SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 118 - Oct/26/22

Oct/26/22 5:13:05 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-9

Mr. Speaker, we often get caught up in what is taking place inside the chamber. Outside the chamber, we could talk about the Canadian Judicial Council. There is an expectation outside the House of Commons. This legislation is something that the council is quite anxious to see pass. We talked about stakeholders. All we are really looking at is trying to get it out of the second reading stage. There is still going to be a lot more dialogue on this. There is no doubt a lot of the stakeholders are wondering why, when it looks like there is a fairly wide spectrum of support for the legislation, we do not get it to committee stage, at the very least, as quickly as possible.

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Hon. David Lametti

Oct/26/22 5:13:58 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-9

Mr. Speaker, I agree with that point. I want to list some of the groups that were consulted by the Canadian Judicial Council, like the Canadian Bar Association, the Federation of Law Societies and the Council of Canadian Law Deans. The member is absolutely right. This will go to committee. All sides will be able to bring witnesses to see if anything was missed. I hope it will be done fairly expeditiously because I think there is a high level of general agreement on this bill. It is something that judges, in particular, feel needs to pass quickly. They have implored us to do it. They came out in September in a press release and said they wanted us to pass this quickly. When one member of the judiciary gets criticized for behaviour that is not becoming of a judge and it brings the system of justice into disrepute, they all feel it. It is important that they exercise this responsibility and create a better system to better manage themselves and hold themselves to the highest standard. It is important for us to react to that and to change something that was originally enacted 50 years ago. Reform to it is long overdue.

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Mrs. Cheryl Gallant (Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, CPC)

Oct/26/22 5:15:29 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-9

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious the minister is looking for another party to support closure. He is not going to get it from us. Historically, the NDP has been opposed to closure. Which party does he expect to vote with his party in order to get this through?

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Hon. David Lametti

Oct/26/22 5:15:54 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-9

Mr. Speaker, I usually leave those sorts of things to our House leaders to discuss among themselves. I am here today because this bill needs to get through. We need to get it to committee so that, if there are other improvements that can be made, they can be made. As I said, we had the absolutely horrific case of a judge who was caught purchasing cocaine a couple of weeks before he was to be sworn in. Then when the time came that the judges took action against him, he used every single lateral procedural move he could, extended the case out over a period of years and cost the taxpayers a whole lot of money. What we are trying to do is make the system not only more just and fair but also more efficient, so that it does not bring the whole system of justice into disrepute.

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Mr. Lloyd Longfield (Guelph, Lib.)

Oct/26/22 5:16:58 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-9

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for standing up in defence of law and order in the House. We can think of what the minister has done in terms of jury reform and in terms of diversity on jury panels, as well as supporting judges so that they can do their work effectively. The country relies on the House of Commons to provide guidance and direction so that our law and order system is effective. When we delay things, it really has consequences. I know the minister has talked about the consequences, but how important is it for us, as parliamentarians, regardless of the party, to support law and order in our country?

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Hon. David Lametti

Oct/26/22 5:17:40 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-9

Mr. Speaker, again, I salute the sincere place that question comes from. It is important we do our best. I have already mentioned there has been a large degree of agreement on a lot of the things we have brought forward on the justice agenda, from the Conservative Party, from the NDP, from the Bloc Québécois and from the Greens, and I am proud of that. One of the most formative experiences in my life was clerking for a judge at the Supreme Court of Canada, Justice Peter Cory. He remains one of my touchstones every day, in terms of how I conduct myself and what I aspire to. I think that is the kind of inspiration that should push all of us, I hope, toward passing this kind of legislation. People will tell us that Justice Cory was the most ethical human being who ever walked this earth, and I agree with that. If this legislation, in any way, shape or form, helps us to have more Peter Corys out there, then I think the world would be a better place.

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Mr. Brad Vis (Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, CPC)

Oct/26/22 5:18:55 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-9

Mr. Speaker, I happen to be one of the members who was cut off from speaking on this bill. It happened to me the other day with a programming motion as well, so I am little perturbed, because I had a question regarding an article in the Vancouver Sun today that I wanted to discuss in my debate. The residents of Vancouver feel their streets are becoming lawless and that repeat offenders are having a major impact on property crime in the province of British Columbia. In fact, at the recent breakfast town hall hosted by the chief of the Abbotsford police, they talked about the problem dealing with repeat offenders. I hope the justice minister might be able to comment on that and the need to address repeat offenders. Hopefully something can be done to keep our streets and communities safe in B.C., because people do not feel that way right now.

