43rd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION House of Commons Debates Official Report (Hansard) VOLUME 149 NUMBER 006 Thursday, December 12, 2019 Speaker: The Honourable Anthony Rota CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 307 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, December 12, 2019 The House met at 10 a.m. [English] Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(g), this document is deemed Prayer to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. I have the honour to lay upon the table a report of the interim au‐ ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS ditor general of Canada to the House of Commons entitled “Com‐ ● (1000) mentary on the 2018-19 Financial Audits". [Translation] [Translation] INTERNATIONAL TRADE Hon. Chrystia Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister and Minis‐ Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(g), this document is deemed ter of Intergovernmental Affairs, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official Public Accounts. languages, the treaty entitled “Protocol of Amendment to the Agreement Between Canada, the United States of America and the * * * United Mexican States”. TREASURY BOARD SECRETARIAT * * * INFORMATION COMMISSIONER Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos (President of the Treasury Board, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to see you again this morning The Speaker: I have the honour to lay upon the table the Infor‐ because I have very good news for you. Pursuant to Standing Order mation Commissioner of Canada's 2018-2019 annual reports on the 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. “Annual Report to Parliament for the 2018 to 2019 Fiscal Year: [English] Federal Regulatory Management Initiatives”. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(h), these reports are deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on This report highlights the net benefit of important regulations Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. made by the Governor in Council in 2017-18 and serves as a public report for the one-for-one rule, as required under the Red Tape Re‐ * * * duction Act. The report also includes the administrative burden ● (1005) baseline for 2017, listing the administrative requirements in federal regulations. AUDITOR GENERAL OF CANADA The Speaker: I have the honour to lay upon the table a report of * * * the interim Auditor General of Canada to the House of Commons entitled “Cost of Crown Corporation Audits”. PUBLIC ACCOUNTS OF CANADA [Translation] Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos (President of the Treasury Board, Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(g), this document is deemed Lib.): Mr. Speaker, with Christmas coming, I have a bigger gift for to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on you. I have the honour or tabling today, in both official languages, Public Accounts. the 2019 Public Accounts of Canada. The Auditor General of Canada has provided an unqualified audit opinion on the Canadian I have the honour to lay upon the table the report of the interim government's financial statements. The Government of Canada is Auditor General of Canada on the implementation of Export Devel‐ committed to sound financial management and to monitoring the opment Canada's environmental and social review directive. use of public funds to enhance accountability and transparency. 308 COMMONS DEBATES December 12, 2019 S. O. 52 [English] ● (1010) HUMAN ORGAN TRAFFICKING INTERPARLIAMENTARY DELEGATIONS Ms. Nelly Shin (Port Moody—Coquitlam, CPC): Madam Mr. Ali Ehsassi (Willowdale, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Speaker, I rise to table a petition that supports Bill C-350 and Bill Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in S-240 from the 42nd Parliament. The petitioners want the 43rd Par‐ both official languages, the report of the Canada-China Legislative liament to be the one that finally takes action on forced organ har‐ Association respecting its participation at the 23rd bilateral meeting vesting and passes these bills. held in Shanghai, Nanjing, Hong Kong and Macao, China, from Mr. Jeremy Patzer (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, CPC): Mr. May 18 to 26, 2019. Speaker, forced organ harvesting and trafficking is a growing glob‐ al problem that requires urgent action. I am pleased to table a peti‐ * * * tion from Canadians who are looking for this Parliament to finally PETITIONS take action on forced organ harvesting by making it a criminal of‐ fence to go abroad to receive an organ taken without consent. HUMAN ORGAN TRAFFICKING Mr. Kelly McCauley (Edmonton West, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, rise to present a petition from many of my constituents and other CPC): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity today to Canadians calling on the government to act to end forced organ har‐ present