Don Davies

[Petitions, June 2nd, 2026]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by over 30,000 Canadians who point out that the Canadian Charter of Rights exists to protect individuals and minority communities from discriminatory laws.

The petitioners are concerned about recent legislation enacted by the Government of Alberta and the Government of Saskatchewan that, in their view, restricts the rights, dignity and safety of transgender and gender-diverse people, particularly children and youth, including access to gender-affirming and medically appropriate health care.

The petitioners note that the provincial governments have invoked the notwithstanding clause to shield that legislation from judicial review, thus preventing charter challenges. The petitioners call on the House to urge the government to exercise its disallowance power under section 90 of the Constitution Act to better protect the rights of transgender and gender‑diverse people in Canada.

[Petitions, June 2nd, 2026]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today. The first is from the good people of Vancouver Kingsway.

Over 600 residents signed a petition pointing out that the military strikes on Iran have caused significant civilian casualties and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, water systems and heritage sites. They point out that the war threatens irreversible harm to the civilian population, including children, women and political prisoners, and poses grave risks to regional stability.

The petitioners want the House to know that Iran's future must be determined by Iranians themselves, free from both foreign military intervention and domestic repression. They are calling on the Canadian government to urgently advocate for an immediate ceasefire and an end to all military strikes on Iranian territory, and to use Canada's influence to facilitate a durable regional peace through multilateral engagement.

[Parliament of Canada Act, June 2nd, 2026]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑278, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation to address floor crossing, with thanks to the hon. member for Vancouver East for seconding.

It is elementary that, in a democracy, elections are the primary opportunity for voters to express their democratic choice. When parliamentarians cross the floor to join a different party from the one they were elected with, they unilaterally alter the will of their electors. The corrosive effects in our democracy are profound: Voters lose trust in elections, the prospect that MPs have been enticed by backroom deals emerges, and the idea that only government members get resources for their constituencies brings pork barrel politics to the table.

Recently, the very balance of power in the House was changed, not by voters at the ballot box but by political operatives in back rooms. While that may not be illegal, it is undeniably undemocratic.

The bill would not ban floor crossing nor the ability to sit as an independent member. The latter is a valid protection against party oppression and to preserve matters of conscience. The bill would simply require those members who wish to join another party's caucus to seek the approval of their constituents through a by‑election. If an MP who wishes to join another party believes they have valid reasons for doing so, they should have no problem putting that choice to the test of their voters, where it should be.

I urge all members to support this important measure to protect the democratic rights of Canadian voters.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Canada Labour Code, May 27th, 2026]

Madam Speaker, there is not a whole lot I can get in at this point with three minutes, but I will say that I am proud to rise as the labour critic for the NDP and to speak to the bill.

Prior to being elected, I spent 16 years working as the director of legal resources for the Teamsters Local No. 31. In that time period, I did not just walk picket lines, as my hon. colleague, the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader, said, but I negotiated collective agreements, I made applications to the labour board, I defended the right to strike, I prosecuted unfair labour practices and I did essential services designations. There was probably not a section of the Canada Labour Code that I did not deal with in those 16 years. This is not a theoretical exercise to me or to the millions of workers in this country. It affects their lives.

Here is what I know from that experience: One, collective bargaining is the foundation of union rights in this country. Two, the right of a worker to withdraw their services is a charter-protected strike.

I am surprised to see the Liberals so easily violate charter rights, because they themselves claim proudly that they are the party of the charter. As the party of the charter, eight times in the past two years, they have violated the charter rights as described by the Supreme Court of Canada. That is not an NDP position, but the highest court in the land that said that workers have the right to withdraw their services as a core expression of their right to free assembly and association. Eight times this government has ended that right by sending an email.

Now, my hon. colleague, the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader, is saying that NDP governments, in the past, have brought in back-to-work legislation. That is the democratic way to do it, after many days of labour action, and then back-to-work legislation is debated in the House. However, that is not what this government has done. The Liberals ended eight strikes by an email. When did they do it? It was 12 hours after the flight attendants at Air Canada went off the job, and 10 hours after the rail workers at CN and CP rail went off the job. They did not even wait a day for these workers to express their charter rights before they were violated. The only power labour has is the power to withdraw their services. That is it. If we interfere with that right, we interfere with the very foundation of collective bargaining.

Collective bargaining is a success in Canada, and 99% of collective agreements are resolved without a strike or lockout. They are resolved at the bargaining table. I have heard repeatedly from the government, and all members of the House, that the best agreements are agreements reached at the bargaining table. Do members know why they are reached at the bargaining table? It is because unions and employers have a tool—

[Business of Supply, May 26th, 2026]

Mr. Chair, why are the Liberals allowing companies to use surveillance pricing to harvest Canadians' personal data in order to charge them higher prices, instead of banning this new form of price gouging in an affordability crisis?

[Business of Supply, May 26th, 2026]

Mr. Chair, the government is slashing $60 billion across federal departments and programs. With over $2 billion in cuts to indigenous programs alone, what impact will these reductions have on communities already facing significant infrastructure and service gaps?

[Business of Supply, May 26th, 2026]

Mr. Chair, the government plans to spend 5% of Canada's GDP on defence by 2035. That is a greater share of our economy than the U.S. currently spends on its military. The PBO estimates that meeting this target will require $159 billion a year in core defence spending.

How does the government intend to pay for this dramatic increase?

[Business of Supply, May 26th, 2026]

Mr. Chair, in the last election the Liberals pledged to double Canada's rate of residential construction to 500,000 homes per year over the next decade, but according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the government will produce only 26,000 homes by 2030 through its flagship Build Canada Homes.

Can the Minister explain this massive gap between what was promised and what is being delivered with respect to affordable housing?

[Business of Supply, May 26th, 2026]

Mr. Chair, can the minister confirm if the Liberals are planning to eliminate pharmacare entirely when the current agreements expire in 2029?

[Business of Supply, May 26th, 2026]

Mr. Chair, the Prime Minister made a campaign promise to protect pharmacare and sign agreements with all outstanding provinces and territories, yet the government has refused to sign any new agreements or allocate funding to cover all Canadians.

Can the minister explain to the millions of people who cannot afford their medication why this promise has been broken?