight, pursuant to order made Tuesday, November 15, 2022.

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

First of all, I thank the minister on behalf of chair occupants, as we can get that schedule done. Pursuant to order made Tuesday, November 15, 2022, the minister's request to extend the said sittings is deemed adopted.

Are there any other points of order?

The hon. member for Calgary Midnapore.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am representing Calgary, the best place on earth.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance said that Conservatives shut down witness testimony of finance. In fact, it was the Liberal committee chair who skipped over 10 hours of committee testimony. The Liberals did not want to hear from Canadians who are saying that their—

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

I believe that is descending into debate.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Mr. Speaker, can I table this document?

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

We will need unanimous consent. All those opposed to the motion, please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

Notice of Motion

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 83(1), I have the honour to lay upon the table a notice of ways and means motion to introduce an act to give effect to the self-government treaty recognizing the Whitecap Dakota Nation/Wapaha Ska Dakota Oyate and to make consequential amendments to other acts.

Pursuant to Standing Order 83(2), I request that an order of the day be designated for consideration of the motion of the notice of ways and means.

Indigenous Affairs

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the document entitled “A Self-Government Treaty Recognizing the Whitecap Dakota Nation / Wapaha Ska Dakota Oyate”.

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 16 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.

Taxation

[Chris Lewis, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud and honoured to present petition 441-01522. This petition has been signed by 238 signatories from the County of Essex and city of Windsor area.

The petitioners are calling on the government to rewrite the tax laws of Canada and renegotiate any tax treaties with the United States to recognize 401(k) contributions and social security and medicare payroll taxes as foreign tax credits in Canada for Canadian residents.

Further, the petitioners are calling to reinstate the temporary waiver with respect to 401(k) contributions and FICA payroll taxes, retroactive to January 1, 2022, until such time as the tax laws of Canada and tax treaties with the United States have been updated.

Democratic Institutions

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions to table today on behalf of my constituents.

The first one is on foreign interference. Specifically, petitioners are drawing attention of the House and the government to the fact that, so far, there has not been a public inquiry called. The petitioners are very concerned about the special rapporteur's conflict of interest with the Prime Minister and those who have been hired by him and assigned by him to work on his report. They are calling on the government to conduct a full, open, independent public inquiry into Beijing's election interference to give Canadians the transparency they need in order to restore their trust in Canada's civic and parliamentary institutions.

Hong Kong

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition is from Hong Kongers and those with heritage from Hong Kong.

The petitioners are drawing the attention of the House to the following: On February 6, 2023, Canada announced that it would extend and expand the Hong Kong pathway open work permit program for eligible Hong Kongers by extending the open work permit scheme for an additional two years and making additional changes to it in pathway stream B. However, those changes are not sufficient to save more pro-democracy movement Hong Kongers.

The petitioners want the following to be changed: They want the requirement for an obtention of a police certificate from Hong Kongers to be annulled and not a requirement; they want eligible open work permit holders in Canada not to have to submit it; and they want it to apply when they apply for permanent residency in Canada through Hong Kong pathway stream B. They believe that the police certificate requirement and making Hong Kongers seek that from the constabulary in Hong Kong puts them all in danger.

Health

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is from petitioners from the riding of Calgary Shepard, my constituents. They are drawing the attention of the House to the fact that there are over 53,000 internationally trained nurses, doctors and physicians in Canada. They say that we should copy what we do for skilled trades in the Red Seal program and create a blue seal program that would make the processes simpler for the recognition of international credentials within a 60-day standard. That way, more doctors and nurses would be licensed; streamlining the process would also help us fill the shortages of workers in health care.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my final petition comes from Venezuelans both in my riding and all across Canada who are calling the attention of the House to the disaster that is the Maduro Communist regime in Venezuela. I have very little affection for the regime, but I have a lot of affection for the people of Venezuela.

