Debates of June 17th, 2026

Rail Transportation

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my second petition urges the transport minister to do the work of making CN reconnect the tracks between St. Thomas and London, which CTA order 1990-R-673 said it did not have the right to remove.

The London and Port Stanley Railway was one of the first railway lines built in Ontario. It has historical and cultural significance to Elgin County and, specifically, to the communities of Port Stanley and St. Thomas. The national transportation agency, as petitioners point out, ruled that CN Rail could not sever the connection to the southern Port Stanley line and ordered this restorative action.

Petitioners want to restore railway heritage in my community and have the transport minister reconnect this line.

Chinese Canadians

[Michael Ma, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of constituents to designate February as Canadian Chinese heritage month.

The petitioners note that there are over 1.8 million Chinese Canadians, representing one of the largest and most established communities within the country. For generations, Chinese Canadians have played an essential role in shaping Canada's social fabric. Their contributions date back to the 1800s, with their vital role in the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. However, the petitioners remind us that this history includes deep hardship. Chinese Canadians have endured systemic exclusion and discrimination, including the Chinese head tax and the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923. Despite these injustices, Chinese Canadians have preserved and shared a rich heritage that continues to strengthen Canada's multicultural mosaic.

The petitioners highlight that February is an important period for Chinese communities because of the cultural significance of the Lunar New Year, making it a meaningful and appropriate time for recognition.

Given that Chinese heritage month initiatives have taken place throughout numerous municipalities across Canada, Markham included, and have reached provincial legislatures, with Ontario among the first, it is time to take the most reasonable next step at the national level. Such a holiday would provide an opportunity for education, reflection and celebration while truly capturing the unique identity of the Chinese Canadian community.

Public Safety

[Todd Doherty, Conservative, Cariboo—Prince George, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to present a petition signed by the residents of Prince George and hand delivered by members of city council, who are all deeply concerned about repeat offending, court delays and the growing impact of property crime in our community. The petitioners point out that downtown Prince George businesses continue to face theft, vandalism, broken windows, arson and ongoing public safety concerns, while a small number of prolific offenders are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime.

The petitioners call on the government to strengthen bail provisions for repeat offenders, appoint more judges and prosecutors, increase resources for Crown counsel to reduce court delays and provide additional funding for correctional facilities, rehabilitation programs and release planning. I am pleased to table this petition on behalf of my constituents.

Human Rights

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I am so proud today to stand and table petition e‑6783, which was signed by 10,182 Canadians. These Canadians are asking the government to apply the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act consistently for all those Canadian citizens returning from conflict zones. They are asking the Canadian government to initiate investigations and lay charges if warranted, and to co-operate with the international justice system, among other calls for action.

Canada Pension Plan

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I also have petition e‑6990. This is a petition that has been signed by over 6,000 Canadians. They are asking the government to amend the Canada Pension Plan act so that any province, including my province of Alberta, would require at least two-thirds of the other provinces to agree with that plan. They are asking for that to be applied because it is similar to other parts of the Canada Pension Plan act that require a two-thirds agreement.

African Refugees

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present petition e-7435, signed by 3,308 Canadians, concerning the lengthy processing delays for African refugees.

The petitioners note that reports from the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, the Auditor General and the Canadian Council for Refugees have documented inappropriately long processing times and significant backlogs affecting African refugee applicants. They express concern that these delays place vulnerable individuals at continued risk and undermine Canada's refugee protection commitments.

The petitioners call on the government to take action by addressing the existing African refugee backlog, including prioritizing those people displaced by the conflict in Sudan, and by establishing clear service standards, equitable resourcing and emergency measures for refugees facing immediate danger.

Agriculture

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition, signed by over 215 residents in and around the Indian Head area who are protesting the closure of the Indian Head Research Farm. This research facility has over 100 years of data on soil, moisture and crop varieties. The current Liberal government is proving to be anti-science by shutting this site down.

The petitioners call upon the Liberal government to save the jobs at Indian Head, save the research that is done at the facility and keep the centre open.

Telecommunications

[Marianne Dandurand, Liberal, Compton—Stanstead, QC]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I rise today to present a petition signed by residents of the Eastern Townships, other parts of Quebec and even other parts of Canada regarding cellular connectivity in rural areas.

The petitioners point out that, despite the efforts of municipalities, regional elected officials and many citizens, cellular service is still poor in many rural areas, including village centres. They emphasize that reliable cellular service is essential for public safety, agricultural activities, economic activity, and also for access to education, health care and essential communications.

The petitioners are therefore calling on the Government of Canada to take measures to improve cellular coverage in rural areas and to bridge the digital divide that persists to this day.

Reliable cellular service should not depend on a postal code.

Whether they live in a major city or a rural community, every Canadian should be able to count on reliable cellular service when they need it.

World Health Organization

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition today signed by 15,000 Canadians concerning the proposed World Health Organization pandemic treaty and the related amended international health regulations.

The petitioners express concern that the government may proceed with the signing and ratification of these agreements without sufficient parliamentary scrutiny, debate and votes. They highlight that Canada is the only G7 nation where international treaties may be ratified without mandatory parliamentary scrutiny and approval. Accordingly, the petitioners are calling on the government to table the agreement in the House of Commons before ratification, ensuring full parliamentary review and debate, and to establish the legal requirements for parliamentary oversight of major international treaties.

