Mylène Freeman

[Petitions, April 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am joining the chorus of members today who are putting forward petitions by residents of Canada who are calling upon the government to thoroughly review and change the policy on blood and organ donation, specifically that the sexual preference of people not be an instant refusal of the right to donate.

That constitutes discrimination against people in same-sex relationships. This is unconstitutional and goes against the rights of all Canadians. Clearly this needs to be changed.

[Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act, April 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, for me this issue is very important. As a young woman, I have grown up with a lot of technology around and have learned to be wary over the years. Certainly young people need to know how to protect themselves, et cetera.

My colleague from Chicoutimi—Le Fjord raised the importance of preventive measures. He presented a motion on a national strategy to prevent and end bullying. Unfortunately, the Conservatives voted against that. I would like to know why my colleague voted against that and believed it was not a good way forward to prevent bullying.

[Air Transportation, April 9th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Mirabel airport could become an economic engine for the region. Local officials and the business community want this facility to be used to stimulate the region's economy. However, the property manager, Aéroports de Montréal, is planning to demolish it instead.

The federal government still owns the airport and has the final say on the matter.

What are the Minister of Transport's plans for this important infrastructure?

[Petitions, March 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, today, I am very proud to present a petition on behalf of my constituents. They are calling on the Government of Canada to help the municipality of Grenville restore the Grenville Canal. This canal has a lot of economic potential for the region. It is also a very important heritage area for the region, Quebec and Canada.

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, these women simply deserve better. They deserve better than excuses and obfuscation from the Conservatives. They deserve better than a laundry list of things that are supposedly being done. We all know here that there are actually no new things being committed, even though we know that there are plenty of things that still need to be done.

We do not need another ineffective committee report and a list of the government's meagre investments that do nothing but prove the harsh funding inequities that are keeping first nation communities down in a colonial framework.

Unfortunately, it does not seem like the report coming from the special committee is going to be any better than the one that came out in 2011 in the report of the Status of Women committee on ending violence against aboriginal women and girls. In 2011, I tabled the NDP's dissenting report, which highlighted the actions that were needed.

The NDP is continuing to demand action. We have put on the table plenty of concrete steps to finally get justice for our sisters. Meanwhile, Conservative budgets are telling a completely different story, with no new investments to really solve the problem.

Could the parliamentary secretary confirm that the Conservatives will actually support Motion No. 444 by my NDP colleague for Churchill, which specifically calls for a public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women?

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, on January 31, I asked the Minister of Justice about the need to take concrete steps regarding the report of the Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women.

Unfortunately, the question was evaded, as usual. It is truly shameful that Conservatives try to hide the fundamental systemic violence and, as a result, are perpetuating it. Therefore, I am taking this opportunity to come back to the subject, as we need to take action in order to avoid having to start over and produce another report that would just be ignored, as those we have produced have been.

Simply put, we need action. There are no lack of ideas and so, here are a few of them.

To begin with, we need to support the sharing of information and culture with agencies, police, lawyers, and social workers, and information and outreach on violence prevention and available resources such as shelters.

We need respectful relationships with police to proactively work with communities and first nation citizens to ensure that they are supported, protected, and feel comfortable reporting crime.

We need to support collaborative approaches to policing and sentencing that recognize the community and family roles of both victims and offenders.

We desperately need funding.

We need adequate funding for services and emergency and second-stage shelters in first nation communities, as well as in rural and urban areas off reserve.

We need funding for organizations and programs that are run or directed by indigenous women themselves.

We need economic security and access to housing for women and children that provides greater safety and autonomy, including the ability to make choices that will take them away from violent situations.

We need resource people in communities, such as family violence workers, counsellors, and social supports, as well as adequate funding and capacity, and we need support mechanisms and interventions for the families of women at high risk of violence.

We need attention and focus on youth, including support to develop self-respect and respect for others and ensure access to traditional teachings and parenting role models, using tools such as sports.

We need to ensure women and girls have political, economic, and social power, and that traditional roles are restored.

We need systems and supports that reflect first nation cultures and teachings and ensure that elders are supported and integrated into the solutions.

We need accountability. We need a royal commission to investigate incidents of violence against indigenous women and girls, including the high rates of missing and murdered women.

