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Mr. James Bezan (Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, CPC)

Dec/7/22 6:14:18 p.m.
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Re: Bill S-223

Madam Speaker, it is indeed an honour to rise today to speak to Bill S-223, an act to amend the Criminal Code and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to stop the trafficking in human organs. I want to thank Senator Salma Ataullahjan, who brought this bill forward in the Senate, where it passed all three readings. It is now being considered here in the House of Commons, sponsored by my colleague from Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan. This bill would amend the Criminal Code to create some indictable offences for those who are engaged in illegal organ harvesting. It would also allow the Minister of Immigration and Citizenship to intercede. If it is believed that someone is in Canada as a permanent resident or here as a foreign national, they can be deemed inadmissible to Canada if they have participated, in one way or another, in the harvesting of human organs. I have been advocating for this for quite some time. We brought forward the Sergei Magnitsky law, which passed this place unanimously in 2018. The government has failed to use it since that time, other than for the first tranche of people who were sanctioned. It was to make sure that those individuals who are committing gross human rights violations around the world were held to account and that they were not allowed to use Canada as a safe haven. We know there has been a systematic organ harvesting program going on in China, led by the Communist regime in Beijing. They have used it on political dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities, like the Falun Gong practitioners, like the Uighurs, like Christians and others. They have gone out after them, arrested them and then forcibly removed their organs to profit from them. We talk about gross human rights violations. It is disgusting that someone would actually take people who are being persecuted because they are a minority group or someone who does not agree with the regime in Beijing, or other countries for that matter, and arrest them, detain them and then literally rip them apart and market their organs around the world. Bill S-223 would make sure that those individuals, if they ever came to Canada, would face our criminal justice system. They would not just be facing sanctions and be banned from Canada or have their assets frozen here in Canada, but they would face criminal prosecution here in Canada. Let us consider someone who needed an organ transplant and knowingly used an organ that was harvested in this manner from a political dissident, from a Falun Gong practitioner or Uighurs. Right now, the Uighurs are being persecuted to the highest level. Essentially a genocide is being carried out by the Communist regime in Beijing against the Uighurs. If somebody wanted to buy one of these organs, they could be facing criminal prosecution here in Canada. We know that this market exists. Estimates suggest that illegal organ trafficking generates $1 billion to $2 billion Canadian every year. That is sourced from 12,000 illegal transplants, predominantly coming from mainland China. That is 12,000 transplants a year. We have to put an end to this. I had the privilege of working with the Falun Dafa Association here in Canada. It represents Falun Gong practitioners. Many of them have fled mainland China to make sure they had the ability here in Canada to have the things that we take for granted, such as freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. All of that is denied by the Communist regime in China. They put together some great research over the years. A former colleague has put together a rather large report with the assistance of David Matas. When I say a former colleague, I mean David Kilgour, who was a long-time MP here, who always championed human rights. They had a list of over 150 individuals who were profiting from the sale of illegally obtained organs that were harvested from Falun Gong practitioners. Last spring, I presented a petition that called on the government to look at this. It said that in the last 21 years, Communist Party officials had orchestrated the torture and killing of a large number of people who practised Falun Gong and that it was being done on a mass scale so their vital organs could fuel the communist regime's organ transplant trade. There were 14 names to sanction under the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act, the Sergei Magnitsky Law, and the government responded but never sanctioned any of the individuals named. In October 2021, I sent a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs congratulating her on her new appointment and asking her to take action on behalf of Falun Gong practitioners. I asked her to look at the entire list of individuals, which said who they were, what position they held in mainland China and what operations they were involved in with regard to persecuting and arresting Falun Gong practitioners, harvesting their organs and ultimately trading those organs around the world. I first sent the 150 names to her predecessor at the time and then to her. Again, we got a response but no action was taken. I know the bill is getting support from all sides of the House and from every corner of the chamber, but we need to make sure we step up and sanction those individuals to ensure they are not coming to Canada. We can sanction them using the Sergei Magnitsky Law. They are hiding their wealth, taking advantage of our strong banking system, taking advantage of our fairly robust real estate market and capitalizing on the illicit gains they have been able to achieve because of this illegal trade in organs. There are Canadians who need organ transplants. We have to encourage more and more people to donate organs in Canada so that we can extend the life of those who need transplants. That way, we can also deter this illicit trade in illegally harvested human organs and make sure it does not spread to other jurisdictions. We always like to concentrate on the communist regime in China, but we know this is happening in other places in the world. There are stories of African nations, and it is not just governments doing this, but gangs and the people out there in human trafficking who are resorting to this as a way to generate illicit revenues. We need to continue to stand on the side of the individuals who cannot stand up for themselves. We have to make sure Canada continues to be a leader on the issue of human rights. We need to make sure that those committing these crimes can be held to account. I know Bill S-223 would go a long way in ensuring that they would not be allowed to work in Canada and would be arrested if they did, and would not be allowed to travel to Canada or they would be arrested and face charges. We also need to make sure that those who know they are purchasing organs through this gross human rights violation of illegal organ harvesting face the full cost and full force of law here in Canada. I again want to congratulate Senator Ataullahjan for bringing this bill forward. It is something she has been working on for a number of years. It has died on the Order Paper in the past, and this is our opportunity to make sure it comes into force as quickly as possible.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/7/22 6:24:12 p.m.
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Resuming debate. Is the House ready for the question? Some hon. members: Question. The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes): The question is on the motion. 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 would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair. The hon. parliamentary secretary to the government House leader.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Dec/7/22 6:24:58 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I request a recorded vote, please.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/7/22 6:25:02 p.m.
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Re: Bill S-223