Petitioners are drawing the attention of the House to some important numbers. As per the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' figures in 2022, more than 6.1 million Venezuelans have left Venezuela since 2015. Canada promised to welcome an additional 4,000 migrants from the Latin American region by 2028. Moreover, Canada announced at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, in June 2022, that it also planned to bring in 50,000 more agricultural workers from Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean.

Petitioners are calling for the following two things: to create a Canada-Venezuela humanitarian visa program to help Venezuelans and the family members of Canadian Venezuelans with permanent residency to come to Canada, providing them with the ability to work and study while in Canada; and to provide those Venezuelans who are already in Canada the option to extend their visitor status, work permits and study permits, so they can continue to live and work here in Canada temporarily and not be sent back to that awful Communist regime.

Dog Importation

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to rise to present a petition on behalf of petitioners who, first of all, note that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the CFIA, announced in September of last year a new policy that prohibits the entry of commercial dogs from specific countries that are at high risk for rabies. This includes adoption and fostering. There are over 100 countries listed from which these dogs are prohibited from entering Canada, including Ukraine and Afghanistan, where humanitarian crises are occurring, and the Philippines and China, where rescuers are saving animals from the dog meat trade.

Animal advocacy groups have said they were not consulted on this plan. It came as a shock to them. The petitioners recognize that there are other measures that could ensure public safety, such as adequate vaccinations or blood-antibody testing. They note that no other western jurisdiction has banned international dog rescue entirely and that many Canadians adopt and rescue dogs from overseas. Petitioners note that this change could lead to more dogs in shelters or on the street globally, and it could exacerbate Canada's puppy mill crisis. They also note that they feel it is important for Canadians and their pets to be safe and that working with rescues and advocates is important.

They call on the Government of Canada to work with affected dog rescues and animal rights advocates to ensure that government policy on dog importations keeps Canadians safe without increasing the number of animals in shelters or on the street globally.

Falun Gong

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to present a petition today that has been signed by the members of the Falun Gong, who have been very proactive on a number of different issues. Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline that consists of meditation, exercise and moral teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.

In July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party launched an intensive nationwide persecution campaign to eradicate Falun Gong. Hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained in forced labour camps, brainwashing centres and prisons, where torture and abuse are routine. Thousands have died as a direct result of this.

I am sure members can imagine the passion in those individuals involved in the petition campaign. What they are really doing is calling for the government, and all parliamentarians, to do more in terms of raising the profile of this particular issue and taking actions where we can.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 1435, 1436, 1441 and 1443.

Question No.1435—

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the government's response to Order Paper question Q-1146: what are the details of the tables provided in Annex A, broken down by category and country of origin?

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, IRCC undertook an extensive preliminary search to determine the amount of information that would fall within the scope of the request to provide details of the tables provided in annex A in response to Order Paper question Q-1146 broken down by category and country of origin. The data elements identified for this response would be too large to provide and could lead to the disclosure of incomplete and misleading information.

However, application processing times for selected categories are available by country at the IRCC Check Processing Times – Canada.ca website. Application categories where small sample sizes exist are excluded from processing time calculations, as including them would lead to unreliable calculations. The categories available online are as follows:

Under temporary residence: visitor visa, from outside Canada, broken down by country; visitor visa, from inside Canada; visitor extension, visitor record; super visa, parents or grandparents, broken down by country; study permit, from outside Canada; study permit, from inside Canada; study permit extension; work permit, from outside Canada, broken down by country; work permit from inside Canada, initial and extension; seasonal agricultural worker program, SAWP; international experience Canada, IEC; electronic travel authorization, eTA; economic immigration; Atlantic immigration pilot; Atlantic immigration program; Canadian experience class; caregivers, home child care provider pilot; caregivers, home support worker pilot; provincial nominees; self-employed persons, federal; Quebec business class; skilled workers, federal; skilled trades, federal; skilled workers, Quebec; and start-up visa.

Under family sponsorship: spouse or common-law partner living inside Canada; spouse or common-law partner living outside Canada; dependent child, broken down by country; parents or grandparents; and adopted child or other relative, broken down by country.

Under refugees: government-assisted refugees, broken down by country; privately sponsored refugees, broken down by country; protected persons and convention refugees, in Canada; and dependants of protected persons.

