Debates of Sept. 18th, 2023

Carbon Pricing

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order.

It is the hon. member for Calgary Heritage's first day here. I am sure he wants to hear the answer to his question.

We really cannot hear it with all the shouting that is going on. I am going to ask the hon. Minister of Health to start from the top so that the hon. member can hear the answer.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in all times of great challenge globally, there is a responsibility for all of us to focus on solutions and answers. Yes, it is incredibly easy on the other side to point out what is wrong in the world and what is happening, but their solutions are cutting support and services from the most vulnerable. Let me just talk about dental care for a second. The number two cause of children in the hospital is oral health, all of which is preventable. We could stop people from getting ill. We could take action to make our world better or we can throw around slogans, like what is being done on the other side. Let us focus on real answers.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, when I was talking with friends and neighbours this summer, I heard loud and clear that people cannot afford the Liberal-NDP government's carbon tax. The average farm family will spend an extra $150,000 each year. The people who make the food cannot afford that and the people who buy the food cannot afford that. The Prime Minister is simply not worth the cost. After eight years, the Prime Minister has driven up the cost of everything and Canadians have had enough.

When will the Prime Minister listen to Canadians and finally axe the tax?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, when we look at what happened in our area of the country, Fiona alone destroyed barns and killed cattle. It destroyed wharfs. The fact is that if we do not deal with the economy the cost of everything will go up. We have invested in climate change and this government will continue to invest in climate change so we will have a place to live.

Emergency Preparedness

[Kody Blois, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, this summer the challenges climate change and extreme weather are presenting have become abundantly clear to Canadians. In Kings—Hants, we sadly lost four individuals in our communities to flash floods, which have not been seen in 50-plus years. The importance of real-time emergency alerts to cellphones is so important, but cell reception in some of the communities in my riding is simply non-existent.

Will the Minister of Emergency Preparedness commit to working with the Minister of Industry to push the CRTC and telecoms to improve cell service for communities where no service exists, in the interest of their safety and well-being?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I want to take the opportunity to pass on my sincere condolences to families who lost loved ones during the flash floods in July.

Every second counts in an emergency and Canadians need to be informed as quickly as possible when there is a threat to their safety. A public alerting system is an absolute priority for our government. We will be speaking to the appropriate agencies. I will be working with the provinces and territories and especially municipalities to make sure we have the right system for Canadians.

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this summer over 16 million hectares of forests burned; more than 200,000 Canadians were forced to flee their homes. To call this wildfire season unprecedented is an understatement, and with off-the-charts global temperatures, we can expect climate change to deliver even more extreme wildfires.

It is clear Canada's wildfire response was overwhelmed. Waiting for help from overseas costs valuable time and money, and the Liberals do not seem to be rushing to fix the system.

Will the minister support our call for a national wildfire-fighting service, which can be deployed immediately where needed?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague that climate change is having a devastating impact across the country, and especially in British Columbia. The member opposite and I toured Osoyoos together and saw the impacts directly, where a wildfire was close to a neighbourhood. It was just one metre away. We thank all the firefighters for their amazing work. We need to make sure we have the right resources at the right place at the right time, and that is what we are committed to doing.

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

Mr. Speaker, to the hon. member for emergency preparedness, we have to do far more. We know that, not only as the member for Kings—Hants says, the cell service is inadequate, cell service goes down even where we have it during climate emergencies. We lose power. We lose land lines. We need a national firefighting force, a national water bomber fleet and a permanent national task force for climate emergency preparedness for better warnings, better communications and better response time.

Will the minister set up such a task force immediately?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleague on this. I look forward to meeting with her and listening to her ideas.

Every time we have had an emergency and disaster across this country, year after year our folks have continually learned and applied those lessons regularly. This year in particular, we have had floods, wildfires and even hurricanes at our doorsteps. We will learn from them and put the appropriate resources in place. I will be focusing on making sure we have the right resources at the right place at the right time.

Monique Bégin

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Following discussion among representatives of all parties of the House, I understand there is an agreement to observe a moment of silence in honour of our former colleague, the Hon. Monique Bégin.

[A moment of silence observed]

Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

It is my duty to lay upon the table, pursuant to paragraph 90(1)a) of the Parliament of Canada Act, the annual report of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in relation to the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(a), this document is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

Pursuant to paragraph 90(1)(b) of the Parliament of Canada Act, it is my duty to lay upon the table the annual report of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in relation to the Conflict of Interest Act for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(h), this document is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.

