Debates of May 21st, 2024

The Budget

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Minister of Transport]

Who is taking care of our seniors, Mr. Speaker? It is the Liberal government. Who is looking after housing? It is the Liberal government. Who is looking after our young people? It is the Liberal government. Who is taking care of the environment and fighting climate change? It is the Liberal government.

The Bloc Québécois is doing one thing and one thing only: looking for a fight. Bloc members have lost their identity. They do not even know why they are here anymore.

At the risk of repeating myself and without wanting to cause them too much grief, these people, in the beginning, were here for their passion. Today, they stay here for their pension.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Order.

I invite all members to be very careful with their language.

The hon. member for South Surrey—White Rock.

Mental Health and Addictions

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of this NDP-Liberal Prime Minister and his extremist agenda, once-safe B.C. hospitals are now infested with chaos, drugs and weapons. The B.C. Nurses' Union confirms that staff are exposed to fentanyl and meth smoke, even in maternity units. This is wacko.

That is why I will introduce the safe hospitals act, which would toughen penalties for criminals who bring in weapons and ban the minister from allowing open hard drug use in hospitals.

Will the Prime Minister support our common-sense Conservative plan, yes or no?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, on the first order, if we are going to have safe hospitals, we have to provide science-based, evidence-based information and not support misinformation, because, too often in our hospitals, it is actually misinformation that is fuelling much of the aggression that our doctors and nurses are facing.

Secondly, I would say to the member opposite, with regard to the health committee going and listening to people on the ground in British Columbia and hearing directly from those affected by this toxic drug crisis, why were the Conservatives not there?

Why did they not send anybody to listen? Why are they not actually on the ground listening to the people who are suffering in this crisis?

It is time to act on solutions and evidence.

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it will be news to the B.C. Nurses' Union that it is spreading disinformation. Here is the reality. Nurses should never be exposed to fentanyl smoke in their workplace. Patients should not have to worry about dangerous weapons when they are vulnerable and seeking treatment in hospitals. After nine years, I cannot believe I even have to ask this.

Does the Prime Minister support tougher sentences for criminals who bring weapons into hospitals?

Will he make it permanently illegal to smoke meth in hospital rooms next to newborn babies, yes or no?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing that separates the member opposite and her concern for victims and families is that my colleagues and I on this side of the House want to use evidence-based solutions to make sure that we respond to the crisis with things that are working.

The reality is that the strategy the member is advocating was first led by Newt Gingrich in the United States. It was the greatest disaster of his career. He has completely abdicated any responsibility for it, saying that it was a disastrous mistake. Stephen Harper's advisers are saying the same thing. What they are advocating would not work.

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberal coalition, Canadians are suffering with crime, chaos, drugs and disorder.

The minister talks about evidence. What about the evidence from the BC Nurses' Union and its outcry to ban weapons and hard drugs inside of hospitals? What more science could there be than that?

On this side of the House, the Conservatives announced our plan for tough penalties for weapons in hospitals and to not allow the minister to decriminalize or even legalize hard drugs.

Why do we have to ask again? Will the Prime Minister make it illegal to smoke crack and meth in a hospital next to a baby?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I find it disappointing that the member across actually did not join the recent visit by the health committee to B.C. to speak to experts on the ground, an actual member of the committee.

On this side of the House, we follow science, we follow medical experts and we follow the best, evidence-based practices in order to save lives. The war on drugs did not work then; it will not work now. We need compassion, evidence and science to guide us through this.

Pharmacare

[Viviane LaPointe, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives voted against the pharmacare act, which outlines our government's plan to provide free medication to Canadians.

This bill is an important step in ensuring that every Canadian has access to the reproductive options they deserve and that no Canadian will ever have to ration their insulin again. Can the Minister of Health describe the positive impact this legislation will have on Canadians?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her important work on this issue.

We share the goal of ensuring that everyone across the country can access the medication they need. This is essential. I have a very simple question for the vast majority of Conservative Party members who oppose abortion. Why do they also oppose access to contraceptives? The only answer is that these members oppose women's rights in general.

Public Services and Procurement

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week, we learned that three contractors involved in the Prime Minister's $60-million arrive scam alone were awarded $1 billion. After nine years, we know that the Prime Minister is not worth that cost.

