SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 303 - Apr/19/24

Apr/19/24 12:16:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to rise today to present a petition from Canadians and people from the Nipissing area who are concerned about upcoming changes in legislation related to medical assistance in dying, or MAID. The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to reverse the law extending eligibility for MAID to people with mental illness as their sole medical condition.

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Mr. John Nater (Perth—Wellington, CPC)

Apr/19/24 12:17:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition today on behalf of petitioners in the riding of Perth—Wellington. The petitioners request that the government institute a citizens' assembly on electoral reform.

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Ms. Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo—Ladysmith, NDP)

Apr/19/24 12:17:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to present a petition. I want to first thank the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners, in particular Ian Andexser, who is a constituent in my riding. Over 113,000 British pensioners living in Canada are currently receiving a frozen U.K. pension. In the last two years, the U.K. state pension has increased 18.6% to keep up with inflation, yet British pensioners in Canada are receiving a 0% increase. Canada annually indexes the CPP for Canadians who live in the U.K., so there is no reciprocity. Recently, the U.K. sought the support of Canada to join the CPTPP, which was willing given, yet Canada has requested an end to this one-sided arrangement five times in the last 10 years. Overall, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada who receive a U.K. pension, or who will be eligible to draw a U.K. pension in the future, call upon the Government of Canada to seek a meeting with officials in the U.K. government to negotiate a stand-alone social security agreement to include the upgrading of U.K. pensions.

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Ms. Anita Vandenbeld (Ottawa West—Nepean, Lib.)

Apr/19/24 12:18:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to table petition e-4758. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada, particularly IRCC, to develop a list of laws that are known, in repressive regimes such as Russia, to be used to persecute human rights defenders, democracy activists and political dissidents. The petitioners are concerned that such laws, if they are deemed to have a Canadian equivalent, could be used to make someone inadmissible to Canada on the basis of a conviction just for defending human rights. I would like to thank my constituent, Maria Kartasheva, who is a new Canadian citizen, for bringing forward this petition to make sure that what happened to her never happens to anyone else.

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Mr. Dave Epp (Chatham-Kent—Leamington, CPC)

Apr/19/24 12:19:35 p.m.
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Re: Bill S-210

Mr. Speaker, I bring forward a petition to the attention of the chamber. It has been spearheaded by the St. Michael's Catholic Women's League, based out of Ridgetown, though many other Canadians have signed it. The petitioners want to draw attention to the fact that the depiction of sexual violence and access to it, particular for young people, is far too easy in this country. It is not protected by any effective age verification methods, so they want to make the House fully aware that this is an important health and public safety concern. Therefore, they are encouraging us to adopt Bill S-210, which would protect young persons from exposure to pornography.

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Mr. Brian Masse (Windsor West, NDP)

Apr/19/24 12:20:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the petition I am tabling is for the Government of Canada to apologize to Black Canadians for its role in chattel enslavement in Canada. Specifically, four items are noted in the petition: first, chattel enslavement was initiated over 400 years ago to assemble a cheap, ready and usable workforce that was dehumanized and dispersed globally; second, in colonial Canada, King Louis XIV's Code Noir became law in 1743 and required both indigenous and Black slaves brought into the French colony to be considered the possessions of those who purchased them; third, Great Britain further supported the practice of chattel enslavement after the French in 1759; and fourth, following the Slavery Abolition Act of 1834, and after the Dominion of Canada was created in 1867, systemic racism continued, thereby perpetuating the practice of discriminating beliefs in societal institutions, organizations and legislation, which treated Black people as marginal and inferior. Therefore, these petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to finally do the right thing and apologize to Black Canadians for the centuries of mistreatment and racism in Canada. I thank Elise Harding-Davis for bringing this petition forward.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North, Lib.)

Apr/19/24 12:21:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, just recently, WestJet announced new international flights, along with some domestic flights, one of which is direct to Ottawa, but it is encouraging when international airlines expand services, and that is what this petition is all about. Petitioners are asking to have airlines take a look, along with the government, at ways in which we can enhance direct flight services to Europe, in particular to India. Ideally, we would speak to WestJet and others to encourage them to consider looking at those direct flights from Winnipeg to India.

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Mr. Mel Arnold (North Okanagan—Shuswap, CPC)

Apr/19/24 12:22:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to present a number of petitions on behalf of residents of the North Okanagan—Shuswap and other Canadians. The first one states that, whereas Canadians with mental health issues should be provided with treatment and support, and mental illness can be complex and include suicidal thoughts and symptoms, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the House of Commons to reverse the law extending eligibility for MAID to people with mental illness as their sole medical condition.

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Mr. Mel Arnold (North Okanagan—Shuswap, CPC)

Apr/19/24 12:23:55 p.m.
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Re: Bill S-210

Mr. Speaker, the next petition I have is, again, signed by residents of North Okanagan—Shuswap and Canadians. It states that sexually explicit material, including demeaning material and material depicting sexual violence, can easily be accessed on the Internet by young persons. The petitioners, therefore, call upon the House of Commons to adopt Bill S-210 to protect young persons from exposure to pornography.

