Debates of Dec. 11th, 2024

Electoral Boundaries

[Carol Hughes, NDP, Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a petition signed by people in northern Ontario who are calling on the House of Commons to recognize the impact to their representation of reducing the number of electoral districts in the region following the report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission.

Their collective appeal is to ensure that the number of electoral districts in northern Ontario is maintained at 10 by modifying the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act. The petitioners are looking to the House to respect the Supreme Court of Canada's 1991 Carter decision, which states, “Effective representation and good government in this country compel that factors other than voter parity, such as geography and community interests, be taken into account in setting electoral boundaries.”

I want to thank Dr. Andréane Chénier for going out and getting a lot of signatures on this petition.

Public Safety

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Mr. Speaker, 4,238 Canadians have signed this e-petition, and over 5,000 petitioners delivered a paper petition to me last Sunday.

The petitioners say, whereas the Air India bombing of June 23, 1985, which left 331 people dead, was the worst tragedy in the history of aviation terror before 9/11; whereas the victims' families continue to wait for justice and closure; whereas Sikhs in Canada widely believe that this was the handiwork of a foreign intelligence to discredit their political activism and undermine their advocacy work for human rights in India; whereas the recent development within the Sikh community in British Columbia gives credence to this perception; whereas the Canadian government is looking into the growing foreign interference in its political affairs; whereas the Sikhs are living under fear since the murder, or what I call assassination, of Surrey Delta gurdwara president Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023; and whereas, on September 18, 2023, the Prime Minister of Canada stated that there are credible allegations of a link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar; the petitioners, citizens and permanent residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to order a fresh inquiry—

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

The petition is tabled. I would remind members that we have lots of members presenting petitions, so I want to make sure that presentations are as short as possible.

The hon. member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke.

Natural Health Products

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by the great people of Pickering—Uxbridge, Whitby and the Liberal Minister of Health's very own riding of Ajax. They call on the House to immediately repeal sections 500 to 504 of Bill C-47, which was passed last year. These amendments made to the Food and Drugs Act are new regulatory constraints on natural health products that millions of Canadians rely upon and has since affected their medical freedom of choice and the affordability of these products.

World Health Organization

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased to rise to present a petition on behalf of the great people from the healthy-living riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke who are calling on the government to refrain from endorsing the so-called pandemic treaty drafted by the World Health Organization, which had never received a single debate or vote in the House of Commons. The concern is that, by agreeing to this legally binding treaty, Canada is signing away our own sovereignty, allowing UN bureaucrats, who are unaccountable to Canadians, the power to override our laws, rights and freedoms.

Poppy Fund

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition that notes that the Kitchener-Waterloo Poppy Fund administers the poppy campaign every year to fund initiatives for veterans. That includes emergency assistance, comfort for those who are hospitalized, bursaries and more. The petitioners note that the federal government already provides mailing services, such as letters to Santa, for free, but they note that the KW Poppy Fund spends $23,000 in mailing costs every year to distribute poppies. They note that its capacity to support veterans is lessened by that because, before they can provide a single dollar to a veteran, it needs to pay those mailing costs.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to do three very reasonable things: first, determine how much it might cost for the federal government to cover the cost of mailing poppies; second, consult with Canada Post and Royal Canadian Legion to do a cost-benefit analysis of waiving mailing fees for poppy sales; and last, take into consideration how chapters of the Royal Canadian Legion support veterans and their dependents through discussion of this possibility.

Bangladesh

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to table a petition signed by members of the Bangladeshi community.

The petitioners draw the attention of the government to the fact that former members and supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP, are unfairly facing immigration challenges due to false narratives being spread by political opponents. They ask the government to review how IRPA is being applied in these cases, base admissibility decisions on individual circumstances and not on broad political affiliation, and grant public policy consideration on a humanitarian basis under relevant legislation.

Gaza

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this petition comes from the great people of northern Ontario and is signed by 4,518 people.

The State of Israel is carrying out a campaign of genocide against the people of Palestine through indiscriminate military actions against the civilian population, which have killed and maimed more than 100,000 people and have destroyed the physical and social infrastructure of Gaza. Many of the weapons used in this genocide are supplied to the State of Israel by the United States and other NATO countries.

Nickel is an important raw material used in the manufacture of these armaments, and 40% of the nickel consumed in the U.S. originates in Canada. Canadians do not want the natural resources of this land or the labour of our people to contribute to this campaign of terror and mass murder. The government of Canada has banned new contracts for the sale of armaments to Israel.

The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to institute a ban on the sale of nickel to Israel and to those armament manufacturers that supply Israel. They also would like for us to require purchasers of Canadian nickel to certify that they will not resell Canadian nickel to Israel or to arms manufacturers supplying Israel.

Taxation

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition. Petitioners are calling on the Liberals to scrap their unfair capital gains tax hike. Petitioners note that it would make Canada less competitive and have adverse impacts, including limiting access to affordable housing options, straining health care resources, exacerbating financial challenges for farmers and compromising the retirement savings of Canadians.

Nuclear Waste

[Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on behalf of the organization We the Nuclear Free North with 817 signatures. The signatories express their serious and heartfelt concerns regarding the safety of the transportation and storage of nuclear materials through and in their communities in northern Ontario.

