Terry Duguid

[Impact Assessment Act, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we are investing record amounts of money in science, and I am sure issues like that have been and will continue to be studied. I once again point to the oceans protection plan and the $1.5 billion, a record investment in protecting our ocean environment.

I think the hon. member will be pleased with some of the things that are going to be in the budget this afternoon.

[Impact Assessment Act, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member knows full well that we introduced interim principles, which we used to assess the Kinder Morgan pipeline project. Additional consultation efforts were made with indigenous people, environmental groups, and the industry itself. We felt, and I think the nation felt, that it would not be fair to start from square one.

From now on, any project that comes before us would be subject to this new legislation, which we hope the House will pass in due course. As well, I think the hon. member knows that an additional $1.5 billion will be spent on the oceans protection plan to ensure that our coastlines are protected in perpetuity.

[Impact Assessment Act, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, to reiterate, we had 14 months of consultation with indigenous people, environmental groups, industry, and others because we wanted to get this right. We know that the previous government undermined confidence in the system, and I think we have the balance right.

I was the environment commissioner for my home province of Manitoba, and I made my living by doing environmental assessments. I know that the folks in my home province would agree that we have achieved the right balance in the bill: clarity for business as well as protecting the environment, the environment and the economy going hand in hand, as our environment minister likes to say.

To the second issue, we have $180 billion of infrastructure money that we are going to be spending. We are going to be attacking the sewage treatment issue from coast to coast to coast. We know it is an issue, partially because the previous government starved our municipalities of funds.

[Impact Assessment Act, February 27th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on Bill C-69, an act to enact the impact assessment act and the Canadian energy regulator act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other acts. This important piece of legislation fulfills some of our earliest campaign promises from the 2015 election: restore credibility to environmental assessments, modernize and rebuild trust in the National Energy Board, conduct a wholesale review of the previous government's amendments to the Fisheries Act and the elimination of the Navigable Waters Protection Act with the intent to restore lost protections and incorporate more modern safeguards.

We made this commitment because we recognized that the economy and the environment go hand in hand. By putting in place better rules that protect our environment, fish, and waterways, by rebuilding public trust and respect for indigenous rights, and by strengthening our economy, these new rules will ensure good projects can go ahead and create new jobs and economic opportunities for the middle class. They provide clarity and consistency when it comes to impact assessments by creating a single agency, the impact assessment agency of Canada, which will lead all impact assessments for major projects. It will draw on the lessons learned through other agencies, such as the National Energy Board, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and offshore boards.

The Minister of Environment and cabinet will have final say over decisions. Our government prioritizes accountability on issues of national interest, and this will allow Canadians to hold our government to account on decisions of importance. The manner in which these decisions are made will be vastly improved by this legislation. Decisions will be made based on science and evidence, not politics, like the previous government's process. We will create more publicly available data to allow Canadians to be informed and involved in these decisions. We are expanding the scope of these reviews to assess their impacts on health, society, and the economy. As the Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women, I am pleased to see that we will be conducting gender-based analysis as part and parcel of these assessments as well.

We will advance Canada's commitment to reconciliation by recognizing indigenous rights and working in partnership from the start with indigenous communities across the country. We will integrate traditional knowledge into the process, and promote active participation from indigenous communities to ensure their voices are heard.

We will maintain a professional approach to these reviews by creating a predictable, streamlined process. Shorter legislated timelines for the project review phase will be rigorously managed to keep the process on track. Our goal, as the previous speaker mentioned, will be one project, one review.

The bill also seeks to amend the navigable waters act. Water is an issue of utmost importance to me. Lake Winnipeg is one of my home province's most important and treasured resources, and I am incredibly pleased to see this bill recognize and prioritize the importance of water. The Canadian navigable waters act would restore navigation protection for every navigable waterway in Canada. Changes to the Fisheries Act will add important new safeguards for our fisheries, including measures to rebuild damaged fish stocks and restore degraded habitat, ensuring that our fisheries and environment are protected for future generations.

This is not our first effort to protect water in this country. The historic investments we made with the oceans protection plan is a testament to our commitment to this essential natural resource. Canada has the longest coastline in the world. Our coasts support traditional indigenous and coastal community livelihoods, attract tourism, and enable the export and import of goods overseas. They are home to an abundance of Canadian fisheries, and play a key role in strengthening the economy and growing our middle class. That is why our government launched the oceans protection plan, the OPP. It is a historic $1.5 billion investment that will create a world-leading marine safety system, restore and protect Canada's marine ecosystems, and strengthen partnerships with indigenous communities.

Similarly, I am proud of the investment we are making in protecting and rehabilitating the water in the Great Lakes. The Government of Canada is committed to protecting fresh water through science, action, and collaboration with Canadian and American partners and, importantly, indigenous peoples. This includes the freshwater resources of the Lake Winnipeg basin. Budget 2017 allocated $70.5 million over five years to protect Canada's freshwater resources, including the Lake Winnipeg basin at $25.7 million and the Great Lakes at $44.8 million.

Through the $25.7 million allocated to protecting freshwater quality in Lake Winnipeg and its basin, Environment and Climate Change Canada will continue to support research, as well as provide financial support aimed at reducing nutrients, enhancing collaboration, and supporting enhanced engagement of indigenous peoples on freshwater issues in Lake Winnipeg and its basin.

I am extremely proud of the legislation we are debating before the House today. When we first came to office, we knew we had to act swiftly on this file, and did so by implementing the interim principles, offering a glimpse of our vision, and ensuring that projects could continue to be assessed. Now, after thorough consultation with the public and stakeholders, 14 months all told, and the parliamentary input of two committees, we are moving forward with the next steps.

