Debates of Oct. 8th, 2026

Opposition Motion—Affordability Crisis

[Tim Watchorn, Liberal, Les Pays-d'en-Haut, QC]

Mr. Speaker, everybody knows that prices are high because of the war in Iran and the trade war we have with the U.S. We are going to control what we can control.

We voted today on Bill C-39, which would advance major projects. I would like the member to explain to us how getting major projects done in Canada is going to work in a great way and get Canadians to work.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is a wonderful question.

To me, one of the things that is most important about this government is making Canada work and working with the provinces. We will see provincial premiers saluting the government and the Prime Minister. They say what a pleasure it is to work together to create projects that will have a national scale and that will allow us to bring things to market that we otherwise would not have been able to bring.

We also need to diversify our trade. We need to make sure we have a way to get our oil to the Asia-Pacific region and not just leave it here in North America and only trade with the United States.

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to take part in today's debate and to discuss our government's plan to ease financial pressures on households and help Canadians build a better future for their families and our country. Our government knows that Canada is strongest when we look after one another and ensure everyone has a fair chance to succeed. That is why we are taking action to make everyday life more affordable.

In January, the government announced the new Canada groceries and essentials benefit to put more money back in Canadians' pockets. The benefit is helping more than 12 million low- and modest-income Canadians afford everyday essentials. It replaces the existing GST credit while providing more generous support. We increased it by 25% for five years, starting in July, and added a one-time payment this year. Together, these enhancements will provide substantial support to those most affected by rising food prices.

For example, a person living alone who is eligible for the GST credit could previously only receive a maximum of $543 for 2026-27. With the one-time payment and the 2026-27 benefit combined, that person will receive approximately $950 in total. For a couple with two children, total support will increase from approximately $1,086 to $1,890. These increases will make meaningful differences for households facing higher food costs. The benefit is also indexed to inflation to ensure payments rise each year with the cost of living. We are taking these steps because helping Canadians afford everyday essentials is the right thing to do.

The Canada groceries and essentials benefit is part of a broader package of measures to ease grocery cost pressures across Canada. Canada's first-ever national food security strategy will address food insecurity, support producers and strengthen supply chains to help lower prices for Canadians. The strategy is backed by more than $3 billion in investments over 10 years. It includes a $1-billion investment in food infrastructure, including food terminals, to help independent grocers buy and move completely produced products. The strategy also includes a $1-billion investment through Farm Credit Canada and a $150-million food security fund to help Canadian businesses grow, produce and process more food in Canada. A further $750 million will go to expanding year-round Canadian fruit and vegetable production. These measures will address the root causes of food insecurity by strengthening domestic food production and improving access to affordable, nutritious food.

We are not only putting more money in the pockets of those who need it the most. We are also helping Canadians keep more of what they earn through a middle-class tax cut. We have reduced the tax rate from 15% to 14%. As a result, nearly 22 million Canadians are receiving tax relief of up to $420 per person, while two-income families can save up to $840 this year. In 2026, the lower rate applies to taxable income of up to $58,523, providing meaningful relief during a period of economic uncertainty. Most of the tax relief will go to Canadians in the two lowest tax brackets, with nearly half directed to those in the first bracket. In other words, the measure is targeted to those who need support the most.

Above all, we must consider our children, and that is why we made the national school food program permanent. It will provide healthy school meals to as many as 400,000 children and save families with two children about $800 a year on groceries. Working with provinces, territories and indigenous partners, we will continue to expand the program to more schools across Canada, ensuring that hunger is never a deterrent to getting one's education.

Our government also recognizes that recent global developments have made life more difficult for Canadians. Tariffs imposed by our largest trading partner have had a significant impact on Canadian workers and businesses from coast to coast to coast. Conflict and instability in the Middle East have also driven up fuel prices worldwide. In these circumstances, Canadians need relief, and our government has delivered it. Through carefully targeted measures, we are helping Canadians meet these challenges while strengthening Canada's sovereignty and economic resilience.

