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Monday, May 25, 2020 (No. 37)

Orders of the Day

Government Orders

Business of Supply

December 5, 2019 — The President of the Treasury Board — Consideration of the business of supply.

Supply period ending June 23, 2020 — maximum of five allotted days, pursuant to order made Monday, April 20, 2020.

Days to be allotted — five days in current period.

Opposition Motions

December 6, 2019 — — That, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practices of the House: (a) the membership of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics be constituted by each party whip depositing with the Clerk of the House the list of their members to serve on the committee no later than December 16, 2019; (b) the Clerk of the House shall convene an organization meeting of the said committee for no later than December 19, 2019; and (c) the committee be directed to conduct hearings on the matter of the Prime Minister’s breaches of the Conflict of Interest Act with the view to proposing new penalties under the Conflict of Interest Act.

Notice also received from:

— December 6, 2019

December 6, 2019 — — That the House condemn the Government of Canada’s vote of “yes” on November 19, 2019, on United Nations Resolution A/C.3/74/L.58 and express regret over the Government of Canada’s abandonment of the State of Israel.

December 6, 2019 — — That, given the government’s failure to negotiate a new softwood lumber agreement and its failure to address or even acknowledge the growing forestry crisis in British Columbia, the House call upon the government to table, within three months, a plan that includes specific actions that will help workers, communities and the forest industry to mitigate this crisis.

Notice also received from:

— December 6, 2019

December 6, 2019 — — That, given the fact that provincial premiers from across the political spectrum have requested that “the federal government pursue improvements to the federal environmental assessment regime to ensure regulatory certainty, globally competitive timelines, and the full implementation of ‘one project, one assessment’ by exempting projects that fall within provincial-territorial jurisdiction from mandatory federal impact assessment”, the House call upon the government to set out a timeline for undertaking consultation with provinces and territories, and for enacting meaningful change in order to address these concerns.

Notice also received from:

— December 6, 2019

December 6, 2019 — — That the House call on the government to implement strong environment policies that strengthen the competitiveness of our economic sectors and tackle global climate change, such as the Green Patent Credit, the Canadian Clean brand, the Green Home Renovation Tax Credit, and ending raw sewage dumps.

Notice also received from:

— December 6, 2019

December 6, 2019 — — That the House recognize that:

(a) more and more middle class Canadians are struggling in a weakening economy;

(b) October 2019 had the highest number of personal bankruptcies in a decade, the most since the global financial crisis;

(d) under this government from 2016 to 2018, inflation-adjusted wages have barely budged, rising just 0.5% over three years;

(e) 48% of Canadians are within $200 of not being able to pay their bills and debt obligations, and 10% of Canadians are within $100;

(f) 33% of Canadians have no money left at the end of the month and are falling further into debt;

(g) businesses are leaving Canada because of this government’s tax hikes and harmful regulations;

(h) investment in plants and equipment by Canadian businesses has fallen by 20% over the past five years, the worst performance in more than five decades;

(i) foreign direct investment into Canada has fallen by 56% since this government came to power;

(j) since 2017, over $100 billion of investment in the energy sector has been cancelled;

(k) the United States outgrew Canada in three of the last four years and is projected to outgrow us by two-thirds this year;

(l) economist David Rosenberg has calculated that Canada’s per-capita gross domestic product could be shrinking; and

(m) five G8 countries have a significantly lower unemployment rate than does Canada, including Japan, Germany, the United States, Russia and the United Kingdom.

Notice also received from:

— December 6, 2019

January 31, 2020 — — That, in light of the continued concerns on the prevalence of money laundering in Canada and the failure of the government to take appropriate action, the House call upon the government to: (a) immediately meet the funding commitments previously promised to combat money laundering; and (b) take into consideration and support the current British Columbia public inquiry on this matter, including directing the RCMP to do so; and that the Standing Committee on Finance be instructed to (i) conduct a study into the current lack of progress on solving the money laundering crisis, (ii) invite the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and any additional witnesses the committee deems appropriate, (iii) report back to the House.

Notice also received from:

— January 31, 2020

January 31, 2020 — — That, given the government ignored warnings from former members of the Parole Board of Canada that the changes to the nomination process to the board introduced by the Liberal government in 2017 caused shortages of experienced members which led to an individual being granted day parole and encouraged by the Parole Board, despite a history of violence against women, to obtain sexual services from vulnerable women, resulting in the murder of a young woman in Quebec, the House call on the government to conduct a public inquiry into the Parole Board of Canada and its appointment process.

