SoVote

Mr. Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay, NDP)

Feb/9/24 11:14:31 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government has recently announced plans for several major electric vehicle battery plants backed by billions of dollars in investments. Canada has the critical minerals, cobalt, nickel, lithium, to make these batteries, but a big link in future supply chains is missing. That link is the battery recycling sector that can provide a steady supply of critical minerals as demand for them rises. Teck Resources has a large smelter in Trail, B.C. It is uniquely positioned to become one of the largest recyclers of EV batteries in North America. It has the industrial site, a talented workforce, a ready supply of clean hydro power, expertise in refining and access to its own existing supply chains. Trail already has a network of other battery recycling facilities. Teck has a proposal for a bold project to build the largest EV battery recycling facility in North America and I urge the federal government to support Teck in this important initiative.

161 words

Context: House Hansard - 279 - Feb/9/24

Mr. Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay, NDP)

Feb/9/24 12:07:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, everybody knows that my riding makes the best wine in Canada but January's extreme cold snap caused widespread damage to grape and fruit crops for the second year in a row. Some grape growers have experienced 100% loss of their vines. On top of that, smoke taint from the now-annual forest fires continues to affect many vineyards. Without government help to replant their vines, many wineries could be forced to close. Will the minister provide assistance to help B.C. grape growers and wineries survive climate change?

91 words

Context: House Hansard - 279 - Feb/9/24

Mr. Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay, NDP)

Feb/9/24 12:53:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment my hon. colleague on his work in our science and research committee. He is a very strong advocate for research. He and I have been pressing the Liberal government to provide more sufficient support, especially for graduate students. That is not what I am going to ask him about today. We are talking about a different subject, but I wanted to thank him for that work. He claimed, in his speech, that the funding rates for francophones were lower than for anglophones, but in the report, there is conflicting data that shows that the percentage of francophone applicants asking for money from the tri-council is actually higher, in all cases, than for English applicants. I am wondering if he could comment on the source of that conflicting information. It looks like, to me, francophones do very well in funding applications.

147 words

Context: House Hansard - 279 - Feb/9/24

Mr. Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay, NDP)

Feb/9/24 1:20:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague across the way mentioned, this is a global situation where the vast majority of scientific research is now published in English. It has become the lingua franca of science in the world. There is very little we can do about that trend in Canada. However, what we can do is support francophone researchers in their work, so that Canadians who want to work in French can do their research in French and can apply for federal funding in French and get the support they need. One of the recommendations was to have an office within the scientific advisory for the government. Dr. Mona Nemer could have a francophone office under her that could really keep an eye on this situation, find ways to monitor the situation and find ways to make sure francophone researchers get their support.

142 words