For example, last spring we acted to ease the impact of high fuel costs on Canadians. In April, after disruptions to crude oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz pushed fuel prices higher, our government temporarily suspended the federal fuel excise tax. The measure has saved Canadians and Canadian businesses up to 10¢ per litre on gasoline and unleaded aviation gasoline, up to 11¢ per litre on leaded aviation gasoline and up to four cents a litre on diesel and aviation fuel. The savings were immediate. On the first day the temporary suspensions took effect, gasoline prices fell by 11¢ per litre, providing direct relief to consumers.

Through Bill C-38, we propose to continue providing relief at the pump by extending the temporary suspension of the federal fuel excise tax through January 31, 2027, and then from February 1 to March 31, 2027, the tax would apply at 50% of its regular rate. The extension would lower everyday costs for Canadians, including truckers and businesses in the food, agriculture, housing, construction and delivery sectors. In short, it would provide timely, meaningful relief when Canadians need it the most. By easing pressure on gasoline and diesel prices at the pump, we are lowering costs for Canadians today while building a stronger, more resilient and more independent economy for the future.

To conclude, Canadians should feel the benefits of economic growth not only in the economic reports but also in their wallets and around the kitchen table. That starts with ensuring that everyone can afford to put good food on the table. We are building a stronger Canada, one where economic growth improves everyday life and gives every Canadian a fair opportunity to succeed. That is how we will build a more prosperous and inclusive future.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

Order. I have the honour to inform the House that a communication has been received as follows:

Rideau Hall October 8, 2026 Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to inform you that Mr. Ryan McAdam, Deputy of the Governor General of Canada, signified royal assent by written declaration to the bill listed in the Schedule to this letter on the 8th day of October, 2026, at 3:57 p.m. Yours sincerely, Eduardo Rivas Manager, Office of the Secretary to the Governor General

The schedule indicates the bill assented to on Thursday, October 8, 2026, was Bill C-27, An Act to give effect to the Final Self-Government Agreement for the Tłegǫ́hłı̨ Got'įnę and to make consequential amendments to other Acts—Chapter 23.

The House resumed consideration of the motion.

[Kristina Tesser Derksen, Liberal, Milton East—Halton Hills South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for his speech. I know he is very involved in advocating for indigenous communities. He is the chair of our national Liberal indigenous caucus, and I have learned a lot from him.

We know that when there are pressures with respect to affordability, marginalized communities often feel them more acutely than others. I wonder if my colleague could speak to the different programs and benefits our government has introduced and how they specifically affect the indigenous communities in his riding and across the country.

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, when I became a member of Parliament in my community of Eskasoni, child poverty rates there were at 75%. If my son was going to school, that would be the majority of his classmates. One of the reasons I have been so proud is that our government, since 2024, has put a national school food program in place, and today I can say those children receive a healthy breakfast when they go to school in our communities. It is one of the things I am most proud of.

We need to help Canadians. We need to continue to support marginalized communities. I am really proud of the efforts of our government to ensure that all of the families who need help in my community and many others across Canada are able to benefit.

[Jim Belanger, Conservative, Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I heard my colleague talk about fuel relief and the suspension of the taxes on petroleum, gasoline and diesel. He was telling us about those benefits. The other side is always asking us about coming up with ideas and helping. If he agrees with me that the suspension of the tax is good, I would like to suggest that it last longer, up until Canada Day or even longer. We understand the price of fuel has doubled over the last year, and HST is a tax over a tax, so there is a lot of revenue going to the government with the extra costs of the fuel. As such, there is ample opportunity to provide relief for a further period of time.

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I can agree that our government's response in ensuring that we remove the federal fuel excise tax was a necessary step, but I would also talk about all of the programs we have that add to that. Removing gas taxes is one part of it, but we also have to ensure that the most marginalized and the most disadvantaged are being supported. We can talk about the Canada child benefit, affordable day care, the national food program and dental care. We can talk about a lot of programs that our government, over the past number of years, has put in place to help and to target those who need it the most.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Mr. Speaker, one thing that is often overlooked but is a major contributor to this affordability crisis is climate change. Think of all the natural disasters, the wildfires and floods, that are caused by climate change and rising greenhouse gas emissions.

