Laurel Collins

[Environmentally Conscious Labelling, November 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, it is unclear how effective eco-labelling really is on influencing consumer behaviour and, ultimately, on reducing environmental impacts. A study from the U.K. ultimately recommended that companies be required to modify the source of their products rather than rely on consumer decisions.

Eco-labels could be good for consumer choice and demand for more sustainable products to help push producers to create more environmentally friendly products. My concern is the focus on the individual, especially when we have a government that recently put forward a climate bill that had no target for 2025 and no accountability for 10 years, that bought a pipeline and that has taken decades to modernize the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

The member opposite talked about eco-labels being inconsistent. The government is inconsistent and I am wondering how he stands behind that.

[Judges Act, November 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I have spoken to a number of people in my riding about this bill.

I have also spoken to sex workers who are disproportionately impacted by the stereotypes and prejudices in our justice system. What they said to me was that this kind of bill is very important, but they also want parliamentarians and politicians to start listening to sex workers, and to acknowledge that sex work is work.

I am wondering what the member's comments on that would be.

[Petitions, November 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, many of Canada's musicians and workers in the live music industry are facing extinction and need support, which is why I am glad to have the opportunity to present a petition from my constituents who value the important role of live music in our communities, cultures and our lives.

The petitioners are worried that many of our established musicians and live performance workers will be forced to leave their careers in the music industry and many young musicians and budding techs will never get a start. They are calling for guaranteed financial support for individual musicians and techs into the summer of 2021 to fund and extend the music ecosystem's support models, and to create project funds that go directly to musicians for developing music content through virtual platforms.

[The Environment, November 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, Canadians are tired of governments committing to weak targets and then missing them, again and again. They want action now, but the government keeps putting it off. Its new climate bill, while a small step in the right direction, just is not good enough. The world's top scientists have told us that we are running out of time, and the next decade will be the most critical.

Why did the government leave out the 2025 milestone target? Why is the government trying to avoid real accountability for a full decade, for the most critical 10 years?

[Post-Secondary Education, November 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, post-secondary students and recent graduates are still not getting the help they need. In my riding, many UVic and Camosun students have fallen through the cracks of the pandemic relief programs. They could not get summer jobs, and while the Liberal government helped out its friends, students got none of the $900 million set aside to help them.

To make things worse, while students are struggling to pay rent, the government has started collecting on student loans again and continues to make money off the backs of students by collecting millions by charging interest on student debt. As we face this second wave of COVID-19 across the country, the Liberals are still leaving students behind, and I want to give a shout-out to the Don't Forget Students campaign.

It is time for the government to live up to its promises and start listening to students.

[Broadcasting Act, November 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, workers in the broadcasting industry and our Canadian cultural workers are struggling. For many, time is running out.

Why does the bill punt the problem to the CRTC, which means it could take almost a year before we see any real change? The government has a tendency of making promises and then kicking the can down the road. It has done this with some of the most pressing issues of our time. Today, the government tabled a climate accountability bill that does not have any real accountability measures for the next 10 years. It says it supports pharmacare, but when?

It is so important that we support our cultural workers and workers in the broadcasting industry. If the Liberals truly want to fix their disastrous Netflix deal, why not do it now?

[Broadcasting Act, November 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the member and I collaborated on a cross-partisan video talking about the need for Canadians, all of us, to come together to follow public health guidelines. I want to thank the member for his leadership on that.

We are in a public health crisis. Right now cultural workers and local media workers are scared about job losses, because of unfair competition from web giants. They were expecting the government to take concrete action.

The Liberals must ensure that web giants like Netflix are contributing enough in the creation of French-language content, that they contribute as much as local broadcasters and that these funds are administered independently and transparently. However, the secret deal with Netflix and the federal government's refusal to subject Netflix to the same tax rules as our local companies show that the Liberals are still too close to the web giants.

Could the member comment on his party's close relationships with these web giants?

[The Environment, November 17th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, a new report just came out naming Saudi Arabia and Canada as the worst performers when it comes to fossil fuel subsidies. Let us take a moment to let that sink in. We are topping the list with Saudi Arabia as the worst in the world.

Canada promised to stop giving out fossil fuel subsidies, but like so many other empty promises, the government is actually increasing the amount of public money being handed out to big oil and gas companies. Let us not forget that the Liberals bought a pipeline. Why are we not investing that money in creating good, sustainable, low-carbon jobs?

Canadians are calling for a just and sustainable recovery. They want investments in clean energy, green infrastructure, energy-efficient housing and public transit. However, instead, the government is doubling down on the fossil fuel industry.

The Prime Minister claims to be a climate leader, but Canada is on par with Saudi Arabia, named as the worst when it comes to handing out public money to big oil and gas. It is time to put some action behind the empty promises and end fossil fuel subsidies now.

[Business of Supply, November 17th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, in 2018, the Liberal government committed to doing a review of 5G and Huawei. The former Liberal public safety minister promised a decision before the 2019 election, but when it was clear the government would break that promise, he promised that it would happen after the 2019 election. We are now approaching the end of 2020.

Some companies have cited this lack of decision and uncertainty as a factor in their choice not to invest in Canada, companies that rely on 5G, like autonomous vehicle developers or those concerned that Huawei has an unfair competitive advantage because of the unfettered support it receives from the Government of China, making it nearly impossible for others to compete.

It has been two years. Does the member opposite believe it is reasonable for the government to take more than two years to release its review of Huawei and 5G?

[Business of Supply, November 17th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, this motion is about the Government of China. There are Canadians here who are living in fear because of the efforts to silence dissenting voices by the Chinese government.

However, it is not just the Chinese government. I spoke to members of the Oromo community in my riding who told me stories about being targeted by the Ethiopian government. Canadians are victims of cyberbullying, threats of sexualized violence, threats of harm to their family members who live overseas, racist insults, intimidation and harassment for speaking out about human rights.

What is the government currently doing and what additional measures can we expect to protect these Canadians who are advocating for human rights and who are being targeted by the Government of China but also by other governments like Ethiopia and others?