hazylavender/hi huggingface dataset:
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Hon. Mike Lake: again, the issue today is that there is a Senate public bill, moved by a senator. The issue is very serious for her. She has asked specifically, in testifying before committee, not to go way beyond the scope of the bill. We all have those opportunities where we get a chance to move things that are very important to us. I have had the opportunity to do it myself. In fact, we just had much co-operation in the House around a Senate public bill on autism. After taking the time to do the research and put together a private member's bill, working with stakeholders and fine-tuning it to be something, I cannot imagine moving it and then having members from other parties trying to turn it into a completely different bill than the one I was moving. I think any member of the House of Commons could understand this. Any member of Parliament who has taken the time to move a private member's bill and do all that work to prepare it could understand--
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
The Assistant Deputy Speaker: Again, there is a little bit of latitude. The hon. member has referenced the bill, but I would ask him to ensure that he speaks to the issue of the report itself, which is the 15th report for concurrence. I would remind the member to focus his speech there. The member only has four minutes and 18 seconds left to get to that. The hon. member for Edmonton--Wetaskiwin, and I would ask members to remember that there is some latitude here.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
The Assistant Deputy Speaker: It appears to me that there is some intent to try to prolong the proceedings here to a certain degree on both sides. I just want to remind the hon. member for Edmonton--Wetaskiwin that the hon. parliamentary secretary is correct in that he should not do indirectly what he cannot do directly. I have already asked members on both sides to not use those references. The hon. member for Edmonton--Wetaskiwin has three minutes left.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Hon. Mike Lake: this is the first time I have ever spoken where I have had members stand up three times and raise of points of order to try and delay the speech that I am making. I will sit down after making this final point, which is, again, the same point that I have been making. This is a Senate public bill that is very important to the senator who is moving it. The Liberals and the NDP have very clearly tried to change it into something completely different than what it is. That is not acceptable, and I would encourage the Liberals and NDP that, if they feel very strongly about the things that they are bringing up and the ways that they want to change the bill, they move forward with government legislation as quickly as they can. We can have this conversation tomorrow if they choose to.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mark Gerretsen, Lib.): the member mentioned on a number of occasions that apparently the NDP and the Liberals are trying delay discussing the budget and that is why we are involved in this tactic right now on this motion. However, is he aware that the only speakers who are getting up right now are Conservatives? As a matter of fact, if no Conservatives rose right now and just stayed seated, we would be beyond this concurrence motion and we would be talking about the budget. The member accused myself and the member for Winnipeg North of sometimes not being in the same area code of what we are debating. Is he even aware of what is going on in this House right now?
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Hon. Mike Lake: again, we are talking about a Senate public bill that could be supported by all parties and we are having a conversation about some parties in the House taking the bill in a completely different direction than the senator originally intended. Not one member in this House would accept that if it was their own private member's bill, but they are expecting us to move on with it today. The government could do this if it wanted to tomorrow.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Jenny Kwan: this has come up numerous times. I was not actually going to get into conversations that I have had with the senator and conversations that I have even had with Conservative members. The truth of the matter is this. When this bill came before us, the scope was narrow. I had already mentioned it to the senator that the scope is very narrow and that we need to actually look at broadening it to ensure that other lost Canadians are captured. Since that time I have been working at it, thinking about how we can do this, to make sure that families who have been impacted would not continue to be lost Canadians. We have been working diligently on this. I was just reviewing evidence from the committee and the senator was saying that she could be supportive of expanding its scope although it is not before this committee right now because it is not part of that bill, so conceptually she is in support of supporting expansion of the bill in terms of its scope. However it is the Conservatives who continually want to say we cannot do this. If they really wanted to actually get on with it they could. Why do they not do what they say they want to do and support the expansion of the scope--
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Marty Morantz: I happened to sub in on this committee when Senator Martin was testifying and she was very clear. She did not want this bill changed. I heard her say it several times during her testimony at the immigration committee. Now she may be open to other legislation to more Canadians being brought into citizenship but she was definitely not open to changing this legislation. I wanted to put that on the record.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner: we are late into debate here in the House of Commons today. For those who may just be catching up on what is happening, I would like to offer a little refresher, if I may. Today what was supposed to be debated in the House during this time period was legislation regarding the federal budget. That is what we were supposed to be debating right now. Of course, the federal budget is something that the Liberals and their coalition partner of the NDP are getting together on. There are a lot of questions in the Canadian public about the prudence of the federal budget but we are not debating the federal budget right now. Why are we not debating the federal budget? I think it is really important to note why we are not. What we are debating is something called a concurrence motion. I am being shut down right now. They are shutting me--
