44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 5, 2024 02:00PM
- Jun/5/24 5:05:45 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and, if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion:
That the House recall Quebec's rich history, punctuated by bold gestures to defend and ensure the vitality of its only official language, French;
That it unreservedly affirm that the strength of the Quebec nation certainly does not lie in bilingualism, but in its distinct character, with its unique culture and resolutely francophone specificity.
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- Jun/5/24 5:06:19 p.m.
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All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay.
It is agreed.
The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Carol Hughes): It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, Mental Health and Addictions; the hon. member for Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, Health; the hon. member for Haldimand—Norfolk, Government Priorities.
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- Jun/5/24 5:07:08 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 111.1, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, a certificate of nomination and biographical notes for the proposed appointment of Christine Ivory as Parliamentary Librarian.
I request that this certificate of nomination and biographical notes be referred to the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament.
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- Jun/5/24 5:07:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to four petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
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Madam Speaker. I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 20th report of the Standing Committee on Finance in relation to Bill C-69, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 16, 2024. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.
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- Jun/5/24 5:08:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the seventh interim report of the Special Committee on the Canada-People's Republic of China Relationship, entitled “The Special Committee on the Canada-People's Republic of China Relations condemns the verdict of Hong Kong's High Court on pro-democracy activists”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
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- Jun/5/24 5:09:35 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition from a number of constituents who are concerned about the use in Canada of a herbicide called glyphosate, or a trade name often known as Roundup. The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans”.
The petitioners are concerned and ask that the Government of Canada, and the Minister of Health specifically, ban the sale and use of glyphosate to protect human health and the environment and develop a comprehensive plan to reduce pesticide use in Canada.
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- Jun/5/24 5:10:17 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present two petitions.
The first, signed by 12,770 Canadians, calls for the Canadian government to follow in the footsteps of its democratic allies in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands to rightly recognize the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” for what it is.
The petition calls for definitive action from the government to provide clarity to law enforcement agencies and provincial and territorial attorney generals, as well as for it to examine and provide clarity on the legality of other slogans, such as “globalize the intifada” and “long live October 7”. It asks and demands that the government convene a national anti-Semitism summit focused on taking immediate action.
I am grateful to the leaders at Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, particularly Talia and Revi, who made their way here to—
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- Jun/5/24 5:11:09 p.m.
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I want to remind members they are to speak only on the petition itself and not put in their points of view or add to their statement.
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- Jun/5/24 5:11:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have in my hands a petition signed by numerous Canadians who are bringing attention to the closure of the Chinook salmon fishery off the coast of Vancouver Island, notably in the Port Renfrew area.
Petitioners point out in this petition that all of the scientific evidence seems to suggest there is no reason for the closure, as well as that significant economic damage will be done, including the total writeoff of the entire fishing season, which is costing the coastal community over $20 million.
Petitioners are asking the government to reconsider this closure, considering all of the other options available, including putting closure zones around the southern resident killer whales instead of closing off the entire area.
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- Jun/5/24 5:12:08 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have another petition to present, which is signed by, again, a number of Canadians calling for an end to the prison needle exchange program. Prison guards will be affected by the fact that inmates who request a needle kit will be able to take a needle kit back to their cell, and these will be potentially used as currency and to further exacerbate the addiction problem of inmates in prison, presenting a public safety risk to correctional officers in the form of a physical weapon and potentially even a biological weapon.
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- Jun/5/24 5:12:54 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time, please.
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- Jun/5/24 5:12:58 p.m.
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Is that agreed?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
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- Jun/5/24 5:13:10 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers be allowed to stand.
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- Jun/5/24 5:13:16 p.m.
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Is it agreed?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
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Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise and speak to Bill C-61 today. The types of responses we have been getting from virtually all sides of the House and the general goodwill toward the legislation are really quite encouraging.
It is important to highlight that there was a very tangible commitment made back in 2015 to deal with this important issue. It goes well beyond reserves. It is about, in essence, the fact that everyone deserves to have access to clean and safe drinking water. This is something the Prime Minister has been talking a great deal about, and I believe that as a government, we are on the right track to achieve just that.
In the discussions that have been taking place, I was quite encouraged. I will start off by quoting one of my colleagues, who I know is very proud of the legislation before us today. He has often talked with our caucus colleagues about the issue. Just a couple of days ago, this is what the member for Sydney—Victoria said in the chamber when he raised the issue of Bill C-61:
Mr. Speaker, June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada. It is a month to celebrate indigenous culture and indigenous contributions to our country. As we celebrate National Indigenous History Month, all parliamentarians could indeed make history by sending the first nations clean water act to committee for study.
Bill C-61 would recognize first nations' inherent right to water, ensure that there are minimum standards for first nations' clean water and protect first nations' water sources from pollution and contamination now and into the future. This historic and crucial legislation would ensure that first nations have the funding and self-determination to lay the groundwork for a water institution led by first nations.
All Canadians would expect access to clean water. Surely on this, the first sitting week of National Indigenous History Month, parties from all sides of the House can agree to support first nations' need for clean water. Let us turn the page on this shameful legacy in Canadian history and give unanimous consent to get the important legislation to committee.
It was very encouraging and, a bit later that day, we were able to do just that. An official opposition member rose in his place on a point of order and said, “There have been discussions among the parties, as you suggested earlier, and if you seek it, I think you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion”, and the member then read the motion.
That brings us to today. That motion is allowing us to not only debate the legislation but do what the member for Sydney—Victoria was suggesting: recognize National Indigenous Heritage Month and get Bill C-61 to committee.
