44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 4, 2022 11:00AM
- Apr/4/22 6:32:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, thousands of my constituents, and other Canadians from across the country, signed a petition I put forward on improving the number of flights from Canada to India. They are calling upon the Government of Canada to renegotiate the air transportation agreement with the Government of India to allow for direct flights to Amritsar Airport.
My constituents understand that this will not take place until the war in Ukraine, the invasion by Russia, has ended. That said, they are still hopeful that the Government of Canada will move forward in good faith with our good friends in India to improve this agreement to allow for those direct flights. It is good for the economy, and it is good for the cultural ties, especially between my riding and the Punjab region of India.
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- Apr/4/22 6:33:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise today to table two petitions.
The first petition is signed by my constituents in my riding of Battlefords—Lloydminster. It calls on the Government of Canada to take several steps to further support Ukraine. This includes the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, the provision of additional lethal weapons and to increase humanitarian aid.
The second petition also calls on the Government of Canada to work with our allies to close the airspace over Ukraine and to provide direct military assistance.
In the face of Putin's indiscriminate attacks and unjustified aggression in Ukraine, the petitioners are urging Canada to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, for the cost of not standing up to Putin's aggression is far too great.
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- Apr/4/22 6:34:16 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have the opportunity today to present a petition on behalf of the hard-working, passionate students of Notre Dame College School in the city of Welland. This petition calls upon the House of Commons to adopt human rights and environmental due diligence legislation.
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Madam Speaker, the next petition I am tabling is also about fundamental rights and freedoms. It raises concern about the phenomenon of political discrimination in Canada—that is, people who are facing discrimination or unfair treatment as a result of their political positions. I tabled a private member's bill on this issue, Bill C-257, and this petition is signed by those who are in support of it. The bill would add political belief and activity as prohibited grounds within the Canadian Human Rights Act. The petitioners want to see the House support Bill C-257, which would ban political discrimination and defend the rights of Canadians to peacefully express different political opinions.
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- Apr/4/22 6:34:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the next petition is with respect to the travel mandate. The petitioners note that the Government of Canada is requiring all domestic travellers to be fully vaccinated, yet travellers who test negative and wear a mask while travelling are extremely unlikely to transmit the virus. An estimated 0.5% of COVID‑19 cases in Canada occurred through travel exposure, but that was prior to the imposition of any testing requirement for travellers. The petitioners note that mobility rights are protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and that freedom can only be limited when those limitations are demonstrably justified, as there are other mechanisms, such as regular rapid testing and tracing, that can be used as alternatives for those who choose not to be vaccinated.
Petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to allow any Canadian who has tested negative for COVID-19, and who is prepared to wear a mask, to travel by air, sea or rail. They also call on the government to ensure that rapid testing is affordable and accessible in order to ensure the effective protection of public health.
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Madam Speaker, I have a number of petitions I want to present to the House today. I am thankful for the opportunity.
The first petition is in support of Bill S-223. This is a bill that would make it a criminal offence for people to go abroad and receive an organ without consent from the donor. The goal of this bill is to combat the scourge of forced organ harvesting and trafficking. The petitioners note that this legislation has been before various Parliaments in the same form. It has passed the Senate unanimously three times and has passed in this House once unanimously in a previous Parliament. In light of the scourge that organ harvesting and trafficking is, the petitioners are hopeful that this Parliament will be the one to finally get it done.
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- Apr/4/22 6:34:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the next petition I am tabling highlights the situation of Mr. Huseyin Celil, a Canadian who continues to be detained in the People's Republic of China. The petitioners note that they are happy to see that Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were released after 1,000 days of unjust detention, but there are at least 115 Canadians still being detained in China, which includes Mr. Celil. He is a Uighur human rights activist and Canadian citizen who was taken from Uzbekistan and sent to China. The Chinese government has refused to recognize the obvious fact that he is a Canadian citizen and has denied him access to family, lawyers and any kind of consular services.