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Hon. David Lametti

Oct/26/22 5:19:54 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-9

Mr. Speaker, I was at a justice ministers FPT last week. Minister Rankin from British Columbia brought this issue forward. All the justice ministers agreed we would immediately put that to a committee to look at the question of repeat offenders and what we could do. That is on the record. We said that publicly. I appreciate the seriousness of the question and the seriousness of the situation. I will work with people in this House and also my provincial and territorial counterparts in order to hopefully find a better way forward.

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The Deputy Speaker

Oct/26/22 5:20:36 p.m.
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It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings at this time and put forthwith the question on the motion that is now before the House. The question is on the motion. May I dispense? An hon. member: No. [Chair read text of motion to House] The Deputy Speaker: If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or wishes to request a recorded division, I invite them now to rise and indicate it to the Chair. The hon. member for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner.

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Mr. Glen Motz

Oct/26/22 5:21:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded vote.

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Recorded

The Deputy Speaker

Oct/26/22 5:21:42 p.m.
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Call in the members.

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Call

The Speaker

Oct/26/22 6:06:04 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-9

I declare the motion carried. It being 6:05 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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Mr. Sameer Zuberi (Pierrefonds—Dollard, Lib.)

Oct/26/22 6:08:23 p.m.
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moved: That, given the motion adopted unanimously by the House on February 22, 2021, recognizing that a genocide is currently being carried out by the People's Republic of China against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) recognize that Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims that have fled to third countries face pressure and intimidation by the Chinese state to return to China, where they face the serious risk of mass arbitrary detention, mass arbitrary separation of children from their parents, forced sterilization, forced labour, torture and other atrocities; (b) recognize that many of these third countries face continued diplomatic and economic pressure from the People's Republic of China to detain and deport Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims leaving them without a safe haven in the world; (c) urgently leverage Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program to expedite the entry of 10,000 Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in need of protection, over two years starting in 2024 into Canada; and (d) table in the House, within 120 sitting days following the adoption of this motion, a report on how the refugee resettlement plan will be implemented. He said: Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to be here in the House with all members today. I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on Algonquin territory. Today is an important day. We will be discussing an important program that is within Motion No. 62, a motion to welcome 10,000 Uighur who are facing genocide within China right now, at this moment in time. This motion calls for the Government of Canada to resettle 10,000 Uighur as of 2024 from third countries. Why third countries? It is because we cannot welcome, unfortunately, Uighur who are currently undergoing the genocide within China, but we can provide safe haven for vulnerable Uighur within third countries. These third countries primarily include countries from north Africa and the Arab world, but not exclusively. There are several other countries where Uighur people are living and are present. We have heard a lot of testimony from survivors at committees and at the Subcommittee on International Human Rights. In the past we have heard horrifying nightmare stories of people being abused in unspeakable ways, of women being violated and men too. We heard about forced labour. There are over a million people currently in forced labour camps. We heard about children, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, being separated from their families when they should be in the care of their moms and dads. We know that 20% of the world's cotton is produced in China, likely tainted by forced labour. We know that 35% of tomato products are also tainted by forced labour because they come from the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region. We know that 45% of polyurethane, which is the base material for solar panels, as the world tries to go green, is also tainted by forced labour. This is wholly and entirely unacceptable. This is something that we, as a country and as a human family, must stand up against. We had a motion from the benches opposite in February 2021 that called on the House to recognize that a genocide is in fact occurring. Thankfully the House voted unanimously and spoke with one voice on that matter. Not a single person voted against it. We unanimously voted to recognize that a genocide is in fact occurring toward the Uighur people. This issue is not a partisan issue. For those who make it such, shame on them. They know who they are. This is an issue about people who are dying, who are being violated and who are being mistreated. We said after World War II that this would not happen again. After Bosnia and Yugoslavia, we also reconfirmed that intent. After what happened in Rwanda, we did the same, and with the Rohingya again. Now we know, a genocide is occurring. What are we going to do? We heard the reports. We know the reports. Many of us have read the reports, over 50 pages long, from Michelle Bachelet, the former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She said that these allegations of the Uighur people are well-founded, and they also may amount to international crimes, including crimes against humanity. These are high crimes in international law, as is genocide. The international