Does my colleague think it would be a good idea to examine this in depth in the context of the affordability crisis?

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso—Antigonish, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I would agree entirely with my colleague over there that we have to continue to ensure that we are taking care of our environment. As a Mi'kmaw person, I was taught from a very young age about netukulimk, our responsibilities not only to our families and our communities but to our ecosystem. This has to be a driving force.

When we look at the economy, we have to ensure that we are able to walk and chew bubble gum at the same time by having a plan for the environment as a part of a plan for the economy. That is why I believe these targeted supports are important, not just reducing the prices of gas, which is often what the Conservatives go to first instead of looking at the most vulnerable people who actually need the supports across our country.

[Jim Belanger, Conservative, Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of our Conservative motion calling on the House to recognize that Canada is in an affordability crisis. This is an issue that comes up time and time again when I speak with my constituents in northern Ontario. I hear of it constantly. The cost of housing, food, fuel and everyday necessities is through the roof, and northerners are living paycheque to paycheque.

The affordability crisis Canadians are experiencing today did not happen by accident. For the last decade, the Liberals' economic approach has been driven by higher spending, growing deficits, increasing debt and more taxes, rather than by economic productivity and growth. Instead of creating the conditions for Canadians to get ahead, they have created a country where more and more families are struggling simply to keep up.

Canada should be one of the wealthiest countries in the world. We are blessed with abundant natural resources and hard-working people. We have what the world wants, yet we have not been able to efficiently service that demand and live up to our potential. After 10 years of the Liberal government, Canada has experienced weak economic growth, declining purchasing power and countless missed opportunities. Rather than removing barriers to investment, reducing taxes and getting projects built, the Liberal answer is more bureaucracy, more red tape and slower approval processes. The result is a country facing a severe affordability crisis.

Habitat for Humanity's recent international report paints worrying numbers. More than half of Canadian non-homeowners now believe they will never own a home. Two-thirds of Canadians have cut back on other expenses simply to keep up with housing costs, while 44% say that one unexpected bill could threaten their ability to remain housed. That is not the sign of a healthy housing market. It is evidence of a country where the dream of home ownership is slipping away, out of reach. Affordable homes have virtually disappeared in my region of northern Ontario.

When I was a young man starting a family, my wife and I did not have significant savings, but what we did have were good jobs, modest paycheques and the confidence that if we worked hard and managed our finances responsibly, we would be able to buy a home. We did all that in the same week we got married.

That was the reality and the opportunity of the Canada I grew up in. Today, too many young Canadians no longer believe that owning a home is possible. They are doing everything right. They work hard and follow the rules, yet home ownership is further away than ever. Our younger generation is losing faith that they can build a future in Canada.

The affordability crisis extends well beyond housing. Statistics and surveys continue to show that Canadians are struggling with the rising cost of essentials. Housing, groceries, energy, transportation and other necessities are consuming a growing portion of a household's income. Lower-income households, renters, young Canadians and single-parent families are among those being hit the hardest. Middle-class Canadians who once felt financially secure are now finding it increasingly difficult to balance their budgets.

In northern Ontario, those pressures are often magnified. People in my riding travel long distances for work, medical appointments and essential services. Higher fuel costs, increasing transportation expenses and rising home heating bills place significant strain on household budgets. As winter approaches, many families are once again wondering how they will make ends meet.

Unfortunately, nowhere is this pressure felt more clearly than at the grocery store. As families prepare to gather for Thanksgiving this weekend, many are not focused on celebrating with loved ones. Instead, they are worried about whether they can afford the meal on their table. According to researchers at Dalhousie University, the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner continues to rise, with basic staples costing 10% more than they did just a year ago. Thanksgiving should be a time for family and gratitude. It should not be a time when parents are calculating whether they can afford a turkey dinner.