Notice also received from:

— January 31, 2020

February 13, 2020 — — That the House call on the government to not authorize the Teck Frontier mine development, as this project cannot be reconciled with the Paris Agreement targets.

Notice also received from:

— February 13, 2020

February 13, 2020 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the Old Age Security pension should be increased starting at age 65 to avoid creating two classes of seniors.

Notice also received from:

— February 13, 2020

February 18, 2020 — — That the House has lost confidence in the government.

February 18, 2020 — — That the House condemn the government’s inaction in response to the illegal blockades of railways, highways and bridges by activists not impacted by the Coastal GasLink project, and call on the government to take action immediately to restore access to important economic infrastructure.

Notice also received from:

, , , and — February 18, 2020

February 18, 2020 — — That the House request that the Parliamentary Budget Officer deliver a report no later than March 31, 2020, quantifying the financial impact of the current rail disruption on individuals, companies, and the Canadian economy.

Notice also received from:

, , , and — February 18, 2020

February 18, 2020 — — That the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development be instructed to conduct a study of the alleged funding by foreign groups of protestors against the Canadian energy sector, including those involved in the current illegal blockades.

Notice also received from:

, , , and — February 18, 2020

February 18, 2020 — — That the House endorse the recommendations of the independent Joint Review Panel and call on the government to approve the Teck Frontier mine project.

Notice also received from:

, , and — February 18, 2020

February 21, 2020 — — That, given that (i) the proposed Teck Frontier mine project would emit significant greenhouse gases and make it impossible for Canada to meet its international climate change commitments, (ii) the Teck CEO has admited that the price of oil could be far too low to justify moving forward with the project, (iii) even if approved, the enhanced impacts of climate change would lead to massive insurance and economic costs far beyond any economic benefits of the project, the House urge the government to: (a) reject the proposed Teck Frontier mine project; and (b) invest in a real plan for workers and communities affected by the ongoing global economic transition, including significant new investments in green infrastructure projects, renewable energy, public transit, retrofitting of homes and public buildings, and environmental cleanup.

Notice also received from:

— February 21, 2020

February 21, 2020 — — That the House call on the government to include in budget 2020 a new 1% wealth tax on wealth over $20 million, as is currently in place in many other countries, in order to ask the very richest multimillionaires to pay a bit more towards our shared services.

Notice also received from:

— February 21, 2020

February 21, 2020 — — That, given that (i) the government paid $1 billion more than market value for the Trans Mountain pipeline project, (ii) the cost of this project continues to increase, now reaching nearly $20 billion, (iii) this project now represents the biggest fossil fuel subsidy in Canadian history, the House: (a) urge the government to immediately cancel this project and instead target those investments toward measures aimed at building a clean economy, sustainable jobs, and making life more affordable for all Canadians; and (b) instruct the Standing Committee on Finance to conduct a comprehensive study of fossil fuel subsidies, including tax credits, direct grants, loans and loan guarantees from Export Development Canada.

Notice also received from:

— February 21, 2020

February 21, 2020 — — That the House call on the government to implement the full recommendations of the final report of the Hoskins Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, commencing with the immediate initiation of multilateral negotiations with the provinces and territories to establish a new, dedicated fiscal transfer to support universal, single-payer, public pharmacare that will be long-term, predictable, fair and acceptable to provinces and territories.

Notice also received from:

— February 21, 2020

February 21, 2020 — — That the House call on the Prime Minister to reach out immediately to the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs to set up a meeting as soon as possible with a view to helping resolve the current crisis and showing all Canadians that Canada is truly committed to reconciliation.

Notice also received from:

and — February 21, 2020

February 26, 2020 — — That the House express its grave disappointment in the loss of jobs, investment, and tax revenue that the Teck Frontier mine project would have generated and call on the government to take immediate steps to restart the project.

Notice also received from:

— February 26, 2020

February 26, 2020 — — That the House call on the government to table, no later than 30 days from the adoption of this motion, a comprehensive economic impact assessment of the decline of the natural resource sector to include, but not be limited to, its impact on (i) cancelled and foregone projects, (ii) jobs across the country, (iii) other sectors of the economy, (iv) Canada’s gross domestic product, (v) federal and provincial government revenue, (vi) transfers to other levels of government; and that the Standing Committee on Natural Resources be instructed to conduct a study on the above topics to begin no later than 14 days from the adoption of this motion, and, as part of this study, review the government’s assessment referred to above.

Notice also received from:

— February 26, 2020

February 26, 2020 — — That the House express its regret over the cancellation of the Teck Frontier project and affirm its support of the continued expansion and development of the oil sands.