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Mr. Mel Arnold (North Okanagan—Shuswap, CPC)

Apr/19/24 12:23:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the final three petitions, and I have risen numerous times on this issue, are presented because people are concerned about the way the Liberal-NDP government has overreached into their lives, especially when it comes to access to natural health products. The petitioners call upon the Minister of Health to work with the natural health products industry and adjust Health Canada's cost revenue recovery rates to accurately reflect clear operations and be run smoothly.

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Ms. Laurel Collins (Victoria, NDP)

Apr/19/24 12:24:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am rising to present a petition with nearly 2,000 signatories, who are calling on the government to uphold and protect abortion rights in Canada. Conservative members have presented anti-abortion legislation, and with the rise of anti-abortion legislation in the United States, Canadians must be vigilant in upholding this vital right. The lives of women and gender minorities rely on access to safe and legal abortions.

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Ms. Laurel Collins (Victoria, NDP)

Apr/19/24 12:25:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition with well over 500 signatures. The right to bargain is a constitutional right. The petitioners are calling on the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to cease interfering with industrial relations and all contractors, to meet their duties as an employer and to reverse the decision by CATSA to disqualify 27 screening officers at the Victoria airport. These workers were unjustly terminated without due process. The petitioners are asking for justice.

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Ms. Laurel Collins (Victoria, NDP)

Apr/19/24 12:25:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I also rise to present a paper petition that constituents have signed on the mistreatment and discrimination facing people who are experiencing homelessness and the unhoused population. While government is funding NGOs, petitioners are calling for housing-first solutions and are concerned about the violence this population faces from police and other people with more power. The petitioners call on the House of Commons to implement a federal law against the discrimination of homeless people in Canada and to make it illegal to confiscate their property.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.)

Apr/19/24 12:25:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today. The first petition is on behalf of constituents who are calling to the attention of the government the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has warned us repeatedly that rising temperatures over the next two decades will bring widespread devastation and extreme weather. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to move forward immediately with bold emissions caps for the oil and gas sector that are comprehensive in scope and realistic in achieving the necessary targets that Canada has set to reduce emissions by 2030.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.)

Apr/19/24 12:27:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition I am presenting today is from farmers primarily from the riding to the north of mine, which is Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston. They are bringing to the attention of the government that the abattoir that was located at the Joyceville Institution was shut down a number of months ago. As a result, there are no longer options to utilize an abattoir within the local area of Kingston. As such, these farmers have to bring their cattle to abattoirs that are a much further distance away. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to explore all options to ensure that the abattoir located at the Joyceville Institution is reopened to address the issues noted above.

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Mr. Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard, CPC)

Apr/19/24 12:27:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am tabling two petitions today on behalf of constituents in my riding. The first petition calls on the federal government, which has already issued sanctions against the Russian Federation, to also name the Russian Federation as a foreign state supporting terrorism and to list it as a state sponsor of terror under specific legislation related to terrorism and the State Immunity Act.

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Mr. Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard, CPC)

Apr/19/24 12:28:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition is very dear to my heart, because I am a member of the Calgary Co-op. The Government of Canada has made illegal single-use plastics across the country as of December 2023, including the Calgary Co-op's 100% compostable shopping bags. This is despite the fact that the Calgary Co-op states that its bags contain no plastic, including no plastic in the ink, and that those non-plastic bags are engineered to break down at the local composting facility that the City of Calgary owns within a 28-day time frame. There is no waste and no plastic. The Calgary Co-op says that its bags are truly popular with its members and are often reused as bin liners for household organic waste, constituting a second use. The Calgary Co-op has successfully kept over 100 million plastic bags out of landfills with the use of its compostable shopping bags. It is also signalling to the Government of Canada that this is an unnecessary ban that sends signals to stifle the adoption and development of environmentally responsible products. Therefore, the petitioners are asking that the Government of Canada recognize that compostable bags do not constitute single-use plastics and are therefore worthy of an exemption from this ban.

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

Apr/19/24 12:28:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time, please.

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Stand
Ask

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Gabriel Ste-Marie)

Apr/19/24 12:29:03 p.m.
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Is that agreed? Some hon. members: Agreed.

