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Mrs. Anna Roberts (King—Vaughan, CPC)

Mar/3/22 3:07:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Maria, a single mom in my riding, has struggled for years to obtain a visitor's visa for her son, but IRCC told her that he is not a priority. There are many Canadians like Maria being told that seeing their family again is not a priority. They are left to suffer from IRCC's long delays and backlogs. Could the minister tell us when they plan on clearing the backlog so that families can reunite in Canada?

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Hon. Sean Fraser (Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lib.)

Mar/3/22 3:07:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share that over the past few months since I have been appointed minister, I have been working hard to advance investments that would actually have a meaningful impact on processing times. We have hired more than 500 new staff. We have invested more than $85 million. We have moved towards digital features that would boost the productivity of our department. We have increased overall immigration levels. I am proud to report that the combined impact of these investments has allowed us to approve over 100,000 permanent residency applications already in January and February alone. We are going to continue to make investments to improve processing times because Canadians—

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The Speaker

Mar/3/22 3:08:33 p.m.
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The hon. member for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country.

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Mr. Patrick Weiler (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, Lib.)

Mar/3/22 3:08:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, hundreds of first nations in British Columbia rely on fishing as a primary source of revenue. Their success not only resonates in their community but across British Columbia. Could the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans please update the House on how the pacific integrated commercial fisheries initiative is helping indigenous commercial enterprises, including the shíshálh Nation in my riding?

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Hon. Joyce Murray (Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Lib.)

Mar/3/22 3:09:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country for his tireless work. This funding initiative supports first nations commercial fish-based enterprises right across British Columbia. Last week our government announced $11.8 million to support business development and training for 31 indigenous companies, representing 117 first nations. We are committed to supporting first nations in their work to create a thriving coastal economy.

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Mr. Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, NDP)

Mar/3/22 3:09:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, workers at the Office of the Auditor General have been on strike for three months and without a contract for more than three years. The President of the Treasury Board's absence and silence are not helping the situation. The strike is dragging on and that is having a negative impact on performance audits of this government on important issues like emergencies, cybersecurity, homelessness and vaccine spending. It is time for the minister to get involved. Will the minister step up and do something to ensure that these professionals get a fair and equitable contract?

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Hon. Mona Fortier (President of the Treasury Board, Lib.)

Mar/3/22 3:10:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government is determined to sign agreements with all of the bargaining agents that are fair for the employees and that reflect the current economic and financial context. We are negotiating at the bargaining table, not in public. The Office of the Auditor General of Canada is conducting its own negotiations, and the offer on the table is in line with the increases agreed upon by 99% of the core public administration during the 2018 round of negotiations.

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Mr. Mike Morrice (Kitchener Centre, GP)

Mar/3/22 3:11:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published its most recent report, described as an “atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership”. Yesterday, 126 environmental and citizens groups and academics called on the federal government to now reject Bay du Nord, a proposed massive new deepwater oil drilling project, owned by a foreign company, looking to extract up to a billion barrels of oil, equivalent to running 100 coal-fired power plants for a year. A response is due Sunday. Will the minister commit to rejecting this climate disaster?

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Mr. Terry Duguid (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)

Mar/3/22 3:11:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I shared with our Bloc colleague a little earlier, we are following a legislated process on this very important decision, and we are reviewing all the evidence, including the Impact Assessment Agency's environmental assessment report. I think the hon. member will be very happy to know that our government conducts impact assessments using fair and predictable processes that are grounded in science and indigenous traditional knowledge. As I said, that decision will be made in due course.

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The Speaker

Mar/3/22 3:12:16 p.m.
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I wish to draw the attention of members to the presence in our gallery of Mr. Andrii Bukvych, chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of Ukraine to Canada. Some hon. members: Hear, hear! The Speaker: I will take this opportunity to remind hon. members that there is no pointing out of anyone in the gallery. The Minister of National Defence pointed him out. We have not had people in the gallery in a while and we are just starting to again, so I want to remind everyone in the chamber that calling out at any time is not permitted.

