- Member of Parliament
- Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
- Liberal
- Niagara Centre
- Ontario
- Voting Attendance: 67%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $88,875.84
- Government Page
- May/23/24 9:21:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is something that I have been hearing a lot about, especially of late, in particular as it relates to some of the agendas, mostly political. With that, certain individuals seem to be fanning the flames of hate to further their own agendas.
Hate is on the rise in Canada. It is alarming and distressing to hear numerous accounts of hatred against people in our public forum, for example. This includes a rise in both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Hatred has no place in this country, in Canada. All people must feel safe to express themselves, whether it be online or off-line.
Can the Minister of Justice please discuss how the online harms act would help keep us safe from hatred?
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity today to speak about Bill S-224, an act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons).
This is a bill that presents the opportunity to consider Canada's criminal justice response to human trafficking.
Human trafficking is a devastating crime that involves recruiting, moving or holding victims in order to exploit these individuals for profit, usually for sexual exploitation or forced labour. Traffickers can control and pressure victims through force or through threats, including mental and emotional abuse and manipulation.
Human traffickers prey on individuals who may be in challenging situations. This could be someone who is not in contact with their family, struggling with their identity, a survivor of abuse or someone in desperate need to work for money. Whatever the reason, victims are often unaware that they are being groomed, as traffickers are often expert manipulators.
Human trafficking can involve crossing borders and, according to the UN, is becoming more difficult to detect. In 2022, for the first time, the UN reported a decrease in the number of victims detected globally. The “Global Report on Trafficking in Persons” posits that this decrease may be due to a lower institutional capacity to detect victims, fewer opportunities to traffic resulting from COVID-19 preventive restrictions and a proliferation of clandestine trafficking locations.
The UN also highlighted that climate change is multiplying trafficking risks. Climate migrants are vulnerable to trafficking, and in 2021, 23.7 million people were displaced by weather-induced natural disasters, while many others crossed borders to escape climate-induced poverty.
Importantly, human trafficking is not just a problem that occurs internationally; it is happening right now in communities across Canada.
Most trafficking convictions in Canada involve Canadian citizens. In some cases, however, they involve permanent residents or foreign nationals who are trafficked into Canada. These individuals may enter the country willingly, only to later find themselves in exploitative situations. For both internationally and domestically trafficked persons, vulnerability to being trafficked is heightened by economic deprivation, lack of opportunity or social isolation. In Canada, this includes population groups such as indigenous women and girls, migrants and new immigrants, members of the LGBTQ2 community, persons with disabilities, children in care and other at-risk youth.
I would also like to underscore the particular impact of human trafficking on indigenous women and girls.
The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls emphasizes the disproportionate impact of human trafficking and sexual exploitation on indigenous women and girls due to intersecting factors that increase the likelihood of being targeted by a trafficker. These include systemic racism, violence against indigenous women and girls, intergenerational trauma from colonization, lack of access to social and economic resources, and colonial assimilation policies.
That is why Canada has continued to demonstrate leadership in combatting human trafficking. Back in 2005, Canada enacted human trafficking offences in the Criminal Code. Those offences have been amended several times—including by our government in 2019 through former Bill C-75, which Conservatives are fond of maligning—to ensure a robust response.
For example, Bill C-75 brought into force a provision that allows prosecutors to prove one of the elements of the human trafficking offence, that the accused exercised control, direction or influence over the movements of a victim, by establishing that the accused lived with or was habitually in the company of the victim. We have heard the Conservatives say they would repeal Bill C-75, so I am curious as to whether they also plan to repeal this provision.
Moreover, in 2019, the Government of Canada launched the national strategy to combat human trafficking. This strategy is led by Public Safety Canada and is a five-year, whole-of-government approach to address human trafficking. It frames federal activities under the internationally recognized pillars of prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships. It also includes a fifth pillar of empowerment, which aims to enhance supports and services for victims and survivors of human trafficking.
Additionally, the Department of Justice's victims fund helps to ensure that victims and survivors of crime have improved access to justice and to give them a more effective voice in the criminal justice system. Since 2012, the Department of Justice has undertaken policy and program development through the federal victims strategy to support non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders to provide services and supports for victims and survivors of human trafficking. Since 2018, the victims fund has had an allocation of $1 million annually to support victims and survivors of human trafficking.