We now know what needs to be done. We have known for a long time.

When will the government agree to take concrete steps and agree to an inquiry to end violence against aboriginal women?

[Support for Volunteer Firefighters Act, February 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to speak in the House to support Bill C-504, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (volunteer firefighters), introduced by the hon. member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue, who is doing excellent work.

In the House, I represent the riding of Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, a rural riding that includes 42 municipalities.

As you might guess, not all of these municipalities have a fire department that employs full-time firefighters. It is often volunteer, part-time firefighters who ensure the safety of my constituents.

That is why it is very important for me to support this bill. It is the least I can do for the men and women who are dedicated to our safety. The bill proposes a tangible, realistic no-cost solution to support those who keep our communities safe.

The municipal officials in my riding also officially support the bill. The Argenteuil and Papineau RCMs have both given their support to the bill. Those two RCMs represent a number of municipalities. Most of the municipalities in my riding, roughly 35, are quite small.

I will read the Argenteuil RCM motion for support, to illustrate the importance of such a bill at the local level, in my riding. This is an excerpt from the minutes of the Argenteuil RCM meeting that was held last summer:

WHEREAS the Support for Volunteer Firefighters Act would amend the Canada Labour Code to allow volunteer firefighters to be absent from their work if they are called to a fire;

WHEREAS said Act would also legally protect volunteer firefighters from dismissal or other disciplinary measures imposed by employers, without just cause, in the performance of their duties;

WHEREAS in rural areas, most firefighters do this job in addition to their primary job;

WHEREAS recruiting and retaining firefighters in small and medium-sized communities is difficult;

WHEREAS, according to statistics, it is difficult for fire departments to get their forces together between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. because many employers do not let volunteer firefighters miss work;

WHEREAS this bill enables fire departments to maintain effective response teams at all times and responds to concerns expressed by part-time and volunteer firefighters in rural stations;

WHEREAS similar legislation already exists in Quebec;

They unanimously supported the bill introduced by my colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue.

Each reason set out in the motion is better than the last. My colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue is proposing an important measure for volunteer firefighters in our rural communities.

The arguments coming from the other side of the House, from the Conservatives, as to why they are not supporting the bill, are simply mean-spirited. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour and for Western Economic Diversification said the following:

The bill claims to protect the employment of volunteer firefighters working in a federally regulated business. I think it is important to note that according to the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs an estimated 4.9%, or 4,200, of the 85,000 volunteer firefighters in Canada are hired by federally regulated businesses.

We know that she is opposed to this policy, which would be of help to volunteer firefighters and to the municipalities recruiting them, because the bill does not interfere with provincial jurisdiction.

This is basically about protecting the portion of the volunteer firefighters in Quebec who are not already protected, so that everyone has access to the same type of legislation.

I know that the Conservatives try to manage everything from their offices and that they do not like to hear proposals from the other parties. However, the NDP defends policies that respect the provinces.

If we treat the provinces as allies and work with them, we will be able to protect all volunteer firefighters.

Bill C-504 only affects volunteer firefighters who work for federally regulated companies. This legislation would complement similar legislation that already exists in Quebec. Bill C-504 addresses an inequity towards volunteer firefighters who work for a federally regulated company in Quebec, and we hope that this bill will encourage the other provinces to enact similar legislation.

That is what you would call legislative leadership, and I congratulate my colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue for taking this step forward.

The Conservatives are complaining that this bill does not do enough. However, as a firefighter would say, you have to take the ladder one rung at a time.

I want to talk about the three measures in the bill that illustrate this first step of the ladder towards real legislative leadership:

246.1 (1) No employer shall, without good cause, prevent a person from acting as a firefighter called on an occasional basis (in this Act referred to as a “volunteer firefighter”) if that person has informed the employer of their obligations and advised the employer when, to act in that capacity, they must be absent from their work place, either by leaving work suddenly or by failing to appear at work.

This is the most powerful measure in the bill and it is very simple. It ensures that the volunteer firefighter is able to serve his community, whether it is to fight a fire, carry out an emergency plan or do anything else.

