Peter Schiefke

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 30th anniversary of an organization in the community of Vaudreuil that is particularly important to me. Since 1996, Hébergement La Passerelle has been providing confidential and anonymous support to women and children experiencing domestic violence, while working tirelessly to prevent it. The outstanding team led by Véronique Girard plays an essential role in our community, making a difference for so many families. The safe place that La Passerelle provides for women and their children escaping conjugal violence in my community of Vaudreuil serves not only as an immediate refuge, but as a space to breathe, plan next steps and find a more permanent, safer place to call home. On behalf of our community of Vaudreuil, I want to thank the entire team at Hébergement La Passerelle for their three decades of service. Their work is invaluable, and we are deeply grateful to them.

Mr. Speaker, when the craft safely returned to earth on April 10, an exciting new chapter began in space exploration. For the first time in over 50 years, humans left Earth's orbit and journeyed toward the moon, on the Artemis II mission, a mission that marked not only a major milestone in science and space exploration but also a proud moment for Canada. As the first Canadian to participate in a lunar mission, Colonel Jeremy Hansen joins the ranks of great explorers who have pushed the boundaries of what is possible. He and his fellow astronauts demonstrated the courage, dedication and excellence that define humanity's greatest achievements. For Canadians, Colonel Hansen's example is a source of pride and inspiration. On behalf of my community, Vaudreuil, all members of the House, and all Canadians, I would like to congratulate Colonel Hansen and the entire Artemis II crew on their historic mission. I thank them for inspiring a new generation to push the boundaries of what is possible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 40th anniversary of Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges, a pillar of economic development in our region. For four decades, it has been staunchly and passionately supporting the entrepreneurs, municipalities and organizations that help make Vaudreuil-Soulanges a vibrant, innovative and prosperous region. Thanks to its leadership, hundreds of projects have been launched, businesses have grown and our community has flourished, while remaining close-knit and continuing to provide a high quality of life. I want to acknowledge the remarkable work of the entire team at Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges, its partners and all those who have contributed to this collective success over the past 40 years. On behalf of the people of Vaudreuil, I wish this organization many more years of success.

Mr. Speaker, Seems the opposition leader finds himself in a jam When yesterday he referred to “green eggs and ham”. Now, over on this side, we don't think it's a crime To talk about politics in the form of a rhyme. And to tell you the truth, we were starting to fret Since the leadership review, he's been missing the net. After his brilliant appearance on air with Joe Rogan He's been unable to land even one catchy slogan. He's often accused of being a Trumper Cuz his policy depth fits on a car bumper. He scores well with bots, the streamers and trolls But his numbers are like Trump's when it comes to the polls. So in a gesture of kindness, we'll try to be nice We'd like to keep him as leader, so here's some advice: Don't try to talk tough, or be awkwardly formal Surrender yourself, and just try to act normal.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to a pillar of the community of Vaudreuil, Elwood Quinn, who sadly passed away at the beginning of the year. Elwood was a fifth-generation farmer who was deeply passionate about helping people to understand the importance of agriculture and where their food comes from. Over 40 years ago, Elwood purchased a 130-acre plot of land in Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot and transformed it into a thriving farm and homestead. Since then, hundreds of thousands of families have experienced agricultural life, with pumpkin, apple and strawberry picking becoming an annual tradition for countless families, including my own. He was a tireless advocate for protecting the rich farmlands that sustain us, convinced that genetic diversity is essential to Canada's food sustainability. He was involved in raising awareness around the well-being and safety of farm families. Thanks to his children, including his son Phil, the farm continues to welcome thousands of visitors a year. As a tribute to his remarkable legacy, a celebration will be held this May to honour his extraordinary life. May our friend Elwood rest in peace.