two petitions. vesting. Mr. Terry Dowdall (Simcoe—Grey, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I rise The first is with respect to the issue of organ harvesting and traf‐ to table a petition in support of Bill C-350 and Bill S-240 from the ficking. In the last Parliament, attempts were made to get Bills previous Parliament. These bills received unanimous consent in S-240 and C-350 through the House. Unfortunately, they failed to both Houses but did not pass in identical form, thus the law was not make it. The petitioners are calling on Parliament to take action on changed. this issue, and hope that the 43rd Parliament will be the one to fi‐ nally get it done. The petitioners hope to see this Parliament be the one that finally takes action on forced organ harvesting. AFGHAN MINORITY COMMUNITIES Mr. Scot Davidson (York—Simcoe, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I rise Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, to table a petition that seeks to combat global organ trafficking. The CPC): Mr. Speaker, the second petition I am tabling highlights the petitioners want the government to act to make it a criminal offence challenges and persecution faced by the Sikh and Hindu minority to receive an organ obtained without the donor's consent. communities in Afghanistan. It calls on the Minister of Immigra‐ * * * tion, Refugees and Citizenship to use the powers granted to him to create a special program to help persecuted minorities in QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER Afghanistan come to Canada. There has been much discussion on Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Lead‐ this issue, but that special program has not been created. er of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand at this time. Further, it asks the Minister of Foreign Affairs to highlight this persecution with his Afghan counterparts. The Speaker: Is that agreed? Some hon. members: Agreed. ANIMAL WELFARE * * * Mr. Sean Casey (Charlottetown, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, this is the first time I have been able to get on my feet in this Parliament. I [Translation] would like to thank the good people of Charlottetown for having REQUEST FOR EMERGENCY DEBATE sent me back here for the third time to represent them. It is truly an honour. I am grateful and humbled to be here. ALUMINUM INDUSTRY The Speaker: The Chair has notice of a request for an emergen‐ Today, I rise to table a petition signed by no fewer than 1,500 cy debate from the hon. member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot. residents of Prince Edward Island. To have a petition that large Mr. Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay (Saint-Hyacinthe— come from a place as small as P.E.I. is quite something. Bagot, BQ): Mr. Speaker, the government is going to have to an‐ swer to Quebec's 10,000 aluminum industry workers with regard to The petitioners are quite concerned about the use of animals in the new NAFTA. cosmetic testing and the fact that Canada lags behind other coun‐ tries that have already banned this practice. They call on Parliament This new agreement, which was negotiated in secret, cannot be to support Bill S-214, which unfortunately died on the Order Paper described as a win. Once again, the Prime Minister was unable to in the last Parliament. However, it is possible that it will be brought protect the workers of one of Quebec's iconic industries. Our nine back. Therefore, it is urged that the House support that bill and ban aluminum smelters produce nearly three tonnes of primary alu‐ the sale and/or manufacture of animal-tested cosmetics and their in‐ minum, or 60% of the total North American production. Our exper‐ gredients in Canada moving forward. tise is recognized around the world. December 12, 2019 COMMONS DEBATES 309 The Address Our industry, which produces the cleanest aluminum in the our community safe and will support our climate target to continue world, was sacrificed in favour of steel. The government is brag‐ leading this country in the right direction. ging about the fact that 70% of the materials used in auto manufac‐ turing will now come from North America, when that percentage was already at 62.5%. However, although the agreement clearly in‐ Gun and gang violence, though on the decline, has been preva‐ dicates that all steel manufacturing processes must take place in one lent in Surrey for far too long. In January 2019 Surrey was giv‐ of the three countries for the steel to be considered North Ameri‐ en $7.5 million for the Surrey anti-gang family empowerment can, Ottawa, unlike the U.S. President, failed to obtain the same as‐ project, SAFE, the single largest investment in any city in Canada. surances for our aluminum. As a result, Mexico, which does not SAFE was developed from the findings of the mayor's task force on produce any aluminum and must therefore import 100% of its alu‐ gang violence, which I had the opportunity to sit on as a member.