Canadians do not need more government affordability programs designed to help them cope with the consequences of bad policy. What they need is a government that addresses the root causes of the crisis. We would not need so many affordability measures if inflationary spending, mounting debt and economic mismanagement had not pushed the cost of living so high in the first place.

It is worth examining the data about incomes measured by GDP. Affordability is about the relationship among what households earn, what government leaves them to spend after taxes and transfers, and what that income can actually buy. At the end of 2025, per-person GDP in Canada stood at 3.5% higher than at the end of 2014. For perspective, from the end of 2003 to the end of 2014, per-person GDP grew by 11.7%.

The numbers look even worse when compared to those of other industrialized countries. For example, at the end of 2025, per-person GDP in the United States was 21.7% higher than at the end of 2014, so the U.S. economy outperformed our economy by 18% in that same period.

Canada's economy has generated remarkably little new income over the past decade. Real GDP per capita has grown by an average of just 0.6% annually, the weakest performance since the Great Depression, while real household disposable income has risen only 0.8% per year. Without stronger income growth, affordability will continue to deteriorate.

My constituents are dealing with an affordability crisis, fuelled by a decade of inflationary Liberal policies. While the cost of essentials continues to rise, Canadians' purchasing power remains stagnant. The Canadian dream of homeownership is slipping away for an entire generation. In northern Ontario, the cost of transportation, heating and groceries is weighing more and more heavily on families' budgets.

Canadians need hope. They need policies that will revive our economy, make life affordable again and give everyone a chance to improve their lives.

The Prime Minister has said that affordability is now better than it has been in a decade. In reality, Canadians face unaffordable housing, higher grocery prices and stagnant incomes. Affordability remains a major problem, and the government should recognize that and vote in favour of our motion.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

It being 5:27 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the business of supply.

The question is on the motion.

If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded vote, please.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

Pursuant to Standing Order 45, the division stands deferred until Monday, October 19, 2026, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I expect if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent at this time to call it 5:42 p.m. so we can get on to private members' hour.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House proceeded to the consideration of Bill C-219, An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act, the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law), the Special Economic Measures Act and the Broadcasting Act, as reported (with amendments) from the committee.

Sergei Magnitsky International Anti-Corruption and Human Rights Act

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

There being no motion at report stage, the House will now proceed, without debate, to putting the question on the motion to concur in the bill at report stage.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

moved that the bill, as amended, be concurred in at report stage.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we would like the motion to pass unanimously.

(Motion agreed to)

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

moved that the bill be read the third time and passed.

Mr. Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure to rise for my private member's bill, Bill C-219, the international anti-corruption and human rights act, or Sergei Magnitsky law no. 3, which we decided on at committee.

I think it is important, every time we start these debates, especially for those who might be watching for the very first time, to ask, why Magnitsky? Who is he? Who is Sergei Magnitsky? We have to remember that Sergei was a Russian lawyer. He was an auditor, a husband and a father of two. He was a guy who believed in fairness. He believed in the rule of law. He believed in standing up for a new Russia. Sadly, because he was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in, was not afraid to stand up for what matters and was not afraid to stand up against oligarchs and corrupt officials in the Kremlin and across Russia, he was murdered.

Sergei uncovered the largest tax fraud in Russian history. The proper course of action was obvious to him. He took it to court and exposed the corruption. In doing so, he was the one who was arrested. He was the one who was detained. They tortured him in prison. They denied him medical attention, and eventually he was murdered in a Russian prison by the very officials who had taken this fraud through the Russian government, to the tune of hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars. The Russian government allowed him to be killed and has been trying to cover it up for the past 17 years.

Using Sergei Magnitsky's name, which we have been doing since 2017, is important, in that it delivers a strong political message to Vladimir Putin, to his corrupt oligarchs in the Kremlin and in industry, and of course to the corrupt allies he has around the world, who are not afraid to use corruption to enrich themselves at the expense of the people they are supposed to be representing and protecting or who are not afraid to commit gross human rights violations.

