Parliamentary Speeches

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, the substance of this petition is the dependence of the marbled murrelet on the specific and unique nesting in the old-growth forest. I am sorry for adding a personal anecdote of having seen this in person. I do not think it was overly political, but I take the hon. member's point. As a succinct petition, the petitioners require that the government pay attention to its obligations, wh…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to, a little later than I had anticipated, present a petition on behalf of nearly a thousand residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands who are very concerned for the fate of the endangered little bird, the marbled murrelet, which is protected under the international Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds. The Government of Canada is ignoring its obligations to protect t…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition of great concern to residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands. People throughout this region have a deep concern for the fate of our wild Pacific salmon. The subject of the petition is the report of Mr. Justice Cohen on the fate of the salmon. The report came out during the time it was commissioned, when Stephen Harper was prime minister; it has been in fron…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, as ever, the member for Elmwood—Transcona is brilliant and absolutely right. There is a chilling effect. When the Government of Canada acts to ban a toxic substance, as it did to ban a gasoline additive called MMT, it is found to be very bad and naughty, and it has its hand slapped. By the way, this was because the Chrétien government decided to settle this before there was a decisi…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, in the generic category of investor protection agreements that damage Canada's sovereignty, I would point more to what used to be called NAFTA, where we had decisions taken by Parliament that were reversed because of complaints by U.S.-based corporations. Canada has lost out over and over again in those agreements. In the case of the one with FIPA and China, since all those decision…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I begin the discussion today on Bill C-57, which is the updated Canada-Ukraine trade agreement. We have had some conversation already this morning on the subject of the differences between trade agreements and investor protection agreements. I would like to approach that topic again and talk about the updated Canada-Ukraine trade agreement. I would also like to put a frame around th…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I would agree with the parliamentary secretary. There is language about climate. There is language about labour rights and language about indigenous rights. The difficulty here is that we can put in all the language and pretty words we like, but if the effect of the supremacy of trade deals and the World Trade Organization remains untouched, then anything we put in pretty words is u…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I am really pleased to get in on this round, because there has been a very interesting discussion between the member for Courtenay—Alberni, the member for Abbotsford and the hon. member for Danforth about investor protection agreements. They are not trade agreements, so the member for Courtenay—Alberni is correct that the previous government under Stephen Harper executed a secret agre…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, as this is my first chance to comment on Bill C-57, I would put this question to my friend from Nepean. It is heartening to see some reference to climate in trade agreements, but we know that for over more than a decade, since the creation of the World Trade Organization, the WTO has wrongly put itself above international climate agreements with respect to its authorities. I think t…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually today to present a petition on behalf of newer constituents who are concerned about Canada's public transit policy and, specifically, sustainable public transit funding. The government's initial 10-year transit plan, and the funding that municipalities can count upon, will end in a few years, in 2027. The petitioners are calling on the government to f…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I must say, at this great distance, that I speak to you acknowledging that I am on the territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples, who held this land on the southern Vancouver Island and the islands I represent, whom I have the honour to work with. I try constantly to remember that I am in a nation-to-nation relationship with five different first nations that are on this territory. Although, as…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I regret that I have to put this question to the parliamentary secretary. We speak of reconciliation, and today we are debating a baby step in Bill C-38 and, to add to the adjectives used by the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay, the racist law. However, the actual day of statutory recognition of the day for reconciliation, October 2, was the day the Liberal-owned, and now publicly ow…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, given that my hon. friend's speech this morning is the first time a Conservative Party member of Parliament has spoken to the issue, it seems that there is an intention to vote for the bill at second reading and fix flaws later at committee. Is that something we can count on? It is a shame to see debate so often where it looks as though we might all be voting for something to get it t…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise virtually this morning to present a petition from constituents who are very concerned about the galloping climate crisis. The particular approach of these petitioners, physicians, is to cite the health impacts of the climate crisis and to draw the attention of the House to the scientific consensus as represented in the Paris Agreement, that global emissions must …

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I am afraid the hon. Minister of Labour's speech would have been well informed if there had been some reference to already broken promises to workers in the fossil fuels sector. We talk about how workers do not like to hear this language. I was in Paris with the member's friend, the minister of the environment at the time, Catherine McKenna, was working with Canadian labour unions, an…

Adjournment Proceedings

Madam Speaker, I hate to disillusion the parliamentary secretary in terms of the levels of support the government is giving to water, but on the notion that $650 million is historic for the Great Lakes, back in the days when former prime minister Brian Mulroney made real strides in protecting the Great Lakes, that would be a small amount compared to the billions a year that was being spent. We had…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the incredible irony here is that the portions of the impact assessment law that the Supreme Court found were in excess of federal jurisdiction were the sections created by Stephen Harper in wrecking our previous, predictable, strong environmental assessment legislation and the so-called designated project list, which was a very bad idea. The expert environmental law panel created und…

