44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 7, 2022 10:00AM
Madam Speaker, I know my hon. colleague has been an advocate here in this House. I want to mention that I come from a riding that represents over 100,000 square kilometres. Could the member consider that and think about what it is like to overlap with over 500 other elected representatives, whether they are MLAs, town councillors, county councillors or band councils? It is something.
There is representation by responsibility. Trying to simultaneously get funding for five pools and recreation centres is a major challenge. It is an interesting discussion.
91 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, a tip of the cap to the member, as I have 5,000 square kilometres and that makes me look like small peanuts compared to the member opposite is dealing with. I salute him and can appreciate how difficult those challenges are.
As I mentioned in my speech, I believe this is a very important point about the rurality of our country and ensuring that members of Parliament who are expected to represent these areas can do so adequately. I think it is an open question, notwithstanding calling this member's advocacy into question, on the actual size. As he mentioned, working with 500 elected officials is extremely challenging.
I want to separate the conversation around the amount of seats within a province or territory versus how we actually distribute within those provinces. As we see migration of larger numbers in urban areas, perhaps urban MPs will have to take on a larger proportion of constituents so we can make some of these rural ridings smaller geographically to make sure there is that equity.
Right now, I know, for example, in Nova Scotia, and I do not pretend to know the federal aspect, there is a proportion of variance that is allowed when we look at these different elements. Perhaps that has to be extended even further to allow urban areas to have more constituents in a smaller place, and then also allow people, like this member, to have a more reasonable size and scope of geography to cover.
251 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for working with us to ensure Quebec's seat count in the House of Commons remains constant. Clearly there is a lot of work to do, especially around representation. We can look at gender balance and the important work that needs to be done to address that, as well as participation in our electoral system. We know the Liberal government ran on a platform in 2015 to make it the last unfair election. It still has not implemented a proportional system, and as a result, we still have lower turnout.
One thing I think about is young people. We are talking about really important issues critical to them such as climate justice, reconciliation, overdoses and the toxic drug supply crisis that is claiming lives in our country. We know that the younger people participate in elections and are involved in civic participation, they have a lifelong commitment to it. We have seen Austria, Germany and the U.K. lower the voting age to 16.
Does my colleague agree that if someone can drive, work and pay taxes, all of which can be done in this country at age 16, they should be able to vote? My colleague from Skeena—Bulkley Valley has put forward a bill to the House, Bill C-210. Will he be supporting that bill, which is a very important bill, to lower the voting age to 16? We know people who are 16 in this country, who are contributing to this country and whose futures are at stake, need a seat at the table.
265 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, there were a lot of different elements in the commentary.
First of all, around first past the post, the election commitment in 2015 was about its being the last election by first past the past. My understanding, although I was not here in the 42nd Parliament, is that there was the idea of doing a ranked ballot. The NDP rejected that offer, so it is a bit rich for that member to step up and suggest the government did not put something on the table to be able to make a change.
I want to address the question that is fundamental, which is the voting age at 16. I am one of the youngest members of Parliament in the House. I try every day, as part of engaging individuals in my riding, to engage with youth. It is important to make sure they have an understanding of the democratic process. Indeed, some of the issues we are talking about today will have profound impacts on them as they become adults and move forward. In principle, I support moving it toward the age of 16. I look forward to reviewing Bill C-210 and speaking to that later in this session.
202 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon.
I rise to speak on Bill C-14, an act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867. More specifically, what this bill would do is amend what is known as the grandfather clause. By way of background, the grandfather clause has been part of our Constitution since 1986, with the passage of the Representation Act, 1985. Very simply, what the grandfather clause does is establish a floor in terms of the allocation of seats by province in terms of the redistribution process that takes place every 10 years. The floor that the grandfather clause sets is that no province shall be allocated fewer seats in future redistributions than that province had in 1985.