community, in 2005, said that these types of international crimes must be prevented. Therefore, each and every country has a responsibility to protect when we see crimes against humanity occurring, or the threat of them occurring. When we see genocide occurring or the threat of genocide occurring, we, as a human family, as a collective of countries and as Canada, all have a responsibility to protect. Our responsibility is engaged and we must act. One way in which we can answer this is by voting for this program to welcome 10,000 Uighurs here in Canada. We have a proud tradition in our country of welcoming refugees and asylum seekers. This is a proud Canadian tradition. This program will not halt the genocide. It will put a slight dent in it. This program will not answer our obligation, the responsibility, to protect. It will in part answer it. This is something that speaks to our tradition. This is something that we can do, should do, must do. In the past, we have welcomed many different people who have been fleeing for their lives from genocides, from crimes against humanity. Recently, we can think of Yazidis, Syrians and Afghans. We can think of Hongkongers. We created some special pathways. We can do this again, now, today. I will share some facts about the Uighur people. Who are they? We hear the term but we do not know who they are. Like all people, they are a proud people. They live in the western part of China, what they have traditionally called East Turkestan, what we know in international law as Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region. Xinjiang has a particular meaning. It means “new frontier” in the tongue of the majority of people within China. It is approximately, as I mentioned, one-sixth the land mass of China. It also has many vast deserts and mountains. It historically has been part of the ancient Silk Road trade route that connected China, that allowed for trade to occur to Europe and the Middle East. That trade route is being revived, but with a modern update, with highways and the free flow of goods. That is why the supply chain issue is a big question. The current belt and road initiative runs through Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. As I mentioned earlier, 20% of the world's cotton is produced there. Eighty per cent of China's cotton actually comes from the region. I will repeat that for all of us who buy cotton. Eighty per cent of Chinese cotton comes from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as does 35% of tomato products, pasta and pizza. I love pasta and pizza. Contrary to first impressions, I am actually one-quarter Italian and one-quarter Sicilian. I joke sometimes that my colour comes from my Sicilian side. It is a bad joke, but I say it sometimes. We know that approximately 45% of the base materials for solar panels come from that region also. Minerals, such as gold, silver and zinc come from there. It is very mineral-rich. There has been atomic testing also in the region since the 1960s. In addition to all of the horrors that we heard, these things are occurring. These horrors are real, so real, as I mentioned, that the former high commissioner of human rights, Michelle Bachelet, said that these allegations are well-founded. Thankfully, in addition to my motion, we had a preview this week in the House when we were discussing and then voted to concur in the immigration committee's report, which called for immigration. That report unfortunately, or fortunately, did not specify something. That report that we all unanimously concurred in this week said that we should create special immigration measures for Uighur people and other Turkic minorities, but we did not specify what those measures should be. This motion does exactly that. It completes what happened earlier this week, when we said, “Let us do this.” This motion says how. This motion is precise. It is specific. It is time-bound. It is what we need. In addition to this, we thankfully have a number of initiatives in the House, and I would like to see them all pass and made into law. First is Bill S-211, which is on forced labour. It is a very important bill. Thankfully, our foreign affairs minister has said that we support it. She said that in August, when replying to Michelle Bachelet's report that there may be crimes against humanity occurring within the region, so already our foreign affairs minister has said such. This initiative started in the Senate and now is in the House. It is actually heading to committee. We also have a second initiative on organ harvesting: Bill S-223, which is also an important piece of legislation. Organ harvesting does occur within Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region, but not exclusively there. We know that Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, practitioners have been subject to this in the past. It is well documented. These are a number of the initiatives that are in progress and happening right now. They are initiatives that we should all be supporting. Our government has done a handful of things. We have implemented Magnitsky sanctions against four individuals and one entity that are active and responsible for these crimes. This was done in advance of the genocide motion of February 2021. We also have a number of advisory opinions for companies operating within Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region. As an advocate, I would like always to see that strengthened, and that must be strengthened through Bill S-211. I would like to highlight something. While we are speaking squarely about the crimes against humanity and genocide occurring within China, we need to be careful not to fall into unconscious bias about Asians and Chinese people. That is very important, as we advocate clearly and unambiguously, to not to fall into that. At the end, I personally have, on this issue, no qualms, if and when the government in China were to stop doing what it is doing, I personally would not speak on this issue, but only if and when China does stop doing what it is doing. However, until then, all of us, including myself, must speak on this issue. I would like to impress upon the House how we united behind my motion. I want to share something. My seconder is Rachel Bendayan, a colleague of mine in the benches.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Oct/26/22 6:21:39 p.m.
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We cannot use names in the House, as the member knows.