Notice also received from:

— February 26, 2020

February 26, 2020 — — That the House recognize that the cancellation of the Teck Frontier project has serious consequences for jobs across the country and call on the government to engage with Teck Resources to determine the conditions necessary for them to proceed with the Frontier project.

Notice also received from:

— February 26, 2020

February 26, 2020 — — That the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security both be instructed to conduct a study on the government’s response to the rail blockades and report back to the House within three months following the adoption of this motion to propose legislative amendments that would ensure that the law is enforced.

Notice also received from:

and — February 26, 2020

March 5, 2020 — — That an order of the House do issue for any document prepared by any department, agency and Crown corporation since November 4, 2015, discussing warnings or concerns of economic downturns, their potential impact on the fiscal framework, or advice or recommendations on how to deal with them; that the documents be provided to the House before the government presents its 2020 budget; and that no ways and means motion shall be tabled in the House until the documents are tabled.

Notice also received from:

— March 5, 2020

March 5, 2020 — — That, in relation to the blockades of railways, highways, bridges and at ports across Canada, the House request that the Parliamentary Budget Officer deliver a report on their economic impact no later than 30 days following the adoption of this motion on the economic impact, and call on the government to prepare and table its economic impact assessment no later than 30 days following the adoption of this motion; and that: (a) the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities be instructed to conduct a study to begin by March 23, 2020, on the ability of our transportation infrastructure to withstand a future incident; (b) the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security be instructed to conduct a study to begin by March 23, 2020, on emergency preparedness and responses concerning threats to critical transportation infrastructure; (c) the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs be instructed to study to begin by March 23, 2020, on the impact on reconciliation; and (d) the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food be instructed to study to begin by March 23, 2020, on the impact on farmers, producers and agriculture-food processors.

Notice also received from:

, , and — March 5, 2020

March 5, 2020 — — That, in the opinion of the House, the government should:

(a) follow the advice of allied nations and immediately ban Huawei from Canada's future 5G network;

(b) consider Canadian, North American and other trusted multinational 5G options;

(d) reassure the United States that Canada is dedicated to an integrated North American intelligence and defence network; and

(e) do everything in its power to counter espionage, enhance critical infrastructure protection, adapt to the modern cyber environment, and ensure that Canada's security network is infallible from both foreign and domestic threats.

Notice also received from:

— March 5, 2020

March 5, 2020 — — That, in the opinion of the House, no Crown corporation or federal government entity should sue a federal political party over the content of its election advertising.

Notice also received from:

— March 5, 2020

March 5, 2020 — — That an order of the House do issue for any document prepared by any department, agency and Crown corporation since November 4, 2015, discussing warnings or concerns of economic downturns or their potential impact on the fiscal framework; and that the documents be provided to the House within 45 days following the adoption of this motion.

Notice also received from:

— March 5, 2020

March 5, 2020 — — That an order of the House do issue for any document prepared by any department, agency and Crown corporation since November 4, 2015, discussing warnings or concerns of economic downturns or their potential impact on the fiscal framework; that the documents be provided to the House before the government presents its 2020 budget; and that no ways and means motion shall be tabled in the House until the documents are tabled.

Notice also received from:

— March 5, 2020

March 10, 2020 — — That the House: (a) express concern that the government is failing to show leadership in preparing for the serious issue of a possible outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Canada; and (b) call on the government to (i) improve federal safety protocols to ensure that front-line health care workers are safe, and that the equipment they need is available, (ii) make sure that workers who self-quarantine when showing symptoms but who do not have sick leave are not left to pay out of pocket for having made the right decision for public health, (iii) move forward with an economic stimulus and job creation strategy to help support Canadians and the Canadian economy in light of possible reduced economic growth as a consequence of COVID-19 and other recent events.

Notice also received from:

— March 10, 2020

March 10, 2020 — — That the House:

(a) acknowledge the struggle that far too many Canadian seniors experience in paying their monthly bills, and the important role that the Guaranteed Income Supplement and the Old Age Security (OAS) program play in supporting seniors across the country;

(b) express its disapproval of the increase in the OAS eligibility age from 65 to 67 years under the Harper government;

(c) express its disapproval of the government’s plan to limit its planned OAS increase to seniors aged 75 years and older; and

(d) call on the government to provide a fair OAS increase that applies to all Canadian seniors aged 65 and older.