Although the decision has already been made, the signatories asked me to present this petition calling on the government to immediately direct the NWMO to stop the siting process for a deep geological repository.

Lebanon

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, by popular demand, I will limit myself to just one petition today.

This petition is from people in the Canadian Lebanese community who are very concerned about the impact of Hezbollah's actions on the people of Lebanon. They note how the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which was started by Hezbollah, has had terrible consequences for the Lebanese people. They note that Hezbollah is a terrorist Iranian regime proxy that acts to serve that regime's ideology against the wishes of the people of Lebanon.

Hezbollah has refused to abide by UN Security Council resolution 1701 by refusing to disarm and refusing to allow the Lebanese government, and the Lebanese armed forces, to take back control of Lebanese territory. The Lebanese people want an end to the colonial domination of their territory by the Iranian regime.

Therefore, residents call on the Government of Canada to seek the immediate disarmament of Hezbollah, the end of aid by the Iranian regime to Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations, and the restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty with all Lebanese territory being governed by an elected, sovereign Lebanese government.

City Charters

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, people in my community have been deeply concerned by instances of provincial overreach into the actions and decisions by our city council, most recently with decisions regarding bike lanes, but also in the past relating to elections and public transit.

Members from my community of Toronto—Danforth have signed a petition asking for the Government of Canada to review how the federal government can support the creation of city charters for large metropolitan areas, such as the City of Toronto, so as to better delineate the authorities between the province and the city.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I would like to ask the House if I could have unanimous consent to table this important petition on mental health.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, on that same point of order, may I ask for consent to extend the time available by five minutes so more members could table their petitions?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, on that same point of order, I think there would be leave to allow members who have one petition to table the opportunity to do so.

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

Members are seeking unanimous consent to allow an additional five minutes for members to table one petition each. Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Mental Health Care

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate the collaboration in the House right now, especially when it comes to e-petition 5166, which is a privilege for me to table today. The petition has been signed by over 500 people from across Canada and was initiated by Jade Dulle, a mental health advocate who biked across Canada this summer to hear from people who have lived experiences with mental health challenges and to raise awareness about barriers to mental health care.

The petitioners highlight the prevalence of mental health disorders in Canada and the lack of a national framework for mental health care. They are also calling on the Government of Canada to collaborate with the provinces and territories to finally develop a universal mental health care system that would ensure all Canadians receive support for their mental health concerns and to commit to adequate federal funding to facilitate its successful implementation.

Insecticides

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

Mr. Speaker, this petition deals with the concerns of constituents that we are, globally, losing our pollinators. Bees are essential for agricultural production and biodiversity. The petitioners specifically call on the Government of Canada, for the sake of our bees and for food security, to follow Europe's lead, adhere to the precautionary principle and ban the use of neonicotinoid insecticides in Canada.

Basic Income Guarantee Program

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on the subject of a basic income guarantee demonstration project in the province of Prince Edward Island. In November 2020, the Special Committee on Poverty in PEI recommended immediate negotiations with the Government of Canada to implement a basic income guarantee demonstration project for Prince Edward Island. This particular idea has the full support of all the political parties on Prince Edward Island. It would be of significant benefit to Canada, as poverty is a social determinant of health.

Therefore, the petitioners call on the Government of Canada to begin immediate negotiations with the Government of Prince Edward Island to develop and implement a basic income guarantee demonstration program in the province of P.E.I. that would be administered, monitored and evaluated for at least five years.

Housing

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise to present a petition on behalf of concerned Canadians who are demanding action in the face of renovictions. They are calling on the government to impose a moratorium on renovictions and other methods of displacing tenants in pursuit of higher profits, invest in affordable housing operated by non-profit housing providers to ensure there are affordable housing units available for our most vulnerable and stop providing billions of dollars in handouts to corporate landlords who are buying up the existing affordable housing, evicting people and raising rents.

Falun Gong

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people from Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo.

These petitioners draw attention to the House of Commons to the treatment of Falun Gong, which is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline. The petitioners are concerned about the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners and request that Parliament pass a resolution to establish measures to stop the Chinese Communist regime's crime of systematically murdering Falun Gong practitioners for their organs, amend Canadian legislation to combat forced organ harvesting and publicly call for the end of the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Foreign Interference

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I have a very important petition, signed by many Canadians, asking for the leader of the Conservative Party to get a security clearance. Petitioners highlight the issues of extortion and murder taking place and all forms of foreign interference. They ask that the leader of the Conservative Party take it upon himself to be more responsible and get the security clearance. That is a very important issue, and I suspect petitioners are curious as to why he might not be doing that. Maybe it is that he is hiding something from his past.

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. 3125 and 3130.

Question No.3125—

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

With regard to the cap imposed by the government on the percentage of for-profit spaces as part of its Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement with Ontario: (a) is the government going to accept the request from the province of Ontario to remove the cap, and, if not, why not; (b) if the answer to (a) is negative, how does the government justify removing the cap for certain other provinces, including New Brunswick; (c) what is the government's reaction to reports that the Peel Region had to turn down 2,000 child care spaces as a result of the cap; and (d) what is the government's estimate of the number of child care spaces throughout Ontario that have had to be turned down or otherwise not brought to fruition as a result of the cap?