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May/12/22 3:19:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would be glad to send the member the PBO report that makes it really clear that the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion only makes sense if the—

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The Deputy Speaker

May/12/22 3:19:08 p.m.
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We are getting into debate here again. I believe the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands also has a point of order.

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Ms. Elizabeth May

May/12/22 3:19:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to be clear, I am rising in support. I put my hand up on the point of order when the hon. member from Calgary alleged something about the statement by the member for Kitchener Centre that cannot be said in this House. I also read the report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer, but if I commented on the facts of the matter, it would be entering into debate.

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The Deputy Speaker

May/12/22 3:19:45 p.m.
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I thank the member for the intervention. The hon. member for Timmins—James Bay.

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Mr. Charlie Angus

May/12/22 3:19:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have enormous respect for you and I am not trying to enter into debate. I stand by everything I said in the House.

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The Deputy Speaker

May/12/22 3:20:09 p.m.
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It being 3:20 p.m., pursuant to order made on Thursday, November 25, 2021, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the amendment to the amendment to the motion at second reading stage of Bill C-11. The question is on the amendment to the amendment. Shall I dispense? Some hon. members: No. [Chair read text of amendment to the amendment to House]

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The Deputy Speaker

May/12/22 3:33:53 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-11

I declare the amendment to the amendment defeated. The next question is on the amendment. May I dispense? Some hon. members: No. [Chair read text of amendment to House] The Deputy Speaker: If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division or that the amendment be adopted on division, I invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair. The hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

May/12/22 3:35:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded division.

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The Deputy Speaker

May/12/22 3:47:46 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-11

I declare the amendment defeated. The next question is on the main motion. May I dispense? Some hon. members: No. [Chair read text of motion to House] The Deputy Speaker: 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. The hon. member for Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek.

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Mrs. Kelly Block

May/12/22 3:48:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded division.

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The Deputy Speaker

May/12/22 4:00:17 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-11

I declare the motion carried. Accordingly, the bill stands referred to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

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Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC)

May/12/22 4:00:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been quite a week around here. I already know the answer to this question, but I have an obligation to ask the government House leader the Thursday question. What price have he and his Liberal Party paid in selling their collective souls to their partners in the NDP to determine this week's schedule?

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

May/12/22 4:01:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to stand and answer a Thursday question, even when the member opposite is not excited to ask it. This evening, we will continue, and hopefully complete, debate at second reading of Bill C-13, concerning official languages. Tomorrow, we will commence debate on Bill C-18, an act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada. We will return to this debate next Wednesday. At noon on Monday, we will resume debate on Bill C-14, which deals with electoral representation in Quebec. Next Tuesday and Thursday shall be allotted days. Finally, pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), I would like to designate Thursday, May 19, for consideration in committee of the whole of the main estimates for the Department of Public Works and Government Services. Furthermore, the debate for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will take place on the evening of Monday, May 30. If the member opposite has any ideas on how to make this place work or has any ideas on how we can improve legislation, I am always here to hear it. Unfortunately, to this point in time, nothing has come forward.

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The Deputy Speaker

May/12/22 4:02:33 p.m.
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When the debate on the opposition motion was interrupted, the hon. member for Louis‑Saint‑Laurent had eight minutes remaining. The hon. member for Louis‑Saint‑Laurent.

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Mr. Gérard Deltell (Louis-Saint-Laurent, CPC)

