44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 16, 2022 11:00AM
Mr. Speaker, what has become very clear is that both Conservative speakers have said that they support the legislation. Both made reference to the fact that they brought forward a unanimous consent motion to do exactly what this legislation says.
We recognize the importance of passing the legislation. I thought it was virtually unanimous in the chamber. The member said there is a Green member who does not support it, but everyone else seems to be supporting the legislation. The reality is that what is preventing it from being passed today is that the Conservatives will not stop talking about it. If they stopped talking about it, we could actually pass this legislation in the next few minutes. All the Conservatives have to do is agree to allow the legislation to pass.
Will the member agree with me that it is time to pass this legislation?
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Mr. Speaker, I love the expression “look who is talking”: look who is talking about the fact that we are making speeches here in the House of Commons. He is not the king or the queen; he is the god of speakers in the House of Commons. He is speaking on everything all the time, and now he is asking questions and asking why we are talking about this. We get inspiration from the member.
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- May/16/22 1:56:07 p.m.
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The hon. member for Winnipeg North.
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Mr. Speaker, in fairness to myself, I know when to stop speaking so legislation can pass.
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- May/16/22 1:56:27 p.m.
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That is not a point of order.
Questions and comments, the hon. member for Kitchener Centre.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a nice change to see such strong agreement in this place among different parties. I am glad to see that.
I am rising to share something with the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent. He mentioned a few times, as some of his colleagues have, that a member of the Green Party, the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, is in opposition to this motion. I want to let the member know that on that particular day, my understanding is that the reason for that was that consent was not shared beforehand, to seek that by email. We are working on that. That has been changed.
I am rising to let the member know that and to assure him, as he has been asking, that there was support from both Greens and we would appreciate being told about future UC motions.
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Mr. Speaker, I am sorry if I misled the House when I said that the member is coming from the Maritimes. I apologize and retract my words.
I do accept the explanation from my colleague. Obviously, there is some concern. I was there. I was just feet away from my colleague from the Green Party in British Columbia. I have a lot of respect for her. She is a strong voice for Canadian democracy and I hope that this time she will support the will that we had, as Conservatives, in tabling that very important motion. I remember she said no. I also remember that from other people on the other side. I am pleased to hear that the Green Party will support the spirit of our March 2 motion.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to know whether my colleague agrees with me on the following. Quebec's political weight will drop if we keep the same number of members in Quebec and increase the number of members everywhere else.
Can we count on his support to change that?
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his comment.
I would like to come back to the debate.
The motion that the Conservatives proposed would have applied to Quebec and all the provinces. However, in the March 2 debate, the Bloc Québécois suggested that the motion should apply only to Quebec.
We agreed with the principle, but we wanted it to apply to all of the provinces, which is the intent of Bill C‑14. We are therefore very pleased to see that the Liberals modelled this bill on our motion. That is great because it is good for all of Canada.
I would like to remind the member that that suggestion was made during the referendum on the Charlottetown accord. As the member knows very well, Quebeckers voted against it.
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Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. My colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent has shown himself again to be a brilliant orator.
The Liberal Party has called on the Conservatives to expedite this matter, ostensibly because democracy demands it and that is the will. What does my colleague say to the fact that the Liberal Party has curtailed and cajoled debate in this House over the last two weeks in order to further its own aims, rather than having democracy as a whole in mind?
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Mr. Speaker, when we are talking about a democratic system, and that is exactly what we are talking about today, we shall respect the right of a member of Parliament to speak on an issue. That is what we are trying to have.
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- May/16/22 2:00:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 125th anniversary of a remarkable organization, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, which has served the most vulnerable in our region of Windsor Essex since 1896. The Gospel of John tells us “let us not love with words or speech but with actions”.
Today, the 35 employees and 200 dedicated volunteers of Saint Vincent de Paul live those words to feed, clothe and comfort residents in need, from a food box delivery program and distributing 653 beds per year to operating store locations where residents can pick up gently used donated clothing and goods. The Vincentians embody neighbour looking after neighbour. President David Leslie says, “There is a real pride in what we have been doing serving generation after generation.”
Our community is proud of Saint Vincent de Paul and so grateful for the service and the hope that Mr. Leslie brings to our residents.
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- May/16/22 2:01:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, imagine people driving the streets searching desperately for their child. Imagine them waiting for a call late in the night telling them that their son or daughter has been found dead. It is a pain many of us cannot imagine.
A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a very informal round table in my riding of Peterborough—Kawartha, listening to parents who have a child struggling with addiction or who have lost a child to addiction. These are some of the quotes that deeply resonated with me: “Stop assuming I am a bad mom“; “No one told me what to do”; “I was waiting to be told how to fix it, but it is not about fixing them.”
I chose to run for politics to bring better awareness and treatment for mental illness and addiction. The reality is that recovery centres are desperately needed, especially in my riding of Peterborough—Kawartha, but so is a social shift to understanding that addiction is treating pain.