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Lindsay Mathyssen: I cannot let this pass that there is yet another Conservative speaker who is extending debate on this issue when they do not have to do it. If they are so concerned about debating the budget all they have to do is stop talking and we could get on with it. I have a speech today and I would like to talk about the budget.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
The Assistant Deputy Speaker: What the hon. member is raising is actually debate, but I do want to remind members that we are not talking about the budget at this point. We are talking about this concurrence report that is before the House on immigration. I just want to remind members to please stay on the issue at hand. I know that there is some latitude to a certain degree, but I would ask members to please reference the issue that is before the House. The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
The Assistant Deputy Speaker: Unfortunately, it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings at this time and put forthwith the question on the motion now before the House. The question is on the motion. If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Ziad Aboultaif: I have petition 11759654 signed by 28 members. The undersigned citizens and residents of Canada draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following. Whereas Canadians have the right to be protected against discrimination, it is a fundamental Canadian right to be politically active and vocal. It is in the best interests of Canadian democracy to protect public debate and the exchange of different ideas. Bill C-257 seeks to add protection against political discrimination to the Canadian Human Rights Act. Therefore, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the House of Commons to first, support Bill C-257 , which bans discrimination on the basis of political belief or activity, and, two, defend the rights of Canadians to peacefully express their political opinions.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Damien Kurek: as always, it is a true honour to rise in this place and bring to the attention of this House some incredibly important issues that Canadians have signed petitions about. Today, I have three petitions that I am pleased to table on behalf of many Canadians. In the first petition, citizens draw attention to the House of Commons the following and ask the government to take these following actions: one, immediately call for an end to violence and for restraint from all sides and parties involved in the Tigray conflict in Ethiopia; two, immediately call--
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Damien Kurek: although I cannot show you, I think I am doing an admirable job of summarizing what is in a very lengthy petition. I thank you for that reminder and can assure you I am doing so as briefly as I can. The petitioners also call for humanitarian access to the region and for independent monitoring to be allowed, and for international investigations into the credible reports of war crimes and gross violations of human rights law. They call for engaging directly and consistently with the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments on this conflict; and for promoting short-, medium- and long-term elections monitoring in Ethiopia.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Damien Kurek: the second petition that I have the honour of tabling here today is specifically that there are residents from Alberta who draw to the attention of the House a host of details surrounding violence against the Hazaras. With the fall of the Afghan government in August of 2021 and the Taliban taking over control of Afghanistan, the Hazaras once again find themselves in a situation they faced at the end of the last millennium and the beginning of this millennium of massacre, arrest, forced mass displacement and confiscation of their land. The Taliban regime is perpetrating so many of these things. Therefore, there are many Canadians calling upon the Government of Canada to recognize the ongoing genocide and persecution of the Hazaras and to prioritize refugees from this persecuted group of people within Afghanistan.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Damien Kurek: the third petition that I have the honour of tabling in this House today is on an issue that so many Canadians have followed closely, and that is that the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Bissonnette struck down section 745.51 of the Criminal Code, which allowed for parole ineligibility periods to be applied consecutively for mass murderers. As a result of that, some of the most notorious and disgusting individuals are able to apply for parole after only 25 years in prison even though they have committed crimes for which these individuals should never see the light of day. The courts have actually said, by virtue of sentencing, that they should never see the light of day again. Therefore, there is a host of individuals urging the Liberal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to invoke the notwithstanding clause and override this unfair and unjust decision that is truly an insult to so many victims of the worst mass murderers and criminals in Canadian history. It is always an honour to table petitions by Canadians who are passionate about these issues in this place.