Let us also talk about the corruption. One of those contractors, who received $20 million in IT contracts but did no IT work, had their doors kicked in by the RCMP. We also learned they were wining and dining senior officials from the Liberal government.

We know that it cost $60 million. How many boozy dinners were involved in this $60-million scandal?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend knows very well that there are internal investigations taking place with respect to this matter. A number of people were properly called before parliamentary committees, and they came to testify. Of course, he also knows that the RCMP is looking into this matter. He made reference to that in an overly dramatic moment as well.

The member should have the decency to let the police do its work. We have said from the beginning that anybody who misused taxpayers money will be held to account. I have confidence that the RCMP will do its work.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, the ad hoc committee concluded that the Prime Minister went to unprecedented lengths to hide the Winnipeg lab documents from Parliament to protect the government from political embarrassment, in other words, a cover-up.

The cover-up continues. Last week, Liberal and NDP MPs voted to shut down a parliamentary committee to get to the bottom of the cover-up. It is a cover-up of a cover-up by the cover-up coalition.

I have a simple question. What are they hiding?

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, of course, the hon. member across would be aware that his party was against any of the mechanisms that actually brought these documents to light. It was this government, and in fact, I was the House leader at the time, that made sure that we had an ad hoc process to make sure that there was a way to properly vet secure documents. That is why these documents in full, unredacted are available for everybody to see.

The Conservatives refuse to participate in that and they continue to search for some way to pretend those documents are not available. However, to any Canadian, not just any parliamentarian who wants to see those documents, they are available in their entirety.

Official Languages

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are defending the indefensible. The member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell used foul and aggressive language towards Quebec witnesses defending the French language before the Standing Committee on Official Languages on May 6. This MP must be sanctioned, as he has damaged the reputation of the committee and all its members. The Liberals always protect their own, however. They will go to any lengths.

Can the Prime Minister show respect for francophones by immediately removing the MP from the Standing Committee on Official Languages and replacing him as president of the international Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell has spent far more time in this Parliament defending the French fact in Canada than any member of the Conservative Party has. We will continue to defend the French language throughout Canada, including Quebec. The member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell will do everything in his power to be with us in defending French across Canada.

Women and Gender Equality

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are worried that the right to choose, along with sexual and reproductive health care, is no longer guaranteed. Our government has made critical investments in protecting and strengthening sexual and reproductive rights in Canada.

Could the Minister of Women, Gender Equality and Youth update the House on the work our government is doing to support sexual and reproductive health care across the country?

[Marci Ien, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, strengthening sexual and reproductive health care is essential to ensure women can make their own decisions when it comes to their health. It is why we are making contraceptives free to nine million women across Canada. It is why the menstrual equity fund was created, which has lifted nearly three million people out of period poverty. It is why we invested $45 million into the sexual and reproductive health fund to organizations providing essential services. Investments like these are a true step forward to lasting gender equality.

Indigenous Affairs

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Mr. Speaker, trinkets and beads is what Obsidian Energy, an American company, has been willing to offer the Woodland Cree First Nation. Its drillings have caused earthquakes and polluted the land. Worse yet, now that Treaty 8 first nations are exercising their treaty rights, the company has called on the RCMP to imprison Woodland Cree leaders. It is a shameful display of colonial tactics that have plagued indigenous communities for generations.

Will the Liberals uphold the treaty and support the Woodland Cree against this greedy company?

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

Mr. Speaker, self-determination over indigenous land is so critical to our path toward reconciliation. We will be working with the Woodland Cree as well as my colleague opposite toward a resolution to this very important issue.

Telecommunications

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Mr. Speaker, major wildfires hit early this year here in northern Manitoba because of drought, because of climate change. Thankfully evacuees in Cranberry Portage and elsewhere are back home.

However, in addition to thousands of hectares, the fire destroyed fibre optic and telecom lines and left major centres like Flin Flon stranded without vital Internet and cell service for days. Bell MTS has reconnected its customers, but the truth is that there needs to be backups in place. Let us be clear: We need plans that apply to the catastrophic effects of climate change.

Will the government step up, use its jurisdiction over telecom companies and ensure critical infrastructure plans are in place for communities during climate emergencies like these?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for raising those concerns directly with me, and we responded. Other ministers in other departments responded very quickly. I also spoke with my counterpart within the province to look at the issues. We are speaking with the telecommunication companies to look at how we can look at a longer-term solution and also emergency solutions, and making sure that communication stays.

