44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 8, 2022 02:00PM
- Jun/8/22 2:14:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have risen many times in the chamber to celebrate the important relationship between Canada and Ireland. This week is the first-ever Canada regional conference. It is hosted by the Irish embassy in Ottawa and brings together Irish honorary consuls and the trade promotion agencies from across Canada. Representatives from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Halifax and Ireland are meeting to look at ways to continue strengthening the bonds between our two nations.
I want to thank them, and in particular I want to thank our friend, the Irish ambassador to Canada, His Excellency Eamonn McKee. His tireless efforts to highlight our cultural ties and close historical links are truly inspiring. I also want to say a special thanks to our friend Eithne Heffernan, a true champion in the Irish community.
However, it is with great sadness that I also pay respects to a former ambassador, His Excellency Jim Kelly, who passed suddenly on March 17. He was a man of great integrity and kindness and a diplomat with enormous vision.
As we look to the future, the House looks forward to working with Ambassador McKee and his team. Lastly, I want to wish my Irish seatmate a happy birthday.
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- Jun/8/22 2:15:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today, I have the honour to talk to the House about the annual Canadian Walk for Veterans. The first walk was hosted as a fundraiser for the Equitas Society, organized by South Surrey—White Rock resident Marc Burchell, a great friend of mine, and the co-founder, retired Master Corporal Chance Burles.
This year the walk will take place both in person and virtually across Canada over the weekend of September 24 in over 152 cities. This event, hosted by One Veteran Society, invites Canadians from coast to coast to coast to walk shoulder to shoulder in recognition of our military, veterans and first responders, with the goal of providing opportunities for Canadians to learn about the challenges of coping with life after service. The walk will raise awareness of the plight of translators, interpreters, cultural advisers and other locally employed people who have been essential to the success of multiple Canadian missions.
I call on each and every member of the House to participate in any way they can and help bring awareness to this very important issue and outstanding organization.
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- Jun/8/22 2:17:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in June, we celebrate Portuguese Heritage Month. It is a great time to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Canadians of Portuguese descent.
Also, Friday, June 10, is Portugal Day. It is commemorated both in Portugal and around the world. It is a very special day of pride for me as a Portuguese Canadian. Canada is now home to one of the largest Portuguese diasporas in the world, with nearly half a million people of Portuguese origin calling Canada home.
This year, we have the special honour of having with us His Excellency Augusto Santos Silva, President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the ambassador of Portugal, António Leão Rocha, and Mrs. Luisa Leão Rocha for their great service to our Portuguese Canadian community.
To our LUSO community and in tribute for 70 years of Canada-Portugal relations, I say this.
[Member spoke in Portuguese]
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- Jun/8/22 2:18:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on June 6, 1944, 156,000 Canadian, British and American soldiers stormed some 50 miles of beaches along the heavily fortified Normandy coast of France. The sage advice given to troops by Dwight Eisenhower was simple: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.”
Fortunately for us, one of the regiments to land on D-Day was the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. This storied regiment, based in Amherst in my riding of Cumberland—Colchester, pushed through the extreme fighting and made the greatest inland gains of any allied forces. The now Nova Scotia Highlanders still exists today in Cumberland—Colchester and in Pictou County. Those who continue to serve stand on the shoulders of giants. The cenotaph in Amherst has recently been beautifully revamped. It is adorned with a lifelike North Novie and it is spectacular.
As we often debate freedom in this House, let us always remember the great sacrifice by those who have gone before, the seriousness of our decisions and the plight of those we represent. Lest we forget.
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- Jun/8/22 2:19:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today in this House with sadness, frustration and worry. These emotions are directly related to the Liberal government's agreement with British Columbia that will decriminalize fentanyl. Never before has the government made such a bad decision that will directly impact the safety and well-being of British Columbians. This exemption will now allow British Columbians to carry up to 2.5 grams of this deadly drug. This amount is serious enough to kill someone many times over, including many members of this House.