Pursuant to order made on Thursday, June 23, the division stands deferred until Wednesday, December 14, at the the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions. Pursuant to order made earlier today, the House shall now resolve itself into committee of the whole to consider Motion No. 23 under government business. I do now leave the chair for the House to go into committee of the whole.

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The Deputy Chair

Dec/7/22 6:25:56 p.m.
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Before we begin this evening's debate, I would like to remind hon. members of how the proceedings will unfold. Each member speaking will be allotted 10 minutes for debate, followed by 10 minutes for questions and comments. Pursuant to order made earlier today, the time provided for the debate may be extended beyond four hours, as needed, to include a minimum of 12 periods of 20 minutes each. Members may divide their time with another member, and the Chair will receive no quorum calls, dilatory motions or requests for unanimous consent. We will now begin tonight's take-note debate.

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Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

Dec/7/22 6:26:51 p.m.
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Madam Chair, today I am going to share the words of Cambria Harris, daughter of Morgan Harris. We talk so much here and now it is time to listen to what families and survivors want. “My name is Cambria Harris. My spirit name is West Flying Sparrow Woman. I'm a member of Long Plain First Nation but I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I am 21 years old and I'm the eldest daughter of my deceased mother, Morgan Harris. “We all know why I'm here today, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak, but I'm sad for the reasons I have to come here. It pains me to say that this week has been one of the hardest for indigenous peoples. This horrific situation has shaken us as a nation and angered indigenous people and strangers worldwide. “What has happened is despicable, and I'm utterly shocked and saddened to hear that far more beautiful innocent indigenous lives were taken at the expense of a monster, including my mother Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, Rebecca Contois and still one lost sister who has now been named Buffalo Woman. Remember these names. Shout them from the roof of your lungs and bring justice for these deceased women. “Time and time again, the system has failed vulnerable women and people, specifically indigenous. I want you to understand that every single one of these women are beautiful human beings. They are loved. They are mothers. They are sisters. They are someone. Our women—those who bring life to this world—are considered sacred and we need to start treating them like so. We need to end this violence against our women. Each and every one of these women lived a full life of stories and love. They deserve to be remembered for who they are rather than the way they passed on.” Sorry, Madam Chair, but I am sharing the words of the victim's child, and Conservative members are choosing this time to chat. I find that disrespectful. Could you stop my time? Let us respect these families.

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Hon. Diane Lebouthillier

Dec/7/22 6:26:51 p.m.
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moved: That this committee take note of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

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The Deputy Chair

Dec/7/22 6:29:01 p.m.
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I want to remind members that a take-note debate is in play at the moment and the issue, just like every other issue, is very important. I would ask members to please respect other members in the House. If they wish to have discussions, they should take them outside to the lobby. That would be appropriate. The hon. member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier on a point of order.

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Mr. Joël Godin

Dec/7/22 6:29:35 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I just heard my colleague accuse Conservative members of having discussions. However, I am looking and I do not see anyone around me talking. Perhaps my colleague made a mistake.

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The Deputy Chair

Dec/7/22 6:29:47 p.m.
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I think there were members talking and some of them were Conservatives. However, regardless of whether one is a member of the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois or another party, it is important to respect the workings of the House when there is a debate in progress. The person who has the floor should have the respect of the entire House during debate.

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Mr. Joël Godin

Dec/7/22 6:30:22 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I rise on a point of order. I agree. You are absolutely right. No party should be named—

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The Deputy Chair

Dec/7/22 6:30:27 p.m.
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I just want to add that there were definitely members talking. I will not say whether they were Conservatives or not. You are at this end of the House. Obviously, at the other end, there are other members from two other parties. I do not know who was talking. The hon. member asked for respect based on what she could see from her side. Resuming debate. The hon. member for Winnipeg Centre.