I urge everyone in this House to replace judgment with empathy. I urge the government to hold true to its election commitment and invest the $4.5 billion it promised for the Canada mental health transfer.
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- May/16/22 2:02:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week I joined the 2022 top 50 CEO awards hosted by Atlantic Business Magazine, where my son-in-law Justin was recognized for the third consecutive time as one of Atlantic Canada's top 50 CEOs. I am so proud of his success, including in leading Yellow Cab to transition its fleet to hybrid and electric vehicles and installing charging places in a number of properties to reduce the ecological footprint.
I was also thrilled to see Terry Paul, chief of Membertou First Nation and CEO of Membertou Development Corporation, win the CEO of the year award. Chief Paul and his community are both models to emulate and trailblazers. Thanks to his leadership, Membertou is one of the largest employers on Cape Breton Island. Having worked with him on the provincial level, and now in my capacity as a member of Parliament, I know how big an impact he has had.
I ask all members to join me in congratulating this year's award winners.
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- May/16/22 2:04:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last Saturday there was a protest in the streets of Montreal against the Quebec government's Bill 96. It is the new version of Bill 101 that was long overdue, given how quickly English is gaining ground in Quebec.
Anyone can see that English is taking over, and anyone who cares about the future of the only francophone society in North America does not like it and would like to see measures taken to curb it. Apparently, not so for Saturday's protesters who are against Bill 96. In their view, Bill 96 deserves the harshest words, which I will refrain from repeating here, and must be fought. The most shocking thing is that the protesters included several members of the governing party in Ottawa. At least that sends a clear message: For this government, any action to defend French in Quebec will always be excessive, even when it is taken by the only government responsible for it, the Quebec government.
There is a word for that: It is called colonialism.
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- May/16/22 2:05:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, budget 2022 would do many things to support people in many different ways.
I want to thank the Minister of Housing for the incredible work he has done on the housing file. I could talk about housing co-ops or a wide variety of things that enable Canadians to find a home. However, what I want to highlight is the multi-generational home renovation tax credit. It is truly an amazing program that would make such a profound positive difference. For many Canadians, having different generations live in one home is of great value. It is something that is greatly appreciated. Through this renovation credit, up to $7,500, under a new program, would be put into place in 2023.
I would like to thank the Minister of Housing, the Prime Minister and the caucus for developing a program that would make such a positive difference for all of Canada.
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- May/16/22 2:06:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the past few years have been difficult for many organizations in Wellington—Halton Hills, especially ones that organize local events and fairs. The goods news is that festivals and fairs, markets and shows are coming back this summer, events like the Georgetown Highland Games, which is taking place on June 11. It was established in 1975 and is one of the largest, single-day Highland games in North America.
Other events are also happening in the upcoming months, such as Canada Day in Glen Williams, the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games, the Acton Leathertown Festival and Riverfest Elora.
These events are not possible without the hard work and dedication of thousands of volunteers, organizers and sponsors. The people behind these events are the reason Wellington—Halton Hills is such a great place to live, work and raise a family.
Let this be the summer of the great reopening.
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- May/16/22 2:07:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since May 1947, the Canadian Rangers have played a critical role in the Canadian Armed Forces. They are proud to pass on their deep knowledge, which is critical to survival and navigation in some of Canada's harshest climates.
The Canadian Rangers have supported the surveillance and sovereignty of Canada's north. They have enabled a military presence in more than 200 communities in the far north and in isolated and remote areas in Canada. They have helped indigenous communities through challenges and crises. They have supported provincial, territorial and local authorities in disaster response and search and rescue, and provided assistance through the pandemic.
This year is the year of the Canadian ranger. Let us honour their place in our nation's culture and military heritage as they celebrate 75 years of excellence and service to community and country.
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- May/16/22 2:08:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this weekend, we saw another horrific massacre in the United States; this time, just across the border from Canada in Buffalo. What was particularly chilling about this murder was the killer's ties to violent, far-right, white supremacist extremist ideology targeting African Americans.
Canada is not immune from this threat. We saw this in the horrific killings at the mosque in Quebec City and again last summer in London, Ontario.
We see extremist organizations continue to foment discord and hate and threaten violence here in Canada, yet there are many who question why we should focus our attention on ideologically motivated, violent extremism perpetrated by the far right and by white supremacists. This weekend's murders in the United States are a perfect example of why this focus is necessary.
We must remain vigilant and set aside our differences to curb all forms of ideologically motivated, violent extremism here in Canada. I ask that all members of this House work together to ensure that Canadians know that we are united when it comes to recognizing and addressing the threat we face from white nationalism and far-right extremists.
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- May/16/22 2:09:35 p.m.
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I want to remind folks, during Statements by Members, to keep conversations as low as they can so that people can get their statements out.
The hon. member for Elgin—Middlesex—London.
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