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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 75

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 19, 2022 10:00AM
  • May/19/22 2:58:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very sensitive to the issue that is raised by the member. Certainly, as we move forward on numerous measures, we want individual Ukrainians to come as fast as possible. I am happy to report in the House that over 24,000 Ukrainians have made their way here. I had the privilege of meeting with some of them last week when I visited Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Let us not forget our new measure: charter flights will be arriving here on May 23, in Winnipeg, as the first flights to Canada.
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  • May/19/22 2:58:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us make sure we cut the red tape. Vladimir Putin has been waging a brutal and illegal war in Ukraine for almost three months. Unfortunately, the Liberal government has been slow to act and even slower to send to Ukraine the lethal weapons it needs to survive. It has refused to send Ukraine our soon-to-be-retired light armoured vehicles, such as our Bisons, our Coyotes and our M113 armoured personnel carriers. All of these LAVs will end up on the scrap heap if we do not give them away. The Americans are sending their M113s to Ukraine. Why are we not?
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  • May/19/22 2:59:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will continue our efforts so that Ukraine can win this war. That is why, very recently, the Prime Minister announced an additional $50 million in military aid, which includes 18 drone cameras, $15 million in high-resolution satellite imagery, up to $1 million in small arms and related ammunition and additional ammunition for the M777s. Ukraine can continue counting on Canada to support its fierce resistance against this illegal war by Vladimir Putin.
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  • May/19/22 3:00:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Vyshyvanka Day celebrates Ukrainian culture, but it is bittersweet today for the 22,000 Ukrainian Canadians in Lakeland. In Ukraine, their loved ones are in bomb shelters and their homes are in ruins. Lloydminster’s sister city, Nikopol, is ringed in barbed wire and barricades. Sixteen-year-old Mykita was in Vegreville when Putin attacked. His mom and sister got here, but his dad is still in Ukraine. Visas take months, zero federal flights have arrived and almost 13 million Ukrainians are displaced. While Putin murders civilians, his ambassador is cozy on the Rideau, 10 minutes away. Why on earth is he still here?
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  • May/19/22 3:00:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in the House is united in our support for Ukraine and we are doing everything possible in a military sense, in a humanitarian sense and in immigration as we continue to help Ukraine. At the same time, we have an unprecedented set of sanctions on Russia. We are suppressing Russia. We are bringing Russia down to level this playing field. This war will be won, and Canada will be there to help Ukraine.
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  • May/19/22 3:01:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in March 2019, two Canadian companies with operations in several Canadian provinces had their canola seed exports to China suspended by Chinese customs authorities. Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food tell the House if there have been any recent developments?
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  • May/19/22 3:01:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know how important Canadian grain is. Canadian grain is of high quality and is also important to world food security. When two Canadian companies had their exports suspended in China, we took all the necessary action and worked closely with the industry. I am pleased to tell the House that these companies can now resume their canola exports to China.
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  • May/19/22 3:02:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, two years ago, Iran show down flight PS752. Many Iranian Canadians in my community continue to grieve. In the midst of their grief, the Iranian football federation has been invited to a friendly match in Vancouver. It is no secret the Iranian football federation has heavy political connections to the Iranian revolutionary guard. They are the same people who shot down this plane and killed 176 passengers. Will the government stop this match from happening?
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  • May/19/22 3:02:59 p.m.
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I have not called anyone yet, so let me call the right one here. The hon. minister online. Some hon. members: Oh, oh! The Deputy Speaker: Order. Order. The hon. government House leader.
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  • May/19/22 3:03:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that was obviously a very good question that we, as a government, are in a state of pondering and we will get back to the member very shortly.
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  • May/19/22 3:03:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last year, we unanimously passed my private member's bill that would help Canadians register as organ and tissue donors through their annual tax returns. The minister told the House three months ago that the CRA would consult with the provinces and territories in the coming weeks to get this done. It is three months later, and people from multiple provinces and territories are telling me that they have heard nothing from the minister or her department. Canadians needing a lifesaving transplant are also waiting. Can the minister tell Parliament what she will personally do today to get this project on track?