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Ms. Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné (Terrebonne, BQ)

Mar/3/22 3:14:21 p.m.
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There have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion: That the House call on the government to create a compensation package for Gatineau businesses that were also impacted by the occupation of downtown Ottawa, modelled on the package created by the federal government for Ottawa businesses.

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The Speaker

Mar/3/22 3:14:43 p.m.
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All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay. I hear none. The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

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Ms. Laurel Collins

Mar/3/22 3:15:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I seek unanimous consent to table a very important report, which was referenced during question period earlier this week and is relevant to the motion being debated today. It is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, entitled “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability”. With that, I request unanimous consent to table this report.

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The Speaker

Mar/3/22 3:15:29 p.m.
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All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay. Some hon. members: Nay.

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The Speaker

Mar/3/22 3:17:32 p.m.
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One hundred years ago, on March 8, 1922, history was made in this chamber. At the opening of the first session of the 14th Parliament, Agnes Macphail, the first woman elected to our House of Commons, took her seat as the member of Parliament for the riding of Grey Southeast. She was one woman alongside 234 men. Nearly 55 years after Confederation and with the women's suffrage movement opening the way for her, Macphail fought hard for her constituency and was re-elected to Parliament four times. She served in the House for close to two decades. Agnes Macphail was 31 years old when she was first elected to Parliament. She had never been to Ottawa and, after seeing the Parliament buildings, said, “They were all I imagined and more. My devotion to Canada was so great, and my nerves so taut at the time, that tears sprang to my eyes.” If members have not noticed, there is a bust of Ms. Macphail located at the entrance of this chamber.

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Ms. Elizabeth May

Mar/3/22 3:17:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I have an add-on to your statement, for which I am very grateful. I would like to suggest for somebody's consideration that the statue of Agnes Macphail, which is out of view to visitors of this place, be added to the outer foyer, the chamber of men. Perhaps that might be considered at some point.

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The Speaker

Mar/3/22 3:17:55 p.m.
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I thank the hon. member for her suggestion and we will see how we can deal with that.

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Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC)

Mar/3/22 3:18:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of Agnes Macphail, I note that this is an absolutely wondrous place to be part of and to sit in. It is our symbol of democracy. I, for one, feel just as emotional every time I step into this place as she did. We are heading back to our constituencies for a couple of weeks to do the work that our constituents expect of us. We will be coming back on March 21. It is my honour to ask the government House leader what business we can expect at that time.

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Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Mar/3/22 3:18:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I hope all members have a productive two weeks working in their constituencies and being with their families over the March break period. This afternoon, we are going to continue with the debate on the Conservative opposition day motion. Tomorrow, we begin the report stage of Bill C-8, an act to implement certain provisions of the economic and fiscal update. On the week we return, March 21, 22 and 24 shall all be allotted days.

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Ms. Julie Dabrusin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)