Bill C-14 is a fairly straightforward piece of legislation in that it amends the grandfather clause by establishing an updated floor, a floor of 2015 as opposed to 1985. More specifically, it would ensure that no province will receive an allocation of fewer seats than that province had in 2015, in the 43rd Parliament, in any future redistribution. What that means for my province of Alberta is that it increases the floor in terms of the minimal number of seats that Alberta will be allocated in any redistribution by 13, the 13 seats that Alberta gained between 1985 and 2015.
When we look at the issue of allocating seats across Canada, a foundational principle of our democratic process is representation by population. Representation by population is based upon the notion that the weight attached to the vote of each Canadian should be equal, regardless of what region of Canada they live in. It is a principle that was adopted by the fathers of Confederation in 1867, and it is a principle that is enshrined in our Constitution.
While it is a principle that is foundational, achieving pure representation by population is not practical. Indeed, it is not entirely desirable in regard to a number of factors, including the vastness of Canada. With respect to the impracticability of achieving pure representation by population, one need look no further than our Constitution. For example, the senatorial clause of 1915 guarantees that every province shall have at least the same number of seats in the House of Commons as it has senators. That is why, for example, the province of Prince Edward Island is guaranteed four seats in the House of Commons because it has four senators, notwithstanding the fact that the province of Prince Edward Island has fewer than 160,000 people.
Indeed, my riding of St. Albert—Edmonton is almost as large as Prince Edward Island. My friend and colleague down the road in Edmonton—Wetaskiwin represents a riding of more than 200,000 people, 40,000 or 50,000 more people than Prince Edward Island. One might say to simply rescind or repeal the senatorial clause, but of course that requires the unanimous consent of the provinces. Prince Edward Island, I am sure, will be in no hurry to offer its consent.
Achieving pure representation by population is not practicable, but it is also important to take into account what the Supreme Court of Canada provided for in the Saskatchewan boundaries reference case of 1991. That case dealt with the boundary redistribution in the province of Saskatchewan that tended to disproportionately favour rural areas at the expense of more populous urban areas. The court looked at section 3 of the charter, which guarantees the right of every Canadian to vote, and in the context of the redistribution of boundaries in the province of Saskatchewan, the Supreme Court determined that the overriding principle is one of effective representation.
In terms of effective representation, the court recognized such factors as geography, communities of interest and so on. However, that being said, the court did stress the importance of representation by population. To that end, I would cite Madam Justice McLachlin, who said:
What are the conditions of effective representation? The first is relative parity of voting power. A system which dilutes one citizen's vote unduly as compared with another citizen's vote runs the risk of providing inadequate representation to the citizen whose vote is diluted.
In order to have effective representation, what we must have, to the greatest degree possible, is representation by population. That is where we have moved significantly towards, thanks to the leadership of Prime Minister Harper and the previous Conservative government with the passage of the Fair Representation Act.
The Fair Representation Act replaced the 1985 formula that established an electoral quotient, which is the first step in terms of determining the allocation of seats, with a new formula that sets a new electoral quotient. The problem, very simply, with the 1985 formula is that, although it was thought to be fair in 1985, it did not allow for the allocation of seats by province to keep up with population growth among the fastest-growing provinces. As a result, the fastest-growing provinces were denied their right to fair, proportionate representation in the House of Commons. It created, over time, a representation gap.
Take, for example, my province of Alberta. Alberta gained nearly one million people between 1988 and 2004, yet in the span of nearly 20 years with one million new Albertans, Alberta only gained two seats in the House of Commons. So significant was the representation gap at the time that the Fair Representation Act was introduced, some analysis established that the three fastest-growing provinces in Canada, namely Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, were among the most under-represented provinces or states in the industrialized world, according to analysis at the time from the Mowat Centre.
The Fair Representation Act addressed the representation gap significantly by establishing a new formula that better takes into account population growth, all the while respecting the overriding principle of effective representation. What that has meant in the last two redistributions is an increase in representation for the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.
