Debates of Sept. 18th, 2023

Monique Bégin

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Canada's New Democrats to honour the life and legacy of the Hon. Monique Bégin, who sadly passed earlier this month.

Madam Bégin was a feminist trailblazer, a passionate advocate for social justice and a tireless champion for public health care.

In 1966, she served as vice-president of the Fédération des femmes du Québec and was a signatory of the organization's founding charter. She was then appointed secretary-general of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada, where she carried out groundbreaking work to advance women's equality.

In 1972, Madam Bégin, along with Albanie Morin and Jeanne Sauvé, became one of the first women from Quebec elected to the House of Commons. She was appointed to cabinet in 1976, where she served as minister for national revenue and then as minister for national health and welfare.

In Parliament, she advanced a number of critical measures to support vulnerable Canadians, including the child tax credit and the guaranteed income supplement, but perhaps her greatest legislative achievement was securing unanimous support for the Canada Health Act in 1984, something extremely near and dear to New Democrats' hearts in this country.

At the time, Madam Bégin warned the chamber, “An erosion of medicare is taking place” and called on all parliamentarians at that time “to consolidate medicare by fixing the loopholes and bad habits that have developed to make it work for years to come.”

Unfortunately, today Canadians are once again witnessing an erosion of this cherished national institution, as she warned so presciently of those decades ago. Decades of underfunding, creeping privatization, inadequate enforcement of the Canada Health Act and the continued exploitation of legal loopholes represent profound and ongoing threats to our universal public system.

Madam Bégin was known as a fierce defender of public delivery, and she never hesitated to wield a big stick at any province that threatened that principle. Let us learn from Monique Bégin's inspiring example by turning these words of tribute today into action for tomorrow. Let us honour her legacy by recommitting ourselves to protecting, strengthening and expanding public health care for all Canadians.

New Democrats cherish her vision. We will carry it on today in the House and for decades to come.

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

Madam Speaker, on a point of order, as someone who knew Monique Bégin, I ask for unanimous consent to add some words to the tributes that have been made so eloquently by my hon. colleagues, the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent, the member for Vancouver Kingsway and all those who have spoken about the extraordinary legacy of a champion woman, parliamentarian and trailblazer, the Hon. Monique Bégin.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I wish to inform the House that, because of the ministerial statements, Government Orders will be extended by 30 minutes.

Natural Resources

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

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources entitled “Federal Assistance to Canada's Natural Resources Sectors”.

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

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Madam Speaker, it is not surprising that on the natural resources committee the only party that actually supports the expansion and thriving future of the Canadian oil and gas sector along with the development of alternative energies and fuels of the future is the Conservative Party. We do dissent from the final report for a number of reasons.

One is because neither the government nor its agencies nor any of the witnesses who participated could actually define the word “subsidy”, which is a point that the government has admitted in recent days. However, it became clear that the motion was an effort to lay the groundwork for the government to find yet another excuse to attack the oil and gas sector.

Conservatives recognize that, despite the eight years of anti-energy and anti-private sector policies, laws and taxes in this country, the Canadian oil and gas sector remains the number one private sector investor and the top export for the Canadian economy, as well as being responsible for 75% of private sector investment in clean tech.

Therefore, we Conservatives believe that instead of spending their time arguing over a term they cannot even define and failing to actually capture the fact that oil and gas companies are treated with benchmark-standard corporate tax treatment in this country, the Liberals would be better placed to actually fix the permitting and regulatory mess that they have created, and to attract private sector capital and ongoing development of oil and gas as well as all natural resources, as those private sector developers also build the alternative energy and fuels of the future.

For those reasons and many others, the Conservatives dissent from this final report.

Government Operations and Estimates

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, also known as the mighty OGGO, in relation to Bill C-290, an act to amend the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House, with amendments.

International Trade

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

Madam Speaker, it is wonderful to be back here in the House.

I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, entitled “Canadian Mining and Mineral Exploration Firms Operating Abroad: Impacts on the Natural Environment and Human Rights”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Corrections and Conditional Release Act

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-351, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (maximum security offenders).

Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House today to introduce a private member's bill.

Canadians were shocked to learn that Paul Bernardo, a dangerous criminal, had been transferred from a maximum-security prison to a medium-security prison. This bill amends 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.

A similar bill was introduced in the spring by my colleague from Niagara Falls, whom I would like to thank for his work. My bill includes a coming into force provision that, once the bill is passed, will speed up the process and ensure that such a situation never happens again. I would also like to thank my colleague from Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles for his contribution and hard work in support of a justice system that puts victims first. I look forward to discussing this further at second reading.

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

Lowering Prices for Canadians Act

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-352, An Act to amend the Competition Act and the Competition Tribunal Act.

Madam Speaker, Canadians are hurting with record-high grocery bills. For 20 months in a row, food prices rose faster than inflation and the Liberals did nothing about it. They protected the profits of rich CEOs and let everyone end up paying the price. The Leader of the Opposition let food prices rise by 25% when he was in power and let big grocery stores pay less taxes. CEOs got big breaks while everyone paid more. It does not have to be this way. Today, I introduce the lowering prices for Canadians act. This bill will increase fines and make it easier for the Competition Bureau to crack down on price-gouging, price-fixing and other abuses of Canadian consumers. It will stop the mergers that hurt Canadians. It is time that we end the free ride of CEOs and big corporations.

Today I am introducing the lowering prices for Canadians act. It will increase the fines issued to companies that abuse consumers, and it will make it possible to stop corporate mergers that hurt Canadians.

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

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion. I move that Standing Order 28(1) be amended by adding the following: “and when those days fall on a Saturday or a Sunday, the House shall not meet on the following Monday.”

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

All those opposed to the hon. parliamentary secretary moving the motion will please say nay. It is agreed.

The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

[An hon. member]

Nay.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.

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

Madam Speaker, to the best of my information, it has not been passed to us to consider whether we are in favour or not. We would require—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Could the hon. member please turn on her camera if she wants to speak?

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

Madam Speaker, as is the usual practice, I would have assumed the right to have unanimous consent for non-contentious motions as the previous two times the Conservatives just blocked me from speaking in honour of Monique Bégin.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

We do not have unanimous consent for the motion.

Business of the House

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

Madam Speaker, there is a second motion that I would like to bring forward.

Again, there have been some discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion:

That in relation to the broadcasting of committee proceedings, the House authorize televising or webcasting of up to seven simultaneous meetings, provided that no more than two of the meetings are televised.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay.

It is agreed.

The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

(Motion agreed to)

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, I would like to try one more time with the first motion that I proposed for unanimous consent.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. parliamentary secretary may table his motion.

Standing Orders

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

Madam Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties very recently and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion. I move:

That Standing Order 28(1) be amended by adding the following: “and when those days fall on a Saturday or a Sunday, the House shall not meet the following Monday”.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

All those opposed to the hon. parliamentary secretary moving the motion will please say nay. It is agreed.

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

(Motion agreed to)