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Ms. Leah Gazan

Dec/7/22 6:31:06 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the letter continues: “They deserve to be remembered for who they are rather than the way they passed on. It breaks me to see our women fall through the cracks of society over and over again. Throughout my teens, I've watched and I've heard the horror stories of indigenous women going missing and many never found, and when they're found, they're found deceased in the most horrible, gruesome ways, and all you can do is cry and hope your loved ones aren't next. “I was there back when Tina Fontaine went missing and I protested when she was found, because it hurt me personally as a young indigenous girl. Tina was around my age at that time, and there was protesting and rallying for her at the police station, demanding change, as a sniper looked over us. “I was at the Take Back the Night marches shouting for our women and how we shouldn't have to be afraid to go out on the streets at night. That is why I'm here today. We are not meant to be forgotten, and we won't be. We are here forever, as we should be. These women have been a voice, and they deserve to be heard and paid the respect and love they need and needed before. “Over the last decade, I've watched the news stories of families mourning their missing loved ones. I've watched stories unfold from when they go missing and when they're found in the worst ways. What happened last week and what has been happening for a very long time is a hate crime and indigenous genocide. This needs to seriously change. These monsters lurking within our society, how do we begin to pick them out and stop them before they seriously harm somebody, when all the hints were there that they were going to hurt someone? “What is frightening is how these disgusting creatures present themselves as friends. They hide in the corners and shadows, only brought to face when they've murdered our women. You guys have the power to make change and do our part in this by providing all the missing and murdered indigenous people the justice and respect they need. “The system put in place, the system that was meant to protect these women and keep them from harm, failed them miserably and horribly. I'm angered by this, and I am heartbroken for the families and victims affected by this, my indigenous brothers and sisters. I've watched a nation come together in the most beautiful of ways for the most heartbreaking and gut-wrenching situation. This needs to end. “I've watched this happen too many times. It has become a story, a story that is familiar not only for myself but also for other indigenous people. My mother, Morgan Harris, was a bright and loving soul. She gave birth to me when she was only 18 years old, and this breaks my heart because I am blessed to be a mother of a two-and-a-half-year-old and I gave birth at 19. My mother will never, ever get to meet her granddaughter, and she will never have a chance at having that sort of bond with her. That was ripped away from my mother and my daughter, and my mother was ripped away from me at the expense of a monster, a vile creature. “With that being said, I am able to understand the struggles my mother went through having a child so young and then going on to give birth to four more while struggling with addiction. She had been struggling with addiction since I was a small girl, but she still shielded me from the horrors of the world. I remember when I was younger, I had gone for a sleepover at my aunt Crystal's, and by the time we got back to our childhood home on Simcoe, my house was surrounded by police and garbage bags. I didn't get to see her up close, but she yelled at me from the house while I was in the car, saying to me that I was going for a sleepover to my aunt's and that she loved me and how she'd get me back. I believed her. “That sleepover occurred in 2006, and it ended up lasting until I was 17. I didn't understand what she was going through then because she did such a good job protecting me from it, but I understand now it was never her fault. That was the start of it all, and through the years of growing up in CFS and between having visits with her as a young child, I watched my mom slowly lose herself to addiction in the most heartbreaking way. Mental illness took over. The help for her became less and less, and I watched my mother cry for help, as well as my family. “But she did the best with what she had. She was a smart woman, an absolutely bright, loving soul. She had a smile you'll never forget. It breaks my soul to know that the system put in place that was supposed to protect her failed her and watched as she fell and cried. “She was in and out of treatment centres and homelessness, constantly living on the streets for as long as I can remember, but that didn't stop her, that didn't stop her from seeing me and still being able to be a great, amazing mother for me. She was a great mother, and I might have been in CFS, but I did get visits with her, and then I did see her. My mother always made a point of being with me separately, making sure she spent quality time with me, because she herself knew she couldn't be there in the way she so badly wanted to because these systems had failed her. “She didn't get to leave this earth with a home. She didn't get to pass away next to her loved ones, and she was loved by friends, families and strangers all around. Throughout the short years of her life, she had to live in fear, hiding from sirens and people, and constantly living in fear of the dangers that lurked around at night while we were all blessed to sleep in our beds. “She lived in fear and she left the earth in a disastrous way. But you know what? For someone so small, with a five-foot stature, she was a feisty woman. She had a passion and an often burning goodness in her heart. Anyone who looked at this tiny woman the wrong way would be sorry. She fought for what she cared about, and everyone loved it and her confidence. “She was extremely cared for by many, and since this heartbreaking news broke out, I have received substantial amounts of support, and I've heard stories of people who knew her, of how she was living on the streets, and how she always made a point and an impact on someone. Everyone always remembered her name. “She was the funniest person I knew, and she was always making me laugh, along with others, and I want you to remember my mother, Morgan, as a strong, resilient woman. She had to do what she needed to do to survive, and it's unfortunate how she left. “Let's pay her the respect and love she deserves by giving her a home finally, and that would be finding her, Marcedes and Buffalo Woman from the landfill, or wherever else they may be. Your government started this genocide and now you must help us fix it.”

