Debates of Oct. 31st, 2025

Forestry Industry

[Scott Anderson, Conservative, Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC]

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister promised he would negotiate a win with the United States. He has broken that promise on softwood lumber. When the Prime Minister took office, softwood lumber tariffs were at 14%. Now they are at 45%. This year in north Okanagan, hard-working people are being sent home from mills because of the government's failure to secure a softwood lumber agreement.

When will the government stop driving resource jobs out of Canada, stop taxing families into poverty and start trusting Canadians to stand on their own two feet again?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and to the Secretary of State (International Development)]

Madam Speaker, of course we are continuously working and making sure we find new opportunities for our lumber producers. I know that ministers and many members of Parliament are going to British Columbia to meet many of those forest lumber producers to ensure that we are creating new opportunities, and that is why we are so focused on ensuring that we double our non-U.S. exports in the next decade. That means building new alliances and new friendships around the world.

That is why the Prime Minister is in Asia meeting with leaders to create those opportunities. We will continue to do that hard work so that our lumber producers remain the best—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Hamilton Mountain.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Lisa Hepfner, Liberal, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

Madam Speaker, Bill C-3 sets out a balanced, straightforward framework for citizenship. Canadian parents born abroad would be able to pass on their citizenship if they can prove a substantial connection to Canada before the birth or adoption of their child. This is fair.

Would the parliamentary secretary for immigration please share with the House what would be at stake if we were not to act today to advance Bill C-3?

[Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Madam Speaker, from the moment she was elected, that member has committed herself to matters of fundamental justice, and that is exactly what is at stake with Bill C-3.

In December 2023, as colleagues will know, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled that there is an inconsistency in Canadian citizenship law, so Bill C-3 would rectify that inconsistency. Whereas Canadians who were born here or naturalized here can of course pass down their citizenship to their children, that same right is not available to Canadians who were born abroad with children who were also born abroad.

I urge colleagues to get behind Bill C-3. I thank the NDP for its support. This is the measure that would improve Canadian citizenship law in conforming with the Charter.

Correctional Service of Canada

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac, ON]

Madam Speaker, if we were to learn China uses convict labour, drawn disproportionately from indigenous minorities, to produce products to be sold commercially by the prison system, we would condemn this, and we would ban that product.

What are we supposed to think of a report from the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network that milk produced at the Joyceville prison farm by inmates paid less than a dollar an hour is being sold by CORCAN for profit? Canada's correctional investigator says that, in his view, this represents “a human rights violation.”

I agree with him, and I wonder why the government is doing this.

[Jacques Ramsay, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Madam Speaker, the programs offered within our correctional services allow prisoners to learn new skills and ensure that, when they get out of prison, they will be able to find a job and not find themselves back in prison. These programs are very popular among inmates and well liked by the general public.

Gender-Based Violence

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Madam Speaker, it is alarming to hear the Prime Minister talk about sacrifice in the budget when, year after year, his government has sacrificed the safety of indigenous women and girls, ignoring the crisis of our murdered and disappeared loved ones. Now the Liberals push resource projects despite clear evidence that boom-town man camps fuel gender-based violence.

Will the government finally put indigenous women’s safety before corporate profit, or will we be left out of the budget yet again?

[Ginette Lavack, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services]

Madam Speaker, we know that indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people continue to face violence at rates that are deeply disproportionate. This reality is rooted in generations of colonial policies, systemic discrimination and underinvestment in indigenous communities. The calls for justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls remind us that responding to this crisis is not optional; it is a human rights obligation. Our government takes this seriously and remains firmly—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

I have to go to the next question.

The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.

Pensions

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

Madam Speaker, I wonder if Canadians realize how much many of us as MPs want to be team Canada. We want to be united. We know we need to put Canada first, but the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act requires that we ignore whether Canada is put first when it decides where billions of dollars of our pensions are invested.

Will the government update the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act to make sure Canada comes first?

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

Madam Speaker, Canada's pension plans, the Maple Eight and others, lead the world not only in securing returns and a prosperous future for our retirees and our pensioners but also in ethical and above-board investments all over the world, including in Canada. The CPPIB and other pension funds in this country will continue, I am sure, to take investing in Canada very, very seriously.

Statements by Members

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence]

Madam Speaker, I seek the unanimous consent of the House to repeat my S. O. 31 if possible. I was right behind the member who doing the really big cheer for the Blue Jays, and unfortunately the noise was too much.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

Does the hon. member have unanimous consent?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Madam Speaker, today, I want to pay tribute to a remarkable leader, Jean Melançon, outgoing director of the Service de sécurité incendie de l'agglomération de Longueuil, or SSIAL.

After 37 years of service with the Longueuil fire department, the SSIAL, including 12 years as fire chief, Jean is getting ready to share his vast experience and expertise with another fire department.

A man of courage and humanity, Jean not only dedicated decades to protecting the citizens and property of our region, but also inspired generations of firefighters with his commitment to excellence.

