43rd PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION House of Commons Debates Official Report (Hansard) Volume 150 No. 096 Thursday, May 6, 2021 Speaker: The Honourable Anthony Rota CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 6757 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, May 6, 2021 The House met at 10 a.m. ...or any equivalent ISO-compliant system approved by the House, failing which it will be up to the committee to decide whether or not to hear the witness with‐ out the appropriate equipment. Prayer * * * CRIMINAL CODE ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS Mr. Jacques Gourde (Lévis—Lotbinière, CPC) moved for leave to introduce Bill C-293, An Act to amend the Criminal Code ● (1005) and to make consequential amendments to another Act (interim re‐ [English] lease and domestic violence recognizance orders). GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS He said: Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I introduce, in Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Presi‐ both official languages, this bill to amend the Criminal Code and dent of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of make consequential amendments to another act, in relation to inter‐ Intergovernmental Affairs and to the Leader of the Govern‐ im release and domestic violence recognizance orders. ment in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a) I have the honour to table, in both official (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) languages, the government's response to six petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format. * * * [English] * * * [Translation] PETITIONS COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE MYANMAR OFFICIAL LANGUAGES Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, Mr. Emmanuel Dubourg (Bourassa, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have CPC): Mr. Speaker, I am presenting four petitions today. the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages entitled “Confer‐ The first petition is a new one and, if members will bear with me, ence Interpreters: The Cornerstone of Bilingualism in Parliament”. there are a number of different elements to it. It highlights the situa‐ Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the tion in Burma and calls for engagement by the Government of government table a comprehensive response to this report. Canada. Mr. Joël Godin (Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, CPC): Mr. In particular, the petition highlights a number of needs and is‐ Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members sues. It calls on the government to suspend high-level political con‐ of the Standing Committee on Official Languages and all the staff tact with Burma and not recognize the junta State Administrative and analysts who did an excellent job on this study of the chal‐ Council as legitimate government. It calls for the imposition of lenges facing the parliamentary interpretation service in the context sanctions, as well as action in terms of the recommendations of the of the COVID-19 pandemic. fact-finding mission to Burma. It calls for engagement with interna‐ To allow greater flexibility in summoning members, we want to tional partners to seek a global arms embargo on Burma. It calls for table a supplementary report with two amendments. In recommen‐ the suspension of all financial assistance and loans to central gov‐ dation 2, we would like to change the wording to “at least 48 ernment channels, including funding to the peace process through hours” for witness participation. the Joint Peace Fund, and redirecting this aid directly to civil soci‐ ety. It calls for support of all efforts to empower a democratic feder‐ In recommendation 3, paragraph b), we would add this at the al government in Burma that recognizes the legitimate voices and end: concerns of all the various territories and nationalities. 6758 COMMONS DEBATES May 6, 2021 Routine Proceedings It also calls for action around cross-border humanitarian assis‐ to support independent monitoring, to call for international investi‐ tance to support ethnic civil society and internally displaced per‐ gations into credible reports of war crimes and gross violations of sons, as well as those in Thai-based refugee camps. There are sig‐ human rights, and to engage directly with the Ethiopian and Eritre‐ nificant concerns that have been raised by the Karen Peace Support an governments around the conflict in Tigray and other human Network around more than 3,000 Karen IDPs who have fled into rights challenges in the region. Thailand and the challenges they have received in terms of access‐ ing support from Thai authorities and being given access to human‐ itarian support. The community wants to see greater engagement from Canada with Thai authorities around supporting Karen and Finally, the petitioners want to see the Government of Canada other refugee communities that are in Thailand. support short-, medium- and long-term election monitoring in Ethiopia. Finally, the petition calls for Canada to renew its multi-year fi‐ nancial commitment to support the Rohingya, which at the time of the preparation of this petition was set to expire on March 20, 2021. The Speaker: I want to remind the hon. members presenting pe‐ This petition, in general, reflects the concerns of ethnic minority titions that the key words we want to concentrate on are “concise” communities in Burma who are seeking to work constructively with and “precise”. Just keep it to a minimum, so that you get your point the majority community to advance democracy and at the same across and it does not go on much longer. time have some specific concerns about the future of the country and ensuring that all communities are heard and respected. ● (1010) The hon. member for Beaches—East York. CONVERSION THERAPY Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the second petition I am presenting is with re‐ ANIMAL WELFARE spect to Bill C-6, the government's bill on conversion therapy. The petitioners are supportive of efforts to ban conversion thera‐ Mr. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches—East York, Lib.): py but are calling on the government to fix the definition to address Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions to present today. the reality that poor drafting in the definition would lead to many unintended consequences, consequences that the government has verbally denied will actually be consequences. However, a close reading of the details of the legislation leaves petitioners very con‐ The first is e-petition 2997. The petitioners note that animals in cerned, and they are looking for greater clarity from the govern‐ puppy mills are kept in cramped, filthy conditions with no opportu‐ ment on the language of the bill. nity for exercise, socialization or veterinary care. They describe re‐ ally cruel conditions. They call upon the Government of Canada to HUMAN ORGAN TRAFFICKING ban the operation of puppy mills in the entire country. Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, CPC): Mr. Speaker, the third petition is in support of Bill S-204, a bill currently before the Senate, but which I am hopeful will be be‐ fore the House of Commons very soon. The second petition is e-3063, on mink farming. The petitioners note that the plight of millions of mink in Europe has been high‐ This bill would make it a criminal offence for a person to go lighted in the news around the world due to mink being culled after abroad and receive an organ without the consent of the person it the spread of COVID on mink farms between mink and between was taken from. It would also create a mechanism by which some‐ mink and humans. They again note the cruelty on farms, but really one could be deemed inadmissible to Canada due to involvement in draw the connection to one health approach and the interconnected‐ forced organ harvesting and trafficking. ness between humans, animals and our environment. They call up‐ The petitioners want to see this Parliament pass Bill S-204 as on the Government of Canada to ban the farming of mink in the en‐ soon as possible, noting that it has been over 10 years that various tire country. members of Parliament from various parties have been working on getting a legislative initiative like this moving forward. ETHIOPIA The third petition, e-3096, is also related to fur-farming. Again, it Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, notes that fur-bearing animals are intensely farmed and killed for CPC): Mr. Speaker, the fourth and final petition highlights the hu‐ their fur every year in Canada, that agencies provide public funding man rights situation in Ethiopia. to the fur farms sector despite industry decline, that UNEP has list‐ ed “unsustainable agricultural intensification” and “increased use The petitioners are concerned about the situation in Tigray, as and exploitation of wildlife” as two of the seven factors driving the well as other regions. The petitioners call on Canada to be more en‐ emergence of zoonotic diseases. The petitioners call for the Gov‐ gaged with the situation, working to end all violence and address ernment of Canada to introduce a nationwide ban on fur-farming the underlying causes of violence, to address humanitarian issues, for all species of animals. May 6, 2021 COMMONS DEBATES 6759 Government Orders ● (1015) cannabis licences and applications at this site, at 7821 Beaver FOOD POLICY Creek Road, apologize to Kackaamin and reaffirm the govern‐ Mr. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches—East York, Lib.): ment's commitment to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights Mr. Speaker, finally, e-petition 3022 is on food policy. The petition‐ of Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commis‐ ers note that Canada's current food system, including how our food sion's calls to action.