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Dec/7/22 6:40:04 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for sharing a reality that sends a very powerful message, not only here to Ottawa, but also outside the Ottawa bubble, where things really need to not just be heard, but where we need to see action. There are far too many girls who are in the position of making very difficult life decisions. I wonder if the member could provide her insight on how our urban centres are becoming unsafe. Could she provide that type of insight? It seems that it has been very challenging for governments at all levels to get to the core to try to stop the murders that are taking place.

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Ms. Leah Gazan

Dec/7/22 6:41:09 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I do not think it is difficult. There are 231 calls for justice that clearly lay out a plan forward. The asks are very simple right now. I have been calling for the police to call for an independent investigation and provide the support and information necessary with respect to the feasibility of a search. If that is not possible, all this letter is asking for is to stop dumping garbage on her loved one. This is not difficult. What world do we want to live in where we have to beg? This is a crime scene, and we do not want to have garbage dumped on our loved ones.

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Ms. Raquel Dancho (Kildonan—St. Paul, CPC)

Dec/7/22 6:42:07 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I was deeply moved by the hon. member for Winnipeg Centre's remarks, and I thank her for her bravery and her courage, which have continued for many years, on this file. She is likely one of the best experts in the House on this issue, so I greatly appreciate her bringing these experiences to this discussion today, and I thank her for her leadership in bringing this take-note debate to the House of Commons. It is very important. I too am a member from Winnipeg. I would like to provide the member more time to share with us the concrete steps. She mentioned two specifically. Are there other things that could be immediately done to support the families and other women and girls impacted by this right now? We talked of mental health supports. What are other things that the federal government and other levels of government could be doing right now to help these women who are impacted and their families?

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Ms. Leah Gazan

Dec/7/22 6:42:58 p.m.
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Madam Chair, in light of what is going on, at the very least there needs to be an immediate moratorium on the utilization of Prairie Green Landfill until this can be resolved. In honour of what the children are going through, and the families who are looking for loved ones, we need to give them that justice. We need to give them that peace. We also need to have prevention. I have been calling for a red dress alert. Every time an indigenous woman goes missing, we need a red dress alert. Just like there are alerts that go out when children go missing, or when there are storms happening, we need a red dress alert. We need, of course, immediate investment in housing. I just found out this morning that, unfortunately, another woman perished from freezing to death in a bus shelter last night. We have a housing crisis. These are human rights issues. We need to invest in safe spaces, but we need real investment in housing. We also need a guaranteed livable basic income. Leslie Spillett, a well-known advocate in the community, was very clear. She said that if these women had a guaranteed livable income, they would be alive. This is a poverty crisis and not just a mental health crisis. This is a poverty crisis, and people need the support they need to live in dignity.

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Ms. Lori Idlout (Nunavut, NDP)

Dec/7/22 6:44:41 p.m.
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Uqaqtittiji, I would like to thank the member for Winnipeg Centre for amplifying the voices of an indigenous woman, the daughter who lost what sounds like a beautiful mother. In this year's budget, there was reconciliation money for the RCMP to have reconciliation with indigenous peoples so they can help with the finding of gravesites. I thought that was a terrible injustice. I wonder if the member could share her thoughts on what more the RCMP should do to make sure that they too are sharing in the reconciliation, stop with the systemic racism and do better to protect indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

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Ms. Leah Gazan

Dec/7/22 6:45:31 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I agree with my hon. colleague. We need those monies to be given to families in our communities to use the way they need for justice. We have put out 231 calls to action. In the 2022 budget, there were zero budgetary allocations for MMIWG2S. That is wrong. We need immediate resources. We need substantial resources for the searching of our loved ones and just to keep us alive. I got up this morning after I had been with the beautiful family of Morgan Harris. I know some of the family. I love them. They walk with Bear Clan Patrol. They are a beautiful family. They are brilliant young people. They deserve justice. We need to listen to them, which is why I read the speech of Cambria Harris, one of Morgan Harris's daughters. We need to listen to families and survivors of violence. They have the way forward. We have 231 calls to action. We need monies invested now to make sure we can heed those calls to action.

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Ms. Jenny Kwan (Vancouver East, NDP)

Dec/7/22 6:47:01 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Winnipeg Centre, for her passion, her belief, her strength and her heart in speaking out for the families and for justice for indigenous peoples from coast to coast to coast. I come from Vancouver East, and in my riding, we too have devastating situations of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. We also experienced a situation where there was a serial killer. Of the 33 women who went missing, he was only prosecuted for six of those cases. Many families do not have closure. To this date, despite the inquiries and calls for justice, the government has not taken action and the police have not actually made the necessary changes to address the systemic racism and discrimination within the system. To that end, I would ask the member what we need to have the police do to ensure justice is served.

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