SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 298 - Apr/11/24

Apr/11/24 1:46:44 p.m.
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When I ask someone to retract, they are to retract or apologize but not to provide any other comments. Let us just move on to the next thing. There will be no “buts”, no “ands” or anything like that. Let us just have a straight-out apology. Let us try it, for the fourth time, without the “but”. The hon. member for Timmins—James Bay.

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Mr. Charlie Angus

Apr/11/24 1:47:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I do not want to challenge you, but I think it will be the fifth time I have retracted and apologized. I can do it a sixth time: I retract and apologize. Can I continue?

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Mr. Charlie Angus

Apr/11/24 1:48:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we dealt with 20,000 bogus amendments from a party that did not want any worker representation at the table. There were 20,000 bogus amendments and we were shouted at when we tried to talk about how none of these were actually generated by real people. That is the nature of democracy in our House. Then the Conservatives said they were going to make us vote all weekend. In my final moments, I will say that we have the Conservative leader, who has refused to apologize for his connections with Alex Jones and has refused to distance himself. We are now dealing with the politics of disinformation. I certainly hope I see the Conservative leader today; it is an important issue. If Conservatives are going to make us vote all weekend long, I will be here. I made a promise to workers in Alberta, I made a promise to miners and I made a promise to people working in the auto sector that we were going to make sure that they had a voice at the table, no matter what the Conservatives did to try to interrupt us.

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Disinformation

The Deputy Speaker

Apr/11/24 1:48:15 p.m.
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You may continue.

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Continue

Mr. Warren Steinley (Regina—Lewvan, CPC)

Apr/11/24 1:48:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we just saw a demonstration from the member of Parliament for Timmins—James Bay of why he will not run for re-election. He does not represent any of the views of his constituents. The reason he said he will be here all weekend is that—

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Mr. Peter Julian

Apr/11/24 1:48:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, those were absolutely inappropriate, disingenuous comments. This is questions and comments on the bill, not personal attacks. The member should know better, and he should retract and apologize.

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The Deputy Speaker

Apr/11/24 1:48:52 p.m.
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Not that I am supposed to comment on the debate that is happening, but it is coming from all sides at the moment. The hon. member for Regina—Lewvan.

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Mr. Warren Steinley

Apr/11/24 1:48:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will take no lessons in honour from the NDP House leader, who has no lessons to give. I would ask the member for Timmins—James Bay if he could put it on the record today and talk about some of the oil workers he has talked to in his riding and share their comments on the unjust transition bill. Has the member had conversations with some of the people who work hard? He talked about the Alberta Federation of Labour. I am sure the members of the natural resources committee talked to them as well. I believe our natural resources committee members on the Conservative side have canvassed far and wide to hear how people feel about the unjust transition act. Has the member? If he is so confident, maybe he should decide to re-offer and run again in Timmins—James Bay.

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Mr. Charlie Angus

Apr/11/24 1:49:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, who have I spoken to? I have spoken with the carpenters union. I met with them in Edmonton. I have spoken with operating engineers. I visited the IBEW in western Canada multiple times. I have worked with Unifor in western Canada. I have worked with the Canadian Labour Congress. I have worked with United Steelworkers District 6, who represent the mining communities, and United Steelworkers District 3. Does the member know what they all said to me? They all asked why the Conservatives were running this relentless gong show to try to stop their members from being heard on issues related to their futures and their jobs. That is who I hear from. I do not hear from Alex Jones. I do not hear from the far-right extremists. I hear from people who work and who have a right to be heard and who are being denied their right by the constant interference and undermining of basic legislation by the Conservatives.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Apr/11/24 1:50:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the majority of members inside this chamber recognize the importance of Bill C-50 to Canadians as a whole. What we have witnessed, once again, is the obstructive, destructive behaviour coming from the official opposition. We can highlight what took place in committee, where AI was used to generate 20,000-plus amendments. I am wondering if my colleague could share with me what he thinks about AI being used to generate a filibuster for the official opposition.

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Filibuster

Mr. Charlie Angus

Apr/11/24 1:51:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is a very unfair question because if the member asks me what I think of having to bring in artificial intelligence to deal with the Conservatives, they might light their hair on fire even more. The fact is that the Conservatives can only get away with the kind of junk talk that they get away with if they shut down people who actually have facts. That is why they intimidate, shout, have the hate machine, and get up and scream every time I speak. That is why they tried to shut down all the proper witnesses at committee, and then screamed and shouted in the most deplorable, ignorant manner I had ever seen during votes. While the democratic work of Parliament was attempting to go ahead, they were trying to stop Parliament from doing its job. They are trying to stop it today. I will be here until midnight. I hope the member who lives in Stornoway will be here to represent his people.

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Mr. Peter Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby, NDP)

Apr/11/24 1:52:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I always appreciate hearing from the member for Timmins—James Bay. He speaks the real truth, and this is something I know Conservative members object to because facts are something they oppose. However, the reality is that the sustainable jobs act would lead to thousands and thousands of jobs, including new jobs in the energy sector. Coming from the energy sector, as a former refinery worker, I can say how important that is for Canadians. The member for Timmins—James Bay has been a champion for sustainable jobs. He has met with a wide variety of workers right across the energy sector. At any point in all those meetings, did my colleague ever see a single Conservative MP actually consulting energy workers or actually speaking with energy workers? I know the Conservatives love to hobnob with oil and gas CEO's, but were they ever there with the workers?

