That is debate. We will come back to this if there are grounds for doing so.
House of Commons Hansard #154 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was space.
House of Commons Hansard #154 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was space.
This summary is computer-generated. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Canadian Space Launch Act Second reading of Bill C-28. The bill establishes a framework for space launches and re-entry in Canada, aiming to support domestic launch capacity, sovereignty, safety and investment. Liberals argue it is needed for Canada to compete and secure access to satellite data; Conservatives support the goal but question ministerial discretion, national security safeguards and the transparency and value of a proposed $200-million Nova Scotia site agreement. 8600 words, 1 hour.
Weights and Measures Act Second reading of Bill S-3. The bill modernizes Canada’s weights-and-measures and electricity and gas inspection laws to accommodate digital tools, new technologies and more flexible, risk-based oversight. Supporters say it can improve efficiency, innovation and consumer protection while easing burdens on some businesses. MPs call for committee scrutiny of expanded ministerial and inspector powers, safeguards, costs and effects on provincial jurisdiction. 9300 words, 1 hour.
National Strategy on Flood and Drought Forecasting Act Third reading of Bill C-241. The bill proposes a national strategy to assess and improve coordination, technology and modelling for flood and drought forecasting. Supporters say it can help communities prepare; critics argue existing agencies can do the work if properly funded and warn against adding bureaucracy or encroaching on provincial responsibilities. 4400 words, 25 minutes.
Democratic InstitutionsOral Questions
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
That is debate. We will come back to this if there are grounds for doing so.
Public Works and ProcurementRoutine Proceedings
October 23rd, 2026 / 12:05 p.m.
Louis-Hébert Québec
Liberal
Joël Lightbound LiberalMinister of Government Transformation
Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) and in accordance with the policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the French Republic on the Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information”, done at Ottawa on June 10, 2026, and the treaty entitled “Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany on the Mutual Protection and Exchange of Classified and Protected Information”, done at Ottawa on September 25, 2026.
Rob Oliphant LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the following reports. The first is the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, respecting its participation in the parliamentary forum of the UN high-level political forum on sustainable development, New York, New York, United States of America, on July 22, 2025. The second is the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, respecting its participation in the parliamentary forum of the UN high-level political forum on sustainable development in New York, New York, United States of America, July 14, 2026. The third is the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, respecting its participation in the 152nd IPU Assembly and related meetings in Istanbul, Turkey, from April 15 to 19, 2026.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Madam Speaker, I am very honoured to present a petition from my constituents that focuses on the fact that marine protected areas, and particularly protected areas, for migratory birds are quite critical, and that while the critical wildlife habitat for migration stopovers and overwintering and other critical lifetime essential habitats for migratory birds exist along the areas within and along the Salish Sea, they are not connected. We have a major flyway for migratory birds that operates from Alaska all the way down to Patagonia, and these critically endangered species need more protection.
We have a number of migratory bird sanctuaries, as the petitioners point out, in Victoria harbour, in Shoal harbour and in the Esquimalt lagoon, but there is a significant gap. The petitioners are requesting that the government act with urgency to look at the possibility of creating a new Salish Sea migratory bird sanctuary to connect these areas and protect millions of migratory birds, as well as other key wildlife that use this habitat.
Michael Kram Conservative Regina—Wascana, SK
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to present a petition today on behalf of residents of Regina and southern Saskatchewan who are concerned about rising incidents of home invasions and the risks they pose to the residents of those properties. They also point to incidents of homeowners being criminally charged after defending themselves and their families from criminals who had broken into their homes.
Signers of the petition are calling on Parliament to enact stand-on-guard legislation to guarantee Canadians the right to defend themselves, their families and their property in their own homes. They argue that such a law would make robbers, burglars and home invaders think twice before committing their crimes.
Brad Vis Conservative Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC
Madam Speaker, today I rise on behalf of residents of Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford who are concerned about Canada's ongoing export of live horses for slaughter. The petitioners note that the health of animals regulations continue to permit the practice, leaving the horses vulnerable to unnecessary suffering and subjected to long journeys in conditions that raise serious animal welfare concerns.
