Debates of the House of Commons
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43rd PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION House of Commons Debates Official Report (Hansard) Volume 150 No. 012 Thursday, October 8, 2020 Speaker: The Honourable Anthony Rota CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 717 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, October 8, 2020 The House met at 10 a.m. they would like us to pursue assisted living. With COVID, the plight of our elderly has been highlighted. These petitioners are calling on the government to pursue stronger safeguards for eu‐ thanasia. Prayer HUMAN TRAFFICKING ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS ● (1005) Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC): Mr. [English] Speaker, the second petition I am presenting today was signed by 1,600 citizens of Canada and calls on the Government of Canada to FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION ACT move quickly to restore funding to organizations that help folks Mr. Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway, NDP) moved for leave who have been caught up in human trafficking or sex trafficking. to introduce Bill C-248, An Act to amend the Financial Administra‐ tion Act (composition of boards of directors). He said: Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to introduce an Earlier in the year, the funding for nine organizations was cut by important bill to Parliament. This legislation would amend the Fi‐ the federal government. NGOs like the London Abused Women's nancial Administration Act to require gender parity on the boards Centre lost their funding, which supports survivors of sex traffick‐ of directors of Crown corporations and agencies. I would like to ing. The government failed to renew its funding this spring in the thank the hon. member for London—Fanshawe for seconding this middle of the pandemic. Because of public pressure, some of these bill and for her tireless advocacy of gender equality. NGOs got their funding back, and this petition calls for the funding for all nine NGOs to be restored. Today in Canada, women make up only 27% of federal appoint‐ ments to Crown corporation boards. Only 18% of director seats are held by women across all corporate boards in Canada, and 61% of SEX SELECTION boards are composed entirely of men. This is unacceptable and must change. Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC): Mr. By adopting this legislation, the federal government can lead by Speaker, the third petition I am presenting calls on the House of example and take concrete action to advance gender equality in Commons to quickly pass the bill from my colleague from York‐ Canada. For systemic change to occur, we must change the system. ton—Melville. She has a bill calling for the condemnation of sex- I hope all parliamentarians will support this important and overdue selective abortion. initiative. (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) FIREARMS * * * ● (1010) Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC): Mr. PETITIONS Speaker, the fourth petition is signed by Canadians across the coun‐ PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED DYING try who are concerned about the order in council banning firearms Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC): Mr. across the country. They are calling on the government to reverse Speaker, I have the privilege of presenting five petitions. the order in council made on May 1 and to propose measures that will effectively address illegal firearms use in the country while re‐ The first petition I am presenting is looking for additional safe‐ specting the rights of law-abiding citizens. They are calling on the guards in the euthanasia legislation. The government is pursuing, government to enact substantial changes to Canada's firearms laws with reckless abandon, the expansion of euthanasia across the coun‐ so that the government and the RCMP do not make unilateral deci‐ try. The petitioners say that rather than pursuing assisted dying, sions. 718 COMMONS DEBATES October 8, 2020 Routine Proceedings HUMAN RIGHTS The petitioners call for action from the Minister of Immigration, Mr. Arnold Viersen (Peace River—Westlock, CPC): Mr. Refugees and Citizenship. They call for him to create a special pro‐ Speaker, finally, and I thank the House for its indulgence today, I gram to help persecuted minorities in Afghanistan be directly spon‐ have a petition calling on the government to recognize the genocide sored by their communities here in Canada. that is being perpetrated against the Uighurs in China. We have probably all seen the photographs from the BBC report of the I note that this petition has the support of a letter signed by mem‐ masked prisoners being loaded into cattle cars and brought to con‐ bers of the Conservative, NDP and Green Party caucuses. centration camps. We have said never again over and over in this place, yet it appears it is happening again on our watch. Therefore, the petitioners are calling on the government to recognize the geno‐ HUMAN ORGAN TRAFFICKING cide and use the Magnitsky act in any way possible. Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, The Speaker: I want to remind hon. members to be as succinct CPC): Mr. Speaker, the fourth petition is about Bill S-204, a pri‐ as possible when presenting petitions. vate member's bill in the Senate proposed by Senator Salma Ataullahjan that would make it a criminal offence for a person to go Presenting petitions, the hon. member for Kamloops—Thomp‐ abroad and receive an organ in a case where there had not been son—Cariboo. consent for that organ to be given. Mrs. Cathy McLeod (Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition for a number of The petitioners are very much in support of Bill S-204 and want Canadians across the country who are very concerned about the to see it passed quickly. Uighur situation in China. They are looking for Magnitsky sanc‐ tions, among other mechanisms, to deal with this horrific issue. HUMAN RIGHTS JUSTICE Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, CPC): Mr. Speaker, not to be outdone by my friend from Peace CPC): Mr. Speaker, the fifth and final petition highlights the abso‐ River—Westlock, I also have five petitions. We are in a race to see lutely horrific situation facing Uighur Muslims in China and the who can have the most children and also, apparently, who can table persecution they are facing at the hands of the Chinese Communist the most petitions. Party. The first petition is with respect to illegal firearms in Canada. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to have The petitioners are concerned about the import and use of illegal the courage to match action with words and apply Magnitsky sanc‐ firearms. They think the government is failing to focus on this tions against those responsible for these modern-day concentration problem by instead banning legal guns and going after responsible camps. firearms owners. The Speaker: Before we continue, I want to remind hon. mem‐ The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to re‐ bers to bring their petitions to the table themselves, and when mov‐ verse the Order in Council banning certain firearms imposed on ing around the chamber to please remember to put on their masks. May 1, and instead to propose effective measures for dealing with We do not want to endanger anyone's life in the chamber. illegal guns, often smuggled into Canada, to actually focus on the real cause of gun crime. INCOME TAX ACT PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED DEATH Mr. Scott Simms (Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this time to introduce a very impor‐ CPC): Mr. Speaker, the second petition is with respect to Bill C-7. tant petition, one that I agree with substantially. The petitioners are concerned that the government is removing vital safeguards that only a few short years ago the government said The petition concerns our children in the midst of COVID-19, were very much essential. considering the arts in particular. Dance, drama and the visual arts are very important for our children, especially now with so many The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to re‐ children out of school, throughout the summer of course. Even now consider its decision to remove the mandatory 10-day reflection pe‐ it is hard for them to get back into the arts. For physical activity and riod, and to also reconsider its proposal in Bill C-7 to remove the social interaction, the arts in education, dance, drama and visual art, requirements for independent witnesses. are very important. AFGHAN MINORITY COMMUNITIES Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, This brings me to the petition I want to introduce, which is good CPC): Mr. Speaker, the third petition brings attention to the human for owner-operators of academies and studios, and provides finan‐ rights challenges and persecution faced by Afghanistan's Sikh and cial assistance to parents who want the arts to be more accessible Hindu minorities. for our kids to partake in. October 8, 2020 COMMONS DEBATES 719 Routine Proceedings Here is the petition, precisely: on this as well, like so many of my colleagues, to say we stand We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to against the genocide that is happening to the Uighurs. Just as many classify children’s arts (dance, drama, visual arts) in the same educational category of my colleagues have stated, this is an issue that many Canadians as music, and provide HST/GST-exempt status, retroactive to January 1, 2019. are standing strong on. We should be against this genocide and This is a great proposal for getting our kids back into the arts so bring forward the Magnitsky Act.