Laurel Collins

[Committees of the House, November 26th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, like the member, I was shocked to learn that CBC chose to hire a company from Paris to avoid the Quebec accent. Quebec has a world-class industry. It is ridiculous that this was not done in Quebec.

I was also shocked to learn that CBC executives received multi-million dollar bonuses while laying off workers. The Conservatives want to slash and gut the CBC and reduce funding for public broadcasting. This is the Conservatives' partisan objective.

That said, the Liberals continue to give ammunition to the Conservatives. The Liberal Privy Council approved these multi-million dollar bonuses. The Conservatives want to cut CBC funding. We, the New Democrats, want to invest and fix these problems.

Could the member speak about the need to stop paying multi-million dollar bonuses to executives and use that money to invest in local journalism?

[Committees of the House, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I am wondering if the member was as shocked as I was about CBC executives getting millions of dollars in bonuses while laying off workers. Conservatives want to cut and gut the CBC. They want to defund it, which serves their partisan interests, especially in a world of misinformation and disinformation, but why is the Liberal government giving them ammunition? The Privy Council approved those bonuses.

Our public broadcaster serves an invaluable purpose in Canada, but it is also accountable to Canadians. While Conservatives want to cut and gut the CBC, New Democrats want to invest in it. Would the member agree that we should stop handing out multi-million dollar bonuses and invest that in local journalism?

[Committees of the House, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I am deeply concerned and curious about how the member responds to English-speaking Canadians, the many in my riding of Victoria but also those across Canada, who value the CBC for its English-language content and Canadian content, especially given that defunding it would clear the way for flagrantly partisan news outlets like Rebel News and True North. It seems self-interested for the Conservatives to want to defund an organization combatting misinformation, especially given the election of Trump and the spread of disinformation across North America and around the world.

I am curious about how the member responds to the concerns of Canadians who do not want to see the CBC defunded.

[International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to recognize the incredible work of members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and to echo two of their calls to action.

I met with IBEW Local 230, which opposes the government's decision to end apprenticeship incentive and completion grants. The grants are set to expire in March, while apprentices across the country are facing rising costs. Without this support, housing and infrastructure projects could face delays, as these workers do vital work across Canada. The IBEW is also urging the federal government to increase all student bursaries, which have remained stagnant for almost 25 years.

Apprentices are the lowest-paid blue-collar workers, yet their overall value and impact on the Canadian economy are monumental. To secure Canada's future skilled labour force, we must remove barriers and invest in workers today.

[Privilege, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the Conservatives are taking advice from Thomas Mulcair now.

[Privilege, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, on the point of order that my hon. colleague from Timmins—James Bay raised, when inaccurate information is repeatedly put on the record, which has been the case with the Conservatives time and time again, House of Commons Procedure and Practice, chapter 3, says, “It is impossible to codify all incidents which might be interpreted as matters of obstruction, interference [and so on].... However, some matters found to be prima facie include the...provision of misleading information”, which I think this is an example of now.

[Petitions, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the final petition is on parental alienation.

Petitioners describe how parental alienation is a discredited theory used in family courts to undermine survivors of family violence and undermine children's wishes. It has disproportionate impacts on the safety of women and children. The petitioners note that over 250 feminist and women's organizations, along with the United Nations, are urging the government to legislate protections against parental alienation claims in family courts. This would provide supports for survivors of gender-based violence. They are calling on the Minister of Justice and Attorney General to amend the Divorce Act to protect against these claims in parental disputes.

[Petitions, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the third petition is on international human rights.

The petitioners note that Canadians are calling on the government because Canadian companies are contributing to global human rights abuses and environmental harms. Protesters, particularly indigenous peoples and marginalized groups, face violence overseas because of the actions of Canadian companies and those companies involved in Canadian supply chains. Canada encourages but does not require companies to prevent these harms. The petitioners are calling on the House of Commons to mandate companies to prevent harm in their global operations, assess their impact, provide remedies and face consequences for negligence. Affected individuals should be allowed to seek justice in Canadian courts.

[Petitions, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by nearly 5,000 petitioners.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to look at the issue of emissions from the agricultural sector in Canada; these emissions are second only to those of oil and gas. The petitioners note that reducing animal food consumption can help meet our climate targets.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to educate Canadians on plant-based diets, source more plant-based foods in federal programs and support sustainable farming.

[Petitions, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present four petitions.

The first petition is on air pollution. The petitioners recognize that fossil fuel consumption is a public health issue, causing 34,000 premature deaths annually in Canada. They highlight that Canada restricts advertising for tobacco, gambling, alcohol and pharmaceuticals to protect public health. Fossil fuel advertising misleads the public about the health harms of climate change, delaying climate action and the transition to cleaner energy.

To protect public health, the petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to ban fossil fuel advertising, sponsorship and promotion.