Therefore, the petitioners call on the Government of Canada to amend these regulations to ban the live export of horses for slaughter, bringing federal policy in line with the values and expectations of Canadians regarding animal welfare.
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Madam Speaker, I have two petitions to table today.
The first petition I wish to table is petition e-7649, which has been signed by thousands of people across Canada who are deeply concerned by the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Cuba as a direct result of the United States' unilateral blockade, which is condemned by legal experts as a form of collective punishment.
The petition calls on the government to reaffirm Canada's historical opposition to the American embargo at the United Nations and support the annual resolution to end the embargo. Further, it calls on the government to deepen and defend economic and cultural exchanges between Canada and Cuba and to enforce the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act to protect Canadian corporations that do business in Cuba against American sanctions.
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Madam Speaker, lastly, I wish to table petition e-7522.
The petitioners speak specifically to the memorandum of understanding that was signed between the federal government and Premier Danielle Smith, which they feel delivers a wish list to the oil and gas lobby. The petitioners are concerned that the MOU was signed in violation of the government's duty to obtain free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples, the Constitution Act, 1982, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Moreover, the signatories are concerned about the fast-tracking of another environmentally destructive oil pipeline that threatens the health and well-being of folks across Canada, speaking to the increasing climate emergencies that are occurring and climate-related hospitalizations.
The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to stop fast-tracking environmentally catastrophic fossil fuel projects, protect the health and well-being of all those impacted by climate change and invest in a worker-, community- and indigenous-led green energy transition that benefits everyone in Canada.
Alex Ruff Conservative Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON
Madam Speaker, I am presenting a petition this afternoon from some of my constituents with respect to Canada Post and the decision by the Liberal government to axe long-treasured postal services, eliminating jobs, eliminating door-to-door delivery and lowering mail delivery.
The petitioners are calling upon the government to make the details public, because none of them are public. In particular, they highlight in their petition that the cuts are going to hurt seniors and disabled Canadians in particular, who represent 40% of the population, as well as rural, remote and indigenous communities. Four million households will also lose door-to-door delivery over the next three to five years.
The petitioners are calling upon the Liberal government to stop the postal service cuts and to immediately launch a fully transparent public mandate review of Canada Post that allows all stakeholders to provide meaningful input.
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Madam Speaker, I rise to table three petitions.
The first petition is signed by 20,884 citizens and residents of Canada who raise numerous concerns about Bill C-22 and its broad requirement for providers to collect and retain metadata on all Canadians, even those not under suspicion or investigation, for up to a year, data that can reveal incredibly sensitive personal information.
The petitioners note that suspicionless, indiscriminate bulk metadata retention and interception capabilities raise serious concerns under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They note that the bill would grant the public safety minister broad authority to compel loosely defined electronic service providers to put in place interception or detection measures that could weaken encryption, which would create many cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
The petitioners call on the government to withdraw Bill C-22, an act respecting lawful access; remove all suspicionless bulk metadata retention requirements from any future lawful access legislation; and explicitly prohibit any future lawful access legislation from requiring the weakening or breaking of encryption.
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Madam Speaker, the second petition was signed on paper by Vancouver East residents, and over 1,000 people so far have signed the online petition e-7709. They share their urgent concerns about the dredging of the Burrard Inlet by the Port of Vancouver, which began in September.
The petitioners note that the Burrard Inlet is an ecologically crucial and sensitive coastal ecosystem, and they raise concerns that the dredging work will undo all the important restoration work that the Tsleil-Waututh Nation has been doing in the inlet, such as restoring salmon habitats and cleaning the waters enough to enable calm harvesting again and revive shore health.
In light of Canada's commitment to upholding the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and responsibilities for habitat protection, the petitioners call on the government to urgently halt federal approvals, permits or authorizations for any dredging activities in the Burrard Inlet that pose significant environmental, cultural and cumulative risks; support the Tsleil-Waututh Nation's knowledge and responsibility to steward the inlet; and work collaboratively with the nation and other affected indigenous nations to prioritize habitat restoration, marine protection and long-term ecological health in the Burrard Inlet.
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Madam Speaker, the last petition I am pleased to table was signed by Vancouver East constituents taking part in and supporting the peace train. They say that peace is central to personal, national and environmental well-being, and note that peace is the only condition that allows non-violent coexistence for this and future generations.
