44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 31, 2022 10:00AM
- Mar/31/22 5:20:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I really appreciate hearing comments about what is happening in the member's local community. One of the things I have been struck by is that we talk about concerns about the price of food, for example, and things like that, yet we are seeing right now, with floods, wildfires and increasing droughts because of climate change, that it is only going to get worse, based on the IPCC reports and what we see.
Will that not impact these businesses that need to order food to sell to people, and impact his constituents who want to have affordable food? All of those pieces are together. Are they not feeling the costs of climate change, and do they not want to see us take action to make sure they are more climate resilient and also to stop, where we can, right now, further degradation of our climate?
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- Mar/31/22 5:21:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the parliamentary secretary's question points me to what the biggest problem in this country is. It is the fact that Canadians do not understand what rural Canada is.
Rural Canada is the breadbasket of our food. Our farmers out west and throughout the industry have been sequestering carbon for years, and they get no credit for the fact that they sequester that carbon. They sequester it with every crop that they grow. They do tremendous things with land resources and what they grow. That is not to mention that the unfortunate part of this present government is that it has not invested in things that would invest in such things as carbon capture and storage, for which we have the only working plant in my riding. It is there, yet the government continually scares away investment. It is leaving: It is going to the States and other parts of the world instead of investing here, where we can do these environmental things that will improve and assist this great country.
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- Mar/31/22 5:22:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is a real pleasure to hear about rural life in the House and, more importantly, to hear about it in a good way.
I agree that talking about rural life can be awkward at times. There is a sense that Canada is built around the needs of Toronto and its suburbs, which is very frustrating.
For example, back home, the Témiscamingue RCM has had to stand up to Canada Post because Fabre and some other municipalities are no longer able to receive services. It is absurd.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has an interesting solution. It has suggested electrifying Canada Post's transportation fleet, which would make it perhaps one of the largest commercial fleets in Canada. Charging stations could be installed in each of Canada Post's centres, especially in rural areas.
This would be a real tool for economic development for the regions of Quebec and would help us to achieve a real energy transition. The energy transition in Quebec's regions could serve as an interesting budgetary proposal to get our finances back on track.
I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.
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- Mar/31/22 5:23:31 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I believe the member is from Abitibi—Témiscamingue, and I appreciate his comments about rural Canada, because it is very important. It is nice to see that people recognize that aspect of things.
His comment is very pointed, in the sense that I get the fact it is nice to see these electrical vehicles and these transit lines happening, but as I have said to many in my constituency, we are not going to see a transit line or an electric vehicle that is going from Maryfield, Saskatchewan to Regina. I have many constituents who need to get to their doctors, and those doctors, who are cancer doctors, diabetes specialists, etc., are not available. They have to go from Maryfield, for example, to either Winnipeg, Manitoba or Regina, and that range is not there. It is not going to happen. As much as we may want it to happen, when we have 100 people in that area, they are not going to do it. Yes, it is beneficial, but where are those systems, and who is going to pay for them?
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- Mar/31/22 5:24:38 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague mentioned Dollarama. I will ask him a question with regard to the pandemic and the costs that some companies are now passing on. Dollarama made over $600 million in profits during the pandemic this past year, and it is increasing its shareholders' return by 10%, so if someone is not a shareholder of Dollarama, they are going to go there soon and have higher costs. There will be higher prices at a time when Dollarama has record profits and is giving record dividends to the shareholders, who I can guarantee most likely are not shopping at Dollarama.
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- Mar/31/22 5:25:16 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am pleased to hear that the member possibly does shop at Dollarama, because of the great things it does and the great work it provides. That is providing work for people to actually do a job, and it is great to hear that he continually wants to support businesses—
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- Mar/31/22 5:25:34 p.m.
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We have to resume debate.
The hon. member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup.
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- Mar/31/22 5:25:51 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am very happy to have five minutes to talk about a very important issue: this government's approach to spending.
It is 2022, but we need to look back in time a little. Back in 2015, the sunny ways era, this government made a campaign promise to run three small $10‑billion deficits and said that the budget would then balance itself. Surprise, surprise, in 2019, the deficit was over $80 billion. History has made it very clear that budgets do not balance themselves. Quite the contrary.
That has been this Liberal government's track record ever since. With the arrival of COVID‑19, it has added over $600 billion to our existing debt. Our debt now represents approximately 47% of our gross domestic product, our GDP. When the Liberal government took office back in the 1980s, it was about 25% or 28%.