Health

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, the report on the procurement and distribution of COVID–19 rapid tests.

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

Foreign Affairs

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, today I am rising to inform the House of an extremely serious matter. I just informed the leaders of the opposition directly, but I want now to speak with all Canadians.

Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada is a rule-of-law country. The protection of our citizens and the defence of our sovereignty are fundamental. Our top priorities have therefore been, one, that our law enforcement and security agencies ensure the continued safety of all Canadians, and two, that all steps be taken to hold perpetrators of this murder to account.

Canada has declared its deep concerns to the top intelligence and security officials of the Indian government. Last week, at the G20, I brought them personally and directly to Prime Minister Modi in no uncertain terms. Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental roles by which free, open and democratic societies conduct themselves.

As one would expect, we have been working closely and coordinating with our most important allies on this very serious matter. In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the Government of India to co-operate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter. I also expect it to reiterate that its position on extrajudicial operations in another country is clearly and unequivocally in line with international law.

I know that many Canadians, particularly members of the Indo-Canadian community, are feeling angry or perhaps frightened right now. Let us not allow this to change us. Let us remain calm and steadfast in our commitment to our democratic principles and our adherence to the rule of law. This is who we are and what we do as Canadians.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, moments ago, the Prime Minister made me aware of intelligence from his authorities linking the Indian government to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Before going any further, let me offer my condolences to the family of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the loss that this represents and the outrageous murder that brought it about.

If these allegations are true, they represent an outrageous affront to Canada's sovereignty. Our citizens must be safe from extrajudicial killings of all kinds, most of all from foreign governments. Canadians deserve to be protected on Canadian soil.

We call on the Indian government to act with the utmost transparency as authorities investigate this murder, because the truth must come out. We must know who performed the assassination and who was behind the assassination. The Conservatives will continue to work to get these answers.

All Canadians now stand with diaspora communities of Indian origin. It is now in this time that the official opposition makes an appeal for calm. We are all Canadians. This is our country. We must be united for our home and for each other.

Let us all lock arms and join hands in condemning this murder, standing with the family and friends of its victim. Let us all put aside our differences to stand up for the rule of law, one law for all of our people, a law made in this chamber by Canadians for Canadians.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we have just learned what happened. We are stunned and shocked. This is unacceptable; I am sure we all agree.

First and foremost, I would like to offer my condolences to all the family and friends who are suffering through this unacceptable ordeal.

Foreign countries must respect our borders. Our law enforcement agencies are responsible for intervening on our territory, in compliance with our laws. We are a country governed by the rule of law. Everyone must respect that, at all times, without exception. Parliament must make that message clear to the perpetrators, to those to whom we are addressing our remarks today. We must remain calm. We must watch carefully and see how the case develops.

In the meantime, the Bloc Québécois is offering the Prime Minister its full co-operation, because this situation is unacceptable.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, what we have just learned today in the House is something that shocks the safety and security so many Canadians rely on. It is outrageous. It is shocking and it is going to have deep and devastating impacts for Canadians.

I want to also begin by acknowledging the family of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a family that is now learning that the loss of its loved one was potentially directly related to Indian government involvement. I spoke with Hardeep Singh Nijjar's son, and I could hear the pain of that loss in his voice. I can only imagine how much more painful it is going to be, knowing this potential connection.

On a personal reflection, I want to share what this means to the Sikh community. I grew up hearing many stories that said that if someone raised concerns about human rights violations in India, they might be denied a visa, or that if they went back India, they could suffer violence, torture and even death. I grew up hearing those stories, but to hear the Prime Minister of Canada corroborate a potential link between a murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil and a foreign government is something I could never have imagined.

To understand what that means to the community, this is a place that so many people around the world have sought as a refuge. People have fled persecution in their home countries, where they were threatened by torture, violence and death, to come to Canada, a beacon of safety, a place where they could be safe and free from violence, and where they would be able to speak their thoughts, speak their minds and not worry that they would wake up dead the next day or that someone they loved would be tortured or killed. The safety and security so many Canadians feel has now been rocked. It has been shocked and destabilized.

I want to send a message directly to activists across our country who have fled persecution and who speak truth to power, knowing of the real, dire consequences to themselves and potentially to their families. I want to speak directly to people of Indian descent who have come to Canada and who spoke justice and spoke truth to power, and who challenged the oppressive practices of India: caste violence, violence against women, systemic abuse of minority communities and systemic abuse of the poor. I want to speak directly to those activists. Governments around the world are trying to silence them. The Indian government, and the Modi government specifically, is attempting to silence them, but truth cannot be silenced. Justice cannot and will not be silenced.