Mr. Speaker, when I receive invitations from truckers who are organizing meetings aimed at figuring out how to make Canada's roads safer and more accessible, of course I am going to accept. If someone calls me again to invite me, I will accept and I will be there. We will work together to make roads safer across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his impassioned speech about this important piece of legislation and about our future in space. Presently, Canada has to rely on other countries to launch our military satellites into space, to launch our communication satellites into space and to launch some of the finest trained astronauts in the world, our Canadian astronauts, into space. I wonder if my hon. colleague can speak to the importance of Canada finally taking the future of space exploration into our own hands and giving us the capacity to do so.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today in the House of Commons to speak in support of Bill C-25, the strong and free elections act. This legislation represents an important step in protecting Canada's electoral process in a variety of ways, including from emerging challenges posed, as my colleague across the way just mentioned, by the efforts of the longest ballot committee to make things more difficult and more challenging for Elections Canada. The bill deals with the challenges posed by an official agent being able to serve as an official agent for more than one candidate. It also deals with the challenges that are posed by emerging technological threats, such as the misuse of artificial intelligence. For the sake of my remarks here in the House today, I would like to focus on the latter. Modern technology has transformed how we communicate and access information. It connects us, informs us and strengthens participation in our democracy, but it can be misused. Bill C-25 recognizes this emerging challenge and includes a clear and necessary response to a particularly challenging application of artificial intelligence. Of course, I am referring to deepfake technology. Deepfakes are artificially generated or manipulated images, videos or audio recordings that make it appear as though someone has said or done something, even if they never did. These fabrications can be highly convincing, and a reasonable person could be tricked into believing that they are real. Under the Canada Elections Act, it is already illegal to impersonate certain electoral actors, including, of course, the candidates and the chief electoral officer, with the intent of misleading voters. However, these provisions were developed before the rapid rise of modern technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and they do not fully capture the risk posed by deepfake technology. Bill C-25 would modernize this framework. It explicitly extends the existing impersonation offences to include the creation and distribution of realistic and misleading images, videos and audio of electoral actors intended to deceive Canadians. We have seen cases around the world where audio and video deepfakes of political figures have been used to spread disinformation. Canada is not immune to these challenges. Canadian cybersecurity experts made that clear in their recent assessment of threats to the democratic process. For example, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security issued a warning that AI is already reshaping the way that elections are being targeted. In just two years, we went from a few isolated incidents to more than 100 cases of AI being used to interfere with over 25% of global elections held between 2023 and 2024. This is no hypothetical risk, but a real and growing trend. Furthermore, the tools behind this trend are getting cheaper, faster and more readily available by the day. What once required sophisticated resources can now be accomplished using widely available, inexpensive software. Democracy is built on trust. Voters must be able to make decisions based on reliable information. If we do not take action, and take action now, what we will inevitably see in the years ahead is the erosion of trust in our democratic process. That is precisely the malicious objective of those who deploy these tools. It is because of our robust election laws and the general health of our democratic system that our cybersecurity experts have assessed that it is unlikely that disinformation from artificial intelligence would, on its own, undermine the integrity of our elections. It will not happen yet, and that is reassuring, but it is not a reason to delay action. The same experts emphasize that technology is improving and access to it is expanding rapidly. In short, we know the threat is growing and we need to take action. As Parliament has responded to evolving challenges to our elections on a regular basis in the past, we must act again. Through Bill C-25, we are doing exactly that. We are being proactive, as we should be, in addressing this rapidly emerging issue. By expanding the existing ban on impersonation to capture deepfakes, we are sending a powerful message that Canada will not allow technological mischief to undermine the integrity of our elections. Let me also emphasize that this addition reflects an appropriate balance between protecting free speech and combatting malicious interference. This bill would not restrict legitimate political expression, nor would it limit political debate or target opinion, criticism or satire. In fact, the Canada Elections Act explicitly permits parody and other forms of lawful expression that are an important part of our democratic discourse. Bill C-25 would not change that. Instead, what Bill C-25 targets is intentional deception, specifically the use of synthetic media to mislead voters about real people or events. To be clear, the Canada Elections Act already prohibits fraud and false statements during elections. Deepfakes are nothing more than a sophisticated version of the same practices, using technology to manipulate voices and images, rather than enlisting a person to pose as someone else. These examples are not expressions of opinion. They are tools for manipulation, and there must be clear consequences for using them. That is an important part of this piece of legislation that finds that balance to allow the electorate freedom of speech, especially during elections. Every single one of us in this room is here because we ran in an election. We debated. We perhaps had town halls and invited our citizens to challenge our ideas. Every one of us here has had somebody disagree with some of what we have put forward personally or with what perhaps our party or our leader has put forward as an idea or a policy. That is protected, and will always be protected. This piece of legislation would not change that. Bill C-25 proposes targeted priority amendments to the Canada Elections Act that would further protect and secure our elections. It aims to ensure that, when Canadians participate in an election, they can do so based on reliable information from trusted sources. This is about preserving the integrity of our democratic processes in the face of rapidly changing technology. Throughout our history, Canada has adapted its institutions to meet new challenges, and this would be no different. We have strengthened safeguards in response to evolving threats in the past, and we have done so while upholding the fundamental rights and freedoms that define us as a proud nation. The Canada Elections Act is renowned for its election safeguards, robust political financing rules and transparency requirements as a result of continual, gradual updates and improvements put forward by members on all sides of this House, from all political parties, on both sides of the aisle. Bill C-25 would add reasonable guardrails. It is measured and targeted to the challenges we face. It reflects the reality that the nature of electoral interference is changing and that our laws must change with it. I invite all members to support this legislation and, when it goes to committee, to add ways we can improve upon it.