In terms of our legislative approach, the Criminal Code's main trafficking offence prohibits recruiting, transporting or harbouring victims to exploit them or to facilitate their exploitation by someone else under section 279.01. Separate offences criminalize materially benefiting from human trafficking under subsection 279.02(1) and withholding or destroying identity documents, whether authentic or forged, to facilitate human trafficking under subsection 279.03(1). In addition to these adult-trafficking offences, the Criminal Code also contains child-specific human trafficking offences. I stress that all of these offences have extraterritorial application, meaning that a Canadian or a permanent resident who engages in this conduct abroad can be prosecuted in Canada under subsection 7(4.2).
Importantly, convictions have been secured under these offences, including where traffickers have exploited their victims' vulnerabilities without using physical violence. Both the Ontario and the Quebec courts of appeal have found that under the existing human trafficking offences, prosecutors do not need to prove that the victim was actually afraid, that the accused used or threatened the use of physical violence or even that exploitation actually occurred. Prosecutors need only prove that a reasonable person in the victim's circumstances would believe their physical or psychological safety would be threatened if they failed to provide the labour or services required of them.
We look forward to proceeding with this discussion this evening, and I will end my comments here.
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- May/22/24 11:39:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week, it was a pleasure to be in my hometown of Port Colborne, Ontario, along with the Prime Minister and the Premier of Ontario, making a $1.6-billion announcement by Asahi Kasei, a company that is going to strengthen the Honda supply chain, not only in Ontario, but also across the country. This is a game-changer for the Niagara region. It is a game-changer economically. It is putting people to work, as well as strengthening the Niagara Port trade corridor.
My question to the member is with respect to supply chains. How does this announcement, and how do the actions by the government, strengthen our supply chains, as well as provide an integration of our supply chains, not only here domestically, but also binationally, and equally as important, internationally?
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- Oct/5/23 6:43:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the First Air-Canadian North merger was approved, as was mentioned earlier, in 2019, with terms and conditions around pricing, scheduling and employment, amongst other elements that would be in place until mid-2026.
The sudden onset of the pandemic, which drastically changed the air transportation landscape in northern Canada, has had a lasting impact on Canadian North's ability to comply with these conditions while continuing to serve communities, return to profitability and maintain services. Passenger levels in the North remain below 2019 levels and are lower than in other regions throughout the country.
The lasting impacts of COVID have required us to vary the original terms and conditions, while at the same time ensuring that important safeguards remain in place for northern Canadians for the remainder of the period subject to obligations.
In this context, Transport Canada has negotiated new terms and conditions with Canadian North, which were subsequently approved by the Governor in Council. These conditions are intended to strike a balance in ensuring the airline's continued operations and financial resiliency, while maintaining some conditions to maintain the public interest, such as imposing caps on fare increases and profit margins, as well as ensuring the balance of service. These terms and conditions will be in place for the next three years.
Furthermore, the new terms and conditions include an obligation by Canadian North to be subject to assessment by an independent monitor, reporting to the Minister of Transport, and to provide financial and scheduling data to ensure compliance with the new terms and conditions.
The Government of Canada shares concerns over air affordability and accessibility in northern Canada, which is why the Government of Canada insisted on maintaining safeguards for Canadians when deciding to vary the terms and conditions.
At the same time, we have acted to ensure that Canadians in northern communities continue to receive the air services that they rely on. It is our understanding that the merger related terms and conditions to which Canadian North is subject do not supersede the contractual obligations it has with the territories around medical and duty travel. In this context, Canadian North will need to adhere to the conditions laid out in the agreements it holds with the territories.
I will add, and the member does recognize this, that we on the transport committee are working with the member for Yukon to look at these arrangements, as well as other arrangements to, once again, strike that much-needed balance in the northern part of our country.
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- Jun/20/23 10:12:15 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Spadina—Fort York for raising this important issue.
The IRCC takes the integrity of Canada's immigration system and the experiences of clients extremely seriously. Our government continues to work diligently on our anti-racism strategy as well as the action plan, both at home as well as abroad, and remains steadfast in its commitment to a fair and non-discriminatory application of immigration procedures.
Since the hon. member referenced South Africa in his claim, I would like to point out that the IRCC investigated selection practices at its offices in Pretoria, South Africa. It was determined that filtering applications by race could not happen, given all the protocols that are currently in place.
To start with, IRCC does not collect information on the race of applicants. Next, South Africa's immigration caseload goes through the same global triage intake process as all of the caseloads from all of the countries in order to assess eligibility as well as risk. The department also shifted to electronic submissions during the pandemic, and as such, there are no active paper files within the IRCC offices abroad, other than a small number of applications pending from before the pandemic.
Finally, South Africa's caseload is reviewed by a team of locally engaged staff from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, who work on a rotation system. They are assigned different tasks and applications every week. The teams are also rotated every three months.