In his roles as both firefighter and director, Jean helped create a safer and stronger community. His passion for safety and his sense of duty will always be remembered. His legacy will live on for years to come.

I thank him for all he has done, and I wish him all the best in his future challenges.

Government Response to Petitions

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

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.

Interparliamentary Delegations

[Zoe Royer, Liberal, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-China Legislative Association concerning the co-chairs' annual visit to China, which included Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, from March 17 to 21, 2025.

Criminal Code

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-254, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (promotion of hatred against Indigenous peoples).

Madam Speaker, today I am deeply honoured to table my private member's bill, an act to amend the Criminal Code with respect to promotion of hatred against indigenous peoples, to end residential school denialism.

I would like to thank the hon. member for Vancouver East for seconding my bill, a bill that I dedicate to all residential school survivors and our families. Survivors carry truths that this country needed to hear: truths of violence, loss and resilience. They shared their stories not to reopen wounds but to help this country heal.

As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reminded us, without truth there can be no reconciliation, yet today, denialism is spreading: twisting facts, denying genocide and reigniting harm. It is not only hurtful; it is dangerous. It endangers survivors, our families and our nations, who continue the work of truth-telling.

We owe survivors more than words; we owe them action, and the bill is about protecting their safety, honouring their truths and ensuring that the hard-won truth of what happened in residential schools is never erased or denied again.

I call on all members of Parliament to stand with survivors to protect truth, uphold dignity and walk the path of real reconciliation together.

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

The Environment

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

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually today to present a petition of deep concern to constituents who are looking at the health of Canada's watersheds, waterways and wetlands. They are asking that the House examine our antiquated laws relating to protecting our waters and watersheds to ensure that they meet the challenges of the 21st century. They ask that the government review, update, revise and enhance protection for Canada's waterways to protect the health of Canadians.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Jeff Kibble, Conservative, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Speaker, I rise to table a petition on behalf of the BC Recreational Fishing Association urging the Minister of Fisheries to reconsider new proposals for chinook salmon harvest closures across most of the south coast of British Columbia. These restrictions would have a significant and devastating impact on the recreational fishing industry and the coastal economy of British Columbia, effectively ending the industry, which is a way of life in countless coastal communities.

The petitioners indicated that over 9,000 direct jobs, $600 million toward GDP and over $400 million in direct household income to British Columbia are at risk. The petitioners state that it is time to confront the critical contradiction in the government's policy that imposes harsh restrictions on the recreational fishing industry, despite healthy chinook salmon stocks. According to DFO's 2025 salmon outlook, hatchery chinook stocks on the south coast of British Columbia are forecast to be abundant or near abundant.

The petitioners state that the goal of the closure is to protect southern resident killer whales, but the problem is not a lack of salmon; it is a flood management model that refuses to account for the entire ecosystem.

Recreational fishing has an almost unmeasurable impact on salmon stocks. Federal funding to coastal hatcheries, which is already inadequate, is being cut, and federal funding to fight zebra mussels, an invasive salmon-killing species, has ended. The petitioners indicate the massive impact of invasive predation on salmon stocks is also being ignored.

The petitioners are requesting that the Minister of Fisheries must urgently bring together all relevant stakeholders, including the recreational industry, to complete meaningful consultations and establish effective science-driven actions. They are asking for a plan that supports the recovery of southern resident killer whales while also sustaining a multi-million dollar recreational fishing industry that our coastal communities depend on.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

I remind hon. members to give succinct introductions to petitions and to not read the entire petition.

The hon. member for Regina—Wascana.

Pakistan

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to present a petition today on behalf of many Pakistani Canadians who are concerned about the arbitrary detention of former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan and the fate of his supporters.

Signers of the petition believe that free and fair elections in Pakistan remain a distant hope after widespread reports of the massive rigging of last year's general election in that country. They are also concerned about the lack of independence of the Supreme Court of Pakistan following a recent constitutional amendment supported by that country's military.

Therefore, this petition is asking the Government of Canada to call on Pakistan for the immediate release of Imran Khan from prison, for there to be free and fair elections in Pakistan under international supervision, and for the restoration of democracy in that country.

Parks Canada

[Chris d'Entremont, Conservative, Acadie—Annapolis, NS]

Madam Speaker, I present a petition today signed by 518 people about Kejimkujik National Park. Apparently, beginning this year, firewood will no longer be provided for backcountry campsites in Kejimkujik National Park.

As we all know, campfires are an essential part of the camping experience, and many back country campers, including kayakers, hikers and canoeists, will face significant logistical challenges in expecting them to bring sufficient firewood for a multi-day trip. What will happen is that many campers will resort to foraging wood from the forest and cause unnecessary harm to the local ecosystem.

The signatories are asking Parks Canada to reconsider the decision to not provide firewood to the back country of Kejimkujik National Park.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès), Alexandra Mendes]

I would like to wish the hon. member a happy birthday on behalf of his colleagues.