The Conservative member then proposed the following motion:
That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-61, An Act respecting water, source water, drinking water, wastewater and related infrastructure on First Nation lands, be called for debate at second reading on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, and at the conclusion of the time provided for Government Orders on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Bill C-61 be deemed read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs.
That is what I mean by the goodwill that has been demonstrated by all political parties in the chamber on what is such a very important issue.
It reminds me of a couple of things. One is more of a personal story that many Winnipeggers often talk about, and that is Shoal Lake. Shoal Lake has been supplying the city of Winnipeg for over 100 years through an aqueduct, using the basic law of gravity, and we have benefited from that water. A first nation was very strongly and negatively impacted by that many years ago. It was literally cut off. For over two decades, Shoal Lake 40 has been under a boil water advisory.
Thinking about it, just outside their windows, the first nations members could look out and see this beautiful, pristine lake, Shoal Lake. That lake was providing the city of Winnipeg its drinking water, yet the reserve itself was on a boil water advisory. I think that highlighted the issue for many Manitobans and, I would suggest, for all Canadians. Liberals made a commitment back in 2015 to rectify it. Some of our critics will say it was supposed to be done a whole lot quicker.
At the end of the day, we put the issue of boil water advisories on the front burner. For generations, nothing was done until the Prime Minister and this government made the financial commitments. I would suggest it was even more than that and indicate that there is a moral responsibility. As a result, we did see a tangible commitment, not only for the water treatment facility, but also on Freedom Road.
I can say that if we take a look at Shoal Lake, in particular individuals like Chief Erwin Redsky and other band members, we will be impressed with how the community drove the issue. Ultimately, as a government, we responded to it. As I say, for over two decades it was a problem. Today, anyone who goes there will see a pristine, well-constructed water treatment facility.
When I say that, I do not say that lightly, because that particular facility has been recognized for its architecture and the manner in which it was constructed. It was built on time and on budget. What I would like to highlight, when we think about that, is that it was the indigenous leadership that ultimately pushed to make the project take place in the first place. If we take a look at the labourers, the contractors and the individuals who were directly involved in the building of the facility itself, it was all indigenous-led.
A couple of weeks back, I was on Parliament Hill and I met with Sharon Redsky, someone I classify as a dear friend. She was talking to me about Shoal Lake and some of the things that have taken place. There is a sense of pride there as a direct result of this. For the first time in generations, Shoal Lake has water it can drink. The same water that has been providing for the city of Winnipeg is there now for Shoal Lake. Opportunities have been created as a direct result of the construction of the water treatment facility and, in fact, the construction of Freedom Road. This has had a profoundly positive impact on the lives of many, so it even goes beyond the important issue of water.
This is one of the reasons it is so critically important that, as a government that is committed to getting rid of the long-term boil water advisories, it is not just the federal government moving in and saying that this is the way it has to be, this and that, and then a few years later say “Oh, look, we did the job”, but that we recognize the important role of indigenous leadership driving these programs and supporting them wherever we can.
I would suggest, when we take a look at some of the numbers, that what has been accomplished is very impressive. In partnership with communities, the government has lifted over 73% of long-term boil water advisories since 2015, which works out to approximately just over 140 facilities. There is now clean water in more than 96% of first nations.
To conclude, suffice it to say that we have gone a long way, and we will continue to move forward on this very important legislation and issue.
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- Jun/5/24 5:24:55 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I do appreciate the comments from the parliamentary secretary across the way. In particular, he mentioned quite a bit about Shoal Lake, which is in my riding. I had the opportunity to visit the community recently and see some of the infrastructure improvements.
I want to ask the member a bit about the process of the bill and how we got to this point. He mentioned that there is broad support for the bill and the ideas set out in it, but that does not mean there is unanimous support for the bill from all stakeholders and all first nations across the country by any means. We have heard some public concerns being raised by some first nations that do not feel that they have been adequately consulted or that have questions about the vagueness of certain aspects of the bill, which I will speak to in more detail later.
However, we see a trend with this government bringing legislation pertaining to indigenous communities towards the end of the spring, and it seems that there is always a rush to pass it. Why did it not bring this forward sooner so that we could have a more fulsome debate and get it passed through committee sooner?
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- Jun/5/24 5:26:08 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, as parliamentary secretary to the government House leader, I get a very good sense of the legislative agenda. If we take a look at the legislative agenda and factor in things such as budget debates, we will find that there is a very limited number of days and a substantial legislative agenda.
I would welcome the opportunity for more time, and it is one of the reasons I constantly advocate for changing the Standing Orders. For example, Friday could virtually start at eight in the morning and end at midnight, as far as I am concerned. Members would be able to speak endlessly on important pieces of legislation, which I think would help facilitate more debate.
I think that the issue of getting more debate on legislation so that we could actually see more legislation being passed needs to rest, in good part, on reforming our Standing Orders, and if we are successful—
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- Jun/5/24 5:27:18 p.m.
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Questions and comments, the hon. member for Edmonton Griesbach.
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- Jun/5/24 5:27:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, my question is on behalf of the people of Treaty 6, 7 and 8 who have been stalwarts and champions in the protection of clean water for generations and, before the treaty, for thousands of years.
My question is directly pertaining to the lack of this government's ability to properly consult with those who are directly affected by this legislation. We know, for example, that the minister herself has claimed that she is meeting and co-developing this legislation, but first nations themselves have said to me that is not the case. When will the minister meet with Treaty 6, 7 and 8 members to ensure that they establish a bilateral treaty table on water?
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