Digital Security

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have one other petition to present. It is signed by 5,000 concerned Canadians regarding the proposal for a national digital identification system in Canada.

The petitioners express concern that the digital ID system could enable the extensive collection of and linking of personal biometric information, raising significant privacy and cybersecurity concerns. They fear that such a system could lead to government or agency overreach and increased risk of data breaches and identity theft, and undermine the personal freedoms and individual autonomy of Canadians that Canadians cherish.

Firearms

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two more petitions. These two are on the Liberals' failing firearms confiscation program.

With nearly a $1-billion price tag, barely a third of that program is going to actually compensate firearms owners, while the rest will go into bureaucracy. Therefore, the undersigned citizens and permanent residents of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to end its assault on law-abiding firearms owners by scrapping the massively expensive and ineffective firearms confiscation program, and focus its attention on resources toward criminals and illegal firearms smuggling.

Opioids

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to table e‑petition 7402 in response to Manitobans who are calling for a public health emergency in light of the preventable passing of too many community members in the recent weeks due to toxic drug supply.

They are calling on the government to increase funding to substance use and addiction programs, the community action fund and the harm reduction fund and to expand current projects, ensuring reliable year-over-year supports. They also want to see the creation of an interjurisdictional secretariat on harm reduction to eliminate barriers between governments and expedite the creation of sustainability for frontline services.

Persons with Disabilities

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to table e‑petition 7135, which calls on the government to modernize the disability tax credit by revising its eligibility criteria and administrative interpretation to recognize the fluctuating episodic nature of disabilities such as multiple sclerosis and to align the DTC with the disability definition used by the Accessible Canada Act and the Canada Disability Benefit Act.

Animal Welfare

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to rise today to table a petition to put in place a horse export ban. The citizens in my riding are calling on the residents of Canada to call on the government, through the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture, to ban the live export of horses for slaughter by amending the health of animals regulations to prohibit this practice.

Nuclear Energy

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, lastly, I would like to table a petition from the residents of Canada that calls on the government to issue a directive under section 19 of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act and order the CNSC to revoke the license of the NSDF at Chalk River.

Cryptocurrency

[Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Mr. Speaker, over 8,600 people have signed e‑petition 6978, which was started by Kevin Zhang of Toronto and the 128,000 advocates with Stand with Crypto Canada.

Our budget 2025 committed to a stablecoin regulatory framework, and the petitioners are asking us to follow through quickly. They are asking for smart rules to protect consumers, preserve financial stability and give Canadian innovators a fair shot.

Intimate Partner Violence

[Helena Konanz, Conservative, Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to table a petition brought forward by a passionate group of residents in my community who remain deeply concerned that our laws continue to fail to safeguard the victims of intimate partner violence. Most situations of intimate partner violence begin with patterns of behaviour that involve severe mental, emotional and psychological abuse, yet our justice system and our police system too often fail to recognize this abuse and to intervene before the violence begins.

The petitioners are asking us to look at legislation criminalizing this behaviour in the U.K., Ireland and Australia. They would like the Government of Canada to amend the Criminal Code to criminalize targeted mental and emotional abuse. They are also asking for changes to be reflected in our bail and judicial system, as well as in law enforcement training, so we can recognize and investigate this abuse.

Official Development Assistance

[Chris Lewis, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce petition 451‑00919. More than 3.4 billion people live in countries that spend more on debt payments than they do on health or education. The petitioners are calling on the government to initiate a review of all bilateral debts held by Canada, to advocate in multilateral fora, such as the G7, the G20, the IMF and the World Bank, and to increase the grants portion of Canada's bilateral climate finance to at least 60%.

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to extend petitions by 10 minutes.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, John Nater]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Brain Injury

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all my colleagues for allowing that to happen.

Today is Brain Injury Awareness Day. It is an honour to table this petition on behalf of the families impacted by 165,000 new cases annually of brain injury in our country. They highlight that brain injury survivors face a 200% increased risk of struggling with addictions after sustaining a brain injury. Despite the federal government committing $11 billion over 10 years to improve community support in mental health and addiction services, none have been specifically targeted to brain injury.

The petitioners call on the government to support Bill C‑206, develop a national strategy to support and improve brain injury awareness prevention and treatment and the rehabilitation and recovery of persons living with a brain injury.

BC Ferries

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table this petition to modernize federal ferry funding policies and provide fair, stable, long-term federal operational support for BC Ferries as essential national transportation infrastructure.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table a petition to reverse the planned cuts of the 665 AAFC staff and the closure of the organic and regenerative research program units.

Veterans

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition signed by members of my community on Commissionaires, which remains the largest employer of veterans in Canada. Commissionaires had an agreement with the federal government that gives Commissionaires the first right of refusal for security at federal buildings for government departments. The government decided that policy will end in April 2027, with a clear lack of justification for doing so. The abolition of this agreement would cost Commissionaires up to $330 million and put the employment of thousands of our veterans in jeopardy.

The undersigned citizens of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to revoke its decision to end Commissionaires' 80-year preferential contract entitlement on federal security guard contracts. This is important for veterans across the country. I so submit.