How can the Liberal government be so complacent and look to normalize the use of this deadly drug, which is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine? Street drugs are a serious issue in B.C. In so many cases, parents cannot take their children to the park without first checking for used needles. Just this week, at my son's school, teachers were picking up drug paraphernalia right at the entrance of his classroom. This is devastating and not acceptable.
Canadians struggling with addiction deserve compassion, compassion that puts them on the path to recovery, compassion that leads them to the mental, physical and cultural health supports they need. Normalizing fentanyl is not compassionate.
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- Jun/8/22 2:20:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is Canadian Environment Week, so it is a great time to highlight the historic investments our government has made to position our country and the Sherbrooke community on the path to a clean, strong and competitive economy in a low-carbon world.
I am proud of our government for investing more than $3.8 million in the Société de transport de Sherbrooke so it can operate a fleet of 100% electric buses.
I would also like to highlight the innovative businesses in Sherbrooke that are doing their part to reduce our carbon footprint. One great example is Sherbrooke OEM, a company that specializes in recycling. It has been able to continue to expand after receiving an investment of nearly $1 million from our government.
We all know how much these businesses need our support for the common good.
Let us all continue our efforts to ensure that our country remains a leader in the fight against climate change.
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- Jun/8/22 2:21:57 p.m.
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[Member spoke in Inuktitut and provided the following text:]
ᐅᖃᖅᑎᑦᑎᔨ
ᓈᒻᒫᓂᖏᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᑐᐃᔪᓕᕆᓂᖅ ᑐᑭᓯᐅᒪᔭᐅᓗᐊᕌᓂᒃᑐᖅ ᐃᓄᐃᑦ, ᐊᓪᓚᐃᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓪᓚᖓᔪᓄᑦ ᐊᕐᓇᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᓯᖏᓐᓄᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᑲᓇᑕᒥ.
ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᓕᐊᖑᔪᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓄᑦ ᑭᒡᓕᓯᓂᐊᕐᓂᒧᑦ ᐊᒻᒪᓗ ᐊᕐᓇᐃᑦ ᐃᓄᐊᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᓅᖓᔪᑦ ᓇᓗᓇᐃᕆᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᒥᓱᒻᒪᕆᖕᓂ ᐊᕐᕌᒍᓂ ᐃᓅᓯᖏᓐᓂ ᐊᒃᑐᐃᓂᕆᔭᐅᓯᒪᓂᖏᑦ ᓈᒻᒫᓂᖏᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᑐᐃᔪᓕᕆᓂᖅ.
Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance, ᐊᓪᓚᐃᑦ ᓄᑲᕇᒃ ᐅᖃᐅᓯᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒐᕐᒥᒃ ᑕᐃᔭᐅᔪᖅ “ᓈᒻᒫᓂᖏᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᑐᐃᔪᓕᕆᓂᖅᒥᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᓯᒪᔪᑦ 12 ᓂᒃ ᐊᕐᓇᐅᔪᓂᒃ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᓂᒃ” ᓇᓗᓇᐃᕆᒻᒪᕆᒃᐳᖅ ᑐᓴᕆᐊᖃᒻᒪᕆᖕᓂᑦᑎᓐᓂᒃ ᐃᓗᐃᑦᑑᓂᖓ ᓈᒻᒫᓂᖏᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᑐᐃᔪᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ.
ᐊᕐᓇᐃᑦ ᓄᓇᖃᖅᑳᖅᓯᒪᔪᑦ ᐊᒥᓲᓂᖏᑦ ᑳᓇᑕᒥᒃ 4%ᑐᐃᓐᓇᐅᕗᑦ. ᑭᓯᐊᓂ ᐊᒥᓲᓂᖅᐹᖑᔪᑦ ᑎᒍᔭᐅᕕᖕᒦᑦᑐᑦ 50% ᒧᑦ ᑎᑭᐅᑎᓯᒪᒻᒪᕆᒃᖢᑎᒃ ᒐᕙᒪᑐᖃᒃᑯᓐᓂ ᑎᒍᔭᐅᕕᖏᓐᓂᒃ.
