Garnett Genuis

[Petitions, October 1st, 2025]

Mr. Speaker, second, I am tabling a petition that raises significant concern about the existing euthanasia laws in Canada and in particular their pernicious effect on the quality of life of Canadians living with disabilities.

The petitioners observe that the existing euthanasia regime in Canada tacitly endorses the notion that life with disability is optional and by extension disposable. They note that offering medical assistance in dying, or euthanasia, as a “solution for disability or chronic illness” reduces incentives to improve treatment and care for those living with these conditions.

Finally, petitioners observe that disability advocates in Canada have uniformly expressed opposition to so-called “track 2” MAID.

Therefore, petitioners would like to see this House and the government protect all Canadians whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable by prohibiting euthanasia for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.

[Petitions, October 1st, 2025]

Mr. Speaker, I join colleagues today in tabling a petition raising concern about a proposal from the Liberal-dominated finance committee to strip charitable status from all houses of worship. This was, in particular, recommendation 430.

The removal of charitable status from houses of worship would affect churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, gurdwaras and all houses of worship by removing “promotion of religion” as a legitimate purpose under charities law, and this would also result in a confiscation tax. The removal of charitable status, as recommended in recommendation 430, would lead to a confiscation tax, which would require these houses of worship to hand over their property to the government.

The member for Winnipeg North seems to think that this is a ridiculous proposal. He should talk to the Liberals on the finance committee. He should read that report, because it is a clear recommendation. It is one that Conservatives oppose, but it is one that, sadly, Liberals supported.

The petitioners call on this House and on the government to reject recommendation 430 and to protect freedom of religion and recognize the positive contribution of faith communities in this country.

[Employment, September 24th, 2025]

Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate what a difficult job the hon. member for Winnipeg North has. He spent the last 10 years defending every aspect of the Trudeau government, and now he is here as the spokesman for this promise, attesting that his government will fix the problems that his government created. I do not think that the Liberal fixes to Liberal problems are going to work either. They have created new bureaucracies to identify as priorities some projects that were already under way.

Fundamentally, when it comes to unemployment, I will just say this: The proof will be in the results. If we include the self-employed, there were over 100,000 jobs lost last month. That is long post Trudeau, and our economy continues to shed jobs. It continues on the same trajectory.

At what point will the member realize that we continue to see the loss of many jobs and we continue to see high unemployment? At some point, will he recognize that what they are doing is not working?

[Employment, September 24th, 2025]

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals are desperate to defend their jobs, my question tonight is about the jobs of the many unemployed Canadians who are desperately looking for jobs and cannot find them.

We have a serious unemployment crisis in this country that is particularly affecting young Canadians. The unemployment rate has been continuously going up over the last three years. It has now hit 7.1%, but the youth unemployment rate is really at catastrophic levels, at 14.5%. Many young people are desperately looking for jobs and are unable to find them.

This is a continuation of a trend that has been going on for the last three years. We have been regularly highlighting the problem of the jobs crisis and calling on the government to have a plan of some kind and present a plan. In particular, as part of that plan, it should reverse some of the policies it has put in place that have led us to this point.

Under the current government, things have gotten so much more difficult when it comes to investing, building a business, growing a business and employing Canadians. Many barriers have been put in place that block economic development. We have seen this especially in the area of natural resource development, but in other areas as well.

The government has continuously put roadblocks in place that have undermined the competitiveness of our economy. The result of that is that it is harder to start and grow a business, and therefore fewer jobs are being created. When it comes to addressing this unemployment crisis, a critical priority needs to be removing the barriers that prevent economic development and unleashing economic opportunity.

A second area where we see major problems in the government's policy is immigration. It has allowed, in particular, temporary migration to get completely out of control. Even within the intended parameters, there has been rampant abuse of the temporary foreign worker program. We have inland asylum claimants who are forced to wait years and years before their claims are evaluated. I have dealt with instances of fake college acceptance letters being used as a tool for immigration. Sometimes students have been deceived by unscrupulous consultants, and the students thought they were coming to study somewhere here when they were not.

There has been a lack of enforcement, a lack of administrative competence and a lack of prudence when it comes to immigration. This has led to an unprecedented spike in temporary migration, and it is affecting youth employment numbers.

We also continue to see a failure of the government to recognize the importance of ensuring that training aligns with the needs of our labour market. The Conservatives have emphasized the value and dignity of all work. We have celebrated work in the trades and the natural resource sector, and we have encouraged policies, such as increases in funding for UTIP, that align training investments with the needs of the labour market.

These are some of the things we have put forward as concrete, positive proposals to address the unemployment crisis, and the best we hear from the government is that it is increasing public subsidies for the Canada summer jobs program. In reality, the increase in public subsidies being proposed is a drop in the bucket compared to the vast unemployment numbers we are dealing with.

We in the opposition have talked about what our plan and proposals are. I would like to know what the government's plan is for dealing with this escalating unemployment crisis.

[Combatting Hate Crime, September 24th, 2025]

Mr. Speaker, I will try to quickly get in two questions for the member about this legislation.

First, has the government engaged with the Hindu community and other communities that use symbols that look like symbols that have an association, in other contexts, with hate but are used in a very different way in their tradition? We want to protect the freedoms of those communities that understand similar looking symbols in very different ways.

