43rd PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION House of Commons Debates Official Report (Hansard) Volume 150 No. 086 Thursday, April 22, 2021 Speaker: The Honourable Anthony Rota CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 5997 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, April 22, 2021 The House met at 10 a.m. government's position on it, diplomatic representations it has made with respect to that issue, as well as the government's intention with respect to raising the genocide investigation specifically. Prayer The response that was tabled to that question makes no mention of any genocide investigation. In fact, it does not address the ques‐ tion at all. It refers broadly to Sri Lanka, but it makes no mention of ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS the substance of the question. I know that it is practice for the Speaker not to be asked to evalu‐ ● (1005) ate the particulars of the quality of the response. However, in this [English] case, given that the alleged response does not in any way acknowl‐ COMMISSIONER OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND edge or respond to the question, I would submit that this makes a SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT total mockery of the expectation in the Standing Orders for the gov‐ The Speaker: It is my duty to lay upon the table, pursuant to ernment to table a response. subsection 23(5) of the Auditor General Act, the spring 2021 re‐ There have to be some constraints on the response the govern‐ ports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable De‐ ment presents. After all, if the government were to present a re‐ velopment to the House of Commons. sponse on an unrelated topic, I would submit that the Speaker [Translation] would have to note that a violation of the Standing Orders had oc‐ curred. I would ask you to examine the response to this question Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), these reports are deemed per‐ and advise the House on whether the government's words actually manently referred to the Standing Committee on Environment and constitute a response for the purpose of the Standing Order. Sustainable Development. The Speaker: From what I have heard, the hon. member has an‐ * * * swered his own question. It is not the responsibility of the Speaker to rule on the answers that are given. I will take it under advisement GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS and, if needed, I will return to the House. Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages * * * (FedDev Ontario and Official Languages), Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in PETITIONS both official languages, the government's response to 11 petitions. HUMAN RIGHTS These responses will be tabled in an electronic format. Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, * * * CPC): Mr. Speaker, I am presenting three petitions this morning. [English] The first petition is calling on the government to recognize that Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims have been subjected and are be‐ POINTS OF ORDER ing subject to genocide at the hands of the Chinese Communist Par‐ GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO QUESTION NO. 461 ty. I note that as we speak, the British Parliament is debating a Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, genocide recognition resolution and I commend all the members of CPC): Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order at the earliest the British Parliament involved in that important discussion. opportunity I have to raise a concern I have about the “response” ETHIOPIA tabled to Question No. 461 from my colleague from Peace River— Westlock. Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the second petition is highlighting the situation In brief, the question is with respect to a motion adopted by the in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and calling on the Government of House on June 19, 2019. It calls on the UN to establish an interna‐ Canada to engage to a greater extent with and respond to the hu‐ tional independent investigation into the allegation of genocide manitarian, as well as the human rights, issues raised by that situa‐ against Tamils committed in Sri Lanka. The question asks about the tion. 5998 COMMONS DEBATES April 22, 2021 The Budget HUMAN ORGAN TRAFFICKING (FedDev Ontario and Official Languages), Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, ask that all questions be allowed to stand. CPC): Mr. Speaker, the third and final petition is in support of Bill S-204, a bill on forced organ harvesting and trafficking that has just [English] passed the Senate committee on justice and human rights and is now headed to the third reading in the Senate before hopefully The Speaker: Is it agreed? coming to this place very soon. Petitioners are in support of Bill S-204 and hope that this Parliament is the one that gets it done. Some hon. members: Agreed. VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP): Mr. Speaker, it is a huge privilege and honour today to table a petition on behalf of GOVERNMENT ORDERS constituents of Parksville who are calling on the government to in‐ crease the tax exemption from $3,000 to $10,000 to help essential [English] volunteer firefighters and search and rescue workers across the country. THE BUDGET The petitioners cite that volunteer firefighters account for 83% of FINANCIAL STATEMENT OF MINISTER OF FINANCE Canada's total firefighting essential first responders. In addition, ap‐ proximately 8,000 essential search and rescue volunteers respond to The House resumed from April 21 consideration of the motion thousands of incidents every year. They cite that not only do these that this House approve in general the budgetary policy of the gov‐ volunteers help save lives, but their efforts help cities and munici‐ ernment, and of the amendment. palities to keep property taxes lower because, if paid services were required, they would certainly cost more to these municipalities. Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to speak to the budget bill that We need to help these volunteers. They have been there through‐ has been presented to the House. Indeed, I want to add to the cho‐ out COVID and beyond. This is an important opportunity to help rus of people and members who have come before the House to them get the exemption they deserve to support them if they have congratulate the first female finance minister on presenting a bud‐ been volunteering over 200 hours in a calendar year. get to the House of Commons. It is quite an important budget. ● (1010) This budget is one that is very direct in its approach to get us THE ENVIRONMENT through the rest of this pandemic, but in a way that brings Canada Mr. Paul Manly (Nanaimo—Ladysmith, GP): Mr. Speaker, back to the resiliency that its economy had before. We need to get happy Earth Day. It is a privilege to table e-petition 3184, which back to having the lowest unemployment rates that this country has was initiated by constituents in Nanaimo—Ladysmith. The peti‐ seen in decades. We need to get our economy back to where it was. tioners call upon the government to take urgent action, based on science and independent expertise, to make Bill C-12 a world-class I strongly believe that what has been proposed in this budget is climate law by adopting the following three amendments to the bill the right step moving forward in that direction. I do want to take before it passes. some time today to talk about what I see as being the signature The first amendment is to set the first emission target for 2025, piece in this budget, and that is the child care provisions. They are strengthen the roles of the advisory body and the environmental not only going to change the lives of Canadian parents but, indeed, commissioner, and ban fossil fuel executives from the advisory are going to help our economy tremendously. panel. Before I get to that, I just want to talk briefly about the measures The second amendment is that Bill C-12 should be aligned with that are in this budget that relate to the pandemic, and coming Canada's commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the through this pandemic in the way that we need to. Rights of Indigenous Peoples, putting workers and communities first with no exceptions. It should set targets for sustainable job cre‐ I have just been reminded by my colleague that I will be sharing ation to ensure a just transition for all workers. my time with the member for Mississauga—Erin Mills. The third amendment is to create true legal accountability for the government by setting clear, unconditional obligations for the Min‐ Let us talk about the measures that have been put in here to sup‐ ister of Environment to meet, not just plan to meet, actual targets. port small business, to support Canadians and to make sure that they have the tools to get through this. We were faced with a stark * * * choice a year ago, the same choice that is being presented to us [Translation] right now with this budget. That is a choice between whether we want to allow Canadians to fend for themselves to get through this QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER very difficult time or whether we want to come together collective‐ Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde (Parliamentary Secretary to the ly as a society to bear the burden of this enormous toll on our econ‐ Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages omy and, indeed, our society during the last year.