ᐊᔭᐅᖅᑐᖅᐸᓯ 44ᖑᒋᔭᐅᔪᑎᒍᑦ ᒪᓕᒐᓕᐅᖅᑎᖅᔪᐊᕆᔭᐅᑎᓪᓗᑕ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐃᓕᒪᖁᓪᓗᑕ ᓈᒻᒫᓂᖏᑦᑐᒥᒃ ᐃᖅᑲᑐᐃᔪᓕᕆᓂᕐᒥᒃ. ᐊᔭᐅᖅᑐᒻᒪᕆᒃᐸᓯ ᐃᓗᐃᑦᑑᔪᒥᒃ ᐊᑐᖅᑕᐅᔪᒃᓴᕐᓂᒃ ᐱᙳᖅᑎᖁᓪᓗᓯᒃ ᑕᒪᒃᑯᓂᖓ ᐅᖃᓕᒫᒋᓕᐊᓂᒃ ᑐᙵᕕᖃᖅᑐᓂᒃ
[Inuktitut text interpreted as follows:]
Mr. Speaker, “incremental justice” is a phrase too familiar with Inuit, first nations and Métis women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ in Canada. Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance are indigenous sisters whose stories in “Injustices and Miscarriages of Justice Experienced by 12 Indigenous Women” demand that we pay attention to the shortcomings of incremental justice.
Indigenous women account for 4% of women in Canada, yet they represent 50% of all women in federal prisons. I call upon members to ensure comprehensive action to avoid incremental justice.
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- Jun/8/22 2:23:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on May 23, the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec launched a big campaign to promote the French language and to emphasize that working in French is a right.
With online, television and street furniture ads, this campaign uses funny translations of Quebec expressions as a reminder that people understand one another better when they speak our common language. The French expression “pain sur la planche” does not mean “having bread on the board”.
It means we have our work cut out for us, and that is true when it comes to stopping the decline of French in Quebec workplaces. I would like to draw the attention of our friends in the FTQ to Ottawa, which continues to avoid applying the Charter of the French Language to federally regulated businesses.
On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I thank the entire FTQ team, especially its president, Daniel Boyer, and its general secretary, Denis Bolduc, for promoting our national language. As the FTQ said so well, French at work is always better.
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- Jun/8/22 2:24:19 p.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Mr. Speaker, this week, a coroner’s inquest has begun into one of the worst cases of multiple-partner violence in Canadian history.
Basil Borutski murdered Anastasia Kuzyk, Nathalie Warmerdam, and Carol Culleton in separate incidents on the morning of September 22, 2015 in Renfrew County. Borutski was well known to all of his victims and to police for a long history of violence. He was a dangerous serial offender with a history of beating women. Now, the three families, and our entire community, are reliving the horror of that event through the inquest.
Bill C-5 is a radical left-wing bill that would eliminate mandatory minimum penalties. It sends the wrong message to women who live in fear of domestic violence. It sends the wrong message to the courts. In this case, a violent offender who openly ignored court orders that were part of his probation was released anyhow. Bill C-5 is a slap in the face to every woman in Canada by a Prime Minister consumed by his own toxic masculinity.
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- Jun/8/22 2:25:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, mabuhay. Maligayang Buwan ng Pamanang Pilipino.
For decades, Filipino Canadians have contributed to the social and economic fabric of Canada, and throughout June we recognize their achievements and show our appreciation for this growing community. Among Vaughan's outstanding Filipino organizations actively building a more inclusive Canada are the Filipino-Canadian Association of Vaughan, founded in 1990 by Antonio and Erlinda Insigne, which will be celebrating its fifth annual Vaughan Fiesta Extravaganza this July 2-3; MCBN's Pinoy Radio, led by Von Canton, a great friend, keeping the community across Canada informed and connected; and the Filipino Seniors Club of Vaughan, offering regular cultural and educational activities to seniors.
For 26 years, the City of Vaughan has been a proud sister city of Baguio, Philippines, and it is home to more than 15,000 hard-working Filipinos, who are enriching our community every day.
I want to say maraming salamat to all Filipino Canadians, who embody the values of perseverance, selflessness and hard work, and wish them a happy Filipino Heritage Month.