Bill C-69 would ensure that the economy and the environment can both continue to thrive and that good middle-class jobs are created in our resource sector. We are providing clarity and certainty for development projects and ensuring that our natural treasures will be protected for generations to come.

[Status of Women, February 6th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, the hon. member mentioned the word “action”, and we know action is needed if we are to create a safe, inclusive society for all Canadians, including on post-secondary campuses.

There is some great work being done across the country by grassroots organizations and post-secondary institutions. We can learn from these best practices. Through our strategy to prevent and address gender-based violence, a knowledge centre will support enhanced new research and data collection to create opportunities to share that knowledge and ensure informed decision-making.

This is one more part of the whole-of-government approach that we are taking to help end all forms of gender-based violence.

[Status of Women, February 6th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for all of her efforts to combat gender-based violence, and her very fine work on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

The hon. member would acknowledge that our government has made a strong commitment to ensuring that all women and girls can live lives free of violence. We know that the damage it does to women, their families, and communities is absolutely unacceptable.

Gender-based violence happens in both public and private spaces, including at home, at work, at school, on college and university campuses, and online. It often occurs because of someone's gender, gender identity, or perceived gender.

Women and girls as well as LGBTQ2 and gender non-conforming people are more likely to experience gender-based violence. The same is true for indigenous peoples, young women, people with disabilities, seniors, and those living in rural and remote communities.

That is why one of our government's first priorities upon taking office was to begin developing a federal strategy on gender-based violence. Listening to Canadians was a first critical step. We engaged Canadians and met with experts, advocates, and survivors from across the country to hear about their insights and experiences.

The result was an investment, the first investment of its kind, of $100.9 million over five years for a plan entitled “It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence”. The title underscores our desire to engage Canadians in a conversation with three major elements: it is time to better understand the problem; it is time to believe survivors; and it is time for action. I think the hon. member would also agree that we need to break cycles of violence and prevent gender-based violence from occurring in the first place.

The strategy is based on three pillars: prevention, support for survivors and their families, and promoting responsive legal and justice systems.

To fill the gaps in data and knowledge on this issue, we are working with Statistics Canada to develop a new questionnaire designed to capture information on sexual victimization among students enrolled at post-secondary institutions in Canada. It will focus on experiences or the witnessing of sexual misconduct, harassment, and sexual assault, as well as impressions of the campus climate and feelings of personal safety. In order to make this as successful as possible and reach as many post-secondary campuses as possible, we are also working with the provinces and territories on the development and implementation of the survey.

We intend to continue our whole-of-government approach to improving how we respond to gender-based violence in this country, with the goal of engaging all Canadians, including men and boys, as part of the solution.

[Indigenous Affairs, February 6th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, again, the Government of Canada is actively working to stop the racialized and sexualized violence experienced by indigenous women and girls in this country.

As the Prime Minister said in the House on October 4, we continue to be committed to doing everything we can to work with indigenous communities, to protect our sisters, our daughters, our cousins, our nieces, our aunts, and our grandmothers. This must be done, but this must be done right for the survivors and families, to honour the spirits and memories of those we have lost and to protect future generations.

[Indigenous Affairs, February 6th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to answer the question from my hon. colleague and I would like to acknowledge that I do so on the traditional territory of the Algonquin people.

Our government is committed to ending the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. We thank the independent commission for its interim report and the government is preparing our response to its preliminary recommendations. The independent commission's mandate is clear. Families must be at the centre of its work and it is committed to finding culturally sensitive and trauma-informed ways to ensure this.

The commissioners stated in their interim report that they are striving to make stronger connections with families, survivors, and women's and indigenous organizations who are their key partners on the front line. Many survivors and family members have said that they need to have answers and they want this inquiry to continue. Some families have been waiting decades for answers and we will ensure that families get the answers they are looking for.

The terms of reference authorize the commission to enquire into the circumstances of individual cases in order to identify systemic issues at play, be it institutional issues or otherwise. The mandate has always been clear that the commission can re-examine any case file it requests and can compel police forces to provide those files if they do not do so voluntarily.

The commission can refer any cases it chooses to be reopened. The commission is also authorized to examine and report on the root causes of all forms of violence that indigenous women and girls experience and their greater vulnerability to that violence. It is looking for patterns and underlying factors that explain why the higher levels of violence occur. This includes and has always included looking at issues around policing.

Our government is also committed to ensuring the commission has all the support it needs to succeed. We take seriously the concerns raised by the commission about administrative support provided by the government, and a working group has been created and is meeting regularly to provide effective back-office support to the commission to ensure it is able to do its work effectively.

We are also taking immediate action with investments in women's shelters, housing, education, reform of child welfare, and safety on the Highway of Tears.

In closing, we know that we need to bring healing for the families, justice for the victims, and to put an end to this national tragedy once and for all.

[Olympic Curling Trials, December 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this week in our nation's capital, the Olympic curling trials are under way. Known as the Roar of the Rings, 18 of the best teams in the country will compete to represent Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Curling has always been important to me and my family. My father, Don Duguid, is a three-time Canadian Brier champion, two-time world champion, and long-time curling broadcaster. He was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 1974 and the World Curling Hall of Fame in 2013.

Manitoba boasts some of the best curlers in the country and the world, and I particularly want to wish the best of luck to the teams from Manitoba competing in this week's trials. Regardless of who emerges victorious on Sunday, I am sure that our country will be well represented at the Olympics. Hurry hard.

[Status of Women, December 1st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, female genital mutilation is an abhorrent and unacceptable practice, and it is against the law. Canada has and will continue to make efforts to prevent and address FGM, and through our gender-based violence strategy, front-line service providers will have the resources to better respond to the needs of survivors of gender-based violence, including survivors of female genital mutilation. Our government will always defend and promote women's and girls' rights at home and globally.