Government Response to Petitions
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux: I am pleased to present a petition from many residents of Winnipeg North and Winnipeg who are of Indo-Canadian heritage, in particular. The petitioners want to see international flights going between Winnipeg and India or, secondarily, Europe. This demand continues to grow. They are looking to the government and members of Parliament to do what they can in terms of lobbying for that additional international flight.
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mark Gerretsen, Lib.): the hon. member for North Island--Powell River raises the very important issue of dignity and I wholeheartedly agree with much of what she said. Seniors do deserve a dignified retirement after a lifetime of hard work. They deserve to live knowing that they have the means to pay for their housing, food and medications, to name a few. With food costs and rental costs soaring, it is hard for people to put their financial cares aside. This is the reason why our government increased the old age security pension by 10% for seniors over the age of 75. As seniors age, they tend to have lower income and are often facing higher health-related expenses because of the onset of illness or disability. Now, thanks to the increase to the OAS, we are strengthening the financial security of 3.3 million Canadian seniors. Because higher prices on essential goods are causing undue stress, we passed Bill C-46 , the one-time grocery rebate, which will deliver targeted inflation relief for 11 million Canadians who need it the most, providing eligible seniors with an extra $234, on average. Our new dental benefit, as the member mentioned, will help seniors get the dental care they need. That is why, in budget 2023, we proposed to provide $13 billion over five years and $4.4 billion ongoing to help nine million Canadians, including seniors, receive the dental care they need. These new measures build on the supports that our government has already provided to seniors in the form of program changes, tax breaks and top-ups. Since 2015, we have made significant progress for seniors. To begin, we increased the GIS for nearly a million low-income single seniors. We then restored the age of eligibility from 67 to 65 for GIS and OAS pensions, which the Conservatives had planned to increase this year, if they were still in power. We enhanced the Canada pension plan, and we reduced income taxes through increases to the basic personal amount. Finally, budget 2022 committed a top-up of $500 to the Canada housing benefit to help low-income renters, including seniors, with the cost of renting, and a one-time doubling of the GST credit for six months. We are committed to making life more affordable for Canadians, and our government has the record to prove it.
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Ms. Rachel Blaney: it is interesting that the largest impact I see for seniors are things that the NDP asked for. We said to the government, "If you do not play with us nicely, we are not going to support you unless you do these things." It is great that the government is announcing the things that are in the budget that the NDP proposed, such as the dental benefit and the doubling of the GST. What I am not hearing is anything about how there is going to be real action taken, especially for single seniors. I am worried about all seniors, but I know that single seniors in particular, largely women, are really struggling. They are talking about the financial challenges they have. There are some really common-sense responses that could be done. When is that going to happen? The other thing I heard the member talk about was the supports for low-income renters. In my riding, there is so little housing. It is not about getting the extra money to pay rent; it is about actually having somewhere to live. Is there going to be an investment in housing that is going to sustain seniors in a meaningful and respectful way? Those are a couple of my questions. I certainly hope that the member will take it back to his government, that single seniors deserve better and that we need more rental units, especially in rural and remote communities, because there simply are not any there.
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mark Gerretsen: I certainly did talk about single seniors. I talked about some of the supports that we have. I talked about some of the supports that we introduced years ago and some of the ones that are in budget 2023. More broadly, to her point about the NDP forcing the hand of the Liberal Party, the NDP can play it any way it wants. I hear it routinely in the House, where this member and other members get up and say that they forced the government to do all these great things. If they want to take credit for it, that is great. The NDP can take credit for it, but at the end of the day, Canadians, and in particular seniors, are better off because of the relationship between the NDP and the Liberals. I have no problem saying that I am very grateful to this member and the NDP for their willingness to work with this government. They are acting like the adults in the room and that is exactly what Canadians deserve.