This is an extremely important matter. The budget will be tabled next week, on April 7. By the way, that is a Thursday. The following day, April 8, is a Friday and the last sitting day before members are away for two weeks. I remember the years when the Liberals accused the Conservative government of disrespecting the House of Commons. Today, I believe it is the Liberals who are disrespecting this chamber with their decision to present a budget before a Friday, on the eve of a break that we will spend in our ridings.
Of course, I am going to come back to the GDP. We have a debt-to-GDP ratio of 47%, and I am wondering how much more the Liberals will add to the deficit in the coming years. The two words “balanced budget” are not part of the Liberals' vocabulary. That is absolutely unconscionable and unacceptable.
In a country such as ours, a balanced budget is extremely important. I used to be the mayor of La Pocatière, and in Quebec, we were required by law to balance our budget. I do not see why this could not apply to a federal government that should be mindful of its spending. The problem with this government is that it spends money hand over fist, without considering the medium-term effects and especially not the long-term effects.
Interest rates are going to increase, and in fact, it has already started. The Bank of Canada predicts that interest rates will increase to at least 1.5%, maybe 2%, within a year. We can imagine what impact that will have on Canadian households that have gone into debt because of the cost of living and because inflation is at 5.7%, nearly three times the Bank of Canada target of 2%.
House prices keep going up and have doubled in the span of 10 years in Canada. For last year alone, that represents 30%. Let us not forget the price of gas. When I bought my car in 2009, it cost me $32 to fill up the tank. Last week, a full tank cost me $120, a fourfold increase in the span of 11 years.
All these things end up having an adverse effect on people's quality of life, especially for the most vulnerable, whose expenses far outweigh their income.
I will stop there because I could go on for hours. I often have people in my riding call our offices to tell us about the trouble they are in because of this government.
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- Mar/31/22 5:30:08 p.m.
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It being 5:30 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the business of supply.
The question is on the motion.
If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division or that the motion be adopted on division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
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- Mar/31/22 5:31:09 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I request a recorded division.
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- Mar/31/22 5:31:13 p.m.
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Pursuant to order made on Thursday, November 25, 2021, the recorded division stands deferred until Monday, April 4, 2022, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.
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- Mar/31/22 5:31:31 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, on a point of order, I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to see the clock at 5:45 p.m. so we can start Private Members' Business.
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- Mar/31/22 5:31:40 p.m.
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Does the hon. member have unanimous consent to see the clock as 5:45 p.m.?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes): It being 5:45 p.m., the House will now proceed to the consideration of Private Members' Business as listed on today's Order Paper.
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moved that Bill S-214, An Act to establish International Mother Language Day, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
He said: This is a time when our nation is weathering some very formidable challenges that some would use to draw out our differences, namely to challenge that most fundamental Canadian value, the one where we care about and act in the common good. Canada is too valuable in the world to have this value damaged, so I am here today with an opportunity, one that reflects, in a small way, the solemn obligation we have in this place, indeed one that we must accept as our imperative, to promote and achieve unity through respect, understanding and dialogue. It may be a small offering toward that goal, but Bill S-214, the call to designate every February 21 as mother languages day across Canada, is intended to raise our awareness of the value of honouring and protecting the cultural and social richness of the languages many of us brought to Canada, or, which is very important, the languages that have been spoken in our land since time immemorial.
An important point to note is that the bill does not propose the creation of a statutory holiday. It simply opens up opportunities for people in every community to celebrate the unique aspect of their culture and history. It is that unique aspect that comes with the language they brought to Canada and maybe still speak at home with their children to keep that heritage alive.
It is a unique honour to sponsor Bill S-214 in the House to hopefully make real the dream of people in our British Columbia community to create a moment for all Canadians to reflect, in yet another way, on an essential aspect of our nation that makes it the place where so many in the world want to live. It is a fact of this country that we are stronger because of our differences, not in spite of them.
I can relate personally to this point because back home in Fleetwood—Port Kells and Surrey, we enjoy an incredibly diverse community: 30.3% of us in Fleetwood—Port Kells are of European heritage and 30.1% of us are from South Asia. This statistic is maybe a year old, and I have a very strong feeling that this ratio has now reversed and that our South Asian community is indeed the largest in my riding.