Originally, we were going to call the bill the Sergei Magnitsky international anti-corruption and human rights act. It now has the new name. The bill would change the name of the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, which we passed back in 2017 and was done by Senator Raynell Andreychuk and me. It would now be called the Sergei Magnitsky law. We would also change the name of the Special Economic Measures Act to the global sanctions and special economic measures act. It would be called the Sergei Magnitsky law no. 2, to keep it all straight and even.

It is important to recognize that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the government agreed that we needed to use Sergei Magnitsky's name every time we lay out a sanction against those who are committing these abuses and committing aggression against their neighbours, as Putin is committing in Ukraine today with the Russian war machine that Putin has, as well as against others around the world who are committing gross human rights violations.

Unfortunately, a number of amendments were made to the original version we tabled here. I will just say, for those who have been following this, that the one thing the bill would not do anymore is it would not immediately sanction family members of sanctioned individuals whom Canada has recognized and put on our global sanctions list. It would just be those individuals and not their spouses, children, girlfriends or boyfriends.

We know that Russian oligarchs have done an amazing job of taking their wealth out of their country. Even though they might be sanctioned and cannot move their wealth or travel to Canada or other places, they have been sending their children to university here with millions of dollars. They have been sending their wives and spouses over to Canada, putting up bank accounts and getting around the rules we have. Of course, they are using Canada as a safe haven.

The other ones who are really good at this is those in the IRGC, with the regime in Tehran. It is the same thing. They are moving here with their families and spouses, hiding assets and buying amazing properties. It would be nice if we could sanction their children, spouses and other family members on the immediate family level so that this does not happen.

The bill would no longer require the RCMP and FINTRAC to report to the minister on what is happening and whether there should be sanctions coming forward. It would no longer require the minister to report names and the status of prisoners of conscience in an annual report on human rights. It would also not amend the Broadcasting Act to make sure that state broadcasters from countries that are committing a genocide recognized in the House or in the Senate would not be allowed to broadcast on our airwaves.

We are still happy with the bill in this form. I may have been fairly ambitious in bringing it forward the first time. When we were still in a minority government situation, it looked like it was going to go through, maybe without any amendments, but that changed, unfortunately. We have to accept that and roll with the punches, as one might say.

I want to again mention former Senator Raynell Andreychuk. She and I worked very hard together back in 2017 to bring the original Sergei Magnitsky Law to Parliament. I did it in the House, and she brought it forward and passed it through the Senate, and it became law. Even at that time, back in 2017, there was collaboration among all parties to make sure that it was passed and that we were finally targeting the corrupt foreign officials who were committing gross human rights violations.

It is important to note that the reason we have to come back to this is that there were some loopholes, and I have already pointed out some of them. In this version of Bill C-219, we would close those loopholes and address some of the shortcomings. This means that we would be better aligned with our allies and how they sanction, whether it is the United States, the European Union, Australia or others. It would also provide better coordination among the legislation and regulations we have right here in Canada. Having the three bills come together under this umbrella private member's bill, which is uncommon in this House, and coordinating three pieces of legislation into one would be a positive move. It would make it a lot easier, in the administration of justice, to address things like human rights, state aggression and gross human rights violations.

I want to point out what this bill would do, and I think it is important that we celebrate it. This is the first time in Canadian law that we would define prisoners of conscience and require the Minister of Foreign Affairs to publish an annual report. That annual report would be tabled here in the House and would require the minister to talk about how the Government of Canada is advancing human rights around the world and how it is supporting prisoners of conscience and other human rights defenders.

A lot of people may be asking what a prisoner of conscience is, so I will read it into the record:

prisoner of conscience means an individual who, in contravention of international human rights standards, has been detained or otherwise physically restricted solely because of their identity or their conscientiously held beliefs, including religious or political beliefs.

