Sheila Malcolmson

[Petitions, November 27th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I again bring voices of coastal communities into the House to urge the government to adopt my legislation, Bill C-352, to solve the long-standing problem of abandoned vessels.

The petitioners from Nanaimo and Ladysmith urge this Parliament in particular to vote in favour of unblocking debate on the legislation. They want to see their solutions, which they have been advocating for decades, come to the House for full debate. They urge parliamentarians, in the vote tomorrow or the next day, to accede to the hope that their voices will be heard.

[Homelessness, November 24th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, in Nanaimo, the riding that I serve, the face of homelessness has shifted quite a bit over the last nine months. The workers at Samaritan House, a homeless shelter for women only, say that 50% of their clients are now over the age of 50. That has really taken us aback. Those women could be our mothers or our grandmothers. In fact, it could be me. These are women who worked their whole lives in a professional capacity, but because of very poor tenant protection legislation in British Columbia and high housing prices, the spillover from Vancouver has hit Nanaimo hard and people are getting evicted.

Is the member also observing this changing demographic, and how might the committee discuss this?

[Cannabis Act, November 24th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, earlier this week, I voted to remove from Bill C-45 the provision in clause 9 that would penalize someone who, for example, passes a joint, at a party, to someone who turns out to be under the age of 19. Right now, in the legislation, it is a 14-year penalty for what is called non-commercial cannabis trafficking.

Does the member share my concern that people in the public may not be aware that this is a severe penalty for something that could well be an accident and that, given that the government has closed down debate, this cannot be fully aired?

[Petitions, November 24th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I rise again in the House to present petitions signed by coastal people who are urging the House to adopt my Bill C-352, which would solve the problem of abandoned vessels. These signatories are from Port Saunders and Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and on the west coast, Nanaimo and Ladysmith.

The petitioners urge that the bill and its remedies for fixing vessel registration dealing with the backlog of abandoned vessels, and with recycling and green jobs all be advanced. All of these are pieces that would fill holes in the government's Bill C-64.

[The Environment, November 24th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, after the Liberals blocked my bill on abandoned vessels, I launched a historic appeal allowing MPs to decide themselves if it should be debated. It should, because it is built on solutions proposed by coastal communities, which will fill gaps in the government's Bill C-64. We have hundreds of signatures in support of my bill and this week the mayor of Ladysmith wrote directly to the Prime Minister urging him to allow debate.

Why is the government blocking my legislation? Why is it stifling coastal voices?

[Violence Against Women, November 24th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, on any given night in Canada, more than 350 women and children fleeing domestic violence are turned away, because shelters are underfunded and bursting at the seams.

Imagine the strength it takes to flee abuse. Imagine the heartbreak of shelter workers having to tell women there is a six-month waiting list for counselling. It is unacceptable.

Violence against women costs Canada $12 billion a year. One in four women will be victims in their lifetime. Indigenous and disabled women experience a much higher level of violence than anyone else in Canada.

We wear orange to honour the United Nations international day to end violence against women, and we give deepest thanks to shelter operators like Haven Society in Nanaimo. We will keep pressing the Liberal government to turn its feminist words into real action, and recommit that Canada's goal must be the eradication of violence against women. We will not stop until that is done.

[Cannabis Act, November 24th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I want to follow up on the question posed by my colleague from Courtenay—Alberni. The minister says she is talking with indigenous leaders and ministers of health and justice from across the country repeatedly. However, they are still very unhappy, as are police chiefs, about the lack of time to implement this extremely complicated move to legalize marijuana. This is a huge download on the provinces and territories.

How can the Minister of Health say she is consulting when she is still refusing to give provinces and territories more time and has shut down debate in this House? It is undemocratic and unfair.

[Status of Women, November 23rd, 2017]

Madam Speaker, on Saturday, the world marks the beginning of elimination of violence against women campaign. This has been running for decades and there are 16 days of action that run from Saturday right through to December 10, which is Human Rights Day.

I want to salute in particular the Vancouver Island University Students' Union and the Women's Collective, who have a whole range of on-the-ground action items that will make women safer and change lives right now. On Monday they will launch their Clothesline Project, which symbolizes the airing dirty laundry and engages people in conversations about domestic violence. I salute the work of these students and activists in our community, which is making a difference right now.

[Status of Women, November 23rd, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I note the issue we are taking up tonight is a great concern for the NDP members on this side of the House about violence against women. The particular focus of the original question was around women in the Northwest Territories. They experience nine times the national rate of violence against women. Eighty per cent have no access to victims services, 85% have no violence-against-women shelter that they can enter, and many of them have no phones. How can they call for help if there is no phone?

This concern has been echoed by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. It is a body that tracks Canada's fulfillment of its commitments to the United Nations in this particular area. Every five years we get a report card. This is last year's report card. It says that the committee is concerned about the lack of shelters, support services, and other protective measures for women of gender-based violence, which reportedly prevents them from leaving their violent partners. The committee recommended strengthening services for women who are victims of gender-based violence by establishing shelters throughout the territory of Canada and ensuring the availability of psychosocial rehabilitation and reintegration programs. The committee also noted with concern the insufficient measures taken to ensure that all cases of murdered and missing indigenous women are duly investigated and prosecuted.

The government's response has been that although the government had promised to protect women and girls experiencing domestic abuse and violence, in the budget this spring it announced instead $20 million each year over the next five years. That is going to be spent within governments and for the RCMP, rather than a plan to directly fund services to victims. The Liberals' commitment is almost the same as their commitment to space exploration and I would have thought we could look after things at home first. Given especially that spousal violence and sexual assault cost the economy an estimated $12 billion a year, we should spend on this the way that countries like Australia do. They are way ahead of us so far as establishing a national action plan and funding victims services support.

I note also repeated urging from many parties in different provinces to fund domestic-violence leave. This means that if a woman has to leave her partner she has a few days, kind of like sick pay in her workplace, that she could take to find a new apartment to resettle her family and then be able to return to work. Risking their job and that one link to economic security is a terrible thing. Again and again, witnesses at the status of women committee and advocates and labour organizers across the country have urged that Canada establish a paid domestic-violence leave. It does not need to be used very often, but when it is needed it could help enormously. The current government has offered just three days of leave, unpaid.

I would like to hear from the minister's representative what the actionable items are that the government is taking right now that would make women in our country safer today.

[Private Members' Business, November 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for your announcement today for protecting my rights as a member to represent the interests of my community and constituents. I look forward to, and encourage all members to participate in, this act of democracy.