Gord Johns
Courtenay—Alberni, British Columbia · NDP · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, we recall that the United Nations special rapporteur warned that Canada's temporary foreign worker program can create conditions resembling modern-day slavery. Last month, the San Group, a company operating in Port Alberni, was fined $429,000 and banned for two years for serious violations involving migrant workers.”
“Mr. Speaker, as I highlighted earlier, a Port Alberni company was fined $429,000 for its violation in its treatment of migrant workers, and it was given a two-year ban. Clearly, two years is not enough. The company operates other companies, and the rumour is that it actually has temporary foreign workers working for them as well.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to bring us back to a part of the conversation in which my colleague talked about the government's removing regulations on dangerous pesticides. Just last week, the Prime Minister announced his food security strategy, and the Liberals are removing important regulations that protect Canadians regarding pesticides.”
“Temporary foreign workers are often hired without the labour market opinion having been done in the right way. Workers who are looking for work are not getting hired. We hear in my riding about abuses of workers by employers, but there is no follow-up. There is nothing. When workers are in trouble, they are not supported.”
“I would like to hear from my colleague about whether, when food security and food sovereignty matter more than ever, my colleague sees the importance of the government's pausing its changes on these regulations, pausing these cuts and actually working with farmers to protect Canada's public agricultural research system?”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all my colleagues for allowing that to happen. Today is Brain Injury Awareness Day. It is an honour to table this petition on behalf of the families impacted by 165,000 new cases annually of brain injury in our country.”
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“New Democrats in the House and across Canada are fighting to ensure Canadians can access the medicine they need while the Liberals continue to delay and side with powerful industry interests. In B.C., pharmacare coverage began on March 1 because the B.C. NDP government pushed for it and the provincial health minister Josie Osborne acted quickly. She signed a deal. Families in B.C. are getting that relief, but families in the rest of the country are still waiting. They are waiting because the federal government is refusing to negotiate. A truly national pharmacare program would guarantee the security Canadians need at a time of economic uncertainty. If the Liberals fail to meet their commitment, they are going to have to explain to Canadians why they are breaking yet another promise.”
“The Prime Minister was just on CBC two days ago touting his commitment to pharmacare. Even today in question period, he rightly criticised the Conservatives for voting against pharmacare, but only three provinces and one territory actually have an agreement. Yesterday we saw that, in the spring economic update, the word pharmacare is mentioned only once. It signals that the Liberals are walking away from their commitment to the national pharmacare plan they ran on during the last election. This has real consequences. People are skipping prescriptions. They are cutting pills in half. They are choosing between paying rent and filling a prescription. In a country as wealthy as Canada, this should never happen. This is not what Canadians were promised, like I said in the last election.”
“Meanwhile, the Liberal MP for Labrador defends pharmacare as putting money back in Canadians' pockets. On Prince Edward Island, the federal government has moved slowly, and its provincial health minister says that the federal government has told them that pharmacare funds will expire in 2029 and will not be renewed. Meanwhile, the member for Cardigan claimed that pharmacare is a key program for all Canadians. Nova Scotia is ready to negotiate, but it is still waiting for an invitation. Meanwhile, the member for Cumberland—Colchester described pharmacare as an essential service that Liberals will continue to protect. Their premier says he cannot even get a meeting to negotiate a deal. These provinces want in. They are ready to work, but they are being shut out while these Liberals pat themselves on the back. That is not nation building.”
“The promise was that we were going to start with universal free access to diabetes medicine and birth control. It was highly celebrated by the Liberals. Right now, only three provinces and one territory are covered. That is about 17% of Canadians. More than four out of five Canadians cannot access the federal pharmacare plan today. This means access to life-saving diabetes medicine or birth control coverage depends on where someone lives. It depends on their postal code. While I hate to do this, I must mention that this inaction comes while many Liberal MPs are bragging about a national pharmacare program that their own constituents cannot even access. In Newfoundland and Labrador, for example, the provincial health minister said that the federal Liberal government has closed the door on negotiations.”
“Mr. Speaker, just like last week, and just like the week before, I am here tonight to drag the government in here to hold it to account and to ensure that it protects and enhances our public health care system and follows through with its promises. I will just serve notice that I will be dragging the government back in here again next week if it does not take some action. No one in Canada, not our kids, parents or grandparents, should have to worry about the cost of medication they need to stay healthy, but that is exactly what is happening today. Canadians were promised the beginning of a national pharmacare program. We actually voted on it. They were promised a single-payer system that serves people, not a patchwork system that leaves millions behind.”
“Petitioners are calling on the government to support Bill C-201 and legislate parity between physical and mental health in Canada's universal public health care system to ensure timely access to evidence-based, culturally appropriate and publicly funded mental health and substance use services beyond hospital and physician settings. Third, petitioners are calling on the government to establish the Canada mental health transfer that the Liberals promised to sustainably fund the provision of mental health and substance use services, and to immediately disburse an initial investment of $4.5 billion for mental health care and substance use services to the provinces and territories.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table a petition on behalf of constituents on Vancouver Island. Petitioners are highlighting that Canada is experiencing a mental health and substance use crisis that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. They highlight that too many Canadians are unable to access mental health or substance use supports in a timely manner, that the lack of access to community-based mental health and substance use services increases demands on hospital emergency rooms and primary care providers, and that untreated and inadequately treated mental illness carries significant social and economic costs.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government's decision to end the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires' preferential contracting threatens jobs for veterans who rely on it for stable work after service, while potentially shifting contracts to for-profit firms. For decades, Commissionaires has supported their transition from serving our nation in the Canadian Armed Forces or the RCMP with dignity. Why is the Minister of Veterans Affairs moving ahead without any consultation with the commissionaires, and will she instead reverse these arbitrary procurement changes before veterans pay the price?”