When we talk about volunteer firefighters in the House, I often think about my time in high school, since my school bus driver, Georges, was a volunteer firefighter. He had a list of the phone numbers of all the people he had to drive to school in the morning. As soon as he got called in for his volunteer firefighter duties, he would call us—because he was the chief volunteer firefighter—to say that he would be late or that someone else would pick us up. He always did his job and made sure that we would still get to school.

However, that required him to manage two tasks at the same time, especially because our day started so early. We had to travel two hours if we wanted to go to French school. Basically, he did everything he could to get us to school on time, and he served his community at the same time. This kind of measure would protect people like Georges, who was punctual and, when necessary, went off to save families in his community.

I would like to move on to the second clause of the bill:

(2) No employer shall, without good cause, dismiss, suspend, lay off, demote or discipline an employee because they are a volunteer firefighter or take into account the fact that an employee is a volunteer firefighter in a decision to promote or train them if the employee has informed the employer of their obligations and advises the employer when, to act in that capacity, they must be absent from their work place, either by leaving work suddenly or by failing to appear at work.

This second measure is important because it states that an employer cannot punish an employee who is a volunteer firefighter and who exercises his or her right under the first clause of the bill. On the job, there are always reasons why people do not have the opportunity to advance. People who serve their community should have opportunities to advance.

The following is the third clause of the bill:

(3) No employer may, without good cause, refuse to employ a person because they are a volunteer firefighter.

To conclude, this bill consists of three very clear, tangible steps that are designed to protect the volunteer firefighters who make sacrifices for their community. Once again, I want to thank the volunteer firefighters in my riding for their irreplaceable service to our communities.

[An Act to amend the Federal Sustainable Development Act (duty to examine), February 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak to Bill C-481, An Act to amend the Federal Sustainable Development Act.

Sustainable development is a key principle whereby a policy meets current needs without compromising those of future generations. It is based on three pillars: the environment, the economy and social issues.

To me, sustainable development is the key to having viable long-term policies. Unfortunately, far too often we have seen the government make ideological decisions that do not take long-term effects into account. These decisions create more problems than they solve. That is why it is necessary to put in safeguards to ensure that the development guidelines are respected by all governments.

The bill introduced by my colleague from Brome—Missisquoi targets this need perfectly and broadens an existing verification process to include sustainable development. Indeed, the Minister of Justice already has the responsibility for ensuring that bills are compatible with existing legislation.

What we are proposing is to simply add the Federal Sustainable Development Act to those verifications. It is true that federal legislation on sustainable development already exists. Unfortunately, it serves more as a suggestion or a smokescreen, as the Conservatives gleefully work around it.

When a Conservative government tables a budget over 400 pages long that has neither a single tangible environmental protection measure, nor even a mention of climate change, which is supposedly a priority for Canadians, we should not be surprised when it fails to respect the principles of sustainable development.

The basic principles of this act are the foundation of good sustainable policies. I will now read these basic principles.

The Government of Canada accepts the basic principle that sustainable development is based on an ecologically efficient use of natural, social and economic resources and acknowledges the need to integrate environmental, economic and social factors in the making of all decisions by government.

However, the Conservative government does not seem to accept this principle of sustainable development at all. As the opposition leader has so rightly said on many occasions, “The Conservatives...are going to pass on to future generations the worst economic, social and ecological debt in our country's history”.

There was nothing in the Speech from the Throne about sustainable development. There was nothing in this week's budget about sustainable development. The budget did not even mention climate change.

For years, the NDP has been telling the Conservatives that its headlong rush to develop Canada's resources without legislation to provide adequate protection of lands and waterways will have a major economic cost in the long term.

Acting in this way is just as irresponsible as buying a house and not insuring it. The Conservatives continue to eliminate environmental protections without even thinking of the consequences, and Canadian and Quebec families will have to bear the economic costs of these decisions and live with the consequences to their health if a problem arises.

The Conservatives insist on developing resources first and reacting to the consequences afterwards. That is very irresponsible. The Conservatives are pushing Canada beyond the point of no return.

The purpose of Bill C-481 is to remind the government that Canadians want sustainable development to be part of their MPs' decision-making process.