Mr. Speaker, I do not believe that is the case. However, I encourage my hon. colleague to share his concerns when the bill gets to committee. I also encourage him to discuss how we can improve the bill to head off the examples he mentioned.

Mr. Speaker, something I feel really strongly about is that this piece of legislation is for the next generation of Canadians. It is for our children. One of the big fears I have is not taking action on the emerging threats we are seeing and, when my son, who is currently 11, goes to vote for the first time seven years from now, he is living in a Canada that has not addressed the issue of deepfakes, so he is living in a Canada where it is difficult to know what is real and what is not real. I am very happy to see there might be bipartisan support for this piece of legislation, because I do feel this is incredibly important, not just for us, but for future generations, in safeguarding our electoral process.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the incredible students being honoured at this year's Montérégie West Community Network youth gala, an annual event that celebrates anglophone students in my community of Vaudreuil who demonstrate perseverance, excellence and leadership in their schools and in their community. These young people have worked hard to overcome challenges and stay focused on their goals. Their determination and commitment set a strong example for their peers and remind us of the important role youth play in shaping our collective future. I want to thank the organizers, teachers, principals, parents, mentors and caregivers who support these students each and every day and help create opportunities for them to succeed. Without their guidance and love, these students simply could not reach their full potential. I am proud of the students being honoured, and our community of Vaudreuil is proud of them too. They have worked hard, and in their own way, they have made their mark. Their dedication inspires us all, and I wish them every success in the years ahead. I have no doubt this is just the beginning of wonderful things to come.

Mr. Speaker, Canada has long been a proud and active member of the international francophone community. Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs inform the House of the government's efforts and priorities in advancing Canada's bid to host the Sommet de la Francophonie and explain how this initiative will strengthen our cultural ties, our economic partnerships and our leadership within the global francophone community?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my dear friend, the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, for her question. I would simply say that my view of this piece of legislation is that it is intended to deal with imminent threats and challenges facing Canada's electoral system. I do not feel at this time that the suggestion by my hon. colleague with regard to the way in which parties are financed would fall under the scope of this piece of legislation but, perhaps, under a future piece of legislation. In this particular case, I do not feel that it is relevant at this time.