Mar/3/22 3:19:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am particularly pleased to follow the recognition of Agnes Macphail, a proud person who came from East York. We have a park named after her in my community. As a woman, I am glad that she helped pave the way for people like me to be here to speak. I would like to begin by clearly stating that our government, the whole of this Parliament and I condemn President Putin's invasion of Ukraine. All of us in this place stand with Ukraine, and we have stated that clearly and over and over again. It is a great moment of unity in this place. I must say, we can speak a lot about divisions and what divides us, but on this point we have been absolutely united. However, at a time when there is much talk about healing divisions, I am concerned that we are mixing, within this motion, issues upon which we have unanimously agreed with a very important debate that we should and can have on energy projects. It is unfortunate. Just days ago, we unanimously passed a motion brought by the member for Etobicoke Centre that condemned the unjustified and unprovoked attack on Ukraine that was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that stated we stand unwavering and united in our solidarity with the people of Ukraine. That motion has been passed already by everyone, unanimously, in this place, so I would like to take a moment to highlight our unity in this place. While we can often disagree vehemently on many issues, on this one we are agreed. I respect the member opposite who brought forward today's motion, and I hope he will agree with me that we should amplify this unity and that we very much all stand together. We may debate issues of energy security and energy policy, but this does not mean that we are not united in principle. I would like to make sure that, as we come to the end of this debate today, it is something we amplify. Let us take a moment to talk about Russian oil and gas, and energy security. First, we have not imported Russian crude since 2019, and we are now imposing a ban on the importation of Russian oil and gas products going forward. This will not impact Canada's energy security based on our low imports. How about Europe's energy security? Today, the International Energy Agency released a 10-point plan to reduce the European Union's reliance on Russian natural gas, and it was an interesting read. The suggestions include replacing natural gas supplies from inside the EU and nearby non-Russian imports; accelerating the deployment of new wind and solar projects; maximizing generation from existing, dispatchable, low-emission sources such as bioenergy and nuclear; speeding up the replacement of gas boilers with heat pumps; and accelerating energy efficiency improvements in buildings and industry, among other suggestions. I think it is important that we keep this plan in mind as we discuss the things we are debating today on energy projects. The motion that has been put forward by the member opposite calls for natural gas projects to be approved in Canada to meet Europe's energy security needs. Europe's energy needs are immediate and it takes time to build a natural gas project. Even assuming there was a project that today was fully financed and had full regulatory approval, it would need to be built, and that requires time. It is just a practical fact, and time is important to consider. Our only LNG facility at an advanced development stage is not scheduled to start shipping to markets until 2025. As we are talking about immediate needs, let us talk about all the ways that we can support Europe at this time. Since it is part of the debate question, let us quickly review how projects are approved under the Impact Assessment Act. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is responsible for coordinating Crown consultations with indigenous people for all federally designated projects. Those projects are listed in regulations commonly referred to as the “project list”. Project assessments look at a proposed project's broader impacts, both positive and negative, including environmental, economic, social and health, for the benefit of Canadians. The process is timely and efficient and is coordinated with the provinces and territories to reduce red tape and duplication. Our goal is one project, one assessment. The process is predictable, effectively engages stakeholders, and identifies potential issues with project proposals early on. We consult all potentially affected indigenous communities in reviewing major resource projects, and that is key to fostering sustainability, ensuring thorough and credible assessments and providing regulatory certainty for project proponents. In the case of impact assessments of major energy projects, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada leads an integrated assessment and works collaboratively with life cycle regulators like the Canada Energy Regulator to draw upon their expertise and ensure that safety and other key regulatory factors are considered as part of a single integrated review. The agency also leads a dialogue with stakeholders and other co-operating jurisdictions to ensure an efficient and coordinated process that considers the views of Canadians. The single integrated assessment for designated projects is conducted through a panel review process and fulfills the legislative requirements of all relevant acts. Life cycle regulators participate in engagement and Crown consultation in all stages of the regulatory processes to encourage relationship building and seamless transition as the life cycle regulator carries out responsibilities to monitor project compliance with conditions throughout the project life cycle. This approach guarantees that every project review follows a consistent and neutral process, while retaining the specialized expertise of Canada's regulators. Project reviews are done on an ad hoc basis. The default deadline for reviews of major energy projects such as pipelines is 300 days with the option of setting a deadline of up to 600 days, if necessary. Decision-making under the Impact Assessment Act is based on the public interest. It is a decision that will account for all of the positive and negative impacts of a project. The act also requires that the minister publish the reasons for the public interest decision and demonstrate how the impact assessment report and the additional factors that must be taken into account were considered. This significant step provides information to Canadians about how project decisions are made. The act also requires the minister issue a decision statement that includes conditions with which the proponent must comply. These conditions include measures to mitigate a project's effects and follow up on environmental assessment predictions. Our government strongly believes that the environment and the economy go hand in hand. We know that a strong economy depends on a healthy environment and that effective and credible assessment processes support investment in resource development in Canada and maintain our economic competitiveness. Our government is committed to a robust federal assessment process that is based on science and indigenous knowledge, protects our rich natural environment, respects the rights of indigenous peoples and supports our natural resources sector. The impact assessment process is designed to do just that. As I reach the end of my speech in this debate, I believe combining the issue of support for Ukraine with the question of energy policy is inappropriate for today. We have, as a whole and undivided in this place, stated our support for Ukraine. Similarly, as a whole we have condemned the actions of President Putin in invading Ukraine. We are united in our support and condemnation. We need a more thoughtful review and discussion about our approach to energy security around the world. Let us do that.

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