44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 13, 2022 10:00AM
Mr. Speaker, first of all, I am glad to hear the member listens to radio in his riding. I would encourage him to download the iHeart radio app, or a similar app, so he can continue to listen to those radio stations when he is in Ottawa, as I listen to Reid and Ben every morning, who are on Move 98.3 in Kingston. It is a great way to stay connected to our communities.
I am thinking of those small news outlets. I referenced the Kingstonist, which is is one in my riding. I know there is the Stratford Times in his riding. These are small news organizations that do not have the ability to compete against the distributive networks of Facebook and Google. They need supports. This bill creates the framework for those discussions to happen between those big distributors of the content, such as Facebook and Google, and those smaller independent organizations, such as the Stratford Times.
I am wondering if the member can comment on why he wants to reject the bill and send the content to committee through his amendment, as opposed to moving forward on this so we can put together a good framework to allow these discussions to happen so that the Stratford Times can benefit.
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Mr. Speaker, I do have the app on my phone, and I stay in touch with my local stations when I am here in Ottawa. I have spent time in Kingston. I served a year there at university, not in the other institution of that great town, and I did read the Kingston Whig Standard when I was there.
The member asked a question about why we would send this bill to committee and have the subject matter reviewed by the committee. It is exactly for the question he asked, which is so we can hear from the small community newspapers. What we are hearing now from Australia is that they are not able to access the benefits of the Australian model, which is the model being sent here.
There is mention in the bill that the rules of the Competition Act would be set aside to allow for collective bargaining, but we have no clarification on how that works, so we want this to go to committee. We want to see the subject matter go to committee quickly so we can have those discussions with local newspapers, whether they are from Kingston or Perth—Wellington or Chatham-Kent—Leamington. We want to hear those voices, and those voices must be heard.
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-18 sets out, in black and white, the rules that the various media players must follow to ensure much healthier competition and quality content for everyone.
It is no secret that small media outlets are in immediate need of financial assistance from the government. What does my colleague think about that?
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Mr. Speaker, we know full well that newspapers and media outlets are in trouble.
Also, more and more advertising space is being bought from the web giants, including Facebook, Meta and Google. This is a concern for all Canadians who see the value of their local media or local newspaper.
We need to be able to share the stories from our communities. The government needs to do something. I think it is a good idea. We need to make sure that this bill is referred to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage so it can be studied.
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Mr. Speaker, I was listening to the speech from the member, and it was perplexing to me to hear him suggest that the bill should be withdrawn and the heritage committee should study the matter. In fact, if this bill passes second reading, it would be referred to committee, where we would be able to call witnesses and ask questions pertaining to the bill. It is perplexing to me that he would want to effectively kill the bill with his amendment. The NDP supports this notion and has been calling for the government to equalize the web giants with small, local media outlets. This bill is a good start.
Why would the member want to kill the bill if he truly wanted to have a discussion about it and have witnesses presented on this issue?
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Mr. Speaker, I think the preference of our side would have been to draft our own piece of legislation if we were in government, but that is not the case. The next best scenario is this type of amendment.
As the member ought to know, as she has been in the House a long time, there are very few amendments that are acceptable at second reading debate. This particular amendment is one of the few that is permissible and that is the one we have used. It will provide the subject matter to go to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to make suggestions and make a report back to the House of Commons.
The Government of Canada can then use that advice, use the suggestions of all parties and listen to witnesses, of which we are developing a massive list of people who want input on this bill. Their views are both positive and negative, and they have clear ideas for suggestions to improve, change or rewrite the bill entirely.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for a great speech and for moving the amendment because I do have concerns about Bill C-18, especially when we heard the parliamentary secretary talk about how there would not be any discrimination. In every other media policy that the government has brought, there has been discrimination along the political spectrum and, as the member correctly pointed out, small and medium-sized news outlets.
I would like to hear his comments on that.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to talk on a different point she raised on where the government puts its priorities and where other members put their priorities.