Adjournment Proceedings

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise this evening in Adjournment Proceedings to discuss the question that I first raised on May 18 of this year. It was a question for the Minister of Environment on the topic of the Ontario Greenbelt and the potential for water policy and water governance to provide assistance and additional tools to the minister. As many members in this place will know, since I …

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually today to present a petition of deep concern to residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands. The petitioners note that the Paris Agreement, which Canada negotiated back in 2015, calls for, in its language, a “just transition” for workers in the fossil fuel sector in the transition to end the addiction to fossil fuels. The petitioners go on to point out that the …

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I want to go back to something that the hon. member for Kingston and the Islands was discussing, and that is the impact of the carbon tax on inflation and the numbers that have been found. I noted, as to the member's comment, that the impact of carbon pricing has been up to two cents a litre, but the impact due to war profiteering from the oil and gas sector has been up to 18¢ a lit…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I noted earlier in debate that some members incorrectly said that the findings of the Supreme Court of Canada in the reference case on the impact assessment meant that there would be overreach in this bill, Bill C-49. As a formerly practising environmental lawyer who did not think Bill C-69 was constitutional, I would like to say that Bill C-49 is absolutely constitutional. There is…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, it would be to state on the record the solidarity of members in this place, from all different parties, to condemn Hamas, and to make a very short statement.

Statements By Members

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to take the floor this afternoon to recognize four extraordinary Canadians, all of whom were Parliamentarians and all of whom passed away between when we adjourned in June and resumed in September: the Hon. Stephen Owen, the Hon. Pat Carney, Hugh Segal and the Hon. Monique Bégin. I particularly want to pay tribute to Pat Carney, who has not had a round of speeches in t…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I did oppose Bill C-69. Some of the hon. member's colleagues have said that anyone who voted for it obviously did not understand environmental assessment. I do support Bill C-49. The Canada-Nova Scotia and Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador offshore petroleum boards need to have an expanded regulatory capacity to approve offshore wind. I want to know if he would not agree with me that…

Government Orders

Mr. Chair, I completely agree with everything that my dear colleague from the Bloc Québécois said. A humanitarian corridor is essential. I especially want to thank him for underscoring the role of our country. That may be a bit hard for him to do, as a sovereignist, but he underscored Canada's historic role and leadership as a country in favour of peace and international law. For that, I thank him…

Government Orders

Mr. Chair, as it is my first opportunity to take the floor on this issue, let me first say that the Green Party stands with all other parties in this place in condemning, unconditionally, unequivocally, Hamas as an organization and its quite horrific assault on innocent Israeli civilians on October 7. I think we stand with a lot of commonality here. I hope my hon. colleague for Wellington—Halton H…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, this debate is difficult and emotionally wrenching because this week has been emotionally wrenching. Hamas's crimes are horrific. I cannot say strongly enough that Hamas must be eliminated. I know this is dangerous to think out loud in a debate among colleagues, but as this debate has gone forward, I have been thinking this: How can we ensure the safety of the civilian population of G…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to present a petition of great concern to the constituents of Saanich—Gulf Islands. The petitioners put to the House that indigenous peoples have, from time immemorial, shown stewardship for the lands and waters of what we now call Canada, and that indigenous knowledge is an important, critical component in responding to the climate crisis. They also poin…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation is still waiting to find out from the Canada Energy Regulator the reasons it gave in to the TMX pipeline and approved a new route that violates a key commitment to enter the territory of the first nation. Without reasons, the first nation cannot pursue its court remedy. One thing they do not have to wait for is construction to begin through the …

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, to my hon. colleague from South Shore—St. Margarets, let us just distinguish on the last point that was being made between who started a fire, whether it was a lightening strike or somebody who threw a cigarette butt out a window, and the fuel load in place that causes the wildfires. He knows this perfectly well because we have talked about this. We share many things, including a hist…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to join the debate today virtually to continue the discussion of Bill C-56, which aims to and claims to address the dual affordability crises of the affordability of housing and of food and groceries. There is no question on any side of this House that we are seeing very difficult conditions for most Canadians, and particularly for anyone who is not in the billionair…

Routine Proceedings

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise this morning virtually to present a petition on a quite astonishingly dreadful proposal for new commercial activities threatening marine ecosystems, but particularly the general group of species known as cephalopods, or octopus and squid. Octopus and squid are obviously wild animals. They are solitary animals. There are now proposals all around the world for …

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I was prompted to put my hand up to ask a question when the member said that the current Liberal government was responsible for inflation. I hope the hon. member will take this question in the spirit in which it is intended, which is non-partisan. I am plenty angry with the Liberal government and the Prime Minister for many things, but I do not think it is reasonable to say that the…

Government Orders

Mr. Speaker, I do not need to review the blues. I listened carefully to what the hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill had to say. She presented a cogent, thoughtful and respectful argument. I hope you will take it into consideration and decide that it is the wisest course for the Speaker to recuse himself from this role for this particular matter of privilege.