My province of Alberta has gained nine seats in the span of 10 years. Ontario gained 18 seats in the first redistribution. The province of British Columbia gained eight seats. That gap is being closed thanks to the legacy of Prime Minister Harper and the formula provided in the Fair Representation Act.
In closing, I will say that this legislation, I am pleased to see, would not in any major way impact the Harper formula. It would maintain the Harper formula, and in that regard it maintains a significant step forward in achieving something much closer to representation by population, which the Supreme Court has said is essential for having effective representation.
1122 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague and I may not always agree on discussion points and politics, but I do respect his ability to stand before the House without notes to recite his speeches and bring forward his points.
I just had a Q and A with the member of Parliament for Peace River—Westlock, my hon. colleague's colleague, about the rurality of the country and the fact that his riding is 100,000 square kilometres. He talked about effective representation, and we talked about the challenges, of course, notwithstanding the fact that there has been a rural-urban shift. It is important to take into consideration those elements so that rural MPs can still represent their constituents in a reasonable fashion.
Would the member agree that with the current structure, when we look at the dynamic within the provinces and territories, we have to make sure that rural representation remains an important piece, particularly with the size and geography of federal ridings at this point?
167 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, in short, I absolutely concur with my colleague from Kings—Hants that we need to take into allowance issues of population and geography, as my friend, the member for Peace River—Westlock, outlined. He represents 100,000 square kilometres, an area that comprises 500 municipal, provincial and band officials, and that is taken into account in the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act. It takes into account the factors the Supreme Court specifically cited in the Saskatchewan reference case in terms of establishing and maintaining effective representation.
89 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, my colleague's intervention today was very detailed and fact-based, and I appreciate his attention to detail.
He talked about the member for Edmonton—Wetaskiwin having 200,000 constituents in his riding, and something I have been thinking a lot about is the nature of representation when we look at the difference between rural and urban. I wonder if the member would be able to speak to that. Considering the difference in priorities and the different challenges that rural and urban ridings face, would he be interested in making sure, as we determine the three new seats in Alberta, that we have urban and rural priorities in line?
112 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, my colleague from Edmonton is quite right when she speaks of the Edmonton—Wetaskiwin riding, which takes in the deep south of suburban Edmonton and has a farming and small-town component. That is something the boundaries commission of each province takes into account among the factors they consider in drawing boundaries, including having regard for communities of interest. They are ensuring, to the greatest degree possible, that the boundaries of each riding align with communities of interest, and at the same time, they are trying to maintain, as best as possible, roughly equal population sizes.
99 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, I want to expand on the question from the previous member. When I look at Toronto, we have more than 20 members representing a riding that, arguably, as I have driven from one side of it to the other, is not that different.
Is there a question we should be asking at this time about that? Certainly we need more people to support that many individuals regarding services, but do we really need that many members?
78 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, that is a good question from my friend, the member for Sarnia—Lambton. There are different challenges that members of Parliament face in representing urban and rural areas. They are taken into account, having regard for additional resources for the members who represent larger ridings by population and by virtue of their geography. However, I underscore that when we allocate seats and draw boundaries, the principle that must be respected to the greatest degree possible is representation by population.
82 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, we are discussing representation in the House, and I talked earlier about the important work we need to do on gender balance and proportionality. I talked a lot about young people and the lack of opportunities for them to have a seat at the table. We know that at 16 years old, young people can drive a car, work and pay taxes in this country. We also know that if they participate at a young age, they have a better chance of voting in the future.
As to my question for my colleague, there is a bill before the House, Bill C-210, tabled by my colleague from Skeena—Bulkley Valley. Does the member support allowing those who can drive—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
129 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/7/22 1:59:37 p.m.
- Watch
Order, please. We need to hear the question.
The hon. member for St. Albert—Edmonton.
16 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, let me say, in short, that I believe in principle that the voting age of 18 is the most appropriate age. However, I do look forward to debate on the bill.