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Mr. Sameer Zuberi

Oct/26/22 6:21:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I offer my apologies. My seconder is the member for Outremont. I would also like to highlight that we have members from every party endorsing this motion by jointly seconding. From the benches opposite, we have the former leader of the Conservative Party, the member for Durham; a friend and colleague of mine who is very active on the Uighur file, the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan; and the member for Wellington—Halton Hills. We also have the House leader of the Green Party; the immigration critic from the Bloc Québécois; the immigration critic from the NDP; the foreign affairs critic from the NDP; and another member from the Bloc, the member for Montarville. From my own party, the former foreign affairs minister has jointly seconded this motion, along with other former ministers, such as a former immigration minister, so there is broad support throughout the House. I ask that we stay united and put aside partisanship in seeing this motion pass.

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Mr. Brad Vis (Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, CPC)

Oct/26/22 6:23:33 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Pierrefonds—Dollard for the motion he has brought forward in Parliament today. It is a good motion. Indeed, the Conservative Party of Canada stood with a unanimous consent motion, and we also put forward another opposition motion in the House of Commons, on this very subject. The member opposite spoke frequently about not making this a partisan issue, so I would like to ask him a very concrete question on some of those votes and even on the concurrence motion we voted on this week, where there was an abstention from the government members of the Liberal Party. What can we do to convince the Government of Canada to stand with Parliament in opposing the Uighur genocide taking place in China right now?

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Mr. Sameer Zuberi

Oct/26/22 6:24:29 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, this is an important question. We are politicians. We know conversation and dialogue are important in what we are doing, so that is what I am doing. I am personally having robust conversations, and I encourage the member to do so as well. When we do so, let us do so in order to win people, to open up people's hearts, so they can see the merits of what we are pleading. If we approach things with that in mind, to allow people to come and join us, I expect they will. I am confident, though, that this will happen with hopefully all of us.

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Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ)

Oct/26/22 6:25:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate my friend from Pierrefonds—Dollard on his speech. We know that he is very committed. Many people in the House have been working on the Uighur file for a very long time. It is unfortunate that when we say that Parliament has spoken with one voice, that is not entirely true. My Conservative friend just raised the issue. When we voted on the Conservative motion, with the Bloc's friendly amendment, the executive and the Prime Minister abstained. It is very difficult for us to fight a problem if we cannot name it. We have to call a spade a spade. When it is genocide, we must call it genocide. Genocide is no small matter. There is all kinds of evidence. The Subcommittee on International Human Rights made that known. My question is simple. I understand that we must speak with one voice, but when will we speak with one voice in this Parliament?

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Mr. Sameer Zuberi

Oct/26/22 6:26:28 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Bloc Québécois member for his question. I hope we will speak with one voice. I do not yet know if that will happen, but I hope it will. For now, I think we are on the right track. Twenty members of Parliament supported this motion, and that includes members from across all parties in the House. I hope that we will continue in this direction until the end.

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

Oct/26/22 6:27:15 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Pierrefonds—Dollard for his motion, his speech and his commitment to the Uighur issue, which is also very important to New Democrats. We certainly support this move. We need to stand up for human rights and speak out against the genocide that the Uighurs are being subjected to, their treatment and forced labour. If Parliament is speaking with one voice, or almost one voice, what would my colleague like to see the government do now?

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