We just heard the member for Vancouver East rallying their support for this bill, but the member for Vancouver East spent $17,000 on Facebook ads. The member for Vancouver East is talking about levelling the playing field between major web giants and local newspapers, but the member herself spent $17,000.
As parliamentarians, we need to look ourselves in the eye and decide what we want to do to promote, and whether government advertising should be focused on traditional local media rather than major web giants.
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- May/13/22 10:59:33 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jamshed Hassan, better known as Jimmy, an individual from my riding of Kingston and the Islands.
Jimmy is a local restaurateur who routinely goes above and beyond when it comes to giving back to our community, by continually giving to those in need.
Last year, he worked on Project Red Rose, which partnered with local organizations such as Martha’s Table and Lunch by George to host dinners for hundreds of people on celebratory days like Thanksgiving.
He also launched a new program, Santa Slice, which worked with the St. Vincent de Paul Society and several women’s and youth shelters to provide pizza, supplied by his Pizza Pizza franchise, to over 700 people experiencing homelessness around Christmastime.
In the middle of the winter, Jimmy ran a blanket drive to distribute blankets to people across the city who were struggling to stay warm.
I thank Jimmy for always looking out for the most vulnerable in our community and continually looking for ways to improve the social fabric of Kingston and the Islands.
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- May/13/22 11:00:35 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one in 10 women in the world is diagnosed with endometriosis. In Canada, approximately 7% of women are affected by this disease.
Endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease, tends to go unnoticed in most women. In Canada, individuals with endometriosis often experience a diagnosis delay of more than five years. This is five years of physical, emotional and mental pain that negatively affects the day-to-day lives of many women living in Canada.
This is unacceptable. Women have suffered long enough. We must commit to providing the necessary resources and funds that will support research and advancement in the field.
The Government of Canada recently announced more than $3.5 million in funding for reproductive health information. Endometriosis continues to be widely underfunded. We need the resources to support research and ensure women do not have to wait five years for a diagnosis. The government must see this as a priority and commit the necessary funds. Supporting endometriosis research is important for our sisters, our daughters, our mothers and our friends.
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- May/13/22 11:01:47 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Sunday, May 1, marked First Responders Day, a day we reflect on the selfless contributions of countless women and men in the fulfillment of their duties.
Today, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the often unsung heroes of Ottawa, the members of the Ottawa Fire Services, whose unrelenting work keeps us safe every day.
In particular, I congratulate my constituent, John Sobey, a decorated fire captain, who just retired after over 42 years of service, 32 years with the Ottawa and Gloucester fire services and 10 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. John also served as a union leader and advocated for the recognition of fallen firefighters.
John Sobey truly epitomizes what we mean when we call first responders “heroes”. With that, I ask the members of this House to join me in commending all first responders across the nation.
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- May/13/22 11:02:46 a.m.
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We of course welcome all our guests in the gallery today.
The hon. member for Windsor West.
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Mr. Speaker, today I have the privilege of celebrating 20 years of service to my community as its MP. Through the years, I committed to working directly with my constituents to bring their collective voices and concerns to Ottawa. I am making this commitment again today.
We have worked together for a decade now to save the Ojibway shorelands and establish an urban park for Canadians to enjoy and for species to be protected. This is a project that has endangered species and wildlife habitats and will fight the climate change that is right on the doorstep of Windsor, Ontario.
Yesterday, we learned the government is finally taking action on the request from five years ago to transfer Ojibway lands to Parks Canada. It is finally happening, so today we celebrate 20 years of advocacy together.
On behalf of the residents of Windsor West, I respectfully call on parliamentarians to support my bill, Bill C-248, and start making this park a reality. They can consider it an anniversary gift.
I conclude by thanking my partner, Terry Chow, my son, Wade, and my daughter, Alex, who graduated yesterday, for 20 years of blessed support.
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- May/13/22 11:03:56 a.m.
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Happy anniversary.
The hon. member for Gatineau.
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- May/13/22 11:04:05 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to share with the House that Gaston Cloutier, managing director of the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport was nominated for the Association québécoise du transport aérien's prestigious emeritus member prize.
