Paul Manly

[The Economy, May 10th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, when we use GDP as the measure of our economy, the emergency response to an oil tanker spill or a major car accident counts as economic growth. When we use GDP as the measure of our economy, an old-growth forest sequestering carbon and supporting biodiversity has no value until it is converted to lumber.

Instead of measuring the accumulation of wealth, a well-being economy measures success through the health of people and the planet.

Will the government stop using GDP and measure our success by well-being?

[Petitions, May 7th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, the petitioners note that natural time-tested immune system essentials and holistic health practices do not receive enough attention for their role in preventative health care. They are calling upon the government to educate and empower Canadians on holistic approaches to optimize and maintain their natural immunity and well-being; cover practices for health sustainability and wellness care under the Health Act, including chiropractor care, massage therapy, acupuncture and naturopathic medicines; and support, promote and enhance Canadians' access to holistic health services and natural products.

[Petitions, May 7th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present two petitions today that were initiated by constituents in Nanaimo—Ladysmith.

In the first petition, the petitioners are concerned that the British Columbia government has not followed through on promises, on an expert panel to protect old-growth forests in British Columbia. They are calling upon the government to work with the provinces and first nations to immediately halt logging of endangered old-growth ecosystems; fund the long-term protection of old-growth ecosystems as a priority for Canada's climate action plan and reconciliation with indigenous peoples; support value-added forestry initiatives in partnership with first nations to ensure that Canada's forestry industry is sustainable and based on the harvesting of second- and third-growth forests; ban the export of raw logs and maximize resource use for local jobs; and ban the use of whole trees for wood pellet biofuel production.

[Line 5 Pipeline Shutdown, May 6th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, I do not dispute the importance of Line 5 to the economy, and I have known about the problems with the Straits of Mackinac since 2011. I wonder why it has not been fixed yet. There were indeed 15 spills on this pipeline between 1988 and 2012, resulting in 260,000 gallons of oil spilt. Enbridge has a terrible record of gross negligence and gross incompetence. Over 1,000 Enbridge spills across the Enbridge pipeline system dumped 7.4 million gallons of oil into the environment between 1999 and 2013.

We should be holding these companies to account. If we want these pipelines flowing through the United States or flowing through our provinces, they should be held to account. Enbridge is a grossly negligent company, and people wonder why B.C. does not want the Enbridge northern gateway—

[Budget Implementation Act, 2021, No. 1, May 6th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, the member's speech covered a lot of ground and a lot of programs that we need to help people. I appreciate hearing her talk about the social programs we need to help people at this time. I know a lot of small businesses in my community are having a hard time. They are disappointed with the amount of money that came in for tourism dollars, because a lot of small businesses rely on tourism.

One of my concerns again is about the profiteering that has happened during this pandemic. We now know some 47 billionaires have a quarter of a trillion dollars of the Canadian wealth. They have gained $78 billion during this pandemic and they need to pay their fair share. Does the hon. member think they should pay their fair share as well?

[COVID-19 in Alberta, May 5th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I agree that we need to focus on the things that need to be done right now. Paid sick leave is one of those things that we should do, and it seems like the federal government needs to step up on this because the governments of B.C., Ontario and Alberta have not stepped up as they should. They are the ones in charge of the Labour Code.

Where we see pandemic outbreaks right now are at large construction projects, such as Site C and LNG Canada, and in the oil sands. What does the hon. member think should be done with these construction projects? Are they urgent? Should they be shut down while there are outbreaks going on, or how do we deal with outbreaks at these large construction projects for energy extraction?

[COVID-19 in Alberta, May 5th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the one thing that really disappoints me about this debate, and about the ongoing debate on this pandemic, is the partisanship. It does not really matter which political party is running a province; we have all seen problems. Whether it is the NDP in B.C., the Conservatives in Alberta or the federal government, there are issues we need to deal with. We have not acted like a federation during this pandemic, and it is really disappointing. We look at Australia, where there are political differences between the states and the federal government, but they have managed to work it out and get to zero. We have not, and we continue to play this blame game.

I do not have a question. I am just saying I am disappointed. It is hard to listen to this ongoing, toxic, partisan debate.

[COVID-19 in Alberta, May 5th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that is really frustrating people is the inconsistency of messaging that has happened from the federal government and different provincial lockdowns. We really feel uncoordinated as a federation in dealing with this pandemic. Would the member not agree that we would be better off if we had a task force to deal with this? We have medical health officers working together province to province, but there are people travelling from province to province for work.

I really feel for the folks in Alberta. My daughter's Albertan boyfriend cannot come here to visit. He can cross the border into British Columbia into one zone, but my daughter cannot leave Vancouver Island because there are lockdowns here. We have very inconsistent rules. We have a right to travel from province to province, but—

[COVID-19 in Alberta, May 5th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, when the member is talking about the health transfers, I agree that the federal government should increase the health transfers. We started with a 6% escalator and that was cut back to 3% escalator during the Harper government years.

I think that we should be looking at demographics rather than just per capita in terms of how much money is transferred to the provinces, because some provinces have a much older population, like here in British Columbia. Would he agree with that idea?

[Petitions, May 5th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present e-petition 3218, which was initiated by constituents in Nanaimo—Ladysmith and signed by 1,077 Canadians.

The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to make Canada safer for all by using evidence-based interventions to significantly reduce violent crime, to engage with vulnerable groups and develop violence-prevention strategies, to establish a permanent office for violence prevention that reports to the Prime Minister, to spearhead action across all relevant ministries in partnership with provinces, territories, municipalities and indigenous peoples, to ensure significant measurable reductions in victimizations, and to redirect the equivalent of 10% of current federal expenditures on policing, courts and incarceration toward adequate and sustained funding for effective local prevention programs.