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  • May/19/22 3:04:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I believe this is a question for the minister responsible for CRA, but as the parliamentary secretary for health I agree with my hon. colleague opposite. Organ donation, encouraging organ donation and ensuring these things are available to Canadians are of the utmost importance, and I am happy to support the member and have further conversations.
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  • May/19/22 3:04:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 37(2), my question is for the spokesperson for the Board of Internal Economy: the member for Red Deer—Lacombe. Last fall, a question of privilege was raised in the House about troubling allegations of Liberal partisanship by the Clerk of the House, benefiting the government with insider tips and helpful arrangements. The Chair ruled that the Board of Internal Economy was seized with the matter, so it was better placed to address the allegations. Since then, the board has held eight meetings, but there have been no reports, no consequences, no investigations and no news whatsoever. Can the spokesperson for the Board of Internal Economy please update the House?
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  • May/19/22 3:05:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for reminding me about that rule. As he may know, the board is required by law to discuss employment and legal matters in private, so I cannot say what, if anything, has been decided or discussed at those eight meetings. I would note, though, that the board's July minutes, which have been tabled in the House, indicate that my predecessor asked for an internal review but that the board did not approve. Of course, my friend is experienced and savvy about Parliament and would know that the board works on a consensus basis, so if any single political party were to veto taking action on the allegations of Liberal partisanship, there would be no board action or decision to report.
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  • May/19/22 3:06:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, seal predation has been a major issue in my riding and across the province of Newfoundland and Labrador for years. It was our colleague, former MP Scott Simms, who brought forward the National Seal Products Day bill, and it was our government that established the Atlantic Seal Science Task Team. Now, with the release of the report, it is our government that will tackle this issue. Can the minister please update the House on our government's recently announced plans to address this critical issue for the benefit of our oceans, our fish stocks and the people who depend on them?
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  • May/19/22 3:07:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador's fish harvesters have no louder or prouder champions than the member and his Liberal colleagues. Seals eat fish. Last week, we released the Atlantic Seal Science Task Force report, and the very next day in Corner Brook, I announced immediate action on its recommendations. These included hosting a seal summit in the fall and how to include seal impacts in fisheries management decisions. Canada's fish and seafood industries have no stronger champions that this government.
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  • May/19/22 3:07:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, recent polls tell us Canadians are deeply concerned about the threat of nuclear war in Ukraine. Nuclear disarmament is more important now than ever. The world cannot be held hostage by madmen like Putin. Before they were elected, the Liberals promised to play a leading role in nuclear disarmament, but like so many other promises, nothing has been done. The Canadian government has an obligation to use its power and influence to make the world a safer place. Will the minister, at the very least, commit to sending an observation delegation to the disarmament meeting in Vienna this June?
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  • May/19/22 3:08:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona for her commitment and leadership on this very important issue. Canada shares in its unwavering commitment towards a world free of nuclear weapons. We agree that we need to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons in all places at all times. While we acknowledge that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons reflects well-founded concerns about the unacceptably slow pace of global disarmament, our concern right now and our focus is on working with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the NPT, and on the Stockholm initiative for nuclear disarmament. We will continue to engage in all multilateral fora.
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  • May/19/22 3:09:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to follow up on that question from the hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona. If we have an unwavering commitment to end nuclear weapons, why is Canada not even a signatory to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons? Why would we not send a delegation to the first meeting of the parties, now that that treaty has come into force legally?
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  • May/19/22 3:09:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the ongoing and unwavering commitment of this member as well. Nuclear proliferation is a concern to all Canadians. We are very well aware of this. We are well aware of the various multilateral fora that are working on this issue. We will continue to monitor them every day because we know that a nuclear war can never be won and should never be fought.
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