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mark Gerretsen, Lib.): I would like to begin by thanking the member for Kitchener Centre for his advocacy on behalf of Canadians with disabilities. Furthermore, I would like to thank him for his excellent work in getting Bill C-22 through committee and improving that bill along the way. My thanks again for his tremendous advocacy and great teamwork. I want to especially acknowledge the advocacy and work of the hon. Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion . The minister has been working tirelessly throughout her career to promote the rights of persons with disabilities. The minister understands the challenges that so many persons with disabilities face each and every day. She understands that many working-age persons with disabilities face a challenging income gap. That is why she has been working tirelessly to create a groundbreaking Canada disability benefit, which the member referenced, an income supplement with the potential to seriously reduce poverty and improve financial security for hundreds of thousands of working-age persons with disabilities. Like my colleague, the minister wants to see Canadians with disabilities receive the new Canada disability benefit as quickly as possible. I remind the hon. member that, as set out in the legislation, details of the Canada disability benefit will be addressed in further regulations including the benefit amount, eligible criteria and other features. We will work out all of these details in consultation with our partners, including the disability community. We will continue to work closely with the provinces and territories to ensure that the Canada disability benefit will align with and complement services, benefits and supports. I am pleased to report that conversations in this regard are going very well. There is a shared commitment to improving the lives of persons with disabilities across this country. The Canada disability benefit has the potential to make a profound difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of working-age Canadians with disabilities. For that to happen we need to take the time to do things the right way. That is exactly what we are doing.
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mike Morrice: the parliamentary secretary correctly pointed out that the disability community will be involved in the design of the disability benefit because they called for it. Throughout the process of Bill C-22 , they made clear the importance of that, so I brought forward an amendment that would require the government to meaningfully engage the disability community in the regulation. What remains true today is that if the government really was serious, it would not wait for this whole process of regulations and everything else. Just like child care the government would have started by funding it and then moving forward with the rest. Why not do the same here?
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Mark Gerretsen: as I indicated to the member, the consultative process, which he understands, respects and agrees needs to happen, needs to be done in a way that not just engages with the various stakeholders but indeed engages and aligns itself with the provincial delivery of similar services to Canadians with disabilities. We would love to see this happen more quickly. I do not understand why anyone would suggest that it should not happen more quickly, but making this happen will take the necessary time to get it right. What is most important here is that we get it right. That is what we plan to do. That is why we are going through the process we are now so that we can bring in those regulations and various different stipulations regarding the implementation of this benefit as quickly as we can.
Date: 2023_04_24
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
The Assistant Deputy Speaker: The hon. member for Leeds--Grenville--Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes not being present to raise during the adjournment proceedings the matter for which notice has been given, the notice is deemed withdrawn. The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m. pursuant to Standing Order 24(1). (The House adjourned at 7:13 p.m.)
Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1
Date: 2023_04_21
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Gabriel Ste-Marie: I want to thank the hon. parliamentary secretary, with whom I have the pleasure and privilege of working on the Standing Committee on Finance. The Bloc Quebecois was very concerned about one aspect of the most recent budget, and that is the employment insurance fund. We saw that the government was choosing to make contributors, workers and unemployed workers pay off the pandemic-related deficits. We are talking about $15 billion, in addition to $2 billion from last year. We can see from the budget implementation bill introduced yesterday that the government is electing not to do anything about that and to make workers and unemployed workers pay by taking a total of $17 billion out of their pockets for an insurance plan that does not work. How does my hon. colleague justify that decision?
Budget Implementation Act, 2023, No. 1
Date: 2023_04_21
Chamber: HOUSE OF COMMONS
Mr. Terry Beech: I appreciate the question, and I also appreciate my colleague opposite. I would like to tell his constituents that we had a very elongated technical briefing on the BIA and he was the most active member in making sure he understood the over 400 pages that are involved in the act. When it comes to employment insurance, I think it is really important that all of us support this institution, which was so helpful over the course of the pandemic and continues to be helpful. We have taken care to make sure we are addressing some of the concerns with respect to EI in the BIA, in this document, but I would note that we have also extended employment insurance and some of the benefits that we had during the course of the pandemic through to 2024. At the same time, we are providing better services at a lower rate than when the Leader of the Opposition was in charge of the file.