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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/4/23 6:49:07 p.m.
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There is still feedback from the hon. members I have already mentioned. I am not sure what the issue is, but they should all wait until they are recognized. The hon. member for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner is also rising on a point of order.

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Mr. Glen Motz

Dec/4/23 6:49:21 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it was very clear in the House moments ago that the member for Timmins—James Bay not only disrespected you but is challenging the Chair. He should be named and dealt with accordingly.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/4/23 6:49:36 p.m.
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From what I have seen, more members than just the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay have been challenging the Chair or have not responded appropriately to what the Chair is asking. I would ask members to please be respectful. There is another point of order by the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay.

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Timmins

Mr. Charlie Angus

Dec/4/23 6:49:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, you said that I was challenging the Chair. What I said is that when someone tells me to step outside, I have a right to be in here. If you choose, Madam Speaker, that I am not allowed to speak for defending my right to speak in here, then you can make that decision, I am not challenging it, but the issue you are putting before the House is my inability to speak in the House because of intimidation from Conservatives. I will always defend my right to speak in the House. You can have me removed any time, Madam Speaker. I am not challenging your authority to have me removed, but it is my right to speak against intimidation.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/4/23 6:50:34 p.m.
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Order. The House is still in session. If individuals want to have conversations they should step out. Again, I had asked the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay to withdraw his comments and I have also asked the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands. One is not willing to withdraw the comment, the other withdrew his comments without appropriateness. I would ask members to please be respectful. Any challenges to the authority of the Chair when asked to withdraw language ruled to be unparliamentary or when asked to withdraw comments because of the disorder they are causing can be addressed through a number of options. I have indicated that I will not be recognizing the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay unless he withdraws his comments, and if he wishes to continue his speech, we will go to the next speaker. Again, I would ask the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands to provide a proper withdrawal or proper apology, whichever way he wishes to do that. If he wishes to withdraw, the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands.

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Mr. Jeremy Patzer

Dec/4/23 6:53:19 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I unreservedly withdraw the statement.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/4/23 6:53:31 p.m.
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I thank the member. Does the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay wish to withdraw his statement so that we can go on with the debate?

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Mr. Charlie Angus

Dec/4/23 6:53:38 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would certainly like to go along with the debate, but being called a “fake feminist”, a “misogynist” and being told to “step outside” is unparliamentary.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/4/23 6:53:48 p.m.
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Until the hon. member withdraws his statement, he will not be recognized today. Resuming debate, the hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge.

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Mr. Francesco Sorbara (Vaughan—Woodbridge, Lib.)

Dec/4/23 6:54:05 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-50

Madam Speaker, I was absent for a few minutes. I understand I may have missed a few words or so, but I would like to get to the heart of the matter on Bill C-50—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/4/23 6:54:26 p.m.
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There seem to be conversations on both sides of the House. I am sure that they are the same members I told, if they wished to have conversations, to please step out of the chamber. Again, I think members should be reviewing the rules of order and the decorum that needs to be happening in the House so that we can actually have a functional House during the debate. The hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge.