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Mr. Charlie Angus

Apr/11/24 1:53:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is a really interesting question because certainly every time people who were workers from the energy sector came to speak, the Conservatives shut them down and refused to speak. When we went out to Alberta to meet with and to learn from the coal workers who had been damaged in the transition, the Conservatives were not there, and the Conservatives did not let them speak at our committee. The Conservatives also do not want people speaking to the facts that clean energy jobs are taking place and that we have 209,000 clean energy jobs now in Canada, and we are looking at another 190,000. In fact, Alberta alone would have been the world centre for new jobs if it had not been for Danielle Smith and the disinformation team, like the Tucker Carlsons, who believe in the globalist agenda; the Alex Joneses, who believe in the globalist agenda; and the member for Lakeland, who believes that standing up for workers is somehow part of a globalist conspiracy. That is false. That needs to be called out as false. That is disinformation. It is conspiracy, and Canadian workers deserve a lot better than that.

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Hon. Seamus O'Regan (Minister of Labour and Seniors, Lib.)

Apr/11/24 1:54:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to a common‑sense piece of legislation, the Canadian sustainable jobs act. This is legislation that will enable Canadian workers to succeed. That is what it is all about. I will be honest, and I think I am just going to riff a bit here. Honestly, I could not stay in the House for very long. I needed to find a wall to bang my head against while I heard what I heard from the other side of the House, or what little we could hear with their heads in the sand. Let me be very clear about the context in which we are discussing this proposed legislation. Green energy is happening. Renewables are happening. Biofuels are happening. Hydrogen is happening. Lowering emissions in the oil and gas industry in Alberta, in British Columbia, in Saskatchewan and in Newfoundland and Labrador is happening. One thing I learned as minister of natural resources is that workers want to know, want to understand and want to have a say in what is happening. If members were to blame anybody for the shenanigans of what we have heard over these past few months, I guess they will have to blame me because I am the one who thought maybe it was a good idea to set up a committee that would involve workers so that we could take their advice on the big issues facing the fourth biggest producer of oil and gas in the world, which is Canada. We are very good at doing what we do, but all these things that I am talking about and all the investments, prosperity and the jobs that come with those things are happening, and we have to make the most of them. When we came up with this legislation, we did get a reaction from workers. We got a reaction from the International Union of Operating Engineers who said that the act “puts the interests of energy workers at the forefront of a low-carbon economy.” We heard from the president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers who said that this act shows the government's “commitment to protecting good-paying, highly skilled jobs.” Canada's Building Trades Unions welcomed the bill, saying that the consultation built into this process would “ensure workers are front and centre during this transition”. Just to be clear for the Leader of the Opposition, these are the workers who actually wear steel-toed boots every day. I could go on, but I know that the party opposite does not put much stock in what workers want. Why would they, when their leader has spent his entire career trying to bust unions and the workers who were in them? If they will not listen to workers, maybe they will listen to industry. The president of the Business Council of Alberta said, “The Sustainable Jobs Act represents an important opportunity for Canada: to shape our future and create jobs by providing the resources that the world needs”. He also said that the act would help “equip [Canada] with the skills for the jobs of our future economy”. From Clean Energy Canada: “deliverables and measurements for success while coordinating across the many federal departments...[a] commitment to centring indigenous voices”. I could quote more leaders from industry, but then the Leader of the Opposition also has no respect for the people spearheading our resource industries after he said, “I meet with resource companies when they come to Ottawa, and all they do is suck up to the [Liberal] government. They have no backbone and no courage”. I could list a slew of support that this legislation has from leaders in the climate and environmental sector, but I think I will go out on a limb and say that the party opposite probably does not hold much for them either, which begs the questions then: Who are they listening to? If it is not unions, if it is not workers, if it is not industry, if it is not business, Lord knows it is not science, and it is not environmentalists, then who are they listening to? I will commend their efforts though. When the opposition decides to fight for something for no good reason, they will do it with so much conviction and creativity that we might think they have an actual cause. After question period, I look forward to getting into the 14 pages of this piece of legislation, which, in effect, says that workers should be heard. What are the opposition members afraid of? Workers in the oil and gas sector in my riding, in my province, have told me time and time again that they will no longer be left out. They will not longer be marginalized. They will no longer be rage farms. On my watch, they will be included.

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Mr. Ken Hardie (Fleetwood—Port Kells, Lib.)