We have a healthy range of cultures and languages in those two large groups, but we have to add Chinese, at 13%, and Filipino, at almost 10%. There is also Korean, Japanese, Croatian, Latin American and African, and measurable populations of many other cultures. We also absolutely must shine a light on the thousands among us in my riding, in Surrey and indeed right across Canada with aboriginal heritage, who are in urgent need of help to keep their ancient languages alive.
This diversity is highlighted in many ways. It is highlighted in the arts, in the way we worship, in the sports we play, in the ceremonies we celebrate, in the cultural events that we hold in our communities for ourselves and for our neighbours and, to add a personal favourite, in our food. I am delighted to hear that we are going to be celebrating Filipino food just in time for my going back home to Fleetwood—Port Kells. I can tell the Filipino restaurant in my riding that my staff and I will be there to celebrate the food and enjoy its hospitality.
Then there are the languages with the symbolism and idioms that reflect the heartfelt values and character of each community within our community. Long ago, in work to communicate public services and policies, which included invitations to participate in their development and delivery, I grew to appreciate the power of relating to people with the words that carried the meaning and context that delivered the necessary message in a way that promoted the understanding they needed and the engagement they had an opportunity to provide.
Doing this is not just a simple matter of translation. We do not just take a word in a language and find the English word that tries to mean the same thing, because there is more to words than just the bare, fundamental meaning.
We need instead to transcreate, which is to adapt thoughts in one language to something that delivers the clear intent of the communication. Our excellent parliamentary translation services staff are well experienced with this.
The opportunity to celebrate our mother language opens the way to share the words and phrases of one language that may have no equivalent in another, and in doing so we learn something about our neighbours in this country of ours. Here are some examples.
In Brazilian Portuguese, we have the word saudade. No single English word can do justice to the emotion it communicates, emotions of longing and nostalgia. In Brazil, they have the beija-flor, or the kisser of flowers, a name that creates such a beautiful image of the creature we call the hummingbird.
In Chinese, the expression meng die captures a similarly beautiful sentiment, while the English equivalent “dream to be a butterfly” offers only a glimpse of a much broader picture than one might imagine when that word comes up in conversation.
Thousands of people in Fleetwood—Port Kells speak Punjabi, and they have a short, very precise expression, raula, which I am told means “a really messed-up situation”, so I will be listening for that one. My Punjabi is very rusty, as members will hear in just a second. There is another Punjabi saying, Suno sab di, karo apni, which offers the wisdom to “take advice from everyone but do what you think is best.”
To be called a Bayani in the Filipino community is high praise. That one word describes a hero, and not just any hero but a patriot who uses their bravery, courage and kindness to further the human race or the cause of the community.
Of course, we have indigenous languages. Coincidentally, this is National Indigenous Languages Day in Canada, an important reminder of the work we must do to protect and preserve the languages that may well be extinct without our intervention. Our government has made that a priority with an allocation in the 2019 budget of $334 million over five years, and there was more in the 2021 budget to fund these efforts.
In B.C. alone, funding through the Indigenous Languages Act provided the First Peoples' Cultural Council additional funding of $6.86 million last November to increase investments through grants for projects that had not previously been funded or that needed additional funding to complete their work. This one measure is covering immersion strategies, language planning, resource development and more to support the revitalization of the 34 first nation languages that we have in B.C. This brought the total federal support for the First Peoples' Cultural Council to $14.6 million, an investment in preserving our history to be sure but also in enriching and strengthening our indigenous culture today, which can be shared right across our diverse communities.
That sharing, by the way, sets up some amazing events. I will never forget a huge gathering of our Sikh community a few years ago in Bear Creek Park. I was up on the stage looking over a sea of turbans of every colour, and there they were enjoying the Red River Reel as performed by a Métis band. This happens only in Canada.
Bill S-214 represents a unique and truly timely opportunity. Establishing every February 21 as Canada's annual opportunity to observe and celebrate mother languages day is something our culturally diverse communities can, as they see fit, use to bring their neighbourhoods closer together in the spirit of what it truly means to be Canadian, and as a way to remind us and remind so many thousands of us why it was they worked so hard to be here with us.
Speaking of events, I should add that as part of this government's pandemic supports, $200 million was dedicated to fund festivals and cultural events because of the fundamental value that they add to the community over and above the enjoyment of each other's cultures.