Hon. John Fraser

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Colleagues, there have been discussions among representatives of all parties in the House and I understand we will now proceed to tributes with respect to the passing of the Hon. John Allen Fraser, former Speaker of the House.

I would like to first recognize the hon. government House leader.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who truly was a distinguished and honourable member of the House. I speak of John Allen Fraser, whose role as Speaker of the House of Commons will always be remembered with affection and respect.

He passed away last month in Vancouver at the age of 92. His legacies were many: 21 years as a member of Parliament, membership in the federal cabinet in multiple postings and seven years as Speaker of the House of Commons. Perhaps the most memorable for those of us in Parliament, in this chamber, is that he was the first Speaker to be elected directly in a secret ballot by members of the House. Why did this happen? It was that John Fraser was a decent and a courteous man who treated people with respect, no matter where they came from or what their political colours were. He was the best of us.

John Fraser was born in 1931 in Yokohama, Japan. Three years later, his family returned to Canada, eventually settling in Vancouver. As a teenager, he worked in a lumber mill in the interior of British Columbia. It was there where he gained a lifelong appreciation for nature and where he developed his work ethic that carried him through law school at the University of British Columbia, through the Canadian Army Reserve training and, of course, through an extensive career in public service.

He was first elected to the House in 1972 as a Progressive Conservative in the riding of Vancouver South. He was re-elected in five further elections. During those two decades, he served his constituents and his country well from all sides: the opposition, the government and the Speaker's chair. In government, he served as environment minister, postmaster general, and minister of fisheries and oceans. It was in the fall of 1986 that history was truly made. Reform was brought to the House. No longer would the Speaker be nominated by the prime minister of the day, to be merely confirmed by the House.

At 3 p.m. on September 30, the House was convened so that members could directly elect their new Speaker. Eleven rounds of voting were needed, and the results were not announced until 1:48 a.m. John Allen Fraser was elected by his peers to the position of 32nd Speaker of the House. He would hold this office with distinction until his retirement from political life in 1993, and yet, he had not finished serving his country.

His love of nature was genuine and profound. In January 1994, he was appointed Canada's ambassador to the United Nations for the environment, a position he held until December 1997. He was a man who loved his family and his country deeply.

We were lucky to call him our Speaker. We were fortunate to have him in the House, and we shall always be thankful for his and his family's service to Canada.

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour and a privilege to rise and pay tribute to a proud British Columbian, a great Canadian and my friend. The Honourable John Allen Fraser passed away last month on April 7 at the age of 92. He was born in Yokohama, Japan, and his family returned to Canada in 1934, settling in Vancouver when he was a small child. As a young man, he worked in a lumber mill in the B.C. interior, sparking a lifelong appreciation for nature and the outdoors. He also developed a strong work ethic that would benefit his distinguished career in public service.

John completed Canadian Army Reserve training and attended law school at UBC. In 1972, he was elected to Parliament as the Conservative voice of Vancouver South, a role he would retain for 21 years. He served in the cabinets of the Right Honourable Joe Clark and the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney as Minister of the Environment, as postmaster general and as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. From 1986 to 1994, he served as our 32nd Speaker of the House, with the distinction of being the first Speaker elected by secret ballot. I believe the Speaker was a page at that time.

On a personal note, I was honoured to speak at Speaker Fraser's piping out ceremony from the Seaforth Highlanders during my tenure as associate minister of national defence. I and many others sought his counsel on many occasions and always appreciated his kindness, his sense of humour and his wisdom. I can say with confidence that he was held in the highest regard by all who knew him.

Through a mutual love of skiing, John met Cate Findlay in Whistler, beginning a love story that lasted 59 years. I will note again that Cate is not a family member of mine, but is part of the right clan, and John too was always proud of his Scottish heritage. He loved to wear a kilt. He was also very appreciative of his campaign volunteers and organisers, giving gifts of thanks that included the words “country, family, party”.

On behalf of a grateful nation, I once again thank Speaker Fraser for his service and for his contributions to our province and to our country. A celebration of life will be held in Vancouver next Friday, May 31. My thoughts continue to be with his many friends; his three wonderful daughters, Sheena, Anna and Mary; and their children, as they and many friends mourn his loss. He will be greatly missed.