Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I think meritocracy is an ideal. We want to live in a society where everybody is judged based on merit, but we have to also acknowledge that we are inevitably going to be imperfect in living out that ideal of meritocracy. That is why we need to try to understand and respond to various issues.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I think my hon. friend is maybe dancing around Quebec's Bill 21 a bit, so if that is the question, I have been on the record repeatedly saying that I strongly disagree with Bill 21. My own province of Alberta has certainly been blessed by francophone immigration.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise today to speak to a very sensitive subject, but it is a very important subject. I want to note that I will be splitting my time. Different members of the House have different experiences with the issue of racism. Quite obviously it is not something that I experience myself, but I think that for those of us who have close personal relationships or perhaps are married to someone from a racialized background, our eyes get opened to certain things in the context of those relationships that deepen our sense of commitment to addressing them.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, these are such important issues we are discussing in the debate today. I often reflect on the words of Martin Luther King Jr., who said the ideal that we seek as a society is one in which people are judged not based on the colour of their skin, but on the content of their character.

Passport Canada  Mr. Speaker, it is quite out of touch for the minister to suggest that people should just wait in line in these overnight lines to get their passports. I spoke to Janna in my riding, who has two children under five. She cannot bring them with her to wait overnight in line. She applied in March, and her credit card was charged on April 20.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, there are provisions in contracts that allow the termination of contracts, and contracts are simply not being terminated. My last question was this: Does the government purchase any products that are produced in Xinjiang?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, the minister notes promises in mandate letters to bring forward future legislation. We do not have a timeline around that legislation, when it comes in, but meanwhile we are purchasing products from companies where our allies have already noticed and said that there is a problem with forced labour in their supply chain.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, again, that is not an answer, but on another question, does the government purchase any products produced by Nuctech, and has the government purchased any surveillance cameras or other security equipment made in China?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, I want to be very clear, because I am not just asking about embassies. I am asking in general, across government procurement. Has any part of the government purchased products produced by Nuctech or purchased any surveillance cameras or other security equipment made in China?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, does that include CBSA?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, that is the third time I have asked this question. Is any part of government procurement happening from Nuctech, and is any part of government purchasing surveillance cameras or security equipment made in China? I hope we get an accurate answer.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, I will be sharing my time. My questions today will focus on procurement and human rights. The member for Scarborough—Guildwood, who is a member of the Liberal party, observed in the House yesterday that, “We have gone through a period of time in the last two or three years where we may have sourced goods which we, in other instances, may not or would not have sourced from dubious sources.”

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, that is zero for one in terms of answering the specific question I asked, which was whether she agreed with the comment from her colleague. More specifically, I wonder if the minister can share when the government first became aware of significant concerns around forced labour with Supermax.

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, according to British solicitor Nusrat Uddin's comments to CBC earlier this year, Canadian government officials were briefed on concerns about Supermax prior to 2015. Is that accurate?

Business of Supply  Madam Chair, it sounds like she is saying that this British solicitor's comments were inaccurate and we will want to follow up on that later. The hon. minister says the government found out about this in December 2020. When did the government actually end its contract with Supermax, and when was the last time it received supplies from Supermax?