33 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/7/22 2:00:11 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, today, April 7, is World Health Day. The World Health Organization has asked that this year we focus on planetary health, which is a good idea. We have a planetary health doctor, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which gave us all a prescription on Monday and really clear, good health advice. If we want to be healthy, cut out the bad things and cut down on the smoking.
Oh, but the Government of Canada did not like that prescription, not one bit. We have our own quack, apparently. We have our own snake oil remedies. We do not want to cut down; we want to double down, on the smoking, on the Bay Du Nord, on the Trans Mountain pipeline. We are not paying attention to what the planetary health doctor is telling us to do. We will make money smoking. We have enough investments in the cigarette companies. We can use that money to get to net health by 2050. Yes, indeed, we will ignore the health advice to save our planet and it will—
180 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/7/22 2:01:09 p.m.
- Watch
Before I call on the next speaker, can I please have some quiet? We can barely hear what is being said in the chamber. There is an issue with the outside lobby, so I would really appreciate it if people kept quiet.
The hon. member for Lac-Saint-Louis.
49 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/7/22 2:01:28 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, Montreal's West Island has lost a true gentleman and man of integrity who contributed in so many meaningful ways to community and country. Lyle Cruickshank's early work as an educator was followed by a lengthy career supporting the development of Canadian culture with the National Film Board. A pillar of community life, he served three terms on Beaconsfield's city council.
A faithful member of the Beaurepaire United Church, Lyle was the inspiration and life force behind Villa Beaurepaire, a church-sponsored project to build a non-profit affordable residence for autonomous seniors that has become a vibrant community in its own right. Last month, I had the pleasure of accompanying our Minister for Seniors, the member for Brampton West, on a visit to this extraordinary model of independent senior living.
I ask members to join me in sending our heartfelt condolences to Lyle's wife Susan and children Paula, Devon and Ian.
157 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/7/22 2:02:31 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, April is cancer awareness month. I was very happy to become the honorary co-chair of the 2022 Leucan shaved head challenge in the Montmagny region together with Jean‑Philippe Dumas, sales manager at Planchers Mercier.
This important annual event is an opportunity to raise awareness of the fact that our children also experience health problems. Leucan provides services tailored specifically to children with cancer and their families and also conducts clinical research. Recently I was profoundly affected by the health problems of my grandson Oskar. I understand the difficulties and hardships experienced by families with children who are ill.
Our campaign accepts donations, and we have set an ambitious goal of raising $100,000.
I invite the Speaker to support me by agreeing to shave his head. I will be shaving mine at the Café Bistro Au Coin du Monde in Montmagny on June 18.
Mr. Speaker, you do not have a lot of hair, but you would be shaving it for a worthwhile cause.
171 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/7/22 2:03:43 p.m.
- Watch
I believe we have the same hairdo.
The hon. member for Brampton North.
13 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Apr/7/22 2:03:53 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, April is Sikh Heritage Month and April 14 marks the day of Vaisakhi. Vaisakhi is a special day for Sikh people, as it signifies the beginning of the Khalsa Panth created by the 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who initiated the Khalsa as warriors designated to be the protectors of the innocent. Sikhi teaches us the importance of justice, equality and service to others.
On this occasion, I would like to recognize the outstanding work of Khalsa Aid Canada, an organization that highlights and practises these important teachings. Khalsa Aid responded rapidly to the crisis in Ukraine and established relief teams in five countries bordering Ukraine. Recently, at the Ukraine-Poland border, my friend Gurpartap Singh Toor and a team of young volunteers from Canada provided langar seva. They provided up to 5,000 free meals a day, along with emotional support, to escaping Ukrainians in one of the largest refugee camps in Europe today.
I want to thank these volunteers and the Sikh Canadians who are living up to their Sikh values and making contributions.
Happy Vaisakhi. Vaisakhi diyan lakh lakh Vadhaiyan.
186 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
