House of Commons Hansard #9 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was chair.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Business of the House Steven MacKinnon moves motion agreed to by Members to change House Standing Orders for the 45th Parliament regarding committee composition, appointment, and procedures for suspending sittings during late-night votes. 400 words.
Strong Borders Act Second reading of Bill C-2. The bill aims to strengthen border security, combat organized crime, fentanyl trafficking, money laundering, and enhance immigration system integrity. Proponents say it provides crucial new tools for law enforcement. Critics raise concerns about its omnibus nature, lack of provisions on bail and sentencing, insufficient resources, and privacy implications of new powers, including lawful access and mail inspection, arguing it requires thorough, detailed work in committee. 44700 words, 6 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Main Estimates, 2025-26 Members debate Public Safety and Transport estimates. Discussions include concerns about correctional service decisions, bail reform, gun control (including the buyback program), and border security (Bill C-2, CBSA/RCMP hiring). They also discuss efforts to strengthen the economy and create a single Canadian market by reducing internal trade barriers, investments in national transport infrastructure like ports and rail, and issues with air passenger rights. 31800 words, 4 hours.
Privacy CommissionerRoutine Proceedings
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
It is my duty to lay upon the table, pursuant to subsection 40(1) of the Privacy Act and subsection 25(1) of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, the Privacy Commissioner's report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(h), this report is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics.
Lena Metlege Diab LiberalMinister of Immigration
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025).
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Steven MacKinnon LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
moved:
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:
(a) for the duration of the 45th Parliament,
(i) Standing Order 104(2) be amended by adding, after the words “10 members,” the following: “which shall be composed of five members from the Liberal Party, four members from the Conservative Party and one member from the Bloc Québécois, except for the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, which shall consist of nine members and be composed of four members from the Liberal Party, four members from the Conservative Party and one member from the Bloc Québécois,
(ii) Standing Orders 104(5), 104(6)(b), 114(2)(e) and 114(2)(f) be suspended,
(iii) the Clerk of the House be authorized to make any required editorial and consequential alterations to the Standing Orders, including to the marginal notes;
(b) the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs be appointed by the whip of each recognized party depositing with the Clerk of the House a list of their party’s members of the said committee no later than 12 p.m. on Friday, June 6, 2025, to prepare and report lists of members to compose the standing and standing joint committees of the House, provided that,
(i) the Clerk of the House shall convene a meeting of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs no later than Tuesday, June 10, 2025,
(ii) immediately upon the presentation of the report referred to in paragraph (b), it shall be deemed concurred in; and
(c) on any day, at midnight or thereafter, if the House has not completed a series of recorded divisions related to the business of supply or on any bill, a minister of the Crown may move, at any time, the suspension of the sitting of the House, which shall be deemed adopted, and the sitting of the House shall be suspended until 9:00 a.m., later that calendar day.
Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay.
There being no dissenting voice, it is agreed.
The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.
The motion is carried.
(Motion agreed to)
Eric Melillo Conservative Kenora—Kiiwetinoong, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent Kenora—Kiiwetinoong here in the 45th Parliament. I would like to table a petition related to medical assistance in dying.
Petitioners are calling on the government to protect all Canadians whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable, by prohibiting medical assistance in dying for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.
Marilyn Gladu Conservative Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition to the House regarding medical assistance in dying. It expresses concern about people who are vulnerable, those who have a disability, do not foresee imminent death, or have mental health issues, etc.
The petitioners are looking for the Government of Canada to protect Canadians whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable, by prohibiting medical assistance in dying for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to present petitions in the House today.
The first petition comes from the last Parliament, but I think it is one that is still very much relevant. The petitioners point out that Canada made us all a promise, a promise that anyone from anywhere could do anything. They say that, after nine years, the promise of Canada has been broken, that we have seen a lot of promises broken. They say the promise to balance the budget was broken. The promise to reduce taxes on the middle class was broken. The promise to build more affordable housing was also broken.
Petitioners say that many hard-working Canadians who are 35 years old are living in their parents' basement. This never happened before the government came along with policies that have doubled housing costs. There are 1,800 homeless people in encampments across Ontario; this has never happened before. This is the type of thing we would see in third world countries. People are dying in these encampments. Gun violence is up 120%, yet we have a government that goes after hunters while letting criminals and gun smugglers go free.
