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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 7

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 30, 2021 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 7 - Nov/30/21
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)
  • Nov/30/21 4:59:37 p.m.
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I have to interrupt the hon. member. I want to remind her that she is not to use the first or last names of any members who sit in the House. She can talk about the ministers of the different ministries, but she is not to state their names. The hon. member for St. John's East.
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Ms. Joanne Thompson
  • Nov/30/21 4:59:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I proudly attended the opening of the Memorial University of Newfoundland's core science building, a home for research and a laboratory teaching space that combines the faculties of science, engineering and applied science in a facility that prioritizes collaboration and co-production. This government has supported innovation, education and partnerships that are creating and delivering on greener solutions. Strengthening and supporting access to health care is a cause close to my heart. I have worked to build a multidisciplinary primary health care team, and defined outcome metrics are critical to the evaluation of our system. I am proud of the public health supports for seniors, veterans, persons with disabilities, vulnerable persons and those who have faced and continue to face discrimination. This government is committed to supporting access to and supports for mental health and addiction treatments. Senior care and long-term care are priorities. Support for health information systems that allow for the use of data for quality, safety and performance gains is a priority for “improving data collection across health systems to inform future decisions and get the best possible results.” The most frequent requests made to my office are immigration-related, and great work is being done in this area. On October 28, more than 100 Afghan refugees arrived in St. John's, made possible through federal government support. This government continues to increase immigration levels and reduce wait times, support family reunification and deliver on a world-leading refugee resettlement program. This government understands that safer communities require action to strengthen gun control. Simply put, assault-style weapons have no place on our streets and in our communities. We also need to continue to invest in the empowerment of Black and racialized Canadians and indigenous peoples. All Canadians need to be safe. We must ban conversion therapy and respect and celebrate our diversity and unique cultures. Reconciliation will require a whole-of-government approach. I will requote what my colleague just stated: “Reconciliation is not a single act, nor does it have an end date. It is a lifelong journey of healing, respect and understanding.” In closing, I echo this government's call for unity and collaboration to strengthen, rebuild and move our country forward with compassion, courage and determination.
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Mr. Eric Melillo (Kenora, CPC)
  • Nov/30/21 5:03:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite spoke a bit about reconciliation, which is very important to me, to the people of the Kenora riding and to those across northern Ontario. Of course, a major component of reconciliation is ensuring that all first nations have clean drinking water on reserve. Despite some very good progress through some great work by the Liberal government, it has failed to meet the promise it set out in 2015. I wonder whether the member knows if there is a new deadline or timeline for when her government will finally ensure that every first nation in the country has access to clean drinking water.
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Ms. Joanne Thompson
  • Nov/30/21 5:03:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is an incredibly important question. Clearly, we all have a responsibility to ensure the rights of all Canadians, especially indigenous people, and that all have access to clean drinking water, housing and safe communities. This is absolutely an urgent matter, and I certainly will continue to work to ensure that we move along the path of reconciliation and that it is indigenous-led.
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Mr. Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay, NDP)
  • Nov/30/21 5:04:33 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the member for St. John's East on her speech. Many years ago I lived in that riding, so I am very familiar with it. I am also familiar with Newfoundland and Labrador and the transitions that they have had to go through over the past decades, going from cod fishing to offshore oil. We are facing another transition away from fossil fuels, yet there was nothing in the Speech from the Throne about the just transition. It should have been the number one priority of the speech. This is what our country is facing, and I am wondering if the hon. member can comment on why it was left out.
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Ms. Joanne Thompson
  • Nov/30/21 5:05:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I did not reference this in my speech and I am not at all concerned that it was not part of the Speech from the Throne. During the election, the platform and conversations I had with the Prime Minister indicated that transitioning to a green economy was central to the working relationship between the provincial government in Newfoundland and Labrador and the federal government. We are seeing that in the rapid advancement of amazing projects within the community. We are also seeing it in the work that is being done in partnership with oil and gas to begin to move to net zero, and in the real work that is happening to build industries now so that we can meet timelines in the future and create much greener technologies.
