John Aldag

[Criminal Code, May 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today in support of Bill C-14, an act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other acts, also known as medical assistance in dying. In January, I was appointed to the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying and I was honoured for the opportunity to be part of this important discussion in Canadian society.

Over the span of a couple of months, my fellow committee members and I spent a lot of time working to understand the complex issue of medical assistance in dying. We discussed, we debated, and we even disagreed on a few issues, but in the end we drafted a report that I thought was the best possible solution for this complex social and legal issue.

Drafting any legislation can be difficult, but it becomes especially difficult when its title includes death or dying. It is a topic that most of us are sensitive toward and many have difficulty confronting.

Within the special joint committee we dealt head-on with a number of difficult issues and were immersed in them for six weeks. We reviewed reports by the provincial and territorial expert advisory panel on physician-assisted dying. We heard from health care regulatory bodies throughout Canada and the federal external panel on options for a legislative response to Carter v. Canada, to name a few.

We had the challenging task of grappling with the major issues touched on by Bill C-14, which include the availability of medical assistance in dying for mature minors or for patients with mental illness, advance consent, conscientious objection, and inevitably ensuring that adequate safeguards were in place to protect the vulnerable.

On February 25, the special joint committee reported back to Parliament where the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Health took the report into consideration and began drafting Bill C-14, which is what I am here to discuss today.

Bill C-14 reflects a number of recommendations made by the special joint committee and these include six main points: allowing both euthanasia and assisted suicide; making it available to permanent residents of Canada, so as not to encourage what some have coined as “suicide or death tourism”; requiring a written request for medical assistance in dying; requiring two witnesses during the time of request; requiring confirmation from two doctors or nurse practitioners that the person making the request meets all of the criteria for medical assistance in dying; and requiring a mandatory statutory review.

The key message I have taken from this very difficult discussion that I was part of and that Canadians are now joining, is that this has to be a patient-centred discussion. I encourage all parliamentarians to set aside personal values and beliefs and focus on what is in the best interests of patients. Medical assistance in dying is, and should only be, about the patient.

Upon reflection on our committee work, I now realize that the committee managed to develop a higher level of comfort with this difficult topic than is held by most Canadians at this point in the public discourse on medical assistance in dying. I am glad to see that the government took the overarching perspective of Canadians into consideration and is willing to use this legislation as a stepping stone for further studies and future revisitation.

In the past few months I have hosted and co-hosted medical assistance in dying town halls. I have spoken directly to my constituents. I have listened to the concerns of my constituents and of many Canadians around the country, and just last week, there was a demonstration for Bill C-14 held at my constituency office. I have heard the positive, the negative, the concerns, and the support, and although I fully support this legislation, I believe there are a few voids that have yet to be filled.

First, during the demonstration last week, important criteria, or better yet lack of criteria, of the bill were brought into question. How does one maintain safeguards when dealing with non-medical personnel? Bill C-14 ensures protections are met for non-medical personnel who participate in medical assistance in dying, including those who aid a person at that person's explicit request to self-administer a substance prescribed as part of the provision of medical assistance in dying, by amending section 241 of the Criminal Code, and introducing proposed section 227 to allow medical assistance in dying if the appropriate conditions are met.

However, what is being done to ensure that non-medical personnel are in fact following the guidelines required by medical assistance in dying? For instance, right before the time of administering the lethal prescription, a patient must be asked whether they would like to continue with medical assistance in dying, but how do we know that these independent individuals are in fact asking this question, among others? How do we know that the individual will not take advantage of the situation or the vulnerable position that the patient is in? These are questions my constituents would like to see addressed.

Second, I recently spoke to someone who was heavily involved in the Carter v. Canada case, who was wondering whether Kay Carter herself would have qualified for medical assistance in dying given the legislation being discussed today. I have read articles stating that she would have been, because she met the criteria for eligibility. However, would health care practitioners consistently agree that Kay Carter would indeed have qualified under this legislation?

The part that I am finding difficult to grasp, for Kay Carter and many others, is the ambiguity of the criterion for imminent death. How do we know that individuals would not be turned away from the service of medical assistance in dying because of the vague nature of this criterion? Who would be responsible for deciding the criteria for imminent death? Will there be inconsistencies in the definition of imminent death? How will we, as a society, address these?