The petitioners want to see a reduction in taxes so servers, truck drivers and plumbers can work more, earn more and earn powerful paycheques. For this to happen, people need a roof over their head. They say that Canada has fewer homes per capita than any other G7 country. There is too much red tape. We need to incentivize municipalities to speed up—
Government PrioritiesPetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON
Mr. Speaker, the member is a very experienced member in presenting petitions, Mr. Speaker, and knows the rules. He knows that we should not be reading the entire petition but giving a quick summary of it. He is now on point four with respect to reading it. Hopefully you can encourage him to expedite the presentation.
Government PrioritiesPetitionsRoutine Proceedings
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
Yes, we have a lot of work today, so we should be as speedy as possible.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, I must confess that it has been a difficult six months for me not being in this place. I missed everyone, but especially the member for Kingston and the Islands.
Government PrioritiesPetitionsRoutine Proceedings
An hon. member
The end of April was particularly difficult.
Government PrioritiesPetitionsRoutine Proceedings
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
Order, please. The member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan has the floor.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, it was not difficult for me. I got two-thirds of the votes of my constituents, so I have a strong mandate to share—
Government PrioritiesPetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the petitioners have observed, and I share their views without comment, that Canada has fewer homes per capita than any other G7 country, and that there is too much red tape. Just to generally summarize, they are suggesting that we incentivize municipalities to allow the construction of more homes. They also express concern about the need to cap population growth and about the out-of-control immigration system.
Further, the petitioners say that we need to fix the budget with a law that would require government to find one dollar of savings for every new dollar of spending. They say we must stop crime, not by banning hunting rifles but by being tough on criminals and strengthening the border.
The petitioners want the House to build more homes, fix the budget, stop the crime, reduce taxes—
Government PrioritiesPetitionsRoutine Proceedings
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition is with respect to the human rights situation in Eritrea. The petitioners note that Eritrea has been ruled by an authoritarian, brutal dictator, under a totalitarian system for the last 30 years, with no constitution, no elections, no parliament, no freedom of press or freedom of movement and association.
There are many different points made in the petition about the human rights situation in Eritrea; there are also concerns raised about foreign interference and the collaboration of the Eritrean government with the Putin regime.
The petitioners therefore call on the Government of Canada to engage Eritrean political and human rights activists and pro-democracy groups, to take a leading role among western allies to challenge the Eritrean dictator's malicious conspiracy with Vladimir Putin, to investigate foreign interference here in Canada, to strengthen sanctions against human rights abusers and to advocate for the release of all imprisoned journalists and imprisoned Eritrean parliamentarians.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling deals with a bill that was previously named Bill S-210 and has been reintroduced in this Parliament as Bill S-209.
The petitioners are calling for meaningful age verification for those accessing sexual material online. They note that the consumption of sexually explicit materials by young persons is associated with a range of serious harms, including the development of pornography addiction, the reinforcement of gender stereotypes, the development of attitudes favourable to harassment and violence, etc.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
The government House leader does not want to hear this, but it is an important petition. I hope he will take note of it and support this important bill.
The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to adopt Bill S-210, which is now Bill S-209, the protecting young persons from exposure to pornography act.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling deals with euthanasia, or medical assistance in dying.
The petitioners are concerned that allowing medical assistance in dying for those with disabilities or chronic illness who are not dying devalues their lives and tacitly endorses the notion that life with disability is optional and, by extension, dispensable. They note in this petition that many disability advocates in Canada have expressed opposition to allowing MAID for people with disabilities.
The petitioners' ask to the House today is to protect all Canadians whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable by prohibiting medical assistance in dying for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling deals with the human rights situation in Venezuela, a situation that many members of Parliament have spoken about over the years.
The petitioners say that the current government is aware of crimes against humanity by the Venezuelan government and has created a family-based humanitarian program for Colombians, Haitians and Venezuelans suffering under current country conditions. The petitioners note that Canada was one of six countries that submitted Venezuela to the ICC, denouncing crimes against humanity as defined by the Rome Statute.
The petitioners note that several international organizations, including a Canadian NGO, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, led by former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler, have recognized the unjust incarcerations, torture, forced disappearances and political persecution—
VenezuelaPetitionsRoutine Proceedings
The Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia
I would remind members that while petitions are important, it might be useful to summarize the main points.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, I am doing my best to summarize. People have put a lot of work into a fairly lengthy petition on a very serious international human rights issue, and they were waiting throughout the government's—