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Mr. Francesco Sorbara

Dec/4/23 6:54:58 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-50

Madam Speaker, I would ask colleagues to always remember that the wonderful residents of every single one of our ridings sent us here to do the good work they want us to do, and also to be as respectful as we can and as passionate as we are as members of Parliament. That is our first priority. I want to speak to the importance of the energy industry in Canada, because Bill C-50 is supported by the Canada's Building Trades Union and by industry. There is a lot of collaboration going on. Most importantly, it deals with Canadian workers, from Newfoundland and Labrador all the way to British Columbia and all the way up north. I covered the energy sector for a good 15 years of my life, if not longer, whether it was the upstream, downstream or midstream sectors in Canada, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians who work in the Canadian energy industry. Before, the adage would have been the “non-renewable” sector, which is predominantly the energy industry and the conventional and in situ oil sands production by many great companies based in Canada, and now we have what is called the “renewable” sector. Before I forget, it is my duty to say that I will be allocating some of my time to my dear friend and colleague, the hon. member for Cloverdale—Langley City, in the beautiful province of British Columbia. He is a very learned member of the House. The energy sector in Canada accounts for over 10% of the Canadian GDP, with over $200 billion in monthly trade statistics. We see proceeds from what we sell and trade. I think about when people talk about the PADD 1, 2, 3 and 4. Everybody who covers natural gas and those sectors will know that energy is powered by Canada's natural resources: in the western Canadian sedimentary basin where a lot of gas is produced; in northeast B.C.; and in what is known as the Alberta advantage on feedstock, its ethylene and polypropylene itself, where we see Dow announcing an $11-billion investment in Alberta. A few years ago, pre-COVID, I went to the Alberta industrial heartland. I was there for a number of days touring the facilities because many of the companies there are ones I covered in the private sector. They are generating great Canadian middle-class jobs. They continue to do so and we want them to do so. We also understand, with Bill C-50 and with what is happening in the world, that there are alternative energy sources coming on stream. We know that at COP28, a number of countries, including Canada, have dedicated themselves to tripling the amount of nuclear energy production, so, yes, we are going to support small modular nuclear reactors in Canada and we are going to support refurbishments. Last summer, I went up to Bruce Power in Kincardine, here in Ontario. I am part of the nuclear caucus. I was out at OPG in Darlington a few months ago, learning about how important nuclear is here in Ontario, generating over 60% of Ontario's electricity production, along with other energy sources. I will provide an analogy for what Bill C-50 would allow us to do. Many members know I grew up on the north coast of B.C., in Prince Rupert, where at one time, over 700 workers were employed in a pulp mill under the company of Repap Enterprises. Anybody who knows the pulp and paper industry's history will recognize Repap or MacMillan Bloedel, West Fraser, Canfor, etc. The mill no longer exists. Over 700 workers, including my father, were let go from the mill in what was really a one-industry town. Thankfully, today, Pembina has a propane export facility there, and another Alberta-based company has another facility, another pipeline exporting Canadian resources offshore to market. These are Canadian resources that are in demand, governed by the best environmental and worker legislation there is, and Bill C-50 would take us there. I would say to my opposition colleagues that I sit on the natural resources committee. We had 10 committee meetings, and all the Conservatives did was filibuster. Believe me when I say that I value every penny the Government of Canada or any government at whatever level spends. We are not sent here to waste taxpayer money. That is exactly what the opposition did; it wasted it. Mr. Chris Warkentin: What? That's all you've been doing for the last eight years. Mr. Francesco Sorbara: Madam Speaker, I would say to the hon. member who is chatting at me from the other side that the Canada child benefit, two middle-income tax cuts, the Canada workers benefit, the dental benefit, raising the—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/4/23 6:59:49 p.m.
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The hon. member for Port Moody—Coquitlam is rising on a point of order.

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Ms. Bonita Zarrillo

Dec/4/23 6:59:57 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I apologize to the member for the quick point of order. I am on this side of the House and hearing all of the heckling, shouting and yelling from Conservatives today. I just want to be able to hear the debate. I too spent four hours at the committee and was not able to speak. I had to listen to Conservatives over and over again. I want to hear some debate on this and do not want to hear any more from the Conservatives, so I would appreciate it—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/4/23 7:00:25 p.m.
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I appreciate the hon. member raising a point of order. It did get loud for a little bit. It seems to have calmed down now. I do want to remind members again that if they wish to have conversations, to please step out into the lobby. There is a lot of space everywhere else to be having those conversations. They should not be held while we are sitting here and the House is in session. The hon. member for Vaughan—Woodbridge.

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Mr. Francesco Sorbara

Dec/4/23 7:00:51 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-50 Bill C-49