We know that the practice of the Indian government has been one of division, violence, persecution and attacking those who are critical of the government. It is now an important time to send a clear message as a democratic country and a country that respects the rule of law. What will be our response?

I want people to know that, as leader of the New Democratic Party, I will use every tool at my disposal to ensure that Canada uses every tool and every power of a democratic nation to bring those responsible to justice. We will ensure that no rock is unturned, that every possible link will be examined and that a public inquiry should also turn its eye to this with the full rigour of that public inquiry. We need to know the truth. We need to know all potential links, and anyone and everyone responsible should be brought to justice using the full power of a democratic nation.

I call on our allies to condemn this violence, this direct violation of a sovereign nation's rights, and to condemn this act in the harshest terms possible. This will require all democratic nations to come together to send a clear message about what it means that a foreign nation killed a Canadian on Canadian soil. This is something all democratic nations have to stand up and denounce clearly.

Finally, I want to send a clear message to many people who are still learning of this and will be angry and are going to be afraid. I understand why they would be angry and afraid. I call for everyone who is hearing this news now to come together, not in anger but in love of justice. There is a Sikh practice that the love of justice is what we should focus on, not the anger, the frustration and the fear. We should focus on the love of justice, and I will do my part. We will do our part in the chamber to ensure that justice is served, using every tool a democratic nation can.

[Member spoke in Punjabi]

[English]

I want Canadians to know that they can trust that New Democrats and everyone in the House will fight with everything we have to ensure that this serious, reprehensible matter is treated with the utmost seriousness and focus, and that we bring justice.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I seek unanimous consent to join my colleagues in response to the horrific and chilling news that the Prime Minister has shared with us. I was particularly grateful for the tone taken.

The first person to speak after the Prime Minister was the Leader of the Opposition. I heed his words to link arms and join hands in the quest for justice, which was so passionately and eloquently spoken of by the hon. member for Burnaby South, the leader of the New Democratic Party.

On behalf of all Greens, we pledge to join with our colleagues in a non-partisan fashion, support our—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent of the House?

[Some hon. members]

No.

Monique Bégin

[Pascale St-Onge, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, today we pay tribute to the tremendous contributions of a woman who helped blaze a trail for all the other women who followed her into the House of Commons, none other than the Hon. Monique Bégin. Her deeply Liberal values of feminism, social justice and equity guided her career and her vast political achievements, which have shaped modern-day Canada.

We begin with a look back at her early days in politics.

In 1968, only one woman was elected to the House of Commons. In 1972, Monique Bégin courageously became one the first three women members of Parliament from Quebec.

My friend and colleague, the hon. member for Parliament for Toronto—St. Paul's, said it best in the piece she wrote in the Star, “she had titanium in her spine.”

When she entered the House of Commons for the first time back then, a guard stopped her at the entrance along with another woman MP. It never crossed his mind that women could be members of Parliament. Thanks to her, my fellow women MPs and I pass through the door today without any problem.

A huge piece of her Canadian identity and pride came from her work as health minister. The principles of our universal health care system were made real in the Canada Health Act, which she brought forward.

Before that, many Canadians could not get the care they needed simply because they could not afford it.

Now our health care system is built on the promise that, no matter where they live or how much money they earn, everyone is entitled to receive the health care they need. What made her the proudest of all was the adoption of the child tax credit, which paved the way for the current Canada child benefit. That policy is still helping families make ends meet.

She was a formidable minister of national health and welfare, as well as national revenue in the Liberal government of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Her politics were led by her fierce feminism.

Before being elected as executive secretary to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, Monique Bégin helped bring 167 courageous recommendations on reducing gender inequality. The policies that she introduced later in Parliament were inevitably based on her commitment to improving women's lives in Canada. A true feminist pioneer and trailblazer.

Monique Bégin embodied the best that the Canadian government has to offer: a country where legislation and programs seek to create greater fairness and more opportunities for everyone, regardless of gender, background, beliefs or economic status; a place where the Canadian government is doing positive things, building a better future for the generations to come and strengthening the democratic institutions put in place by those who came before us; a country that fundamentally believes that women and men are equal.

At a time in our history when some are questioning the role of the state, Monique Bégin's legacy reminds us that the government is forged first and foremost by the hopes carried by everyone in this place and that, if we can dream of justice, equity, sharing and empathy, we have the capacity to make them a reality.