Notice also received from:

and — March 10, 2020

March 10, 2020 — — That, in the face of a possible global economic downturn, the House urge the government to invest in stimulating the economy in order to help create good jobs and protect services we all count on, including (i) investing an additional $14 billion in housing over the next four years to start building 500,000 new affordable housing units over 10 years, (ii) investing an additional $1.5 billion in clean transit and transportation to modernize and expand public transit in communities, including for rural and inter-city transportation, and supporting the transition towards electric transit, (iii) investing in apprenticeships, training and transition for workers in order to support the shift towards renewable energy and ensure that workers impacted by this transition have a full range of supports, (iv) recognizing that investing in public services, including by creating a national single-payer public pharmacare program, would help stimulate the economy while making life more affordable for everyone and strengthening our health care system.

Notice also received from:

— March 10, 2020

March 10, 2020 — — That, in the face of a possible global economic downturn, the House call on the government to present a plan to the House which is aimed at stimulating the economy, creating good-paying jobs, and helping tackle the uncertainty facing Canadians, including by investing in (i) a universal and fully public pharmacare system, (ii) building 500,000 affordable housing units to help Canadians access the housing they need, (iii) energy-efficient retrofits for homes and public buildings to help Canadians save money and reduce emissions, (iv) renewable energy, including support to ensure that workers impacted by the transition to a low-carbon future have a full range of support, (v) increasing support for workers, including those who need to stay home because of coronavirus, as well as those impacted by the economic downturn who need expanded Employment Insurance access and coverage.

Notice also received from:

— March 10, 2020

March 10, 2020 — — That the House urge the government to take immediate action to make our tax system fairer and more progressive, including by (i) making the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share by introducing a tax on wealth above $20 million, a measure that could raise approximately $6 billion per year, (ii) cracking down on tax havens, which could raise revenues by about $5.5 billion, (iii) putting in place a housing speculation tax, which could raise approximately $350 million each year, (iv) expanding Canada Revenue Agency enforcement against corporate tax avoidance, which could boost revenue by half a billion dollars annually.

Notice also received from:

— March 10, 2020

May 21, 2020 — — That the House recognize that its deliberations during the COVID-19 pandemic have been to the benefit of Canadians, recall that the House has previously sat during wars, pandemics, economic depressions and national unity challenges, and, therefore, declares itself to be an "essential service"; and, in preparation for a resumption of its regular sitting schedule, call upon the whips of the recognized parties and authorize the Speaker, with the agreement of those whips, to continue to respect health guidelines for physical distancing and determine: (a) a maximum number of members present in the Chamber, with the objective of accommodating approximately 50 members simultaneously (subject to adjustment if public health guidance changes); (b) a manner of voting; and (c) a mechanism whereby all standing and special committees may hold virtual meetings while exercising the same powers they possess at physical meetings in Ottawa.

Notice also received from:

, and — May 21, 2020

May 21, 2020 — — That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House:

(a) until Monday, September 21, 2020, the application of Standing Order 17 be suspended;

(b) until Monday, September 21, 2020, the Standing Orders be amended as follows: (i) in Standing Order 26(2), by replacing the word “15” with “five”, (ii) in Standing Order 53(4), by replacing the word “10” with “five”, (iii) in Standing Order 56.1(3), by replacing the word “25” with “five”;

(c) until Monday, September 21, 2020, the Speaker may, to ensure physical distancing, regulate the presence of members within the chamber, provided that at least 23 members of the government party, 18 members of the official opposition, five members of the Bloc Québécois, four members of the New Democratic Party and one member who is not a member of a recognized party may be present at any given time;

(d) until Monday, September 21, 2020, the Speaker may, with the agreement of the whips of the recognized parties, modify any procedure, practice or standing order related to the taking of recorded divisions, for the purpose of respecting public health guidance concerning physical distancing, including (i) the number of members required to demand the taking of a recorded division, (ii) the length of time the bells are sounded to call in the members, (iii) the time when members may vote, (iv) the method by which members may indicate their votes, (v) the location within, or adjacent to, the chamber where members may indicate their votes, (vi) the timing and means by which each member’s vote is announced within the chamber, (vii) the requirement for members to be present in the chamber from the reading of the question until the declaration of the result, provided that any modifications shall be announced by the Speaker to the House before they apply;

(e) until Monday, September 21, 2020, standing, special and legislative committees are authorized to hold virtual meetings where members may attend and witnesses shall participate remotely by video or teleconference, provided that (i) committee members attending by video or teleconference shall be counted for the purposes of quorum, (ii) requests pursuant to Standing Order 106(4) may be submitted to the clerk of the committee by e-mail, (iii) notices of membership substitutions pursuant to Standing Order 114(2) may be filed with the clerk of the committee by e-mail;