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Mr. Jasraj Singh Hallan (Calgary Forest Lawn, CPC)
  • Nov/30/21 5:06:24 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member referenced immigration in her speech. Before I get to my question, I note that we are experiencing a record backlog of delays that is hurting families, preventing them from getting reunited. Many farmers are suffering from this and small businesses are suffering from it too. This is a Liberal-made backlog, because it was not inherited from the previous government, so the government cannot place blame. It has destroyed our industries because of the backlog it created. Can the member admit that the Liberal-made backlog is hurting families, hurting our farmers and hurting our business people?
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Ms. Joanne Thompson
  • Nov/30/21 5:07:09 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, COVID-19 changed how businesses moved forward and how files were able to move through government offices. We are seeing the results of that now. We are also seeing shifts in border entry, in the flow back and forth of physical goods and in people being able to respond to work needs in Canada. It is a complex problem, but it is not a Liberal-made problem.
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Mr. Jake Stewart (Miramichi—Grand Lake, CPC)
  • Nov/30/21 5:07:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to stand in these hallowed halls of this great House to deliver my inaugural speech. The people of Miramichi—Grand Lake truly motivated me to fight on their behalf. I thank them for placing their trust in me. My efforts here will always be on their behalf. They will get the best, the Miramichi very best, of what is in my head, in my soul and my heart, and this heart is embedded with the success of our region and its people, our province and country, and the Canadian dream for every single one of them. I thank my family, both immediate and extended, for supporting me in this endeavour. I thank Shannon, River, Roman, Leia, Meadow Rose and Sky for putting up with me all these years and for their support, once again. There are sacrifices that each of them undertook that allowed me to embark on this journey. My friends are the best. Regardless of which political stripe they come from, they have always supported me every step of the way, with passion and enthusiasm. It gives me confidence, humility, comfort and still, great pride. My team of dedicated individuals have had my back for many years, some for 12 years now. I realize thanking them will never quite be enough, but the truth is that their kindness, volunteerism and unparalleled efforts to support me and the Conservative Party of Canada do not go unnoticed, and they do not go underappreciated. I am beyond grateful and with a full heart even mentioning it. Many nights I lay awake thinking how I could ever thank many of them, knowing still that their ambition was not to receive but simply to help me sit in this green chair for the people of Miramichi—Grand Lake. They, too, shall always get my honesty, my integrity, my energy and my deep will to be better for the people of Miramichi—Grand Lake. I began my political journey as a municipal councillor in 2008 in my hometown of Blackville, where my family and I continue to make our home. After that, I spent 11 years in the provincial legislature of New Brunswick. This is now the third chapter of my life in politics, as a member of Parliament. Regardless of the roles I have held, the principles have been the same for me: to stand up for those I believe in, give a voice to those in need and to defend our way of life. Analysts and pundits often speak of economic issues in abstract terms. Whether the topic is inflation, or recession, or housing costs or even the cost of groceries, the commentary is often generic, but we as elected representatives see these effects daily in our interactions within our own communities. Canada is in a very precarious position at this moment. As costs continue to rise, the quality of life for Canadians becomes threatened more and more. They are under enormous strain right now. Year over year, housing inflation in New Brunswick alone is 30%, and that is from a Globe and Mail article this week. Canadians are having to make the choice between heating their home or buying their groceries, yet, in Canada, we are rich with natural resources and a motivated hard-working labour force. As the leader of our party noted this week, "other countries are launching ambitious plans to unleash innovation, lower taxes and slash red tape to get their economies surging and we see nothing from [the government].” Small businesses are looking to the Liberals to bring forth a plan to address critical supply chain issues they are facing in advance of the holiday shopping season. Unfortunately, the Liberal Speech from the Throne is a complete failure for these small businesses. Instead of presenting an economic plan for small businesses, they have been simply left behind, and they have been the backbone of each and every one of our constituencies. The Prime Minister's approach means more deficits leading to higher taxes. At a time when Canadians are barely making ends meet, they are getting higher taxes and inflation. This is a classic tax-and-spend Liberal government, and the business community in Miramichi -Grand Lake is feeling the impacts of it daily. As predicted, small businesses are an afterthought for the government. There is but little mention of them in the Speech from the Throne. The dangerous Liberal climate agenda is destroying the very economy that has supplied Canada with decades of opportunity and wealth. As a result, it is putting hundreds to thousands of jobs at risk, and it is cutting into the revenue from the natural resources that have put food on our tables for decades. It has