In closing, I must recognize three of the many people who have worked so hard for years to see this day created. First is the vision and energy of Mohammad Aminul Islam, who has held Mother Language Day events in Surrey for a number of years, at least before the pandemic, and discovered the equity that the celebration he sponsored built between communities when they gathered in the spirit of sharing, discovery and enjoyment.
Second is B.C. Senator Mobina Jaffer, who tried more than a few times to get this bill through the Senate, where she was successful, but getting it through the House of Commons was a bit more of a challenge. The machinations of government held it back more than a couple of times, but her persistence and passion for the idea of creating this day were the catalysts for the steps being taken—once again, in the other place—that we have here before us this evening.
Finally, I want to thank my friend and colleague, the hon. member for Cloverdale—Langley City, who took up this cause in our 42nd Parliament and who was generously ready, willing and able to second Bill S-214 on this occasion.
These people and so many others have seen the importance of promoting, protecting and preserving the languages that flavour our cultural diversity. Appropriately, on this National Indigenous Languages Day in Canada, there is one word from our Coast Salish peoples that perfectly fits their efforts and our opportunity with Bill S-214. The word is tsetsuwatil. It is one word that takes five in English to convey. It means “working together for the common interest”.
Mother Language Day is an observance that can really take root in any and every community across our nation, and I call on my colleagues here to help make its success a reality now and to help Canadians be ready to celebrate it on February 21, 2023. I give my thanks and gratitude for this opportunity.
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for introducing such an important bill. He spoke very well on the importance of making sure that we have a diversity of languages. However, a very important point is the lack of translation. In Canada, we are used to a system of English and French, and oftentimes our indigenous languages, like my language in particular, Cree, which is a native language in Canada, have been almost put into the ground and diminished. We have seen that time and time again through government intervention.
Would the member agree that when we are ensuring that we understand mother tongue languages, we make a special place and a special recognition for the native languages of this land as extraordinary to the contributions of languages across the world?
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Madam Speaker, I totally agree with my hon. colleague. In fact, just yesterday it was interesting to see news from Elections Canada that it intends to prepare material for elections in the local indigenous languages. Again, the idea is to generate understanding, engagement and participation, and we do that by communicating in a way that our audience will understand. It absolutely makes sense. Above and beyond the respect and the cultural diversity that a mother language day would promote across the country, it would also help to unite us in common understanding of what is going on.
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Madam Speaker, certainly in Canada we have a great cultural mosaic of people who come to this country from around the globe, from every corner of the earth, and bring their languages and their culture with them, including, most importantly, those from Ukraine. Certainly we are seeing a great outpouring of support right now in Canada.
Would my colleague comment on how we can use the culture that we have here in Canada of so many Ukrainians who have come here over the past century to welcome and embrace refugees from Ukraine and perhaps even encourage visa-free travel from Ukraine to Canada to this welcoming atmosphere here in Canada?
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Madam Speaker, I spent my youngest days in Edmonton, where the Ukrainian community there was large and vital and heavily engaged. Those Ukrainian folks came over as farmers, and the prosperity that Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba particularly enjoy is in no small measure thanks to their efforts over the years.
In bringing our Ukrainian refugees here, I think that the mechanism of visa-free travel is certainly one that could be used, but I understand that the process that has been put in place would actually work much more quickly and much more effectively to make sure that we are welcoming the best of the best here in Canada and those who really, truly need our protection for the next few years.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech on the bill.
I look forward to hearing from the member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, especially in a context where we are truly committed to the principle of protecting linguistic diversity and, more importantly, with the number of people reporting French as their mother language in decline. The influence of people whose mother language is French is declining in Canada.
I would like to hear his views on the importance of recognizing these mother languages, particularly French in Quebec.
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Madam Speaker, I absolutely agree with the sentiments of that comment.
After the 2015 election, my wife and I decided that we would buy a home here. It was strategic. After a day at the office, I get to go home and spend some time with my wife, which I would not be able to do back home in Fleetwood—Port Kells because it is very busy any moment we are there. We bought in Aylmer, across the river in Quebec, and we are just absolutely delighted with that community and the richness that it enjoys.
I would also say, and I do not mean this in any kind of derogatory way, that last weekend we rescued a dog on the Quebec side. The dog only understands French, so it is an incentive for us to improve our French at home because this new boy of ours really needs to be understood.
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