The petitioners say a national peace centre would help balance the two requirements for durable security in Canada: a sound defence and a sophisticated peacemaking, peacebuilding and peacekeeping capacity. They lay out many reasons that a national peace centre would help Canada uphold its commitments to the basics of justice, equality, freedom and well-being for all.
They call on Parliament to establish and fund an independent, integrated Canadian centre for peace and justice as a fundamental part of Canada's increased commitment to defence and security.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
The House resumed from April 29 consideration of the motion that Bill S-3, An Act to amend the Weights and Measures Act, the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act, the Weights and Measures Regulations and the Electricity and Gas Inspection Regulations, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
Marilyn Gladu Liberal Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is wonderful to see you in the Speaker's chair. It is a pleasure to rise today and speak to Bill S-3, an act to amend the Weights and Measures Act, the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act, the Weights and Measures Regulations and the Electricity and Gas Inspection Regulations.
Now, those here in the House today may not think this is the most exciting topic, but I could probably speak on this topic all day long. This topic affects every sector in Canada and is incredibly important. The laws governing how measured goods are bought and sold were enacted in 1970 and 1980 and have not been updated since. They do not reflect the current market environments in the digital business age. Moreover, the acts are not all aligned, so there are discrepancies and inconsistencies in their operational and enforcement-related provisions.
The proposed legislation would create a framework that is flexible, agile and more outcome-based. It would help reduce barriers to business, remove impediments to innovation, protect consumers and allow the government to deliver services effectively.
In terms of the sectors that are impacted by this legislation, there are many, including forest products businesses, oil and gas, and natural resources. I will try to provide some examples as I go along. We can think about how this affects people in their everyday life. When someone fill their tank with gas, there is a measurement there of how many litres they get. Those measurements are controlled. The meters are calibrated and verified. There are a lot of standards that have to be complied with to make sure people get the right amount that they pay for.
I have a lot of experience in this area over the years. I was a chemical engineer for 32 years, as many know, in different industries. Trucks that are taking products and services across the country have to go on weigh scales. I have actually constructed and implemented weigh scales, so I can tell members that there is a lot of technology that goes into that. It is incredibly important in commerce to have exactly the right knowledge of how much weight is in that truck or that rail car. These are practical examples of where these kinds of things are important.
I was also director of engineering at a Suncor refinery. As with many refineries, there are pipelines taking raw materials backwards and forwards. They are shipping products out. There are a lot of meters there to look at what volume has actually gone, so they know how much money has to change hands between those selling and those buying. All of these things are legislated. Measurement Canada has a whole army of people who are then responsible for making sure things are calibrated, inspected and audited. If things are failing, there is some kind of investigation. There is a whole process behind all of this.
As members can appreciate, with the electricity standards we are talking about today and the government's new electricity strategy, there are going to be huge changes in the amount of electricity we are going to build. Members have heard about the Churchill project. Let us think about the number of devices that will need to be calibrated and audited, etc. It is a huge thing. We are doing all these nation-building projects, and every one of those is going to have things that fall under this act, which has not really been updated since the 1980s. Technology has moved on.
At the same time, we are going to want to do business with more and more other countries as we diversify our trade. Every country has developed its own methods for sampling and its own methods and laws to talk about how it measures things. How we do things is not necessarily going to be harmonized with how they do things. Today, there is no flexibility in complying with what is here.
One thing in the legislation that I think is really important is the ability for the minister to give somebody temporary permission or a temporary exemption, if needed, or to allow a different technology. All of these things are going to be very important as we see technology increasing over time. At the same time, there are going to be improvements in productivity and differences in the way countries do business.
To start off talking about some of these things, I think members should know a bit about what Measurement Canada does. Every year, it approves about 300 new prototype measuring devices and technologies. It also certifies about 1,529 standards of mass, volume, temperature, electricity and gas, as well as test equipment to certify measuring devices. It accredits, audits and oversees 230 authorized service providers and 700 registered technicians to inspect and certify about 95% of the measuring devices used in trade. In addition, it conducts about 10,000 inspections of measuring devices. It is also involved in auditing and investigating when there are failures and, when people do not comply with legislation, enforcing those rules with consequences. It is responsible for a lot of things.