driven up inflation, making Canada a much more unaffordable place to live, and thus making it harder to attract new citizens. All Canadians believe in protecting the environment for today and the future, but we are a world leader in the development of our natural resource industries, and we have gotten away from taking pride in that. We have developed our industries in a safe and responsible manner, and it has driven our country for decades. It is a well-known fact that hundreds to thousands of my constituents are rotational workers. These individuals travel in and out of western Canada and other provinces to work in natural resource industries such as oil, gas and mining. Anything truly economical in Miramichi—Grand Lake that would have yielded direct and indirect jobs, wealth and opportunity was sidelined, cancelled, dragged out in bureaucracy or simply not supported. The evidence to support this claim is vast, and the Liberal government along with its New Brunswick Liberal MPs are now put on notice. Every detail of that will be on the floor of the House and every single one of them will answer to it. Miramichi—Grand Lake is going to be heard. That is without question. Another role of the federal government is the cultivation of national unity. Every region of the country feels that its identity is understood and appreciated, thereby allowing us to come together as Canadians. Former prime minister Brian Mulroney once said, “You accumulate political capital to spend it on noble causes for Canada. If you’re afraid to spend your capital, you shouldn’t be there.” I agree with him. It should be acceptable then, and in fact encouraged, to celebrate Canada. We have so much for which to be thankful. We are a beacon to the world of democracy and freedoms. Armed forces that fight for that freedom are worth celebrating. We have a Prime Minister who condemns every bit of it. From 2018 to 2020, I served as New Brunswick's minister of aboriginal affairs and, frankly, it was one of the greatest experiences of my career. To witness the determination of first nations people, often in the face of adversity, was tremendous. Every single day was an opportunity to learn. What kind of message was sent to the indigenous peoples when National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was not important enough for the Prime Minister to attend? What kind of message was sent to all Canadians when Canada Day was cancelled? Essentially, neither national holiday held any importance for the Prime Minister or the Liberal government, further adding to the hypocrisy of the push to convince everyone in the nation of their vast Liberal humanitarian efforts. It is shameful, and it is shameful for everyone in the country. We are a country of values, stemming from our the origins through decades of generations, and we will always feel the compassion of those wrongs that exist in our history. If the government wants to truly help the indigenous peoples, then lift their boil orders with sufficient drinking water, install proper sewer systems, help lift nations up on their path to self-governance, self-determination and build economies for first nations and indigenous peoples as willing partners in our country. Canada Day is more than Confederation, the decisions made and the merits of those decisions as reviewed all these years later. It is a defining moment in our collective history, and of that much I am certain. Better yet, it is a celebration of Canadian values and the people who defend those values. Cancelling Canada Day is a rejection and an insult to our Canadian values. The Prime Minister of Canada has no recourse for history, none whatsoever, but even still, history cannot be cancelled because it already happened. As Canadians, we must learn from it. We must aim to be better together. Truth and Reconciliation Day was needed, and I venture to say it was greatly overdue. However, to not accept the personal invitation to attend the commemoration on that day, only to use it as a personal holiday is a major failure. There is no greater shame a nation can bring upon itself than to disrespect its own flag, the people who fought for it and the country that loves it. Canada's Conservatives are ready to—
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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)
  • Nov/30/21 5:18:05 p.m.
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Questions and comments; the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands.
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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.)
  • Nov/30/21 5:18:15 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I welcome my colleague to the House. His predecessor voted in favour of a ban against conversion therapy. We know that in the previous Parliament, when we were voting on this issue, 62 Conservatives voted against a ban on conversion therapy, of which 52 of those Conservatives are still in the House today. I am curious if the member can comment as to whether he plans to vote in favour of a ban on conversion therapy as did his predecessor did?
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Mr. Jake Stewart
  • Nov/30/21 5:18:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, any member of the House would be against barbaric and ancient practices that are harmful to human beings. However, like any member of the House, I will be taking a good look at the bill and I will probably vote to send it to committee. I am in favour of it going to committee at this point in time. However, with respect to the word “conversion”, this is a great conversion to the reality that the Liberals are killing our energy sector. While the cost of housing went from $450,000 for the average cost of a Canadian home to now $750,000 just over the Liberals six years in government, that is the conversion we want to talk about in here.