To her loved ones, we offer our deepest condolences and our thanks for sharing her with Canada and with Parliament.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Hon. Monique Bégin figures among the Canadian women who had a positive impact on the course of our country's history. Not only was she a positive force in politics, but she also had a brilliant academic career and was a dedicated activist.

She was born in Rome, but her family emigrated to Canada after the Second World War. A bright student, she earned a master's degree in sociology and a doctorate in the same field from the Sorbonne. Very early on, she became involved in the feminist movement and joined the Fédération des femmes du Québec, among others.

She was an impressive woman who made her mark, and that is why the Government of Canada gave her the delicate task of being the secretary general of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Status of Women in Canada. As my ministerial colleague mentioned earlier, that important commission made 167 recommendations, which still serve as a source of inspiration today, since women are still facing many challenges 50 years later.

Ms. Bégin was elected for the first time in 1972.

Let me be clear. That was a very good election for women at that time. My colleague talked about three Quebec women. There were also people who were very involved in this election who played a major role in our democracy. I think about the Right Hon. Jeanne Sauvé.

She was the first female Speaker of the House of Commons and Governor General.

Let me also pay my respects to the Hon. Flora MacDonald, who was elected for the first time in 1972. She was the first Canadian woman, in 1979, to be the external affairs minister and the first woman in that role among G7 countries.

In Pierre Trudeau's cabinets, Ms. Bégin occupied a number of prominent roles, including Minister of Health. She was the driving force behind the creation of the child tax credit, the increasing of the guaranteed income supplement and the unanimous passing, in this very House in 1984, of the Canada Health Act, which reinforced the universality and accessibility of Canada's health system.

As a Quebecker who had a passion for politics in my teen years, I remember vividly the Hon. Monique Bégin's vigorous, sometimes even ferocious involvement in the 1980 referendum campaign. There is something else I remember from her departure in 1984 after 12 years of exemplary service in the Canadian government. A journalist with very pointed questions asked her if she had any regrets. Immediately, she replied “the UFFI file”. UFFI was a home insulation product that sadly turned out to be poison. It was also a bit of a poisonous issue for the government of the day. Ms. Bégin, with all her bluntness and candour, acknowledged that when she left.

In 1998, she was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada for having had such a positive influence on the advancement of social sciences at the national level, especially in health and education.

Last year, the Order of Canada promoted her to the rank of companion, highlighting her “made a decisive contribution to several causes, including the respect for human rights and the enhancement of the quality of life of disadvantaged and marginalized communities both in Canada and abroad.”

Many people made statements in response to the death of the Hon. Monique Bégin. The Hon. Ed Broadbent, known to many as Canada's social conscience, was quoted as follows in the Montreal Gazette:

Canada has lost an exceptional woman. Monique Bégin was a leader in the cause of gender equality, a leader in bringing universal healthcare to Canada and in general a leader in almost all aspects of concerns about inequality.

On behalf of the official opposition, I would like to offer the family of the Hon. Monique Bégin, a great parliamentarian, a great intellectual, a great advocate, and above all, a great woman, our deepest condolences.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec feminist Monique Bégin chose politics as the path to achieve great things not only for herself, but for everyone. Her fight for women moved an entire society forward.

A founding member of the Fédération des femmes du Québec, executive secretary of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, a member of the first cohort of women to sit in the House of Commons in 1972, and a rare female voice in a male cabinet, she advanced the cause of women. She did not want women to be treated like men; she wanted effective equality and a level playing field. She proved that everyone benefits from the strongest possible representation of women in politics.

She did not win all her battles, and some of them did not fall under this government's jurisdiction, but she fought great battles for women. I am thinking in particular of the family allowance and the freedom to choose when it comes to abortion. That was decades before the Morgentaler ruling. I am also thinking of the battles for the guaranteed income supplement for seniors, for universal access to health care and for the affordable child care network, to name just a few. Not everything has yet been won for women, far from it. That is why it is essential to look at how far we have come from time to time to remind us that we are making progress, just as it is essential to remember those who came before us who shaped, built and paved the way we have come. It is essential to thank them, the women who paved the way for us. I thank Ms. Bégin.

We were not on the same side, but in many ways we were sharing our struggles, which are still to be won. We are still under-represented in the House of Commons. Pay equity still needs to be achieved. Reducing violence against women must always be a priority so that it does not happen anymore. We must remain vigilant in emphasizing that our bodies belong to us. Poverty still exists among women and seniors. However, we continue to stubbornly move forward. That is what Ms. Bégin did, because that is what women do.