The petitioners want to see the government elevate this case. There has been relatively less engagement on this case than some other consular cases. They want the government to demand that the Chinese government recognize Mr. Celil's Canadian citizenship and provide him with consular and legal services in accordance with international law, to formally state that the release of Mr. Celil from Chinese detainment and his return to Canada are a priority of concern equal to the unjust detentions of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, to appoint a special envoy to work on securing his release and to seek the assistance of the Biden administration and other allies around the world in achieving his release.
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- Apr/4/22 6:34:42 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the next petition I am tabling highlights concerns about a commitment made in the Liberal 2021 election platform. We know the Liberals do not always keep their election commitments, and hopefully in this case they will not.
The petition is with respect to their wanting to politicize charitable status determinations by denying charitable status to organizations with a pro-life perspective. This could apply to hospitals, houses of worship, schools, homeless shelters and other charitable organizations that do great work serving our communities. This proposal in the Liberal platform amounts to the application of a values test to charitable status, similar to what we saw with the values test that was applied to the Canada summer jobs program. It would politicize charitable status determinations and put the great work that many charities do at risk.
The petitioners are calling on the House of Commons to protect and preserve the application of charitable status rules on a politically and ideologically neutral basis, without discrimination on the basis of those views and without the imposition of another values test, as well as to affirm the right of Canadians to freedom of expression.
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- Apr/4/22 6:41:11 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the next petition I am tabling also relates to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is about the importance of vitamin D. It notes that an early systematic review of applicable scientific literature found that blood vitamin D status can determine the risk of being infected with COVID-19, the seriousness of COVID-19 and mortality from COVID-19. Additionally, it further recommends the public maintain appropriate levels of vitamin D to be able to cope with the pandemic.
Petitioners cite various other statistics involving the relationship between low vitamin D levels and higher risk from COVID-19. Petitioners note that people get vitamin D from sunlight exposure, so during the season when Canadians are less likely to spend time outdoors, increasing awareness of vitamin D is particularly important.
Petitioners call on the Government of Canada to take the following actions: recognize the emerging scientific evidence that low levels of vitamin D are associated with worse outcomes from COVID-19 and work to increase public awareness of the importance of individuals maintaining recommended levels of vitamin D.
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- Apr/4/22 6:41:13 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
I encourage the member, and if he has 100 petitions, that is fine. The issue, more so, is that the member should be showing maybe a little more courtesy by respecting the fact he should be making his presentation on each petition relatively short and brief, out of respect for all members of the House.
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- Apr/4/22 6:41:33 p.m.
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The Chair has often encouraged members to do precisely that, to have a very short presentation of each petition, but the hon. member definitely has the right to present however many.
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- Apr/4/22 6:44:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the next petition I am tabling is with respect to the ongoing Uighur genocide. Petitioners highlight various news items about the horrific treatment of Uighurs, including forced sterilization, forced abortion, coordinated suppression of birth rates, organ harvesting, invasive surveillance, separation of children from families, forced labour, destruction of cultural sites and many other abuses.
Petitioners note that this genocide has been recognized by the House, but not as yet by the government, and therefore the ask in this petition is that the government formally recognize that Uighurs in China have been and are being subjected to genocide and also to use the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, or the Magnitsky act, to sanction those who are responsible for the heinous crimes being committed against Uighurs.
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- Apr/4/22 6:44:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I will continue with the next petition, which is in support of the energy sector. In my province petitioners are concerned about the ideological agenda of the government, and its fellow travellers in the NDP, as it seeks to shut down our energy sector. They note that the consequences of these actions will be the loss of wealth, prosperity, opportunity and wellness for Albertans, and Albertans are very concerned about this.
Petitioners want the government to take the following actions: formally recognize Alberta's place as an equal partner in the federation and remove any barriers to Alberta being able to develop its resources without interference. Finally, petitioners want the government to ensure unfettered access to international markets for these resources.
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