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Mrs. Caroline Desbiens (Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix, BQ)
  • Nov/30/21 5:19:57 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Miramichi—Grand Lake. I heard him talk about Canada being a beacon in many areas. Well, it is certainly not a beacon for environmental protection. We in the Bloc Québécois have been looking at this issue for a long time now. We have been calling for a profound, necessary and urgent energy transition for several months, if not years. We are experiencing an unprecedented and indescribable climate crisis. What does his government want to do with oil energy? What does it want to do to improve the environment while investing in oil energy?
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Mr. Jake Stewart
  • Nov/30/21 5:20:48 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, sometimes what gets lost is how many things we use that are made from petroleum, oil and gas. I will not deny in the House that at some point in time we may be able to store enough energy to use it, but I do not think I will ever see it. I am a salmon fisherman. I was the 14-year-old kid diving off the 14-and-a-half-foot boat and digging the beer bottles out of the bottom of the Miramichi River because I loved it that much. I care about the environment and every day I think about it, but our country was built on natural resources, and we are a world-renowned leader in the development of those industries. We need to shift, yes, but it is going to be much slower than the people on the other side of the floor and the Bloc are talking about today.
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Ms. Laurel Collins (Victoria, NDP)
  • Nov/30/21 5:21:53 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I heard the member speak about the need for support for small businesses. One of the groups of small businesses that has been left out of the throne speech, but also left out of pandemic supports for the past two years, are start ups. These people poured their life savings into their businesses, only to open during a global pandemic. Could the member speak to how we desperately need to save start ups and that we support these hard-working small businesses?
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Mr. Jake Stewart
  • Nov/30/21 5:22:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Conservative Party of Canada was asking for the CEBA to be reorganized so it would include supports for start-up businesses, which are often the backbone of our economies. In Miramichi—Grand Lake, start ups are one of the most important things that fuels the Miramichi city, which then funnels out into the rural communities of Blackville, Boiestown, Rogersville and the surrounding areas. The Conservative Party of Canada agrees with the member. We were asking for those supports, and we are hoping the Government of Canada will be able to open their eyes and put those supports in there.
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Mr. Frank Caputo (Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, CPC)
  • Nov/30/21 5:23:13 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my heartfelt congratulations on your appointments. Weykt. It is a profound honour to rise in this honourable House for the first time and to be surrounded by colleagues. I look forward to what we can all get done. While at the end of the day we may agree to disagree on certain things, I look forward to working with everybody in the House for the betterment of all Canadians. My parents came to Canada in 1952 and 1957, respectively, yet their son stands before you speaking to the House for the first time. It is not something that I will soon forget. With that, to my colleagues in the House, I want to say: [Member spoke in Italian] [English] That is about all the Italian I know. First, I want to thank my wife, partner and best friend who is watching on CPAC, I hope: Odette Dempsey. I thank my children who have sacrificed so much. To the voters of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, I will do my best to earn and retain their trust. Thanks to my parents, Alba and Joe Caputo, and my sisters, Ellie Bradley and Rosie Caputo. Thanks as well to my staff who, by helping me, are helping Canadians: Stephanie Rennick, Michael Friesen, Anita Price, Brenda Thompson and Tracy Gilchrist. I hope in this speech to speak to the wonderful people in Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo communities such as Savona, Clearwater, Barriere, Forest Grove, 100 Mile House, 108 Mile Ranch, 70 Mile House, Blue River, Vavenby, Clinton and Kamloops. I would be remiss if I did not start my maiden speech with a point on reconciliation given that the thrust of our current discussions really started in my riding in May of this year. I was stunned to find out about the 215 previously undiscovered and unmarked graves. I can tell the House that I went to that monument and I wept like I had not wept before. It was with that in mind that my first phone call after the election was to Kukpi7 Casimir's office of the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc, to recognize what had been discovered. I am committed to reconciliation, both personally and as a member of Parliament. It was with that in mind that one of my first letters was an invitation to Pope Francis to visit Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. I will now recognize Mr. Speaker, congratulations on your appointment as well. Reconciliation was touched on in the Speech from the Throne, and really embodies two components. Moving forward with reconciliation, we are looking at righting past wrongs, but as the hon. Leader of the Opposition stated today, it is also about building economic prosperity to move forward. This is why I