The innovations that are currently being limited are many. I will give one example from my riding. I have a dairy farm in my riding, Forbesvue Farms, that is very well known. The owner owns Blue Water Milk Transport, which transports 19% of the milk used in Ontario. It is a substantial operation, but right now, under the requirements that exist today, it is only allowed to use these two-inch lines and a really manual sampling method that takes a long time. There is a development using a three-inch hose and meters to sample the milk, and it would like to implement that. It would save a huge amount of time and a huge amount of money. We all know we want to bring the cost of everything down, so it would be a great thing to do. Today, with the lack of flexibility in the regulations and the law, it cannot be done. The changes in Bill S-3 would allow the minister to grant permission to try this out and, if it works out, to actually be able to put it in place full-time, and also to remove the permissions to do it if it does not work out or if there is some level of concern. That is just one of many examples of why we need to have this.
In terms of the need for flexibility, one thing I saw very often when we were trying to ship to other countries or bring things in was a different level of specification. There is no way to really resolve that because countries have their laws and we have our laws. It takes a long time to change the law. We can think about how long it takes for a bill to come through the House, with first and second reading, committee, etc., and then over to the other place for consideration and, finally, royal assent. It can take 18 months to two years. It is not a flexible process.
With the rapid pace of technology, especially as we start to see artificial intelligence coming into play and we see changes and advances in digital technology, all of these things are going to cause us to need some flexibility, and not just flexibility but agility. We have to do it faster. We are talking about doing things at speeds never before seen, but in some cases, the laws and the regulations are tying our hands.
The electricity plan is going to involve a lot of different locations where we are going to be building new capability in electricity of different kinds. These regulations were put in place before green energy was a thing. We need to think about all of the different technologies that have come forward that have devices associated with them that are not covered in the existing legislation at all. We definitely need to update this to put it in line with our plans to electrify the grid and to provide different sources of green energy as we lead the world in that sector.
At the same time, we need to think about all the growth in oil, gas and LNG. All of these things are going to have more meters, more things to calibrate and more things to inspect, and we have a limited resource. With all of the things that Measurement Canada does already, we need to think about increasing that load hugely. How are we going to do that with the existing number of people?
The easier answer is that there are other organizations and companies across our country that do these types of activities as well, and currently, the law does not allow the government to get them to help out. That is one important thing to note. If we are going to service all this extra growth, we have to be able to certify other services that can calibrate, audit, inspect, etc.
Another thing that needs to be looked at is the fact that right now it is all 100% inspection. That is sometimes warranted. For example, in the businesses I have been involved in, there are types of welding where 100% X-ray has to be done. It would be catastrophic if there was a failure. As one can imagine, anything could cause an explosion if there was a leak. These kinds of things demand 100% inspection, but not everything demands 100% inspection. As such, there is an opportunity for this government, under this framework, to look at a risk-based approach and do 100% inspection where it is needed, but to reduce inspection in other areas to free up resources to try to address the capacity issue that is being faced.
At the same time, we have to make sure we protect consumers. One thing about doing change more quickly is trying to make sure there are safeguards in place so that we do not do something that has an unintended and harmful consequence. There are measures in Bill S-3 that talk about the protection of consumers. Some of the protections are to align with the Criminal Code today regarding inspectors. Sometimes people who are not complying with the law want to prevent them from accessing their property or inspecting their device as needed, so there are measures in Bill S-3 that would allow people to enter properties, but not without a judicial warrant. There are some good safeguards there. If people suspect that there is a compliance issue, there are powers in the bill for the inspectors, but all of them are in line with what would be required by law.
There are some other updates in the bill that I thought were pretty interesting. In the existing legislation and regulations, inspections have to be done in person, and we cannot do anything else. There is no telecommunications capability allowed. How many of us FaceTime with people who are across the country, or try to inspect something while somebody is on the phone asking us to take a picture of it and send it to them or show them what it looks like? The bill would allow access by means of telecommunication, which I think opens up some efficiencies and cuts down on the travel back and forth.