Humanitarian and compassionate cases.

Under citizenship: citizenship grant; citizenship certificate, proof of citizenship; resumption of citizenship; renunciation of citizenship; search of citizenship records; and adoption.

Permanent resident cards.

Under replacing or amending documents, verifying status: verification of status; replacement of valid temporary resident documents; amendments of immigration documents; and amendments of valid temporary resident documents.

The department aims to process all applications received within established service standards. There are factors outside of IRCC’s control that may affect the processing time of an application, e.g., type of application, immigration levels space and client response time to follow-up questions. These factors are equally applicable, regardless of the applicant’s country of origin.

Question No.1436—

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada: what is the spending on settlement services for immigrants by governmental and non-governmental organizations, broken down by the (i) organization, (ii) fiscal year, since 2015-16, (iii) projected spending for the fiscal year 2023-24, (iv) province and territory, (v) program spending, including but not limited to, the Resettlement Assistance Program, the Interim Housing Assistance Program, the International Migration Capacity Building Program, and the Settlement Program?

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, IRCC, undertook an extensive preliminary search in order to determine the amount of information that would fall within the scope of the question and the amount of time that would be required to prepare a comprehensive response. IRCC concluded that producing and validating a comprehensive response to this question would require a manual collection of information that is not possible in the time allotted and could lead to the disclosure of incomplete and misleading information.

Question No.1441—

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

With regard to the Housing Accelerator Fund: (a) will having municipal regulations that encourage housing development be a pre-requisite for communities to receive money through the fund, and, if not, why not; (b) will communities who receive funding be required to avoid taking any action that makes the building of housing more difficult, such as restrictive zoning changes or by-laws; (c) what are the metrics that will be used by the government to monitor the effectiveness of this funding in each community; and (d) how does the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation currently track municipal housing policies, and does this tracking include whether or not a community's policies are consistent with the goals of the fund?

[Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Housing)]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), in order to receive money through the fund, eligible communities must commit to an action plan that includes local initiatives that remove barriers to housing supply, accelerate the growth of supply, and support the development of complete, low-carbon and climate-resilient communities, which are affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse. The action plan must detail the local government’s commitment to a housing supply growth target, alignment to priorities and minimum number of initiatives they plan to undertake to increase and speed up the supply of housing in their communities. Approved applicants will receive an upfront advance to begin to implement their action plan. The remaining approved funding will be disbursed in installments annually over three years until 2026-27, provided the applicant adheres to the terms and conditions of the contribution agreement, including successful completion of local initiatives and achievement of growth targets. Enacting municipal regulations that encourage housing development is both an eligible initiative and an eligible expense.

With regard to part (b), annual installment payments for successful applicants will be conditional upon achieving growth.

With regard to part (c), municipalities will report annually on the number of permits issued and provide detailed progress updates on the implementation of their action plan Initiatives.

With regard to part (d), CMHC does not systematically track municipal housing policies; however, applicants will be required to demonstrate how their proposed systemic changes support the development of complete communities, the development of affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse communities, and/or the development of low-carbon and climate-resilient communities. Applicants will also be required to have a current housing needs assessment during the program. The progress and implementation of these changes will be regularly monitored throughout the program duration.

Question No.1443—

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

With regard to the government's response to the July 2018 report from the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology titled "The Shame is Ours: Forced Adoptions of the Babies of Unmarried Mothers in Post-war Canada": (a) why did the government not act on the first recommendation by issuing a formal apology; (b) does the government have any plans to issue a formal apology to the mothers and babies who were subject to forced adoptions, and, if so, what are the plans, including the time; (c) did the government create a fund to support training programs for professional counsellors that is appropriate for the needs of individuals affected by past adoption practices and the provision of counselling services by those professionals to mothers and adoptees affected by forced adoption practices, at no cost to them, and, if not, why not; and (d) does the government plan on setting up a fund similar to that contained in recommendation number three of the report, and, if so, what are the details?