was so pleased to see a “by indigenous, for indigenous” component in the Conservative policy during the last election. By my count, the word “veterans” only appeared once in the Speech from the Throne. Veterans are an area of passion for me. Freedom is not free. It is the work of veterans, some of whom stand over my shoulders here, that has entitled me to speak freely in the House, to live freely, to worship freely and to think freely, so I thank those veterans. Because of their sacrifices, we can be people who agree to disagree. My love, compassion and desire for the best for veterans was really solidified and meant so much when I was named shadow minister for Veterans Affairs. This is why it was such a significant honour in that role to spend a day with people from our local legion and Anavets. I look forward to working with the hon. Minister of Veterans Affairs to lower wait times and to address issues that are germane to that portfolio. Prior to my election to the House, I was a Crown prosecutor and taught at our local law school. It is through that lens that I viewed the Speech from the Throne. On my reading, I did not see the word “victims” in the Speech from the Throne. Victims of crime are all across the country, and in my work as a prosecutor, I focused on the discrete area of Internet and sexual offences against children. It was not work that I enjoyed, but it was work that I found fulfilling. It is work that somebody has to do. I had the privilege of working with people throughout my riding on this point, and hope to table a Private Member's Bill to speak about victims and recognize the harm done to victims of sexual offences. I implore the House, when it is the right time, to change the name of child pornography to child sex abuse material. Pornography implies consenting adults choosing to perform acts. Children do not do this. Children cannot consent. We need to call it what it is, and that is child sex abuse material. I hope to have the unanimous consent of the House when I do so. Regarding those victims, I hope that we as a House and as a society can start thinking about these types of offences differently. For instance, the maximum sentence for break and enter, for robbery or taking something by force from somebody is life imprisonment, yet the maximum sentence for sexual assault of an adult is 10 years and of a child is 14 years. Stealing property by force has a higher maximum sentence than stealing somebody's sexual inviolability without consent. I will call on the House to change that. I have been repeatedly contacted by people in my riding about crime. Downtown Kamloops has seen a significant change since the Zora decision on bail. The House has not responded to that decision. I am hearing from people in my riding, particularly on Victoria Street. I have met with people from business associations and other people who are just living in the area, and they want something done about the fact that our bail provisions, in their eyes, are simply not protecting Canadians. I spoke earlier in my Standing Order 31 presentation about softwood lumber, and I call on the Liberal government to negotiate vigorously. I would have expected that a proactive, rather than a reactive, solution would have been taken so that one of our vital resources and one of our greatest elements of trade would have been protected. With that, I wish to thank the students of Thompson Rivers University where I was teaching a sentencing course with the venerable Judge Koturbash. I am sorry I cannot be with them; however, I was called to the House, which is one of the greatest honours of my life.
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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North, Lib.)
  • Nov/30/21 5:32:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member concluded with remarks about a very important issue that I concur with: the issue of trade. Trade and the economic activity it creates are overwhelmingly positive for us as a nation. We have recognized this since 2015. If members check the records, they will find that no government has signed more trade deals than this government. I take a great deal of pride in that fact because we have been out in the world, making sure that Canadian-made products have access to markets. That helps support Canada's middle class. It helps support a stronger, healthier economy. I am wondering if the member could provide his thoughts on the bigger picture of trade and how he could incorporate that in the years ahead.
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Mr. Frank Caputo
  • Nov/30/21 5:33:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I personally look at just about everything and where it is made before I purchase it. I went to great lengths to find boots that were made in Canada. On the question of trade and on the question that the hon. member asked, the Conservative government was one that brought in, I believe, over 40 trade agreements. The problem we have is that our greatest trading partner is not listening to us. A friendly trading partner, an ally, would not be doubling our tariffs six days after a meeting. I cannot imagine talking to a best friend and then six days later having a bombshell like that put on me.
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Mr. Sébastien Lemire (Abitibi—Témiscamingue, BQ)
  • Nov/30/21 5:34:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow up on the answer given by my Conservative colleague. What should be done under the circumstances? What is happening in the U.S. is scandalous and very worrisome. What solutions does the Conservative Party propose? After an election campaign and a throne speech as empty as the Liberals' campaign speeches, what are the Conservatives proposing?
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