Take, for example, the RCM of Argenteuil, in my riding, which is working hard at sustainable development and supports my colleague's bill. The RCM's warden, André Jetté, wrote to me and said:

We studied the bill and we are in complete agreement with its content. Quebec has a similar strategy, which is set out in the Sustainable Development Act.

As for the RCM of Argenteuil, it should be noted that the 2013-17 strategic plan adopted in 2012 was based on the principles of sustainable development (see attached). One of the governance strategies is to “make decisions in a context of sustainable development”. To that end, the action plan provides for “developing a sustainable development policy for the RCM and the LDC and, by extension, the nine local municipalities”.

I am proud to represent the RCM of Argenteuil, and I am very proud of its sustainable development measures.

Now is the time for the Government of Canada to honour its commitments and laws and show some real leadership when it comes to responsible management for future generations.

Bill C-481 is part of the NDP's ongoing commitment to environmental issues. As a member of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, I am proud to play a role in these efforts. The entire NDP team has to fight to ensure that this important issue gets the recognition it deserves, as the Conservatives unfortunately keep trying to sweep it under the rug.

The committee has started a study on water quality in the Great Lakes Basin. This is an important issue that must be examined in connection with major environmental issues.

Yesterday, my colleague, the member for Drummond, moved a motion to include climate change, water levels, temperature and ecology in this study.

Unfortunately, the committee will not expand the study. The NDP will continue to pressure the Conservatives on this committee to focus on the issues of sustainable development and climate change.

I am also working hard on environmental protection, particularly with Motion No. 400, entitled “Protecting Waterways and Public Health”.

This motion asked the government to study the possibility of providing financial support to the owners of homes not connected to an adequate waste water treatment system and to bring up to standard their septic systems, in order to protect waterways, the water table and public health.

Individuals, municipalities, organizations, such as the FCM, and members of Parliament from coast to coast acknowledged the importance of such a motion and supported it. They realized that in the long term we can reduce water contamination and cleanup costs.

Unfortunately, the motion was defeated by the Conservatives in March 2013. Their inaction has a devastating impact on our lakes, rivers and the vitality of our communities that are dealing with this issue. Nonetheless, I continue to work to ensure that the government addresses this matter, which is very important for our regions.

Worse still, the Conservatives are not just failing to act to protect the environment. They are also tearing apart the protections that are already in place. Like all the NDP members, I continue to fight against the Conservatives' omnibus bills that are sabotaging the environmental protections of practically all bodies of water in Canada.

For example, changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act will leave 1,000 lakes and rivers in my riding unprotected. This is just the tip of the iceberg in the daily fight against the Conservatives' backward concept of the environment as a pool of resources to be developed, not the ecosystems we are a part of.

I believe that we and our Parliament have a role to play in helping to create sustainable prosperity. This bill would make sustainable development central to all federal public policies, thereby making Canada greener and more prosperous.

This is just one of the meaningful and innovative proposals for sustainable development that the NDP will continue to support as a basic principle.

[Infrastructure, February 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, budget 2014 promises $391 million over five years to Parks Canada to make improvements to highways, bridges and dams. Then why does the government not want to invest in the Grenville Canal?

Built after the War of 1812, this very important heritage site is quickly deteriorating and needs government funding to be revitalized.

Will the Conservatives commit to showcasing this site? If not, was all the commotion around the War of 1812 just an advertising campaign for them?

[Saint-Placide Winter Kite Festival, February 14th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, once again this year, I am looking forward to attending winter festivals in my riding so that I can meet my constituents.

All across my riding, communities are participating in all kinds of activities as they take full advantage of the cold, the snow and the ice.

This weekend is the 16th edition of Saint-Placide's Festi-Vent sur glace, and I am so excited to be attending again.

This is a unique and colourful kite festival on Lac des Deux Montagnes. The community there is full of people who really put their hearts into things like this. They work hard to stand out and make their region one of the best anywhere.

However, they cannot forget that, two years ago, the Conservatives tried to cut funding for this festival. Fortunately, that bad decision was reversed when I explained to them how important the festival is. The whole region benefits from this festival.

I invite all of you to come and make this year's Festi-Vent sur glace yet another huge success for young and old alike.