Madam Speaker, I just want to say to the learned member from the Coquitlam area and the Port Moody area that we have an expression in the language that my parents spoke when they came here. In Italian, we say un grande abbraccio, which means “a big hug”. I see many members on the opposite aisle and I do consider many of them friends. I give them a big hug not on a policy basis but on a friendship basis. When Canada's Building Trades Unions, LIUNA 183 or 506, or the carpenters' union, Local 27, or Carpenters' Regional Council and their members across the country are here working collaboratively with us on Bill C-50, moving it forward, ensuring that Canadians have the skills, we all know that there are agreements between the federal government and the provinces, labour market accords, ensuring that we are looking at sustainable jobs or jobs with good benefits and good pensions. These are good union jobs. We want them and we want to create more of them. We know that in the energy sector, both renewable and non-renewable, whether hydroelectric power or small modular reactors or the natural gas sector in Alberta, all of the by-products that are produced from natural gas are so important. This is what Bill C-50, for me, is about. It is about ensuring that, as we adopt new energy sources, whether they are used for electric vehicles or our electricity system, Canada remains a competitive beacon for its workers and that they have those skills. I am based in Ontario. I grew up in British Columbia. I understand regional differences and differences in regional views on issues. What is most important is that we allow for debate. It was so unfortunate that we could not invite witnesses. After I produced the scheduling motion or the programming motion at committee for Bill C-49, which we have not talked about and which is supported by the Atlantic provinces, and for Bill C-50, one or two of the members opposite went on to filibuster for 10 sessions. We could have called witnesses. The ministers would have been scheduled. The official opposition's duty, because it is its job, is to ask tough questions. It is its job, its duty, to oppose, if it wishes to do so. The members did not even afford themselves that opportunity. Tonight, we hear speeches about how there was only two hours. That is weak, to be blunt. We are here to do a job. If one is in opposition, they should do that job and do it extremely well and hold the government to account. I encourage it. At the same time, we are looking at legislation that all of the private sector unions across Canada signed on to and are supporting, as well as their workers, the hundreds of thousands of workers. There are 800,000 workers in the energy sector here in Canada and that number is growing, in both renewable and non-renewable, and we want them. We are building new hydroelectric facilities, whether it is in Newfoundland and Labrador or other areas. We want that. We want investment. At the same time, let us have a serious discussion on Bill C-50. We could have had that serious discussion at committee. It was very frustrating, to put it bluntly, to have the filibuster. I have been here for eight years and I have many colleagues who have been here for many more years. We go to committee and we do our homework the night before. We do our readings. We want to see witnesses. We had witnesses fly in, ready to come to committee. They could not present. That was unfortunate. I can go through the bill and read aspects of it and ask questions myself but the fundamental premise of us being here and being on those committees is to ask those tough questions, to ask why. I always want to ask why. I tell my kids to always ask why and to ask, “Can we do better?” Can we improve as parliamentarians? Can we look at a piece of legislation that is better? When I think of sustainable jobs, I think about transparency. I think about collaboration with unions and without unions, with workers, with Canadian workers working in certain fields, much like the 700 workers who worked at the pulp and paper mill in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and then the pulp and paper mill closed. Much like across Canada, many pulp and paper mills have closed.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes)

Dec/4/23 7:05:31 p.m.
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Unfortunately, the hon. member's time is up, but he will be able to continue in questions and comments if he wishes to add anything. Questions and comments, the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands.

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Mr. Jeremy Patzer (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, CPC)

Dec/4/23 7:05:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member put forward the scheduling motion at committee. The Conservatives put forward an amendment and a few subsequent subamendments. My main point is that when the Liberals and the NDP had the floor, not once did they bring up the substance of the subamendments or the amendment we had put forward, which would have been to get the bills to a place where we could go through them in proper order, the same order the House of Commons passed them to the committee in. I am wondering why there was zero dialogue or zero effort from their side to try to get to a point where we could work on the bills in the order they came to the committee from the House of Commons.

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Scheduling

Mr. Francesco Sorbara

Dec/4/23 7:06:25 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have much respect for the hon. member. He always provides insight at committee meetings. Very simply, when amendments are provided to a main programming or scheduling motion, it would be great, once they are discussed, for them to come to a vote. At committee, there was no possibility of having the motion come to an up and down vote. That is the way democracy should work. Unfortunately, the official opposition decided to filibuster all of the meetings and basically, to be blunt, waste everyone's time.

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Ms. Bonita Zarrillo (Port Moody—Coquitlam, NDP)

Dec/4/23 7:07:05 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have to follow up on something the member just said about wasting time. During the four hours I was at committee, some of the speaking going on was really unfortunate. I have been around a long time. I am in my fifth decade, so I know what it is like to be silenced around a table of men who want to have their way. I do not appreciate the way this is being handled. We have totally forgotten that women are involved in sustainable jobs and in the next economy. We know they were left behind the first time around. I would like to hear from the member when we will hear from some women about what is happening in the economy these days.

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