Last, the hard timeline between the date of request and the day on which medical assistance in dying would be provided was yet another point of concern. Many constituents have expressed concerns that this may lead to the hastening of death because the timeline is simply too short. The special joint committee had recommended a flexible waiting period, which would depend on the nature of the illness as opposed to just an imminent death. It was suggested that imminence and competence not be the only factors in determining the timeline, but much rather the rapidity of progression and nature of the patient's medical condition be used when determining the reflection period.

These are a few pieces of the proposed legislation that my constituents and I feel need to be clarified and tightened before the final legislation is created for June 6.

However, I also want to acknowledge that the legislation has done a great job in addressing a number of concerns that have been conveyed by my constituents and many others. For instance, the first misconception I would like to clear up is that Bill C-14 does not address the conscientious objections of medical personnel. It does. There is nothing in the proposed legislation that would compel a health care provider to provide medical assistance in dying or refer a patient to another medical practitioner. Balancing the rights of medical providers and those of patients is generally a matter of provincial and territorial responsibility, and we need to respect that. However, that being said, the federal government has committed to work with the provinces and territories to support access to medical assistance in dying while respecting the personal convictions of health care providers.

Bill C-14 also recognizes the autonomy of persons who have a grievous and irremediable medical condition that causes them enduring and intolerable suffering and who wish to seek medical assistance in dying, while recognizing the importance of protecting the vulnerable and ensuring adequate safeguards are in place.

Over the past four months, I have encountered a wide variety of perspectives about this complex and difficult issue. Some have been extremely restrictive, while others have been extremely permissive. Some believe the legislation would go too far, while others believe it would not go far enough.

I believe Bill C-14 is an important first step in Canada. It is cautious, even conservative legislation, but it will provide a necessary first response to the Carter decision along with a commitment to continue studying the effects and revisiting important issues of medical assistance in dying in the future.

Ultimately, when it comes to Bill C-14, I would like to see the voids found within the legislation addressed prior to June 6, and I intend to support Bill C-14. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the House to support the rights of Canadians, and to put patients first by supporting this bill.

[Volunteerism, May 2nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I recently met two amazing volunteers in Langley City.

The first is Pauline Knight, who turned 100 in February. Pauline still volunteers for the Langley Senior Resources Society in Langley City, as she has done for 24 years.

The second volunteer is Rob Ross. Children have always been important to Mr. Ross. As a retired teacher and principal, along with being a father to his own children, Mr. Ross became a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Langley 40 years ago. Since that time he has made the difference in the lives of an astounding 14 “littles”, many of whom still play an important part in Rob's life.

Speaking of volunteers, Mr. Speaker, I invite you, my colleagues, and all Canadians to enjoy our community Cloverdale style. The 70th annual Cloverdale Rodeo, the second-largest community rodeo in Canada, and 128th Country Fair, run from May 20 to 23. With all the components of a great community celebration supported by countless volunteers, there will be activities for all ages and interests.

[Citizenship Act, March 10th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the issue of language is something I have heard about from many of my constituents. By reducing the age requirements, we would be able to allow older family members to come and join their families. We know that they can contribute to the functioning of our society, our families, can help with child care and other tasks, and can learn the language through other means. This will allow those family members to be reunited, to support their families in Canada, and to become functioning members of Canadian society.

[Citizenship Act, March 10th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the minister spoke in the House about the need to improve the processing times. We saw them languish under the previous government. We are committed to helping immigrants attain their citizenship as expeditiously as possible.

The idea of being able to move through the application process will be addressed in some ways through the changes in Bill C-6. There are other administrative changes that our minister has committed to doing. I look forward to seeing those implemented so we can allow immigrants to become Canadian citizens as quickly as possible.

[Citizenship Act, March 10th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, governments change and times change. We are committed under this bill to ensuring that Canadians are able to get their citizenship as quickly as possible under the rules that we have established.

We have taken off 14 years under the current legislation. We feel it is important to help those citizens go through the requirements, to meet the new requirements, and then to get their citizenship, so we can move away from the idea of a hyphenated Canadian and have everyone become one class of citizen, a Canadian.

[Citizenship Act, March 10th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, to reiterate, I will be sharing my time with the member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel.

Bill C-6 also contains provisions to repeal the current intent to reside requirement for citizenship. The previous government's legislation required adult applicants to formally declare that they intend to continue to reside in Canada after being granted citizenship. This has created great concern among some new Canadians. They fear that their citizenship could be revoked if they move outside of Canada, regardless of the rationale for moving. In light of today's global economy, we require flexibility in the movement of our citizens around the globe, without the threat of losing the highly desired Canadian citizenship that we all cherish.