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Ms. Niki Ashton (Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, NDP)

Apr/19/24 12:29:30 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-29

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to debate Bill C-29, an act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation. If enacted, this would ensure a non-partisan, arm's-length organization that would hold the government of the day to its commitments to reconciliation. This is needed, because the government shows less of a commitment to reconciliation every year. Let us look at the Liberal record. Last year, not one Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendation was implemented. Out of the 94 calls to action, only 13 have been accomplished. The government promised to end long-term boil water advisories more than three years ago, but there is still no end in sight. This year is looking even worse. What has happened with the government’s most important relationship, we might ask? We can just look at this past week. The Minister of Finance could not even bring herself to utter the word “indigenous” or “reconciliation” in her speech introducing the budget. However, given her rhetoric over the last year, why would she? Indigenous peoples spent months hearing the government threaten sunsetting and cuts to the services that they and their communities rely on. Programs, services and grants that people rely on were threatened, including Jordan’s principle and dealing with the harmful legacy of residential schools. It took NDP pressure to reverse many of those cuts. This is how low the bar is set with the government, opposing cuts in the face of a $350-billion infrastructure gap. Instead of proposing a wealth tax or an excess profit tax on people such as Mirko Bibic, Galen Weston or Arthur Irving, the government consciously chose to spend less than 1% of what is needed to end the housing crisis on first nations. Despite all their bluster, big oil does not need to beg the government for handouts. Galen Weston certainly does not. Bell gets all the money it needs to give away in fat bonuses and shareholder dividends while laying off thousands of workers. However, first nations are treated as an afterthought in this budget. It really boggles the mind. The government recently co-authored a report that made clear how badly federal governments, whether Liberal or Conservative, have just fundamentally failed first nations. If one doubled the number of homes in first nations communities, the report said, there would still not be enough to meet the housing demand. Upon releasing the report with the AFN, the Liberals decided to completely ignore it. The Liberals know that they will not hit the 2030 goal to end the housing crisis for first nations. Their department officials have admitted as much, but the Liberal MPs will not admit it, nor will the ministers responsible or the Prime Minister. Communities such as the ones here in northern Manitoba live this reality every day. They know it well. That is why Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said, in response to this budget, that it will be a cold day in hell before the infrastructure gap facing first nations is ended. That is why the AFN National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak is calling for a first ministers meeting this year to discuss a path forward on reconciliation, because the government is just not getting the work done. Let us be honest about what a $350-billion infrastructure gap looks like. There is Shamattawa First Nation, where the housing crisis is so bad, the community has had to deal with tuberculosis outbreaks. In fact, here in northern Manitoba, over the last number of years, we have had higher rates of tuberculosis than have some parts of sub-Saharan Africa. There is Tataskweyak Cree Nation, where the government so fundamentally failed in delivering clean water that it had to fight the first nation in court. There is Pimicikamak Cree Nation, which has a 2,000-family wait-list for homes. There is also the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, which has a 700-family wait-list for homes. There is Wasagamack, one of the most isolated communities in the country. It is still waiting for the federal government to step up and work with the community and the province to build a desperately needed airport. Communities on the east side of Manitoba, on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, are paying the price for climate change. They have no choice but to rely on ice roads, which are increasingly unreliable because of the shortened winter season. They have made it clear to the federal government that they need all-weather roads but the federal government has made no commitment to working with them to help build the roads. There is the Island Lake region, where the population is similar to that of my hometown of Thompson. Thousands of people live in the region; they still do not have a hospital or an all-weather road. The housing infrastructure gap, which I would call a crisis, is pervasive in first nations here in Manitoba and for many first nations across the country. Communities need housing, elders' care homes, day cares, health centres, water treatment plants and emergency preparedness-related infrastructure. They need to improve existing roads and build new ones so they can fight to survive climate change. Many of these stories are rooted here in my constituency in northern Manitoba, on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, but we know they are repeated across the country. Indigenous peoples are almost three times more likely to live in a home in need of major repair. More than half of first nations do not have regular access to high-speed Internet, and roughly 15% have none at all. We need to be honest with ourselves. This is keeping indigenous communities poor, and it is a choice by the federal government. Every time the government looks the other way on a tax loophole, every time we buy fridges for Galen Weston or give billions of dollars to big oil, that is money we are not spending on the people and communities most in need. The sad reality is that the government only steps up when it is court-ordered to do so. In fact, budget 2024 outlined $57 billion in settlement money, as if it were a huge success by the government and not a situation where it fought first nations, Inuit and Métis people every step of the way to deny them justice. To be honest, it is clear that the government is laying the groundwork for future class-action lawsuits against it. One can only imagine what is coming on the housing front. The Auditor General recently released a report on the housing crisis on reserve, and it came out that Indigenous Services has been using the wrong census data, data from 2001. This has effectively robbed first nations, particularly in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, of the housing dollars they deserve, for up to a quarter of a billion dollars. Did the Minister of Indigenous Services or the Prime Minister rush to right that wrong, to get that money into the hands of communities that had a right to it? No, when he was asked about it, the Prime Minister instead refused to even entertain the idea that they ever would. That is another example of the government fundamentally failing first nations and one that will likely end in a class-action lawsuit, something it deeply deserves. In contrast, we have a Conservative Party that never saw a tax break for billionaires it did not love. The last time the leader of the official opposition was in government, the Conservatives gave away $60 billion in corporate tax cuts.

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