Debates of May 2nd, 2024

Indigenous Affairs

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the advocates, families and survivors working tirelessly to press our government for urgent action. That includes the member for Winnipeg Centre, the member for Oakville North—Burlington and folks like Sandra DeLaronde, Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, Leslie Varley, Angela MacDougall, Gladys Radek, Lorna Brown and Denise Halfyard, who are advancing the implementation of a red dress alert system. Their efforts are crucial in bringing indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people home safely.

I thank the member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for her advocacy. Leveraging the $1.3 million in budget 2024, our government will put an end—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

The hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton.

Ethics

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

Mr. Speaker, the sole Liberal minister from Alberta is at the centre of two corruption scandals. It has been reported that the minister is tied to a lobbyist who received a staggering $110 million in federal contracts, and the minister is the director of the company that received a further $8 million of government contracts and is engulfed in allegations of fraud and wire fraud.

How much money did the minister and his companies receive from these shady contracts?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier in response to our other hon. friend, the minister has always followed the strict ethics rules that apply to him as an elected official. Canada has one of the strictest ethics regimes in the world for elected officials, and that is exactly what Canadians expect. The minister has always conducted himself in an ethical manner that follows the spirit and letter of those rules.

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

Mr. Speaker, the minister has been on the take with taxpayers' money. The minister retains a 50% stake in a company that is engulfed in allegations of fraud, and the minister continues to receive payments from the lobbying firm that received $110 million in federal contracts.

Will the minister finally have the guts to stand in his place and tell Canadians how much he pocketed off taxpayers?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I will come back to this matter later, but I do warn members, please, to be very careful about what they say about other hon. members.

The hon. government House leader.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, in this House, all members are entitled to be treated by other members with a presumption of being honourable. That is not what this member has just done. I would invite him to carefully consider the words he just employed while doing a speech into a television camera, one that he would never do were we outside this chamber. I would invite that member to be very, very careful with his words in the future.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, yet another Liberal minister is embroiled in an ethics scandal. The employment minister continued to serve as the director of a company that secured over $8 million in government contracts. His former lobbying firm got direct access to the Prime Minister's Office and the finance minister's office, everyone who has their hands on the purse strings.

The Prime Minister is not worth the cost or the corruption.

I have a simple question: How much did the minister or his companies receive since he has been in cabinet?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I have answered that question.

I would once again invite members from all sides of this House to be very, very careful with the words that they utter.

Diversity and Inclusion

[Patrick Weiler, Liberal, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, budget 2024 proposes funding for Canada's first-ever action plan on combatting hate, which would support community outreach and law enforcement reform, tackle the rise in hate crimes, enhance community security, counter radicalization and increase support for victims. This plan was drafted way before Canadians realized that the leader of the official opposition was cozying up with white nationalists.

Can the minister please tell this House what impacts far right extremism has on our community?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Minister of Diversity]

Mr. Speaker, combatting hate is a responsibility of everyone in this House. Anything otherwise is shameful and, frankly, appalling. When the Leader of the Opposition decided to cozy up to far right extremist supporters, that was unbecoming of an elected official, much less the leader of a major political—

[An hon. member]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

When the hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton was asking his question, the Chair was quite happy to make sure that he had free time to be able to ask his question. I would ask the hon. member to please hold back his comments while the minister is answering.

The hon. Minister of Diversity, from the top, please.

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when the Leader of the Opposition decided to cozy up to far right extremist supporters, that was unbecoming of an elected official, much less the leader of a major Canadian political party. Canadians expect their leaders to stand up for Canadian values. That is why we are investing $270 million in the budget for Canada's first-ever action plan on combatting hate. That is leadership.

Labour

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

Mr. Speaker, yesterday 10,000 Canadian rail workers voted to strike, in part because Canada's two largest railway companies want to undermine key safety measures in their collective agreements. The safety of rail workers, the safety of rail communities and the safety of our environment are all at stake.

Will the minister ensure that the parties remain at the bargaining table until a fair, safe and equitable agreement is reached?

[Seamus O'Regan, Liberal, Minister of Labour and Seniors]

Mr. Speaker, what is happening right now is a cooling-off period. It is a normal part of the collective bargaining process. Our facilitators and conciliators remain closely with both parties at the table. We remain committed on this side, as I know the hon. member is, to making sure that they remain at the table. The best deals are made at the table.

The Environment

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

Mr. Speaker, even for the Liberals, this is really something. It is a hat trick: three times, three different platform promises broken in one omnibus budget bill. First up, they broke the commitment to have UNDRIP honoured and consult with indigenous people. Second, they used their omnibus budget bill to change environmental legislation. Third, once again, they failed to fix the Environmental Assessment Act.

Let us make it simple: Environmental assessment under Mulroney's law worked. Harper repealed it. It still does not work. This draft, in this ways and means bill, will go down to defeat at the Supreme Court once again.

Fix it, once and for all, and use the environmental expert panel to guide the government's actions.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, as the Supreme Court asked us to do, we have brought changes to the Impact Assessment Act of Canada to ensure that the federal government will do what the federal government is supposed to be doing while provinces do their part in impact assessment, and we are confident that this will help us to move forward.

I would remind my hon. colleague that at the time Bill C-69 was adopted, we did not have clean fuel standards, we did not have zero-emission vehicle standards, we did not have regulations on methane and we were not working on a cap on oil and gas emissions or clean electricity standards.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In question period, we repeatedly heard Conservatives from Alberta refer to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions with false titles, and I know you will be ruling on that, but this is despite that overdose deaths have gone up 319% since Conservatives got elected—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I thank the member, but this is veering into debate.

I appreciate the member's comments with respect to false titles. He is indeed correct. The Speaker will be coming back to the House on this.

Business of the House

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the government House leader to inform the chamber as to what we will be debating for the rest of this week and the week ahead.

Also, as I did not get an answer from the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, perhaps the government House leader can inform the chamber of the following: The Government of British Columbia has specifically requested something that only the government can do. It has asked the Prime Minister to recriminalize the use of hard drugs in public spaces, such as hospitals, parks and public transit. On what day will the government inform the chamber that the use of those hard drugs will once again be illegal in the province of British Columbia?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, on that question I can assure the hon. member that whatever we do, we will do with the elected premier of British Columbia and not the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle.

On the Thursday question, this afternoon we will continue with debate on Bill C-49, the Canada—Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic accord implementation and offshore renewable energy management act, which has had great support obviously from my colleagues from Atlantic Canada.

Tomorrow, we will call Bill C-20, concerning the public complaints and review commission act.

On Monday, we will begin debate at second reading of Bill C‑69, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024.

I would also like to inform the House that Thursday, May 9, will be an allotted day.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion:

That, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practice of the House, during the debate pursuant to Standing Order 66 on Motion No. 54 to concur in the eighth report of the Standing Committee on National Defence, no quorum calls, dilatory motions or requests for unanimous consent shall be received by the Chair and at the conclusion of the time provided for debate or when no member rises to speak, whichever is earlier, all questions necessary to dispose of the motions be deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred pursuant to Standing Order 66.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

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

It is agreed.

All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

(Motion agreed to)

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. As I think we have a collegial environment prevailing, and consultations have occurred, I would like to seek the unanimous consent of the House to table my private member's bill now.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Is it agreed?