House of Commons Debates VOLUME 147 Ï NUMBER 027 Ï 2nd SESSION Ï 41st PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Friday, November 29, 2013 Speaker: The Honourable Andrew Scheer CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 1539 HOUSE OF COMMONS Friday, November 29, 2013 The House met at 10 a.m. hundreds of pages that affected thousands of our laws totally unrelated to the budget. We had to deal with those. They were shoved down our throats. We tried to divide the bills into different parts, so they could be studied in the appropriate committees, but we Prayers did not succeed. As an example, one of the budget bills contained a measure, GOVERNMENT ORDERS introduced by the Conservatives, providing for the removal of protections for lakes and rivers in Canada. Ï (1005) [Translation] Someone on the other side of the House will have to explain to me PROTECTING CANADIANS FROM ONLINE CRIME ACT how removing the protections for our lakes and rivers relates to the budget. We tried to divide this section of the bill to send it to the The House resumed from November 28 consideration of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, motion that Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the where it should have been studied. Unfortunately, the Conservatives Canada Evidence Act, the Competition Act and the Mutual Legal refused. Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Every time we have tried to introduce amendments to omnibus Ms. Rosane Doré Lefebvre (Alfred-Pellan, NDP): Mr. Speaker, bills or divide them by seeking the unanimous consent of the House, I am pleased to rise to speak to Bill C-13 today, November 29. the Conservatives have flatly refused. There are various reasons why it is important that we sit here today and discuss Bill C-13. The most important reason is the I am extremely disappointed that Bill C-13 does not go deeper into respect that we all have for the fight against bullying, especially cyberbullying, which is a sensitive issue that requires so much bullying directed at our youth. attention. It does not just affect young people, as we have seen in the high-profile media stories in recent years. Cyberbullying affects a No one in the House is against virtue or the idea that we must large segment of the population. I will come back to this later in my identify all the means and tools that could be used in the fight against speech. cyberbullying. I will be using my 20 minutes to talk about cyberbullying It is extremely disappointing to see the Conservatives playing specifically. That is what the title of the bill makes us think it is cheap political games in the House with legislation that should be about. However, Bill C-13 unfortunately covers more than just passed unanimously. They are trying to add items and make us say cyberbullying. It talks about numerous other ways and means to yes to things that are in no way related to cyberbullying. It is address a number of aspects of online crime, in addition to other incredibly disappointing to see the other side of the House engaging things that have nothing to do with cyberbullying. in petty politics. Allow me to explain. If members take the time to really read what In Bill C-13, the part on cyberbullying is a pretty close copy of is in Bill C-13, they will see that the section on bullying is only two what my colleague from Dartmouth—Cole Harbour introduced last pages long. This bill is more than 50 pages long, and it is clear upon June. That was a private member's bill, and everyone agreed with the reading it that it is yet another Conservative omnibus bill. principle of the bill. However, instead of examining it together and passing it quickly, the Conservatives decided to take part of what my I will not hide my disappointment today at having to rise to speak colleague was proposing in Bill C-540 and add it to Bill C-13, along once again to an omnibus bill. This is unfortunately not the first time with some other elements. one has been introduced in the House. We have had several omnibus bills in the past two parliaments—indeed, since this government won a majority. This is a sorry state of affairs, for many reasons. Instead of concentrating on a bill on cyberbullying that was properly divided, the Conservatives opened up the floodgates and The latest budget bills introduced by the Conservatives are added some other things. They have made Bill C-13 into quite the examples of such omnibus legislation. We had bills comprising concoction. 1540 COMMONS DEBATES November 29, 2013 Government Orders I also wanted to talk about another bill today. A few months ago, problem. We can then come back to the rest of the bill the my colleague from Chicoutimi—Le Fjord moved a very interesting government has handed us—a rehash of the former Bill C-30— motion on cyberbullying. I cannot elaborate on it too much, because which addresses the completely different topic of privacy. the motion had to do with more than just cyberbullying. However, I know my colleague from Chicoutimi—Le Fjord worked very hard on that motion. Almost all experts and public interest groups agreed that it was a very important motion. Unfortunately, the only party Let us focus on the two pages on cyberbullying out of the 50-some that voted against the motion was the Conservative Party. It is so sad pages in Bill C-13. Let us pass these measures so that the authorities that the Conservatives are refusing to discuss the private member's can make use of them as quickly as possible. That is how we can bill introduced by the hon. member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, combat cyberbullying together. which focused solely on cyberbullying, and that they so easily dismissed the idea of debating and adopting the motion moved by my colleague from Chicoutimi—Le Fjord. Cyberbullying boggles my mind. Honestly, it is so sad. No one Before I talk about privacy in more detail, I want to say that Laval can claim they have never encountered bullying. It is impossible. does a lot of good things and I like to brag about them. A Laval When I was attending Horizon Jeunesse secondary school in Laval, organization called Volteface has found a unique way to address we had pagers. Cellphones did not exist yet. I am lucky because I bullying and especially cyberbullying in Quebec. I cannot speak for was never bullied in high school. I was more of a social butterfly. I the other provinces, regions or territories in Canada, but this is the had all sorts of friends. I was never directly affected by bullying at only program of its kind in Quebec. Volteface is an alternative justice school. However, I have friends who were bullied at school. It is organization that finds ways to help build harmonious relationships serious. My brother was bullied. He would often have his lunch by offering preventive activities and alternative conflict resolution stolen. He was embarrassed and did not want to talk about it with my mechanisms. It works with teenagers, victims, the general public, parents. Today, my brother is six feet tall and as strong as an ox, but, parents, schools and the community. unfortunately for him, that was not the case when he was in high school. He was very cute and very nice. Perhaps he was bullied because he was too cute and too nice. Those were the early days of the Internet. We did not have a Volteface created an innovative tool as part of its “Ultimatum < computer at home. We had to do our research on the computers at the Échap > LA CYBER INTIMIDATION” project. The organization is library. We could not afford a computer. We did not have to deal with actually based in Shawinigan, but it operates in Laval. It has cyberbullying, but bullying was all around me and part of my daily developed a partnership and focuses on high schools. The guide is life. I saw what an impact bullying could have. Unfortunately, some intended for high school students, their parents and school staff. It students who were bullied at Horizon Jeunesse committed suicide. offers information on how to prevent cyberbullying and talks about what kind of action is appropriate. This project focuses especially on Bullying at school is one thing, but when we are at home, we are youth and has been operating in Laval since Volteface created it. It is protected. We are in a bubble. However, cyberbullying follows us 24 a very worthwhile program. hours a day. We go home and use social media. Almost everyone has an iPhone or a BlackBerry in their pockets. We have access to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. We can access a host of social media very quickly. The impact is immediate and it follows us day They are targeting young people because a number of studies and night. There is no break from it. I cannot imagine what it must indicate that, although people of all ages can be affected by be like to be a victim of cyberbullying when there is no getting away cyberbullying, youth 12 to 14 are at greater risk. My daughter is from it. It is very serious. seven months old, and I am already worried about the tween years. I My colleague from Gatineau raised an extremely important point do not know what social media will be like then, but I say to myself this week.