May/12/22 4:02:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to resume debate on our motion to establish, or re-establish, the Canada-China parliamentary committee in order to study issues directly affecting our country's relationship with this very strong, yet concerning global power. We would like to re-establish this committee, which was struck in the last Parliament but was disbanded when the Prime Minister called an unnecessary election that cost Canadians over $600 million and ended up being nothing more than a cabinet shuffle. The committee still managed to table three reports on the topics of espionage, the relationship with Hong Kong and the Uighur tragedy. I would also like to remind you that this government has had five foreign affairs ministers in the past six years. This is in no way a negative assessment of the people who have held that position, quite the contrary. They are people of quality and goodwill, for whom I have esteem and respect. It should be noted, however, that the fact that we have had five different foreign affairs ministers has an impact on our country's credibility in the eyes of the world, especially when it comes to an issue as sensitive as our relations with China. We hope that the current Minister of Foreign Affairs will stay in that role long enough to build a truly meaningful bilateral relationship with our partners. Now I would like to talk about the committee that would study issues of importance to all Canadians. First, the economy. We know that China is one of Canada's economic partners, and not a small one. China is our second-largest economic partner in terms of both imports and exports. Our great friend, ally and neighbour, the United States of America is, of course, the first. When the economy is directly tied to our trade relationship with a superpower like China, we cannot pretend nothing is going on there. If the committee wants to, it can study economic issues and tackle the supply chain head-on. We know the whole world is experiencing serious supply issues, not just because of the pandemic, but also because of tense relationships between certain countries. I will say more about that later. We need to be able to get to the bottom of this supply problem, which is causing very serious damage not only to our economy, but also to the daily lives of Canadians. When our businesses do not have access to the parts they need, it delays manufacturing, pushes prices up and creates inflation. The committee needs to address these things. We are talking about our second largest trading partner. We also have concerns about safety, as my colleague from Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint‑Charles mentioned this morning. We also have to think about the Arctic, which the committee studied in the previous Parliament. China has a presence in our territory, in our waters and on our Arctic lands, which makes no sense. We must exercise our sovereignty and get to the bottom of this, because our national security is at stake. We also have concerns about our telecommunications and the possibility of spying by China, which may have taken place or could take place here in Canada. We need to be careful and vigilant and get to the bottom of things, which is what a parliamentary committee does. The same goes for natural resources. Our country, which is rich in people and natural resources, is in direct competition with China, which does not have the same manufacturing quality standards, nor the same respect for the environment or human rights. When our primary competitor slashes wages left and right and can sell its natural resources for a much lower price than would be possible for us, since we respect people and the environment, it is time to investigate. This is especially important when it is a matter of rare metals or the metals of the future, such as lithium. Canada is full of these natural resources, and it is up to us to develop them intelligently, with domestic secondary or tertiary processing facilities. We know that China also has a lot of natural resources, and it is up to us to study the situation in order to improve it globally. This brings me to the climate. Canada is responsible for 1.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If Canada were to shut down tomorrow morning, the entire planet might be better off because there would be 1.6% less pollution. China, on the other hand, produces 27% of greenhouse gas emissions. That is a massive amount. As China's economy expands, the country is producing even more pollution and moving towards energy resources like coal, which is highly polluting. Even if Canada does a thousand things to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, nothing will change if China continues to pollute non-stop, without attempting to reduce its emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions do not need a passport to travel around the world. Yes, we support Canada's efforts, but we also realize that if other countries are not making an effort, then pollution will not go down. At the end of the day, it is the planet that pays. In closing, what has been happening since February 24 does have an impact on international relations. Ever since Putin's Russia decided to illegally invade the peaceful and non-aggressive country of Ukraine and wage war on it, there have been global consequences. I know that we will have the opportunity to discuss this at another time. For example, Canada's economy and natural resources could be helping Europe at present. Instead, European countries are currently subsidizing Putin's war through their dependence on Russia's natural resources. Yes, this war has a direct impact on our relations with China. To conclude, we believe that it would be a very good thing if the House unanimously, if possible, decided to vote in favour of our motion. Unfortunately, the government does not want to reinstate the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations. Reinstating this committee would make it possible for us to closely examine the strong relationship that we have with our second-largest trading partner. This relationship must be based on the economy, but also on respect for human rights, national security and the future of our natural resources.

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Hon. John McKay (Scarborough—Guildwood, Lib.)

May/12/22 4:10:22 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want the hon. member's comments on what is an underlying issue in this kind of debate, which is that criticism of the Chinese government is criticism of Chinese people. It is felt by the diaspora community and promoted particularly by the Chinese government that any criticism of the Government of China and the Communist Chinese Party is in fact a criticism of the Chinese as a people. I am interested in his comments on that.

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Mr. Gérard Deltell

May/12/22 4:11:07 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague has been here for a long time and I appreciate his contributions to Canadian democracy. Speaking of that, what he said is totally wrong. There is a huge difference between the state of China and the Chinese people, especially those who live in this country. They have been selected by this country and have decided to live here. Some are descendants who are very proud. In my own riding, there are people whose grandfathers and grandmothers came from China. We welcome them. They are proud Canadians and we have to be proud of them. There is a huge difference between the people of China and the dictatorship we see in China. Let me be clear. We will never attack any people from China, but we will be very strong against the republic and state of China.

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Mrs. Marilène Gill (Manicouagan, BQ)

May/12/22 4:12:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I always like hearing what he has to say. He concluded his speech on China by talking about greenhouse gas emission rates. He said that Canada produces 1.6% of greenhouse gas emissions, while China produces 27%. I would like to bring to my colleague's attention to the fact that the entire world did not experience the industrial revolution at the same time. Canada's greenhouse gas emissions rate has not always been what it is today. Does my colleague not think that we can work on both fronts? Of course, China could probably be doing something, and I will not get into that, but at the same time, there is certainly something we could be doing as well. For example, today the government was asked to stop subsidizing oil companies. Should we not be doing both if we really want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

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Mr. Gérard Deltell

May/12/22 4:13:06 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member for Manicouagan is well aware that hundreds and thousands of families in her riding need access to cars that have to run in the winter and cover great distances because there is not much of a public transit system in her riding. She has won the past three elections. She was re-elected three times. She is well aware that this is the everyday reality for people in her riding. She is also well aware that Canada is a leader in clean energy production. She will be pleased to learn and to remember that Alberta is the top producer of wind and solar energy. The biggest solar farm is in Alberta. Our country has the highest environmental standards for energy production. We are an inspiration to the whole world, and that is great. The more clean, efficient energy Canada produces for all Canadians, the more clean energy there will be for the whole world and the less polluting energy there will be in China.

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Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP)

May/12/22 4:14:13 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent. He asked about the climate change crisis. What he said is true. This problem in not limited to just Canada or China. At the same time, it is not true that we have clean fossil fuels here in Canada. That does not exist. There is a crisis, and we only have three years to reduce greenhouse gases on a global scale. That is why I want to ask him if he has an answer for the IPCC.

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