There was one other thing that I thought was quite interesting. I actually read the bill. Some people may not find weights and measures super exciting. If someone has problems with insomnia, they may want to turn to Bill S-3 and read it very carefully. One of the other good things in here is trying to make sure we do not get ourselves in another situation where the law and regulations have not been updated since 1980. Think about that. That is 46 years ago. There is a provision in here that says that every 10 years, the minister has to look at how things are working out and table a report here in Parliament so we can keep an eye on whether this thing needs to be reviewed and updated again more quickly. That is an excellent measure as well.
At the end of the day, this is about the balance of power of the inspectors, the amount of inspection we are doing, the use of new technologies in the way that Measurement Canada conducts its work, and the flexibility that would allow a greater number of innovations to come forward. It would allow us to more rapidly accommodate trade differences. Those things are all important in this bill.
We must also look at aligning all of these regulations. There are a lot of government regulations and laws, as members may be aware. This is a Senate bill, and somebody from the Senate meticulously went through and collected all of this information on things that have been outstanding for years and put it together in one bill. I want to thank them for bringing this bill forward, because although not everyone is interested in the bill, the good that it would do for every sector across the country is quite impressive.
There are some amendments that are interesting.
The bill would provide a temporary permission for organizations to introduce emerging technologies to market without delay while awaiting approval. That is another good thing to build speed. The bill would also allow for sampling as a means to inspect devices, thereby increasing the efficiency in the oversight.
The bill would create exemptions from burdensome requirements for small and seasonal businesses that sell electricity and natural gas. As we can imagine, for the programs that have to be put in place, to have records for calibrations, inspections, audits and everything else is an onerous bureaucracy for a very small business. There are permissions to exempt people, as we do not have to inspect and audit people all the time, especially when they have shown good behaviour. I think that is a good measure.
One amendment would allow for preventive control plans to help prevent non-compliance. If businesses start to see that new technology has been implemented, and there are rules in place regarding that, but there is no compliance, and that non-compliance is chronic in that they are seeing a lot of examples, this bill would allow them to put together a preventive action plan so they could fix the problem.
Some of the sectors involved in this bill are the following: electricity and natural gas, and we have talked about those; retail; food; retail systems; wholesale petroleum; fishing; forestry; grain and field crops; mining; and construction. Let us think about the breadth of what this legislation will do when it is applied to all of those businesses and starts to free them up to introduce new technology, become more productive and become more competitive. That is what Canadians want. Certainly, that is what we want.
Some of the technologies that are described in the existing legislation are obsolete now, so we have an opportunity to do a little cleanup and get rid of all of the things that are mentioned that no longer exist or are used. I think that would be important for everybody.
In summary, Bill S-3 intends to take all of these different acts and align them with all of the things Measurement Canada does to give some power to allow the minister to make temporary exemptions and introduce new innovative technologies. Plus they could make them permanent if the technology works out.
At the same time, there are protections in here for consumers. There are guardrails to make sure that the inspections that are done are aligned with the risk of not inspecting, and there is some flexibility in the bill.
In addition, we are going to make sure we review the situation every 10 years with a parliamentary report. That is going to be critical with respect to identifying when it is time to update it again so we do not get ourselves back in a situation where it is more than 40 years and we have not updated the regulations.
With that, I would be happy to take questions.
Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB
Mr. Speaker, I appreciated my colleague's speech. As noted, she is somebody who has a background in chemical engineering. I have always appreciated that about her, as well as her ability to get facts, figures and everything else.
She talked in her speech about the increases in oil, gas and mining that are going to happen here, and of all the sensors that are going to have to be part and parcel of that. All of those sensors, and she would know this, have an embedded carbon price, as does the increased production of oil and gas, in particular, to make sure we have a baseload in a reliable energy system in this country.
Since she has crossed the floor, and I am going to ask the member this question very clearly, has she managed to convince the rest of her new colleagues over there that this whole green shift economy is a bit of a myth and that we need to build a sustainable economy in Canada that depends on oil and gas?