Apr/11/24 2:00:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, metro Vancouver has lost yet another media legend, George Garrett. Known far and wide as the intrepid reporter, George passed away on March 18 at the age of 89. George was legendary for many reasons, not the least of which was his incredible Rolodex of contacts with personal phone numbers for police, prosecutors and politicians, including mine. He was legendary for his disarmingly friendly and gentlemanly demeanour. George could charm his way into gathering new scoops that kept CKNW, his radio home for 43 years, way out in front of the pack of press and broadcast reporters. He had a unique balance. He was tough, but as I experienced personally, one could always trust that one would get a fair shake from George, which is why people would answer when he called. George received many awards, but I think the biggest one was the respect and admiration of his peers and of his community leaders alike. Now, when news reporting is more important than ever, we should all hope to see more like him.

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Mr. Dean Allison (Niagara West, CPC)

Apr/11/24 2:01:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last weekend, I was out door knocking in my riding of Niagara West, and next door, in the riding of Hamilton East—Stoney Creek was our Conservative candidate Ned Kuruc. The topic that came up most was the cost of living. Folks at the doors said that the basics are getting too expensive and that things are getting worse. Many cannot pay their monthly bills. They are getting further and further behind. It is difficult to pay the mortgage. It is difficult to pay the rent. Grocery prices are through the roof. Gas prices continue to go up. Utility bills for home heating are getting ridiculous. When all is said and done, paycheques do not cover the bills at the end of the month. Most people said that the policies of the Liberal government and the Prime Minister have put them in the financial position they are in. Higher carbon taxes, inflation caused by reckless spending and high interest rates all create the perfect storm to drain the family budget. However, if we were to ask those guys across the aisle, they would deny causing any of it. It is mind-boggling. They have been in government for more than eight years, and they are responsible for all of it. For my constituents of Niagara West, the Liberals are just not worth the cost.

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Ms. Lisa Hepfner (Hamilton Mountain, Lib.)

Apr/11/24 2:02:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, for Oral Health Month, I went to the Gleam Smile Centre in my riding of Hamilton Mountain. I met with owner Julie DiNardo and her daughter Victoria, who operate the clinic as independent dental hygienists. Treatments at Gleam help patients manage mouth bacteria and avoid trips to the dentist for expensive fillings, replacement crowns, implants and gum surgery. Less harmful bacteria in the mouth means better outcomes and lower health care costs. Perhaps, even more importantly, healthy mouths improve general health. Good dental hygiene means lower risks for adverse pregnancy outcomes, unstable diabetes, Alzheimer's, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, just to name a few. Our Canada dental care plan is making it easier for people of Hamilton Mountain and people across the country to get access to this life-changing care. I send a huge shout-out, massive props and effusive thanks to all oral health professionals across the country.

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Mr. Stéphane Bergeron (Montarville, BQ)

Apr/11/24 2:03:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this year, Canada will be chairing the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP. Among the goals it has set for its mandate is the development of a path forward on accession that involves considering whether applicant economies meet the standards set out in the agreement, comply with their trade commitments and have the consensus of all signatory nations. Taiwan, which applied in September 2021, clearly meets the criteria for becoming a member of the CPTPP. Taiwan is a reliable trade partner with which Canada has signed an investment promotion and protection arrangement, and it is a robust democracy that shares many of our values. In our opinion, Taiwan deserves a place in the CPTPP as well as in other international organizations, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and the World Health Organization, and adding it as a member would benefit these organizations and the world in general. Canada must insist that accession to the CPTPP be approved based on the established criteria, not on pressure exerted by some applicant economies, such as the People's Republic of China, on certain member nations.

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Mr. Marc Serré (Nickel Belt, Lib.)

Apr/11/24 2:04:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, April is Be a Donor Month. Communities and advocates across Ontario are encouraging people to register for organ and tissue donation. There are more than four million people across the province who have already registered, starting in my riding of Nickel Belt. One organ donor can save eight lives, enhancing the lives of up to 75 people through tissue donation. Currently, about 1,300 people in Ontario are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. On April 7, we marked Green Shirt Day in order to pay tribute to Logan Boulet, who became an organ donor following the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus accident in 2018. I would like to thank Logan and all those who have given the gift of life. I would also like to thank the volunteers and staff at the Trillium Gift of Life Network for their work, as well as Canadian Blood Services of Greater Sudbury for its ongoing awareness activities.

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Mr. Jasraj Singh Hallan (Calgary Forest Lawn, CPC)

Apr/11/24 2:05:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on behalf of common-sense Conservatives, we wish all Sikhs across Canada a happy Sikh Heritage Month and a very happy Vaisakhi. To be a Sikh is to always courageously stand up for justice and humbly serve society's most vulnerable. It is to be a beacon of hope and to be uplifting, like a lighthouse, to help others to safety. It is to selflessly serve others above all else by the grace of God. Canada hosts the largest Sikh diaspora in the world, and we recognize the immense contributions of Sikhs to Canada through their seva. Organizations such as the Dashmesh Culture Centre in Calgary, the Guru Nanak Food Bank in Surrey and Khalsa Aid truly embody the teachings of the Khalsa. For generations, Sikhs have added the wealth of their history and traditions to our communities, strengthening the bonds of freedom and prosperity that have made Canada so great. Conservatives share the deep-rooted values of faith, family and freedom with the Sikh community. I wish all members a happy Sikh Heritage Month. Vaisakhi diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan.

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