Mr. Speaker, as we recognize Daffodil Month, I rise to highlight the leadership of the Canadian Cancer Society and the many volunteers, patients and caregivers who have come to Parliament Hill for their annual day of advocacy. Nearly half of the people in Canada are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and the Canadian Cancer Society is focused on saving lives, improving lives and driving collective action against cancer. As part of their actions, volunteer advocates from across Canada are sharing their stories, highlighting the critical role clinical trials play in bringing new life-saving treatments to people with cancer and how important it is to remove barriers in accessing these trials. The Canadian Cancer Society continues to call for a stronger and more effective clinical trials system that puts patients first and accelerates innovation while strengthening Canada's health care system and economy. I would like to thank these individuals for their dedication and hard work, which is helping to shape a future where Canadians will have quicker access to better cancer care.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, April 13, during autism awareness and acceptance month, a month dedicated to highlighting the need for greater inclusion, understanding and support for people on the autism spectrum. In Canada, 2% or roughly one in 50 children and youth is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The prevalence of autism among adults is estimated to be around the same, at 1.8%, but no matter what the age, living with autism spectrum disorder can bring about significant life challenges. That is why I want to highlight the incredible work of the physicians, researchers and organizations that have made so much progress in helping to better identify and diagnose autism spectrum disorder, as well as teachers, employers and organizations like Autism Canada and the Canadian autism network, which, in their own way, work tirelessly to support Canadians living with autism. Canada is a better, stronger and fairer place because of their hard work. On behalf of all members of my community in Vaudreuil and all members of this House, I thank them.

Mr. Speaker, in 1996, four dedicated women in my community of Vaudreuil recognized the need for a songbird rehabilitation centre in Quebec, so they founded Le Nichoir in Hudson. Three decades later, what started out as a repurposed barn and a handful of volunteers has grown into a permanent, state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility, hundreds of dedicated volunteers and the rescue, rehabilitation and release of thousands of wild birds back into their natural habitats. To the incredible staff and volunteers who give their time so generously, the students who come to learn and grow through this work, the supporters who stand behind them year after year, director Sue Wylie, chairman Peter McBride, president Wendy Dollinger and the dedicated members of the board, I thank them for their leadership. This anniversary is a testament to the dedication of the entire Le Nichoir team. On behalf of the residents of Vaudreuil, I want to express our gratitude for these 30 years of service, compassion and care for our community and environment. I wish the centre many more years of success.

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following two reports of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities: the eighth report entitled “Strengthening the Regulation of Recreational Boating” and the ninth report entitled “ Northern, Rural and Remote Air Travel: A Critical Lifeline”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to each of these two reports.

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to believe, but it is that time of year once again. Thanks to an army of volunteers, led by Jay de la Durantaye, Ken Bell, Eileen McAleese, Lea Durocher and the entire team at the Soulanges Irish Society, our community of Vaudreuil will become Irish for the day at the 15th annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Hudson. This year, our grand marshal, renowned Canadian comedian Derek Seguin, will lead the parade, which will feature our Irish person of the year, Geoffrey Kelley; parade queen Addie Derouin; princesses Caeleigh McDonald and Lisa Wilson; and reviewing officer, Rigaud's mayor, Charles Meunier. As always, this is an event not to be missed. On Saturday, March 21 at 1 p.m., we are all invited to Main Street to celebrate Irish culture and heritage. May the 15th annual St. Patrick's Day parade be an event to remember. Sláinte!

Mr. Speaker, next week, Canada will write a new chapter in our space history with the Artemis II mission. For the first time in over 50 years, humans will leave the earth's orbit and head for the moon. This is an important moment, not only for science, but for Canadians and all of humanity. For Canada, Artemis II represents the next great chapter in Canadian space exploration. Following in the footsteps of great Canadians like the late Marc Garneau, Roberta Bondar, Chris Hadfield, David Saint-Jacques and so many more, and built on the unprecedented collaboration between NASA and Canadian space engineers and scientists, Colonel Jeremy Hansen will break barriers by becoming the first Canadian, and the first non-American, to travel around our moon. On behalf of all members of the House and all Canadians, I wish Colonel Hansen and the Artemis II crew a safe journey and a successful mission. They carry the pride of everyone in the House and all Canadians with them. Godspeed.