Carol Hughes

[Petitions, December 16th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, there are several of these petitions. I stand to table a petition signed by residents of northern Ontario who are calling on the House of Commons to recognize the impact that reducing the number of electoral districts in the region, following the report of the federal electoral boundaries commission, will have on their electoral representation. They ask that the federal government modify the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act to ensure the number of electoral districts in northern Ontario is maintained at 10.

The petitioners also ask that the House respect the Supreme Court of Canada's 1991 Carter decision, which states, “Effective representation and good government in this country compel that factors other than voter parity, such as geography and community interests, be taken into account in setting electoral boundaries.”

[Petitions, December 16th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I stand once again in the House to table a petition signed by residents of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and surrounding area calling on the Government of Canada to assist in the funding required to build a new elders facility in Wiikwemkoong.

The petitioners note that they have received funding from the Government of Ontario, CMHC and community members, but there is a funding shortfall of $20 million. They draw to the Government of Canada's attention that it has funded health care facilities in the indigenous community of Moosonee, a long-term care home for Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and a seniors long-term care facility in Rankin Inlet.

They add that the current facility in Wiikwemkoong has reached the end of its life expectancy, and it is vital for the community to ensure elders can stay in their community to not only share their knowledge and experience with younger generations and remain close to their families but also to not be subjected to another era of assimilation.

[Petitions, December 11th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to table a petition signed by people in northern Ontario who are calling on the House of Commons to recognize the impact to their representation of reducing the number of electoral districts in the region following the report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission.

Their collective appeal is to ensure that the number of electoral districts in northern Ontario is maintained at 10 by modifying the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act. The petitioners are looking to the House to respect the Supreme Court of Canada's 1991 Carter decision, which states, “Effective representation and good government in this country compel that factors other than voter parity, such as geography and community interests, be taken into account in setting electoral boundaries.”

I want to thank Dr. Andréane Chénier for going out and getting a lot of signatures on this petition.

[Petitions, December 11th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I stand to table a petition signed by residents of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and others near the region, who are calling on the Government of Canada to assist in the funding required to build a vital elders home facility in Wiikwemkoong. The petitioners note that funding has been received from the Government of Ontario, CMHC and community members, but a funding shortfall of $20 million remains.

Petitioners also note that the Government of Canada has also funded health care facilities in the largely indigenous community of Moosonee, a long-term care home for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and a seniors long-term care facility in Rankin Inlet.

The current facility in Wiikwemkoong has reached the end of its life expectancy, and it is vital for the community to ensure that elders can stay in their community to share their knowledge and experience with younger generations. Petitioners indicate that this would actually impact their ability to also remain in close proximity to their family. They also do not want to be subjected to another era of assimilation.

[Indigenous Policing, December 4th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, Juanita Migwans, also known as “Winnie”, a 30-year-old, first nation woman from M'Chigeeng First Nation has been missing since October 2. Her family, friends and the police fear she may have been taken by drug or human traffickers, or worse.

Last year, I stood in the House to decry the lack of resources provided to indigenous policing. UCCM Anishnaabe Police is doing all it can, but needs dedicated crime units to deal with increased human and drug trafficking.

Juanita’s case is a tragic reminder of the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. We must immediately recognize first nations police as essential services and fund them at a level that is equitable with all other non-indigenous police services. We must provide indigenous people with resources and develop a national missing indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people database that can be shared throughout Canada via a downloadable app. We must also ensure that the red dress alert is launched nationally.

Let there be no more missing sisters.

[Canada Water Agency, November 18th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is home to some of the planet's most vital resources. Chief among them is our abundance of fresh water. Our Great Lakes, aquifers and rivers are a critical part of our ecosystem and economy. Managing our water sources sustainably is vital, particularly in the face of potentially unsustainable industrial usage.

According to a Statistics Canada study, industrial water use accounts for 91.2% of our country's total water use, and it continues to rise.

While the federal government recently launched the Canada Water Agency, the agency's mandate must remain focused on keeping a close eye on the impact of climate change and industrial policy on our freshwater resources, particularly after the American president-elect commented on diverting Canadian water to the U.S. In Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, this work will have an impact on Lake Huron, Lake Superior and hundreds of lakes, rivers and aquifers. We must treat this issue with urgency in order to protect and manage this vital resource for generations.