Second, I wonder if the member can comment on the significant violence we have seen targeting the Christian community, the burning of churches, and what the government's response, or lack of response, has been to the number of churches that have been vandalized or completely destroyed during the Liberals' tenure in office.

[Petitions, September 24th, 2025]

Madam Speaker, the next petition I am tabling draws attention to past and ongoing abuses of human rights targeting the Hazara community in Afghanistan. The petitioners cite some of the history around the various genocides that have affected the Hazara people in Afghanistan and further describe more recent abuses. They also note the close tie between Canada and Afghanistan, shaped by the sacrifice made by many brave Canadian soldiers in fighting for the freedom of that country, as well as the resources that were invested. The petitioners are deeply concerned about the present situation facing the Hazara people under the Taliban occupation of that country.

The ask in this particular petition includes recognizing the past genocides of the Hazaras and designating September 25 as Hazara genocide memorial day.

[Petitions, September 24th, 2025]

Madam Speaker, the next petition I am tabling is in support of Bill C-257. This is what the petition says, although I will note that it is from the last Parliament. It is a bill I had tabled to add political belief or activity as prohibited grounds of discrimination to the Human Rights Act.

The petition notes that Canadians have a right to be protected against discrimination and that it is a fundamental right to be politically active and vocal. Furthermore, it is in the best interests of Canadian democracy that we protect the free exchange of ideas and do not allow a situation in which people are punished by their employers for presenting political opinions or engaging in political activity their employer does not agree with.

The petitioners want to see the House support Bill C-257, as it previously existed, and defend the rights of Canadians to peacefully express their political opinions.

[Petitions, September 24th, 2025]

Madam Speaker, the next petition deals with the issue of euthanasia and, in particular, highlights concerns that have been raised by those living with disabilities. The petitioners are very concerned that in the context of a lack of available services and treatments for people in various situations, euthanasia does not present itself as a real choice but is offered in the absence of alternative kinds of supports.

The petitioners argue that allowing medical assistance in dying for those with disabilities or chronic illness devalues their lives, tacitly endorsing the idea that life with disability is optional and by extension dispensable.

The petitioners are concerned about us having an ableist health care system where the lives of those with disabilities are seen as not worth living. They note that many disability advocates in Canada have expressed opposition to the expansions contained in the government's previous bill, Bill C-7.

The petitioners therefore call on the government to protect all Canadians whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable by prohibiting medical assistance in dying for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.

[Petitions, September 24th, 2025]

Madam Speaker, the next petition I am tabling is related to the worsening human rights situation in North Korea. The petitioners note many grave violations of human rights in this petition, including prioritization of food distribution to those considered useful to the survival of the current political systems, with those deemed expendable facing deprivation, and a vast security apparatus associated with all kinds of oppression, public execution, forced imprisonment of citizens in political prison camps, terrorizing the population into submission, the state-sponsored abduction of citizens of other nations, etc.

Further, the petitioners raise concern about how the People's Republic of China has disregarded or ignored recommendations from the UN Commission of Inquiry regarding North Korean defectors and other issues, including not sending people back to North Korea, as well as allowing the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other humanitarian organizations full access to North Korean defectors and other supports that are important for those who have fled North Korea.

The petitioners, therefore, call on the Government of Canada to take action in regard to these human rights abuses and to table regular reports in Parliament on the situation of human rights in North Korea, including the state of political prison camps and correctional labour camps. They call on the government to provide updates on the status and challenges faced by North Korean defectors in China and elsewhere and ask that Canadian policies toward North Korean defectors provide support to those defectors and refugee claimants.

They want to see Canada engage actively with international organizations and foreign governments to press the PRC to allow safe passage for North Korean refugees to South Korea, where they are recognized as citizens, and to establish initiatives to support the promotion of human rights in North Korea and aid defectors without specifying a particular legislative structure. The measures can include monitoring and reporting on human rights in North Korea, supporting North Korean defectors in other regions, developing strategies for Canada to assist in protecting North Korean citizens from crimes against humanity and supporting international efforts to safeguard the people of North Korea from crimes against humanity and promote political freedom, including through dialogue with relevant organizations and governments.

I thank members of the Canadian Korean community, who worked hard on bringing this petition to the attention of the House.

[Petitions, September 24th, 2025]

Madam Speaker, I have a number of petitions to present to the House today.

The first petition comes from people in my riding, particularly those connected with Elk Island Catholic Schools, who are raising concern about changes in federal funding around Jordan's principle. They note that first nations children living off-reserve are no longer eligible to receive funding through Jordan's principle at the federal level, per the most recent operational bulletin, which states, “Supports to school boards off-reserve and private schools will be redirected to provincial school boards, or other existing provincial and federally-funded programs.”

Students who accessed funding in previous years to support psycho-educational assessment, educational assistants and program support are no longer eligible to receive these supports, and this means a significant loss of support for Elk Island Catholic off-reserve first nation students. The petitioners contend that the decision to remove these supports is discriminatory to those students who have benefited from Jordan's principle and is out of line with the intent of the principle itself.

The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to review and approve provincial education supports through Jordan's principle to students living off-reserve.