Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I will try to address most of what the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice spoke about. I would start with what he ended with, and that is mandatory minimums and overrepresentation of certain groups within the criminal justice system. That is a conversation that needs to be had, but on the crime of sexual exploitation, that is a crime in which there is a power imbalance and in which the offender is a person who is in a position of power over the victim.

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I apologize, but I will answer the question in English because it is harder for me to answer in French. The member does raise an important question about summary versus indictable offence. If I understood the question well, it was whether summary conviction and indictable offences would have the same mandatory minimum sentence and whether that would be appropriate, given that they be slightly different crimes.

Criminal Code  moved that Bill C-219, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (sexual exploitation), be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, it is indeed an honour to represent the good people of Perth—Wellington in this place. It is an honour to rise in the House this afternoon to begin second reading debate of my private member's bill, known in this Parliament as Bill C-219, an act to amend the Criminal Code (sexual exploitation).

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I move that the third report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, presented on Friday, November 27, 2020, be concurred in.

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED;) support, including tax credits, provided to Huawei, since 2016: what is the total amount of SR&ED; support provided annually to Huawei, broken down by year and by type of support?

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 35(2), on behalf of the official opposition, I am tabling the Conservative supplementary report to the 12th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. This supplementary report addresses the shortcomings of the committee report and highlights several of the risks of the Liberals calling an unnecessary pandemic election before it is safe to do so.

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, that is the reality of what we see right now in Canada: half a million Canadians without jobs. If we could circle a date on the calendar when it was the absolute worst time for this pandemic to have hit, it would have been March 2020. Most of these industries were coming off a tough winter, which is normal for the tourism industry.

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, it is unfortunate that the member for Kingston and the Islands is so against the opposition having the opportunity to raise issues in the House of Commons. I will point out once again that the government does not control the agenda of the House of Commons. It belongs to all parliamentarians, and this is an opportunity for opposition members of Parliament to raise issues that are important to their ridings and to the people of Canada, including the half-million Canadians currently out of work in the tourism industry because of the devastating impact of COVID-19.

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I would point out a few points to the hon. member for Winnipeg North, who is a seasoned member of the House. First, I would say that concurrence motions are absolutely essential to vibrant House of Commons debate. These are opportunities for members of the opposition primarily to take the floor and debate the issues that are important to the people of their ridings and the people of Canada, and the tourism and hospitality industry is absolutely essential to the livelihoods of so many Canadians.

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise to speak today. I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable. It is a great pleasure to join the debate this evening and discuss the importance of the tourism industry and the associated industries of the tourism industry.

Small Business  Mr. Speaker, a community without vibrant small businesses is not a community at all. The tourism, hospitality, arts, restaurant and accommodation sectors all lost an entire season and are now facing the prospect of a grim 2021. I also hear from business owners who, for the entirety of the past 11 months, have had to keep their doors closed either because of restrictions or because it would be cost-prohibitive for them to open them under current conditions.

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to Canadian diplomats and diplomatic staff suffering from symptoms associated with what is commonly known as Havana Syndrome: (a) on what date did Global Affairs Canada (GAC) first become aware that diplomats and diplomatic staff in Cuba were suffering from symptoms; (b) what specific symptoms does GAC acknowledge are associated with Havana Syndrome; (c) how many current or former diplomats, diplomatic staff, or their family members have reported experiencing symptoms; and (d) why did the government warn diplomats in 2017 not to say anything about the symptoms experienced by those stationed in Havana?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to the statutory responsibilities of ministers: what are the statutory responsibilities of the Minister of Rural Economic Development?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to funding provided through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, since March 1, 2020: (a) what is the total amount of funding provided to date; (b) what is the number of recipients; and (c) what are the details of each funding recipient, including the (i) date, (ii) amount, (iii) recipient, (iv) location of the recipient, (v) type of funding (loan, grant, etc.)?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to expenditures on communications professional services (codes 035, 0351, and 0352) since January 1, 2020, broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity: what are the details of each expenditure, including the (i) date, (ii) amount, (iii) vendor, (iv) description of goods or services, (v) whether the contract was sole-sourced or competitively bid?