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, as a resident of Vancouver Island who cannot afford a home here, we rent and our rent has gone up. I am not going to say for one minute that I am one of the Canadians having a hard time of it. We all know what we make as MPs. However, what happened to the Vancouver housing market started with converting homes into investment properties. I am not trying to blame everything on the pre…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I offer a big thanks to the member for Kitchener Centre for Motion No. 92. I am hoping we get it through. The housing crisis is exacerbated, no question, by an increase in the number of Canadians here. I favour more immigration, absolutely, but we need to be planning for that so we have homes for the people who are moving here We absolutely have to act on real estate investment trus…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I am originally from Nova Scotia, and I look at a history lesson that I think we can all learn from. The private sector does not build housing when we really need it and does not build it in a hurry. The first public housing ever built in Canada was in the wake of the Halifax explosion in 1917, when thousands lost their homes, and governments, including as far away as the U.K., crea…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, it is an emotional time for everyone. We know full well that our deputy clerk has worked hard for everyone and for the good of our Parliament. For myself, as leader of the Green Party, of course we are not on the Board of Internal Economy, but, Michel Patrice's work has not gone unnoticed. We are all so grateful. My colleagues have already said it. I want to acknowledge the tributes…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I could not agree more with my hon. friend, the parliamentary secretary. We should get Canada to work together, to think like a country, and get all of our orders of government to work together just as well as the European Union does, with 27 separate sovereign nation states and 30 official languages. Canada operates like a group of separate fiefdoms, each going in their own directi…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, it is my first opportunity to address you as Speaker. I send my heartfelt congratulations. I also congratulate you on your immediate approach just moments ago in getting through question period. I think your car is not yet dented. The petition I am presenting today is about something I have not presented a petition on before. It is of real concern to residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands.…

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague; it is nice to be seen, as well as heard, in this place. The petition deals with a subject that I do not think has come up in this place before. It is the threat of autonomous weapons systems, or in other words, using artificial intelligence to direct weapons of war and using sensors more than human control. The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to enga…

Mr. Chair, it is a great honour to speak today at this unique sitting. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend in person. Because of my inability to be on an airplane at this point in my life due to having had a stroke, and I am, as you see, recovering quite well, I cannot participate in person, which means I also cannot vote, which is a terrible shame. I am participating this way because I want to m…

Adjournment Proceedings

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually this evening to pursue a question I initially asked on May 8, 2023. That question related to electoral reform, and specifically, I was picking up on the fact that, just in the previous weekend, at the Liberal Party policy convention, the Liberals had adopted a resolution very close to a motion that had been put forward by my Green colleague, the hon…

Adjournment Proceedings

Madam Speaker, the hon. parliamentary secretary claimed that first past the post has served Canada well. I had the honour to serve on the all-party select committee that studied the matter of electoral reform, and we heard from many experts that first past the post has not served Canada well. These experts included a former chief electoral officer, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, and a professor emeritus fr…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, I want to thank you for your valiant efforts today in maintaining order through question period. I would also like to thank the hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent for apologizing. He is a role model for us all. I did hear something that can be taken up later, and I know that if I heard it clearly it may end up in Hansard. It was not something said by the hon. member for Lethbridge,…

Routine Proceedings

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition today on behalf of residents of Saanich—Gulf Islands concerned about the multiple threats the highly endangered forest- and sea-dwelling bird, the fantastic little marbled murrelet, face. I will not digress into my experiences with marbled murrelet chicks, but it is quite the story. They are endangered because their habitat is being logged. They…

Oral Questions

Madam Speaker, I want to raise the concern of the lawyers representing the Stk’emlupsemc te Secwepemc Nation, just in time for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, that we are violating a sacred commitment made to that first nation. I say “we” because, thanks to the Liberals, we own the Trans Mountain pipeline. Their lawyer has asked that at least before they start construction on Octobe…

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, we have another day's debate on carbon pricing, which is a necessary but completely insufficient response to the climate crisis. This is one of things that lacks context in these debates, which is that is as if carbon pricing were an adequate response to the climate crisis. It is not. Canada's emissions have continued to rise as the government of the day, while talking a good game, …

Government Orders

Madam Speaker, I have to say I agreed with everything the parliamentary secretary said. Unfortunately, the only thing that makes the Liberal climate record look good is the complaining from the Conservatives suggesting that we should do nothing. I note that the parliamentary secretary is wearing an orange shirt for Orange Shirt Day and reconciliation. The government is pursuing the Trans Mountain …

Routine Proceedings

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise virtually in the House to present a petition of concern to citizens of Saanich—Gulf Islands and some from beyond Saanich—Gulf Islands. The petitioners ask the House to consider the state of Canada's waterways. They point out that healthy waterways are critical for our forests, watersheds and fisheries. When we have a healthy watershed, it is essentially green i…