This government respects this right to move outside of Canada, which is guaranteed under section 6 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is something that all Canadians should be allowed to do without fear or repercussion.

Another proposed change in this bill is the provision to help immigrants achieve citizenship more quickly. Currently, the Citizenship Act requires applicants to be physically present in Canada for four of the six years immediately prior to applying for citizenship. Our government is proposing to reduce this time. Prior to submitting an application for citizenship, an applicant would be required to be physically present for three out of the preceding five years. Essentially, applicants could apply one year sooner than they can now. This would offer more flexibility for immigrants who may need to travel outside of Canada for personal or work reasons.

Furthermore, since the first Citizenship Act of 1947, citizenship applicants have been required to have a reasonable knowledge of English or French and an understanding of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. However, the previous government's changes to the Citizenship Act expanded the age range of applicants who must meet the language and knowledge requirements from those aged 18 to 54 to ages 14 to 64. This added an additional 14 years to the age range affected by this language requirement.

Our government is proposing to reinstate the former age requirement, eliminating a potential barrier to citizenship. For younger applicants, learning English or French and having an adequate knowledge of Canada can be achieved through schooling. For those applicants in the older age group, language skills and information about Canada are offered through our wide range of integration and community services. All applicants between the ages of 18 and 54 would still be required to provide evidence of their ability to understand and converse in English or French. Similarly, they would continue to be required to pass a knowledge test about Canada. That requires applicants to have a firm understanding of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, with a slightly lesser focus on the War of 1812 than currently exists.

I heard over and over again from immigrants who arrived in the 1970s and 1980s that they do not consider themselves to be hyphenated Canadians. They consider themselves Canadians, as do I. They were horrified and terrified that they could be targeted for deportation by their own government. This government wants that to change. A Canadian is a Canadian and will always be a Canadian under the changes proposed in this bill.

Our government is proposing to make it easier for immigrants to build successful lives in Canada, reunite families, and help strengthen the economic foundation to the benefit of all Canadians. Bill C-6 would credit time spent as a non-permanent resident toward the new three-year physical presence requirement for citizenship, for up to one year. This proposed change would allow any person authorized to be in Canada as a temporary resident or a protected person to count a day spent in Canada as a half day towards meeting the physical presence requirement for citizenship.

Last week, I spoke with an immigrant about the anticipated changes to the Citizenship Act. This woman has been in Canada for four years, two years as a student and two years on a work permit. She is committed to Canada and to becoming Canadian. She was happy to know that some of her time spent in Canada would now count toward her citizenship requirements. As in the case of this woman, the time credit would encourage skilled individuals to come to Canada to study or work, and would benefit groups like protected persons, and parents and grandparents on visitor visas.

I can also confirm that the changes proposed by Bill C-6 will not compromise the security of Canadians. In fact, there are several provisions in this bill that would strengthen the fair application of the right to become a Canadian citizen and provide protection against abuse of the process to do so. For instance, the Citizenship Act currently prohibits a person under a probation order, on parole, or incarcerated from being granted citizenship, or from counting that time toward meeting the physical presence requirements for citizenship.

However, these current prohibitions do not include conditional sentences served in Canada; that is, sentences served in the community with conditions. As a result, an applicant who is sentenced to a conditional sentence order could conceivably be granted citizenship, or could count that time toward meeting the physical presence requirements. The amendments in the bill would change that for both new applications and those still being processed.

Another provision relates to the requirement to maintain the conditions for citizenship until taking the oath, which I might digress, will respect the court's decision on appropriate attire.

Under provisions of the previous government's Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, applicants were not permitted to take the oath of citizenship if, in between the time the decision to grant citizenship and the time to take the oath, a period that is typically two to three months, they no longer met the requirements.

Let me make one last case. At present, citizenship officers do not have the authority to seize fraudulent documents. Bill C-6 would change that.

I remind the House that one of the most effective tools for achieving successful integration into Canadian life is by achieving Canadian citizenship. The bill would ensure that any and all who become Canadian citizens are treated equally under the law, whether they are born in Canada, naturalized in Canada, or hold a dual citizenship.

[Citizenship Act, March 10th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, I will begin by noting that I will be sharing my time with the member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of Bill C-6, an act to amend the Citizenship Act.