Decisions on applications are not made solely by locally engaged staff, but rather by a diverse team made up of local staff from all backgrounds, officials in Canada and temporary-duty decision-makers. Team members also rotate in and out on a system managed by a Canada-based official. These protocols are in place to ensure a work environment that promotes not only continuous learning and engagement but also maximum oversight and minimal risk of systemic discrimination.
IRCC offices abroad take anti-racism very seriously. The IRCC staff in Pretoria complete a training program on inclusion and diversity, with a specific focus on their clientele. It was completed in April of this year, and we are going to continue to do the same.
I want to assure Canadians that while we acknowledge the difficult reality that systemic racism exists around the world, IRCC has made every effort to confront and overcome it in its procedures and its staffing. IRCC has an obligation to clients, to employees and to everyone it serves globally to ensure that it is doing all it can to prevent discrimination and promote equity. As a government committed to combatting racism both at home and abroad, we will always look for opportunities to do more.
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- May/2/23 5:13:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, once again, it is the same answer as for the question prior. This is the dialogue we are having.
It is a great question. Of course, I have to confess it was a tough budget this year. The government really tried to strike that balance between fiscal responsibility, especially after what we went through the last three years with the pandemic and of course getting a handle on that, while at the same time hearing what our partners are telling us and really being a part of that dialogue.
To the member, those are some of the options this government will consider moving forward.
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- Feb/8/23 8:21:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this issue is very serious.
No one likes to imagine an older member of their family having to travel a long distance for proper medical care. This government recognizes the problem, and we know of the stress and harm it inflicts on Inuit families and their communities, so we have been working hard to improve health care in Nunavut. We are constantly working with indigenous partners and territorial officials to design culturally relevant health care that will meet the needs of the community.
We have supported the health care needs of Nunavut, and the other territories, during the pandemic and postpandemic, and we will continue to support the territorial governments and the people of Nunavut, so that their health and well-being are a priority.
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- Jan/31/23 6:17:08 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to once again thank the member for Nunavut for her question.
While territorial governments are responsible for the delivery of health care in the territories, we continue to work together to ensure Inuit have access to culturally safe supports and services.
We have made additional investments in response to the confirmation of unmarked burials at the sites of former residential schools, and $107 million was announced in August 2021 to expand access to cultural and emotional mental wellness supports related to intergenerational trauma. This is on top of the $330 million provided through budget 2021 to renew access to trauma-informed supports and crisis line services. Budget 2022 renewed this investment, providing over $227.6 million over two years to maintain these supports and build upon the services funded through budget 2021.
We continue to support indigenous partners and communities to meet their needs as well as their priorities.
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Madam Speaker, the member does a lot of great work on this file. We sit together on INAN and I appreciate the work he and his colleagues do on the committee.
We spoke earlier about reconciliation. We also spoke earlier, as the member opposite mentioned, about opening a door and getting out of the way and ensuring that self-determination would be first and foremost when we embark on this new committee.
Frankly, the key to that is to ensure that decisions that are being made are not being made necessarily from the House. Yes, we are creating that foundation and, yes, we are giving an opportunity to move forward with this council. However, with respect to self-determination, it would be up to members of this committee to move forward with what they think should be a seat at the table as well as the actions being taken ultimately by the committee and the mandate it has before it.
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- May/20/22 12:20:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the member for Kings—Hants for this very important question and his hard work on this file.
The Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Centre currently provides over 55 programs, including early childhood education, employment, and housing supports for culture and language, as well as harm reduction.
Yesterday, we announced $4.91 million in joint federal funding to contribute to the design and construction of this new facility. The funding will also support social and economic opportunities for indigenous entrepreneurs.
Building an improved, safe and accessible space that supports the delivery of high-quality culturally relevant—
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- May/12/22 2:12:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, May marks Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Families across Canada have their lives turned upside down because of Lyme disease, like the Peters family in my riding. This family has two daughters who have battled chronic Lyme disease over the past eight years, with debilitating neurological symptoms.
Like many Canadians, the Peters family does not know when, where or how they were bitten by a tick and acquired Lyme disease. The Peters sisters did not have a bull's-eye rash, similar to many other people who get Lyme disease, but there are difference instances where we would know we have Lyme disease.
I encourage all members of the House to educate themselves on the experiences of individuals with Lyme disease and to visit canlyme.com to find out more and get more information.
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- May/2/22 3:03:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, access to clean drinking water is fundamental. That is why budget 2022 will provide $173.2 million to support the transfer of services in 17 communities to the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority. Recently, Chief Ross Perley stated, “It gives us self-determination on drinking water”.
We will continue to work with all communities to find and support indigenous-led solutions to strengthen water management on reserve.
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