(f) until Monday, September 21, 2020, priority for the use of House resources shall be given to committee meetings in the following order: (i) meetings of the Standing Committee on Health, (ii) meetings of the Standing Committee on Finance, (iii) meetings which are specified by the agreement of the whips of the recognized parties, (iv) all other meetings, in the order in which the meetings are convened;

(g) until Monday, September 21, 2020, any return, report or other paper to be presented to or laid before the House pursuant to any statute, standing order or other order of the House, any petition certified by the Clerk of Petitions and presented pursuant to Standing Order 36, and any committee report presented to the House, may be deposited or presented electronically when the House is sitting or, when it is adjourned, under the provisions of Standing Order 32(1);

(h) the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs be instructed to study (i) the implementation of paragraphs (a) to (g) of this order, for the purposes of recommending whether to renew their application for a further defined period of time, beyond Monday, September 21, 2020, (ii) the use of non-virtual alternatives to allow for greater physical participation by members, provided that the committee present a report no later than Friday, September 11, 2020, and any such report may be deposited electronically with the Clerk of the House, whenever it is ready, and be deemed to have been duly presented to the House on that date;

(i) the motion to ratify the appointment of Karen Hogan to the position of Auditor General of Canada, if not already disposed of, be deemed proposed and the question be put forthwith, without debate or amendment, immediately following the adoption of this order;

(j) for greater certainty, the following provisions remain in effect: (i) paragraphs (m) and (o) of the order adopted on Friday, March 13, 2020, (ii) paragraphs (i), (j), (l) and (m) of the order adopted on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, provided that, (A) in paragraph (i), all the words after the words “provided that,” be replaced with the following: “at any time the House stands adjourned pursuant to Standing Order 28(2), until Monday, September 21, 2020, if the committee is not satisfied with how the government is exercising its powers under the act, it may adopt a motion to report this to the House by depositing a report with the Clerk of the House which shall be deemed to be duly presented to the House on that day;”, (B) in paragraph (l), the words “the resumption of regular sittings of the House pursuant to paragraph (e) of (f) of this order” be replaced with the words “the present sitting”; and

(k) in the event of the Speaker being unable to act for any purpose required by this order, owing to illness or other cause, the Deputy Speaker or either of the Assistant Deputy Speakers shall act in the Speaker’s stead for any such purpose.

Notice also received from:

, and — May 21, 2020

May 21, 2020 — — That the House call on the Auditor General of Canada to audit all federal programs associated with Canada's COVID-19 response and to complete all previously-scheduled audits and all audits requested by the House; and call on the government to provide the Office of the Auditor General all the funding it needs to carry out these audits and any other work it deems appropriate.

Notice also received from:

, , , and — May 21, 2020

Ways and Means

No. 1 — December 9, 2019 — — Consideration of a ways and means motion to amend the Income Tax Act and related regulations. — Sessional Paper No. 8570-431-1, tabled on Monday, December 9, 2019.

Government Bills (Commons)

C-3^R — February 21, 2020 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act and the Canada Border Services Agency Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security.

C-6 — February 24, 2020 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's call to action number 94), be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs;

And of the amendment of , seconded by , — That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word "That" and substituting the following:

“the House decline to give second reading to Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's call to action number 94), since the existing oath of citizenship already includes the profound promise of citizens to faithfully observe the laws of Canada and the bill does nothing to support real action to address reconciliation with Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples”.

C-7 — February 27, 2020 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by , — That Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

C-8 — March 9, 2020 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights of Bill C-8, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy).

C-9 — March 10, 2020 — — Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development of Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Chemical Weapons Convention Implementation Act.

Government Bills (Senate)

Government Business

No. 1 — December 2, 2019 — — That the House consider the Canadian economy and recognize that cutting taxes for the middle class by raising the basic personal amount will help lift more Canadians out of poverty and grow the economy.

No. 2 — December 2, 2019 — — That the House consider the Canadian economy and recognize that cutting taxes for the middle class by raising the basic personal amount will help lift more Canadians out of poverty and grow the economy.

No. 4 — April 20, 2020 — Resuming consideration of the motion of , seconded by Mr. Duclos (President of the Treasury Board), — That the House take note of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.


^R Recommended by the Governor General

House Publications

Orders of the Day

Government Orders

Business of Supply

Ways and Means

Government Bills (Commons)

Government Bills (Senate)

Government Business