Marilyn Gladu Liberal Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud that our government was the one that finally got rid of the carbon tax, which I was going on about for 10 years. I am super happy about that. I am really happy as well that the government is listening to my voice, having invited me into the tent. Certainly, I am speaking out on efficiency as an engineer, which is always my number one, and ways to reduce prices.
We have seen the government's ability to take the tax off fuel to help the affordability situation for Canadians, so I think its ears are open. We are changing as we go along, and we are learning. As we build our electricity grid and start to see all of the things that we are building, as well as the need, we are going to have to make decisions. That is why it is really good to have a provision in Bill S-3 that would allow it to not do a 100% inspection on everything, but to reduce it based on risk.
Yves Perron Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to see you in the chair.
I appreciated my colleague's speech, but I am not entirely reassured. It seems like every bill in this Parliament either overrides existing laws or grants more powers to ministers. This bill is highly complex and will require careful study in committee. However, it is already clear that one of its objectives is to confer even more powers on the minister. We have some concerns on that front.
We also have concerns about Quebec's jurisdiction, particularly with respect to the development of natural resources and Hydro-Québec, a point of national pride. I think we will need to hear from its representatives in committee. I would like my colleague to commit to defending these areas of jurisdiction and protecting the environment. She told us she came from the oil industry. I respect that experience but, at the same time, her viewpoints may differ from mine.
I would like her to reassure me on this issue.
Marilyn Gladu Liberal Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON
Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that granting powers to ministers is inherently problematic, because proposals relating to things like changes, flexibility or exemptions come from the sectors themselves. They do not come from the minister. He consults with sector stakeholders. Flexibility can be introduced, exemptions can be implemented more quickly, and I believe that is the right choice.
Tim Watchorn Liberal Les Pays-d'en-Haut, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am a civil engineer, not a chemical engineer, but over the last 20 years, we went through a revolution in scales on trucks. There are now on-board scales for trucks and loaders, as opposed to fixed scales, which we had before. This accomplished two things: one, productivity was raised because we were able to maximize the amount of gravel we can get into a truck; and two, our roads were protected from overloaded trucks.
I would like to know from our colleague how the bill would better productivity and protect our infrastructure.
Marilyn Gladu Liberal Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON
Mr. Speaker, as he mentioned, my colleague is also an engineer. In fact, we have so many engineers in the Liberal caucus that we could have our own engineering caucus. As we have said, we ourselves are already optimized, so we prefer to work on the others.
When it comes to the changes, he talked about protecting the roads. As changes happen, sometimes there are unintended consequences. That is the beauty of the minister having the ability to make a temporary exemption, to implement a change, and then, if there is a problem with it, to remove that exemption. I think that allows us to, in real time, be able to improve, become more competitive and, at the same time, walk it back if it looks problematic.
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Mr. Speaker, I am really pleased to be able to participate virtually and ask a question of my old friend from Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong.
Bill S-3, of course, came to us through the Senate. It was already passed there, and it was tabled for first reading seven months ago. Like her, I have read the bill. I read every bill. I think every MP has an obligation to read every piece of legislation before they vote on it.
In any case, my question on Bill S-3 deals with weights and measures. I do not have any problem with what is in the bill; but I am wondering if this was not a missed opportunity.
While we talk about food security and the price of food, we know that we are experiencing shrinkflation. It is not entirely a new thing. Do members remember the old jokes about the country store, where the thumb was on the scale just a bit when they measured out how much hamburger one was buying or how much cheese?
I am wondering, since the bill very specifically relates to a couple of pieces of legislation, as the member has mentioned, has there been any thought on the government side of the House to expanding the bill we got from the Senate to include inspection and verification of what the oligarchy of grocery chains does in telling us how much food we are buying and at what price?
Marilyn Gladu Liberal Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON
Mr. Speaker, the member is raising an excellent point. The reality is that, in all of the grocery stores, they are using scales. We order our deli meat and say we want 100 grams. They have the scale that is going to promote that. Those things are calibrated. I do not know if any of us have ever stood on the scales to weigh ourselves and thought that we lost 10 pounds, and then we find out that the scale was not really calibrated. When we recalibrate it, nothing has changed.
There are measures in place to address the grocery industry, as it is one of the ones that are covered under the regulations and the legislation.