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- Jun/8/22 2:26:33 p.m.
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Before proceeding, I want to thank all the members who kept their Standing Order 31 messages under 60 seconds. To those who went over, which was quite a number of them, I just want to remind them that I do not want to have to cut off their messages, so tomorrow when we are starting, they should make sure to keep them under 60 seconds.
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- Jun/8/22 2:27:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 38% of Canadians are worried more about money than anything else in their lives, more than their health, their kids or their relationships. What does that tell us?
Over 20% of Canadians are skipping meals because they cannot afford to eat. They do not need a top-up cheque from these big-spending Liberals. They want the price of gas, food and housing to go down, or at least stop going up. What are these Liberals, who do not think much about monetary policy, going to do to stop the rising cost of everything?
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- Jun/8/22 2:27:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to affording the cost of living for the overwhelming majority of Canadians, the most important thing is to have a job. That is why our government focused so relentlessly on a jobs-centred recovery, and it has worked. Canada has recovered 115% of the jobs lost to COVID compared to just 96% in the U.S. Right now, our unemployment rate, at 5.2%, is the lowest it has been since comparable records were kept. That matters to Canadians.
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- Jun/8/22 2:28:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Liberals are completely out of touch and denying reality. That is why single parents, young homebuyers and seniors do not believe that they have a plan. Literally every single day, people are seeing the prices of everything go up. On fiscal policy overall, no one will trust the Prime Minister, who is in a very happy political marriage with the NDP. We should just ask the Parliamentary Budget Officer, or maybe former finance minister Bill Morneau, what they think of the government's fiscal policy.
All we see from the tax-and-spend Liberals is more taxing and more spending, and no plan to fight inflation. Is that not the truth?
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- Jun/8/22 2:29:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am really glad that the member opposite spoke about seniors, parents and people struggling to pay the rent because, thanks to our policies in this year's and last year's budgets, there are measures directly focused at helping them. With the Canada workers benefit for low-wage Canadians, a family of three will get up to $2,300 more this year. Seniors will receive a 10% increase in OAS, which is $815.
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- Jun/8/22 2:29:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, families and leaders across the country are tired of seeing repeat offenders in their communities terrorizing them with guns. Conservatives are tired of it, too. We are all tired of the Liberals' soft-on-crime approach. The Liberals' so-called gun ban is a joke and will do nothing to stop the violence. We just need to ask frontline officers.
Why do these soft-on-crime Liberals think it is okay for drug dealers to shoot up neighbourhoods using stolen and smuggled weapons and then be let out on the street, literally sometimes the next day, to do it all over again? Why?
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- Jun/8/22 2:30:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am glad to have a question about crime. I want to talk about Bill C-5 and mandatory minimums, and I want to offer a very personal story.
When I was a small child, my mother practised law in northern Alberta. She did a lot of legal aid work and the overwhelming majority of her clients were indigenous. She would take me court and sometimes she would take me with her to reserves, and I saw first-hand how our criminal justice system treats indigenous peoples. Our government is fixing that and everyone in the House should be supportive of that.
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- Jun/8/22 2:31:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to share what I heard from the representative of a community that this government claims it wants to help. She says that eliminating these minimum sentences is not only a bad idea masquerading as a good one, but an idea that will further jeopardize the communities this initiative is supposed to protect. That is what we heard from Murielle Chatellier in a parliamentary committee.
On the one hand, the Prime Minister is abolishing mandatory minimum sentences with Bill C‑5; on the other, he does not mention victims of gun violence even once in Bill C‑21.
Why is the Prime Minister so intent on helping criminals rather than victims?
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- Jun/8/22 2:31:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to provide a very personal answer to that question.
When I was a child, my mother worked as a lawyer in northern Alberta and did a lot of legal aid work. Many of her clients were indigenous people. When I was a child, I witnessed, in the courts and sometimes on reserves, how our country and our justice system treated indigenous people. We need to fix that. Our government will do it. I hope all members will help us.
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- Jun/8/22 2:32:39 p.m.
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