43rd PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION House of Commons Debates Official Report (Hansard) Volume 150 No. 020 Tuesday, October 27, 2020 Speaker: The Honourable Anthony Rota CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 1269 HOUSE OF COMMONS Tuesday, October 27, 2020 The House met at 10 a.m. The Speaker: This being a hybrid sitting of the House, for the sake of clarity, I will ask for only those who are opposed to the re‐ quest to express their disagreement. Prayer Accordingly, all those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay. Hearing none, it is agreed. The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS to the motion will please say nay. There being no dissenting voices, I declare the motion carried. ● (1005) [English] (Motion agreed to) COMMISSIONER OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Presi‐ The Speaker: I have the honour to lay upon the table, pursuant dent of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Lead‐ to subsection 23(5) of the Auditor General Act, the 2020 fall re‐ er of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. ports of the interim commissioner of the environment and sustain‐ Speaker, I have a second motion. There have been discussions able development to the House of Commons. among the parties, and I suspect if you were to canvass the House you would find unanimous consent for the following motion. [Translation] I move: These reports are deemed permanently referred to the Standing That the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. be designated as the committee responsible for the statutory review of section 343 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. * * * ● (1010) OFFICE OF THE CORRECTIONAL INVESTIGATOR [Translation] Mr. Joël Lightbound (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minis‐ ter of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Lib.): Mr. The Speaker: This being a hybrid sitting of the House, for the Speaker, I am pleased to table, in both official languages, the annu‐ sake of clarity, I will only ask those who are opposed to the request al report of the Office of the Correctional Investigator for 2019-20, to express their disagreement. Accordingly, all those opposed to the as required under section 192 of the Corrections and Conditional hon. member moving the motion will please say nay. Release Act. The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed * * * will please say nay. There being no dissenting voice, I declare the motion carried. [English] (Motion agreed to) COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE * * * INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY [English] Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Presi‐ dent of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Lead‐ PETITIONS er of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. HUMAN ORGAN TRAFFICKING Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I think you will find unanimous consent to adopt the fol‐ Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC): Mr. lowing motion. Speaker, I have five petitions to present today. I move: The first petition calls on the House of Commons and the gov‐ ernment to pass two bills from the last Parliament, Bill C-350 and That the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology be designat‐ ed as the committee responsible for the statutory review of section 285 of the Bill S-240. These bills would make it illegal to travel abroad to re‐ Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. ceive a harvested organ. 1270 COMMONS DEBATES October 27, 2020 Government Orders PALLIATIVE CARE GOVERNMENT ORDERS Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC): Mr. [English] Speaker, the second petition, signed by hundreds of Canadians, calls on the government to create a national strategy on palliative CRIMINAL CODE care. This would ensure that all Canadians have access to high- The House resumed from October 26 consideration of the motion quality palliative care until the end of their lives and that Canadians that Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion ther‐ are comfortable at the time of their death. Canadians who signed apy), be read the second time and referred to a committee. this petition would like the government to establish a national pal‐ liative care strategy. Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Presi‐ dent of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Lead‐ PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED DYING er of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I continue with my comments from Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC): Mr. yesterday. Speaker, the third petition is from Canadians across Canada who are calling on the House of Commons to protect the conscience After listening to the debate yesterday, I wanted to highlight a rights of physicians and health care institutions. They recognize couple of important points that were made. I believe the most im‐ that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects freedom of con‐ portant one is that people should feel free to be who they are. The science and religion. They also note that the Canadian Medical As‐ consequences of societal pressures on people to conform to some‐ sociation has confirmed conscience rights do not interfere with ac‐ thing they are not causes a great deal of stress and anxiety that cess to health care. leads to some very severe consequences. We heard about some of those consequences yesterday. The most extreme of these, of SEX SELECTION course, which is a sad reality, is that some people will ultimately commit suicide. This is not to mention the many other things that Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC): Mr. will take place as a result of society and attitudes that really need to Speaker, the fourth petition is signed by Canadians across the coun‐ change. try who are concerned about what has been shown in the CBC ex‐ posé called It's a Girl. The petitioners highlight that over two mil‐ This is not to say we have not made progress. I am 58 years old, lion girls worldwide are missing because of gendercide and that the and in my generation there has been a great deal of change over the gender imbalance crisis is leading to an increase in violence and the years. I am encouraged by that. Yesterday one of my colleagues trafficking of women and girls. They point out that in Canada, 92% said that we want to make Canada the safest place to fall in love, of Canadians are opposed to gender-selective abortions. The peti‐ and that speaks of Canada's rich diversity. Diversity goes far be‐ tioners are looking for the government and the House to pass the yond our wonderful ethnic diversity. It should incorporate all as‐ gender selection bill soon. pects of the human being and our society in general, and we should be very proud of it. HUMAN RIGHTS As I have indicated, I truly believe in Canada's Charter of Rights Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC): Mr. and Freedoms and how important our standing in the world is re‐ Speaker, the last petition I would like to present highlights the garding the degree to which we recognize the importance of free‐ plight of the Uighurs in China. It is calling for the House and the dom. I am therefore encouraged to see this legislation. What I Government of Canada to recognize the genocide that is being per‐ found really encouraging yesterday, in listening to discussions on petrated against the Uighur population in China and for the Govern‐ the issues of conversion therapy, is that it seems everyone inside the ment of Canada to use the Magnitsky act to end this horrible atroci‐ House opposes it and sees the type of harm it causes in society. A ty. number of members have raised issues and wanted some clarifica‐ tion, but on principle, the House appears to be unanimous in its The Speaker: I remind all hon. members to be concise when thinking regarding the dangers of conversion therapy. I hope we presenting petitions, and I compliment the hon. member for Peace will see unanimous support for this legislation, because I believe it River—Westlock for doing an exemplary job of that. That was very is worth being supported by all members of this chamber. good. I will be specific with what the legislation would criminalize. We * * * should all note this. It would criminalize causing a person under the age of 18, a minor, to undergo conversion therapy; removing a mi‐ QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER nor from Canada to undergo conversion therapy abroad; causing a Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Presi‐ person to undergo conversion therapy against their will; receiving dent of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and to the Lead‐ financial or other material benefits from the provision of conver‐ er of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. sion therapy; and advertising an offer to provide conversion thera‐ Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand. py. The essence of what this bill would do is protect minors from conversion therapy regardless of whether it is provided within or The Speaker: Is that agreed? outside of Canada, protect adults who are vulnerable to being forced to undergo conversion therapy and protect Canadians from Some hon. members: Agreed. the commercialization of conversion therapy. October 27, 2020 COMMONS DEBATES 1271 Government Orders I see this as a positive step forward, and I want to reflect on some ● (1025) of the comments I made yesterday, and already this morning, on the degree to which things have changed.