Drawing on a wealth of experience in aviation, Mr. Cloutier positioned our airport as an attractive site and an economic lever for Gatineau. Our government will be making major investments in the airport.
When Mr. Cloutier retires on October 1 after 10 years heading up our regional airport and an impressive career with the Canadian Armed Forces, he can do so with a sense of mission accomplished.
I thank Mr. Cloutier for his valuable contribution to our regional development. On behalf of the House, I wish him a very happy second retirement.
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- May/13/22 11:05:15 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday I had the heart-wrenching opportunity to hear the story of Stephen MacDougall. Stephen was a 45-year-old man who was a proud father, a significant contributor to his community and a tremendous athlete. He was also a twin brother, a son, an uncle and a husband.
Sadly, almost a year ago, Stephen MacDougall died after receiving a vaccine for COVID-19. Speaking as a parliamentarian, a physician who worked on a COVID-19 unit and a Canadian, I believe we have a responsibility to understand the adverse events related to this new group of vaccinations. We need to understand the data as it pertains to Canada, the world, and short- and long-term safety.
Since over 11.5 billion doses have been given worldwide and the data has been collected, now is the time for all of us in the House to act. The data needs to be properly analyzed so we can present this scientific information to Canadians to enable them to make informed choices and give informed consent going forward.
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- May/13/22 11:07:17 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as a member of our inaugural Standing Committee on Science and Research, which just concluded its first-ever study on science in Canada, I have the privilege of hearing from many of our brilliant minds. On Tuesday, I hosted two such researchers, Dr. Lachlan MacKinnon and Dr. Stefanie Colombo, as part of Science Meets Parliament, a non-partisan initiative to strengthen the connections between Canada's scientific and political communities.
These two scientists represent the breadth and depth of Canada's scientific talent.
Both are tier II Canada research chairs, Stefanie in aquaculture nutrition at Dalhousie and Lachlan in post-industrial communities at Cape Breton University.
I thank the Canadian Science Policy Centre and Canada's chief science advisor for bringing scientists and parliamentarians together to promote mutual understanding.
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- May/13/22 11:08:21 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, two months after Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, estimates suggest that over 2,100 Russian missiles have rained down on Ukraine, displacing 12 million, damaging over 200 health care facilities, and destroying 200 heritage sites throughout the country. While visiting Irpin, Bucha and Borodyanka last week, I witnessed first-hand the mass atrocities and unspeakable crimes Russia has visited upon Ukraine.
Despite such unconscionable brutality, every Ukrainian I encountered represented an awe-inspiring profile in courage and fortitude.
That is why the surprise visit by our Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to Kyiv was crucial, a testament to our country's unwavering commitment to support Ukraine and hold Putin to account. Proud Ukrainians will never relent, and neither should we in our assistance.
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- May/13/22 11:09:25 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge one of the many amazing constituents of Calgary Midnapore. Lorna Hamm recently received a national award from the Canadian Real Estate Association to recognize her more than 50 years of volunteer work.
In 1986, she helped establish the first Children's Cottage Society crisis nursery in Canada, which has provided refuge to over 40,000 Calgary children, ensuring their safety when a family is in crisis. She also raised an incredible half a million dollars in just two years to fund life-saving treatment at the Alberta Children's Hospital.
Last year, she led a grassroots initiative to provide over 600 ICU workers with “thank you” packages for their work on the pandemic front lines.
It is an honour to congratulate and sincerely thank Lorna Hamm for all she has done to change the lives of so many Calgary children and members of our community.
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- May/13/22 11:10:31 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my dad developed age-related macular degeneration, and I saw what a life-changing development that was.
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is an incurable disease that affects close to 2.5 million Canadians over the age of 50. It causes damage to the central part of the retina responsible for central vision, robbing Canadian seniors of their expected quality of life. However, there is hope that a new, non-invasive treatment currently awaiting Health Canada approval could positively impact the millions of Canadians who live with AMD and could result in Canada playing an important role in managing the disease globally.
Please join me in raising awareness of AMD and supporting the close to 2.5 million Canadian seniors living with this cruel disease.
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