[Privilege, November 8th, 2024]

We will check.

And the count having been taken:

There is quorum.

The hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona.

[Points of Order, November 8th, 2024]

I am now going to read my decision on the point of order that was raised late during yesterday's sitting. A point of order was raised by the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader in relation to language used by the member for King—Vaughan when quoting from correspondence.

In quoting from the said document, the member for King—Vaughan had taken the appropriate step of replacing the name of the Prime Minister by his title; however, she did read into the record a relatively strong and offensive term in relation to that member. In his intervention, the parliamentary secretary argued that one should not do indirectly what cannot be done directly. As we were getting close to the Adjournment Proceedings, I undertook to take the matter under consideration and come back to the House if necessary.

First off, it is an acceptable practice for members to quote from correspondence they receive. As mentioned in the House of Commons Procedure and Practice, third edition, at page 614:

[Members] may quote from private correspondence as long as they identify the sender by name or take full responsibility for its contents

It also says, on the same page, that:

There is no Standing Order which governs the citation of documents; the House is guided mainly by custom and precedent. Generally, the reading of articles from newspapers, books or other documents by a Member during debate has become an accepted practice and is not ruled out of order provided that such quotations do not...use language which would be out of order if spoken by a Member.

This principle has been confirmed by multiple rulings by Speakers. For example, in Speaker Milliken’s ruling of November 8, 2006, on page 4895 of the Debates, he pointed out, and I quote:

Hon. members cannot do indirectly what they cannot do directly. Using language that is unparliamentary because they are quoting somebody is not satisfactory. We will not have these quotes read this way.

I would urge all members to stay away from such comments even when quoting from documents. Taking unparliamentary language from a quotation and then attributing it to another individual does not make it more acceptable.

I thank all members for their attention.

[Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, October 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, elders, health care workers, the band council and family members of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory are working exceptionally hard to replace their aging long-term care home. Built in 1972, the current elders' home is at capacity and no longer meets current regulations. Detailed plans have already been designed for an expanded facility, but they need further investments to ensure that elders can age with dignity close to family and friends, as the licence is set to expire in June 2025.

The community has secured $49 million for this project and needs Indigenous Services Canada to cover the funding shortfall. The existing facility must not close without having another one ready to transition current residents within the community. Failure to do so would retraumatize residents, who are residential school survivors, and reduce their ability to pass on their historical knowledge and teachings. Time is of the essence. Indigenous Services Canada and the finance minister must ensure the $20 million requested is advanced for this new elders' home.

[Business of Supply, September 26th, 2024]

What I indicated was that when the Speaker was here, he indicated that he was not sure who had said what and that they would be reviewing the tape and we would come back to the House. Therefore, I just want to ask members to please wait until that decision comes back. There were two other points raised that I want to address.

The first one was from the hon. member for Edmonton Griesbach, and I am glad that I am able to come back to that. Sometimes, I cannot hear everything perfectly at this end of the House, and I do not think that all Chairs can either, but what was said was, “We are expecting a quick and judicious response to what is extreme cowardice from...that side of the House.” After reviewing this and after discussion, we recognize that this is not directed directly to any particular party. The member said “that side of the House”. Therefore, I want to indicate that the hon. member will be able to speak. I am not going to ask him to withdraw the comment, but I do want to ask members to please be careful with respect to how they say things because it does create quite a difficult situation. Again, we are all hon. members and we should all be conducting ourselves according to what is expected of us.

There was another point of order, which was raised by the hon. member for Cariboo—Prince George, about what the hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona had indicated. After reviewing the footage on that, I do not see an issue with what was said. It was not directed at members here. The member for Edmonton Strathcona specifically said, “Conservative social media people...identified as being in the pocket of Putin”, so it was not referencing individuals here in the House.

Again, I want to ask members to please be careful with respect to how things are said. Sometimes, they are misunderstood or misconstrued.

The hon. deputy government House leader has a point of order.