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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 85

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 9, 2022 10:00AM
  • Jun/9/22 3:00:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague accurately stated, global and domestic supply chains are under pressure, and our government is taking action. Budget 2022 has announced significant investment to strengthen supply chain infrastructure. I am also pleased to let my hon. colleagues know that we have established a supply chain task force that will provide our government with additional advice and recommendations. The task force is made up of experts and industry leaders, and I want to thank them for agreeing to join this task force and for their service to their country. I look forward to working with them to make our supply chains even stronger.
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  • Jun/9/22 3:01:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' front-of-pack warning labels on ground beef and pork, something no other country in the world is doing, put our food security and our vulnerable supply chain at risk. Grocery costs are up 10% and almost a quarter of Canadian families are skipping meals because they cannot afford food, but the Liberals want to put a $2-billion bureaucratic burden on a wholesome protein, making the food affordability crisis even worse. Are these misleading and unnecessary warning labels on a single-ingredient, wholesome food really worth the crippling cost to Canadian farmers, businesses and, most importantly, consumers?
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  • Jun/9/22 3:02:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is concerned about the critically high rates of chronic disease in Canada. Across the country, two in five adults report having at least one of the 10 most common chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Poor diets, including those that are really high in saturated fats, sugar and sodium are primary risks for those diseases. That is unacceptable. Canadians deserve more information. Nutrient-specific high in front-of-package labels will allow Canadians to quickly and easily identify foods that are high in these nutrients of public health concern and make more informed, educated and healthier food choices when at the grocery store.
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  • Jun/9/22 3:03:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canada is poised to become the first jurisdiction in the world to self‑impose front‑of‑package labelling on ground beef and pork. These are single‑ingredient products we are talking about here. This government continues to add bureaucratic constraints that hinder our international competitiveness. What is the government basing its decision on? When will it abandon the implementation of this ridiculous regulation?
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  • Jun/9/22 3:03:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, unlike the hon. members opposite, our government is concerned about the critically high rates of chronic disease in Canada. Across the country, two in five adults report having at least one of the 10 most common chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. A poor diet, particularly one that is high in saturated fats, sugar and sodium, is a primary risk factor for these diseases. That is unacceptable. The “high in” nutrition label on the front of the package will allow Canadians to quickly identify—
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  • Jun/9/22 3:04:21 p.m.
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Order. The hon. member for Bow River.
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  • Jun/9/22 3:04:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the utterly nonsensical proposal for front-of-package labelling on ground beef and pork is another attack on our agriculture industry. Canada would be the first country to do this, despite already exempting other single-ingredient whole food products like dairy. Bureaucratic red tape is once again standing in the way of Canadian agri-food production. Can the Minister of Health justify this to Canadians, or is Health Canada intent on killing off the Canadian agri-food industry?
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  • Jun/9/22 3:04:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we on this side believe that more information for consumers is always a good thing. These labels are widely recognized by health organizations and the scientific community as an effective tool to help counteract rising rates of diet-related chronic disease that continue to rise in Canada. During our engagements with industry stakeholders, health experts and Canadians across the country, Health Canada analyzed the feedback received and made adjustments to the proposal, where supported by science. Our government will always prioritize health policies based on scientific evidence. Let me be clear to Canadians that they will still produce and purchase ground meat.
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  • Jun/9/22 3:05:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding of Kitchener—Conestoga have worked very hard and helped shape this country. I am hearing from more and more seniors that they would like to stay at home and in their communities for as long as possible. Many vulnerable seniors are often forced to transition to residences and long-term care homes due to the lack of services. Can the Minister of Seniors please update this House on the important work the government is doing to support seniors who wish to age at home?
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  • Jun/9/22 3:06:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Kitchener—Conestoga for his advocacy for seniors. We know Canadian seniors want to age in their own homes and communities for as long as possible, and that is why I was pleased to announce yesterday that our government is investing $90 million over three years through our age well at home initiative, which will provide eligible organizations up to $2 million per project through one of its two streams. Organizations will be able to apply through our online portal until July 22. Members can rest assured that our government will always be there for seniors, particularly those most vulnerable.
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  • Jun/9/22 3:06:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Poplar River First Nation, which has no all-weather road, depends on a barge in the summer to bring in essential goods and on the fishery as their economic engine. The engine on this barge literally blew up, leaving the community stranded. The first nation has declared a state of emergency. It has called for immediate help from all levels of government. Poplar River needs help now. Will the Minister of Indigenous Services meet with the chief as soon as possible and provide the immediate assistance that the community, including fishers, is asking for now?
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  • Jun/9/22 3:07:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for advocating for Poplar River First Nation. The department is working with the community and has provided services and alternative means to get services and supplies to the community. We are working with the community to look at alternatives for replacing the barge. I will always meet with any chief who wishes to, at a time that works for both of us.
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  • Jun/9/22 3:07:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are facing a housing crisis in this country, and my community is reeling. There are 53 people who have resorted to pitching tents on publicly owned land in downtown Kitchener, but they are being evicted at the end of the month. They are among the 412 people who we know are unsheltered in Waterloo region. Municipal leaders have been sounding the alarm for years, asking for more targeted housing funding and urgent mental health and addictions support. If the Minister of Housing were to visit this encampment, what would he say to those living in tents, who have been left behind by decades of unjust housing policies?
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  • Jun/9/22 3:08:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, whenever Canadians find themselves on the street, it diminishes us all. We have invested over $562 million in the federal Reaching Home program, which targets the most vulnerable Canadians on the street. In addition to that, during the pandemic we invested another $400 million. We are giving stability and certainly to frontline organizations serving the most vulnerable. Through the rapid housing initiative, as well as the co-op housing program, we are providing permanent housing solutions to house the most vulnerable people in our community.
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  • Jun/9/22 3:09:11 p.m.
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I wish to draw the attention of members to the presence in the gallery of the Hon. Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General for the Province of British Columbia, and the Hon. Josie Osborne, Minister of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship and Minister Responsible for Fisheries for the Province of British Columbia. Some hon. members: Hear, hear!
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  • Jun/9/22 3:09:40 p.m.
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The member for Kildonan—St. Paul is rising on a point of order.
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  • Jun/9/22 3:10:02 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations, and I believe you will find unanimous consent in the House for the following: That, given that the debate on combatting gun violence needs to be depoliticized, centred on the rights of victims and the safety of communities, the House call on the government to divide Bill C-21—
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  • Jun/9/22 3:10:16 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-21 
I am getting a lot of nays. I have been getting a lot of feedback from members on both sides on unanimous consent motions. I encourage members to maybe talk to people beforehand and make sure that there is unanimous consent before bringing motions forward. This is for all members; I am not pointing out anyone in particular. We do not want to cut people off when they are trying to get a point across and trying to get unanimous consent. I am sorry, but I do not believe we have unanimous consent. On a point of order, the hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.
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  • Jun/9/22 3:10:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I wonder if you could clarify the process. Is it your ruling going forward that if a member is saying “no”, you will stop the reading of the motion? I think we have had cases where some members were saying “no” and yet the member continued with the unanimous consent motion.
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  • Jun/9/22 3:11:06 p.m.
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In fact, I have been getting this from both sides. Both government and opposition members have been asking for that exact type of behaviour, rather than let it all go through. Sometimes unanimous consent motions are used as a method of getting a message across, but that is what S.O. 31s are for. If we can just shift everything over, we can use it that way. We will do our best to make that happen.
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