We would also define for the very first time what transnational repression is and would sanction the foreign nationals who commit transnational repression right here in Canada and elsewhere around the world:

transnational repression means tactics used by a foreign state to intimidate, harass, surveil or threaten individuals or groups located outside the state borders or physically harm such individuals or members of such groups, including elected officials, political dissidents, human rights defenders, exiled journalists, diaspora communities, civil society activists and refugees, for the purpose of silencing dissent and stifling activism.‍

Just so people understand how this would apply here in Canada, I will note that a prisoner of conscience is what we are witnessing right now in Hong Kong with Jimmy Lai, who stood up for the freedom of speech and for democracy in Hong Kong. He is in his late seventies now. He is diabetic. He has been held in detention, in solitary confinement, for the last several years because of his belief in the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press, because he owned a paper. He has connections to Canada. His sister, nephews and nieces live here, and he has properties here in Canada. The Chinese regime, the Communist regime that is overseeing the administration in Hong Kong, jailed him on trumped-up charges and finally dragged him in front of a kangaroo court after delaying and staying proceedings for years.

Jimmy Lai is languishing in prison. He has been sentenced to life, and he will not last long, sadly enough. He is a prisoner of conscience, and we need to rescue him. The Government of Canada needs to stand up on the right side of this, from the standpoint of human rights.

Transnational repression is the flip side of that. As we all know, the Communist regime in Beijing has police stations here in Canada. It has interfered in at least two elections. We had a big judicial inquiry on the foreign interference in our electoral process here. We need to make sure that the individuals who are acting on behalf of the state in Canada to repress our elections, or repress nationals from that country who now call Canada home, are not getting away with it.

I received a letter just last week from a Falun Gong practitioner who had been peacefully protesting in Toronto in front of the Chinese consulate and was assaulted by an employee from the consulate. The employee beat this lady and made death threats to her. Not only would we call this a criminal act here in Canada, but because they can hide behind their diplomatic immunity, such individuals would be considered under transnational repression and would have to stand trial for that.

Under Bill C-219, we would require that Parliament put out a list of the foreign national entities that are going to be added to our sanctions list. We want to increase the penalties on this and find the people who are committing prisoner-of-conscience abuse and transnational repression. The penalties could be increased up to $100,000 under this piece of legislation, which I think would be a huge move to actually help police all the abuse we are witnessing.

One of the great things in the bill is that it would also provide a timeline to the Government of Canada for forfeiting of frozen assets. I always like to use as an example the fact that everybody who goes through Toronto Pearson airport sees the great big Russian Antonov aircraft that is sitting there because it is a frozen asset. The oligarchs who own the company have definitely been sanctioned by Canada.

Instead of sitting there, as the aircraft has been for four years, within 24 months, assets should be forfeited and liquidated so the government can then distribute those assets to the victims or to the government. In this case, it would be given to the Ukraine to help them deal with the cost of the war such as the cost of the damage to Ukrainian homes and infrastructure and the loss of life because of the barbaric actions of the Russian military.

This is also true with other holdings, but the focus is on those owned by private individuals or private entities, not government entities. If they have been sanctioned, any of their assets here in Canada should, after 24 months, be turned over by the state, Canada, to the victims.

Finally, the preamble of the bill calls for the government to continue the good work they are doing in trying to establish the international anti-corruption court in The Hague. With respect to all the people out there who are committing genocides, trampling on human rights and abusing their own citizens or neighbours, those oligarchs, such as Putin in particular but also, historically, people such as the Mussolinis and the Hitlers of the world who committed mass genocides, how did they all start? Putin first started as a corrupt official. By having the international criminal court, we could actually change the behaviour of psychopaths who are in places of power, and have them back off from what they are doing to their own citizenry.

In conclusion, I believe, although the original version of Bill C-219 provided more in sanctioning, enforcement and oversight across Canada's sanctioning regime, that the amended version we have before the House today remains critical for modernizing the sanctions mechanisms for the future.

[Mona Fortier, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Madam Speaker, I want to commend my colleague on all the work he has done. He sponsored this bill. I will be delivering my remarks on the bill shortly.

I do want to ask my colleague if he could maybe share a bit about the impact of some of the amendments that were brought, one of which would introduce a new requirement for the minister of foreign affairs to report annually on Canada's efforts to advance human rights internationally. How is this important to the bill?