Bill Casey

[Committees of the House, September 28th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Health in relation to Bill C-224, an act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (assistance — drug overdose).

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report it back to the House without amendment.

[Veterans Affairs, June 17th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, as many know, there is an allied veteran of the Norwegian navy in Halifax seeking long-term care.

We promised Canadians that we would repair the damaged relationship with our veterans. Can the government assure Nova Scotia members of Parliament and this House that every measure is in place for this veteran and all veterans like him?

[Petitions, June 16th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to present to the House of Commons an electronic petition initiated by veteran David Palmer, calling on the Government of Canada to re-establish a Canadian military volunteer service medal, which was previously awarded but cancelled in 1947. The petition has garnered almost 3,600 signatures from every province and territory in the country, and thousands more in hard copy.

At this time, I would like to commend Mr. Palmer for his many years of dedication and commitment to veterans and to his efforts to re-establish this medal.

[Committees of the House, June 15th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following reports from the Standing Committee on Health from the 41st Parliament.

The first report is entitled, “Vaping: Toward a Regulatory Framework for E-cigarettes” and the second report is entitled, “Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation and the Health of Canadians”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a response to each of these reports.

Again, these are from the 41st Parliament and I want to congratulate the members for the work done in the last Parliament.

[Softwood Lumber, May 31st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, for over 25 years, the Canadian and United States governments have recognized that Atlantic Canada's softwood lumber industry is unique in Canada. Most Atlantic timberland is privately owned and forestry practices are exactly the same as they are in the U.S. That is why, at every stage of the softwood lumber agreements made between the U.S. and Canada, Atlantic Canadian lumber has been excluded from duties.

With the expiration of the last softwood lumber agreement, Atlantic Canadian woodlot owners, sawmills, and harvesters are looking for certainty that their businesses will continue to receive fair treatment. Hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs in Atlantic Canada depend on this industry.

I urge the Minister of International Trade to ensure that any softwood lumber agreement in the future continues to exclude Atlantic Canadian products from tariffs.

[Brain Tumour Awareness Month, May 13th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the month of May is Brain Tumour Awareness Month in Canada. It is a time to reflect on and bring attention to the estimated 55,000 Canadians living with a brain tumour.

Brain tumours continue to afflict too many Canadians, and particularly hard hit are children and infants. One of those victims was Brandon Dempsey, who passed away at the age of 18 after a long battle to survive.

Brandon's incredible determination and courage inspired my motion M-235 that passed in the House on February 14, 2007. The motion called on the government to implement a national strategy to count and classify malignant and non-malignant brain tumours, as both can have profound effects.

I encourage the government to continue efforts to ensure that motion M-235 achieves all the results hoped for by Brandon Dempsey when the motion passed.

In the meantime, many other significant advancements have been achieved and there is great hope for more progress in the years to come.

[Criminal Code, April 21st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the member for London North Centre for his work in bringing this legislation forward. He has been very determined and committed on this.

Perhaps a lot of people have not heard of the term “non-state torture”, but I was introduced to it by two incredible women in my riding, Linda MacDonald and Jeanne Sarson, both of whom are nurses. They are the founders of an organization called Persons Against Non-State Torture. They came to my office years ago, and since then I have tried to help them in any way I can to raise public awareness on this issue. These women are tireless. They are committed. They will leave no stone unturned to make progress in this mission.

I will mention some of the things I know these two incredible women have done in the interest of raising awareness about non-state torture and trying to make progress on the issue.

They have come to this Parliament and made presentations to the Standing Committee on Human Rights. They have spoken at several universities. They have been invited by the United Nations twice at two different locations to make presentations on non-state torture. These women have made presentations in several states in the U.S. They have been to Geneva, Switzerland to make a presentation. In London they spoke at the Feminism in London conference about the non-state torture aspect of the impact on women and girls. They have made submissions to the federal U.S. State Department. They have been on CBC and many other media. They have made submissions to Australia, New Zealand, and Edinburgh. They have been on op eds and news articles.

These women, as I mentioned, are tireless. They have been doing this over many years and mostly at their own expense.

The fact that all of these organizations are interested in hearing from them to me justifies us studying the bill at committee. Both of these women have spent their lives helping others as nurses, volunteers and advocates for victims of torture. They are incredible people and I am grateful to them for teaching me about non-state torture.

They have pointed out to me that victims of non-state torture know that torture is distinct from assault. It is delivered in a prolonged and dehumanizing nature. The impact of non-state torture is usually on women and girls, and it is usually permanent. It is different from almost any other.

I call on the government to work with the hon. member for London North Centre to acknowledge the unique and terrible impact of non-state torture. The member says that he is open to amendments so let us get the legislation to justice committee. I support it going to justice committee, and I thank the member for bringing this forth.

I also thank Jeanne Sarson and Linda MacDonald for their tireless work on this very focused human rights issue.

[Criminal Code, April 21st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the member for London North Centre, who has worked very hard on this bill. He is truly motivated by the highest standards and his dedication to human rights. I am moved by his focus on this bill and his intent and determination.

I support the bill, but I would like clarification. The member said that he was open to amendments, but perhaps he could elaborate on the extent of amendments. Some people do not support the bill as it is. It is a very meaningful bill that would have a lot of impact. However, if members have concerns, would the member consider amendments when it goes to the justice committee?

I hope to participate in the debate later on, but I want to clarify that one point on potential amendments.

[Debert, Nova Scotia, April 20th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, in 1948, Paleo-Indian artifacts were discovered near the airfield in Debert, Nova Scotia. Subsequent excavations have revealed thousands of artifacts, and radiocarbon dating indicates that the community was inhabited around 13 and a half thousand years ago. This makes Debert the oldest known human settlement in Canada.

This is a special place, a place of national significance both to Canada and to the Mi'kmaq. Unfortunately, many of those important artifacts are now in storage, including at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, unseen by Canadians. It is our goal that a properly curated museum can be created with the help of the federal government and the Mi'kmaq to ensure the story of the first settlement in Canada can be preserved and indeed celebrated.

[Situation in Indigenous Communities, April 12th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I was elected 28 years ago, and one of the first debates we had was the debate that we are having tonight about the plight of aboriginals.

I remember exactly what the prime minister of the day said at the time in this building. He said that we could all go home that weekend and try to think of a way to harm our aboriginals, because we could not do any worse than what we had done over the last 100 years.

It was 28 years ago that we had that debate, and we are here now having the same debate again. I believe we have an opportunity, and every single one of us has to be committed to this. Every single one of us has to help the ministers involved.

I believe we have the right ministers. I believe our Minister of Health is committed and able to do this. I believe our Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs is the most passionate in the House.

My question is for every one of us. Are we ready to help? Are we ready to do something so that we do not do this in another 28 years, so that we do not have this debate in another eight years? That is my question for all of us, and not for the ministers.