During the time leading up to the election on October 19, 2015, I heard many concerns from residents of Cloverdale—Langley City about the changes that the previous government had made to the Citizenship Act, and since this government was elected on October 19, with part of our election platform being to make changes to the Citizenship Act, I have heard from many constituents inquiring as to when these changes will occur.

The bill represents an important reminder of this government's commitment to a diverse and inclusive Canada. It recognizes the contribution that new Canadians make to this great country each and every day.

The proposed changes in Bill C-6 would provide greater flexibility for applicants trying to meet the requirements for citizenship. It would help immigrants obtain citizenship faster and it would repeal provisions of the Citizenship Act that allow citizenship to be revoked from citizens who engage in certain acts against the national interest.

I can tell members that citizenship is an issue of critical importance to my constituents in Cloverdale—Langley City, many of whom are immigrants who have achieved citizenship and are exceedingly proud of their status as Canadians. They are proud of what being a Canadian means for them and their families.

I have heard from recent immigrants about their fears of losing their Canadian citizenship. They saw how the rules of citizenship could be changed by a stroke of the government's pen. Members of diverse communities were horrified, even terrified, that they would be targeted for deportation by their own government.

In May 2015, under the previous government's Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, legislative changes were created to allow citizenship to be revoked from dual citizens. The legislative changes allowed citizenship to be taken away for certain acts against the national interest of Canada. Convictions for terrorism, high treason, treason, spying offences, or membership in an organized group engaged in armed conflict with Canada were grounds for revocation. Citizens felt threatened and under attack by these changes.

I also heard from Canadians who have been Canadians for decades but who still hold citizenship from other countries and had passed this dual citizenship on to their children. They too are horrified, even terrified, that not only they but their children could be targeted for deportation by their own government under the rules set by the previous Conservative government.

Bill C-6 would repeal these grounds for deportation. This government believes that the Canadian justice system is fully capable of administering justice, protecting the public interest, and holding individuals accountable for their actions.

However, the value, the strength, and the iconic symbolism of Canadian citizenship would remain intact under Bill C-6. The bill would continue to provide the ability to revoke citizenship when it was wrongfully obtained. False representation, fraud, or knowingly concealing material circumstances remain grounds for revocation.

Madam Speaker, I will continue my speech after question period and will share my time, as I have mentioned.

[Medical Residents, February 19th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, in the coming weeks, Canadian medical students will hear news of their residency placements.

This week is national residents week that recognizes the contributions of more than 9,000 medical residents who are a valued and critical part of Canadian health care delivery.

Residency sees newly minted doctors move from medical school to advanced training in their chosen specialty. Residency is an important part of our country's training for emerging physicians.

I can speak to the demands of residency programs, having watched my wife go through the rigors of residency several years back. My wife's program involved an entirely female cohort of eight residents in Chilliwack, B.C. Our family, including our three young children, met these female colleagues on several occasions.

We finally had an opportunity to meet the second year residents who included several men. My five-year-old daughter was perplexed by this development, wondering if boys could also be doctors.

I commend the women and men who are currently in their residency programs across Canada. I look forward to seeing them successfully complete their training and join their colleagues in providing the excellent medical services that define part of who we are as Canadians.

[Parks Canada, February 16th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I worked in Parks Canada for over three decades where I managed the national historic sites program in my region.

I worked with communities to recognize persons, places and events that had profound importance to Canadians. Under the previous government, this program was neglected and caused a huge backlog in designations.

Would the Minister of Environment tell me what her plan is to deal with this issue?

[Infrastructure, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, last Monday the second Canadian infrastructure report card was released by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and partners. What that report card tells us is sobering—that fully one-third of all municipal infrastructure in Canada is in fair, poor, or very poor condition, and that figure includes much-needed transit assets.

Transit represents a significant investment for all Canadians, and we need to ensure that we allocate appropriate spending to keep Canadians moving. This is a particularly relevant issue in my region, which is in B.C.'s lower mainland, as we will be welcoming an estimated one million new residents and 600,000 new jobs by 2040. Investments in public transit not only help get people to their destinations quickly and efficiently but also support a competitive economy, a clean environment, and a higher quality of life.

I encourage all members of this House to work with other levels of government in Canada to invest in much-needed transit infrastructure, including the expansion of light rail transit to my riding of Cloverdale—Langley City.