“Does the leader of the official opposition support our proposal that if people are on disability in their province or territory, they should automatically qualify? Do the Conservatives support increasing the Canada disability benefit for those living with disabilities?”
“Mr. Speaker, we know that people living with disabilities who qualify get $200 for the Canada disability benefit. That is very meagre and the Liberals offered nothing in terms of an increase, despite the high rates of inflation. Also, we talked to the Liberals and brought forward ideas about improving the disability tax credit form to honour people who are living with disabilities in their province or territory so they would automatically qualify. What do the Liberals do? They tinker with the form and say it is good enough, but it is costing 250,000 doctor-hours a year and one million patient visits just to fill out that form. That red tape alone is a reason to honour people living with disabilities in their province or territory.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister cannot go on TV one day and claim that pharmacare is a nation-building program for all Canadians, and the next day allow entire provinces to be excluded. Newfoundland and Labrador's health minister says that the federal government has closed the door on negotiations. Right now, where one lives determines whether one can access essential medications. People are being left out altogether. That is not a national program. It is patchwork. Why is this government abandoning Newfoundland and Labrador and so many other provinces and territories while claiming that pharmacare is for all Canadians?”
“The petitioners call on the federal government to support Motion No. 20 and work with provinces and territories, indigenous peoples, labour unions and other stakeholders to develop and implement a national strategy for addressing the mental health impacts of emergencies, including those arising from natural disasters and mass casualty events.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table a petition on behalf of my constituents. The petitioners highlight that the threat of wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters is on the rise as a result of climate change; that mass casualty events, including the 2018 Fredericton shooting and the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster, leave scars on their communities for years afterward; that evacuations, property loss, grief and uncertainty resulting from emergencies have shown to have lasting impacts on mental health and can exasperate mental illness; that, in November 2025, a grizzly attack on a school field near Bella Coola in British Columbia severely injured students and a staff member, leaving students and families in the wider Nuxalk community coping with ongoing trauma, which highlights the need for accessible mental health supports in remote communities; that Australia, New Zealand and the United States have introduced federal frameworks for addressing mental health following large-scale emergencies; and that the federal government is involved in emergency management, often in collaboration with provincial, territorial and indigenous governments.”
“Mr. Speaker, on the west coast, commercial fish harvesters, the people actually doing the fishing, are being pushed out. Corporate concentration and growing foreign ownership of licences and quota are driving up costs and draining wealth out of coastal communities. We do not even know who owns much of this quota because there is no public registry. Meanwhile, on the east coast, an owner-operator model protects independent fish harvesters and keeps the value in local communities. It is like we are living in two different countries. When will the Liberals fix this and bring in a west coast owner-operator model, increase transparency and stop foreign and corporate ownership of our fisheries?”
“They call on the government to reverse these planned cuts of 665 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada staff and the closure of the organic and regenerative research program at Swift Current and of the Lacombe, Guelph, Quebec City, Indian Head, Scott, Portage la Prairie and Nappan research facilities.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present this petition on behalf of farmers across this country who have signed this petition. They cite that, in January, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced plans to cut 665 positions, primarily scientific, technical and support staff carrying out agricultural research, and close seven research facilities. They cite that the affected positions and facilities are essential to Canadian agriculture, representing an irreplaceable investment in facilities, equipment and highly educated personnel; an irreplaceable knowledge base; essential infrastructure for public plant breeding needed to address critical production challenges to provide ongoing success for farmers and our agricultural economy; and a strategic asset to safeguard Canadians' ability to feed ourselves.”
“In budget 2025, the government is proposing a so-called strategic financing framework to coordinate funding across Crown corporations and agencies. At a time when families are facing rising costs and communities are dealing with the impacts of climate change, Canadians deserve to know exactly what that means. Does it mean more public money flowing to oil and gas? Does it mean more risk being shifted onto taxpayers? Will the government come clean about how much more it plans to give to big polluters, and why?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberals may try to dismiss these concerns, but Canadians can see what is happening. The government is still funding big oil, with over $30 billion in taxpayer money and subsidies, while refusing to be transparent about the real cost. We have already seen the consequences. Projects like the Trans Mountain expansion have shown that public financing of fossil fuel infrastructure can leave Canadians carrying the risk, while private interests take the reward, while new oil and gas development risks millions more carbon-related deaths and while charter rights concerns pile up for an ever-shrinking market. These oil and gas subsidies make no economic sense, force Canadians to pay for their own climate catastrophe and could violate international law.”
“Is the government going to commit to a pipeline and tanker project that ignores indigenous consent, deepens the climate crisis and exposes Canadians to financial and legal risk, or will it respect rights, protect communities and invest in a sustainable future by cancelling this backroom deal?”
“Internationally, an ICJ advisory opinion finds: The failure of a state to take appropriate action to protect the climate system from [greenhouse gas] emissions, including through fossil fuel production, fossil fuel consumption, the granting of fossil fuel exploration licenses, or the provision of fossil fuel fuel subsidies, may constitute an internationally wrongful act.... It is absurd to ask Canadian taxpayers to subsidize big oil and then go back to ask them to finance their own climate crisis, but that is exactly what the Liberals are doing here. Canadians deserve clarity.”
“We have seen the devastating effects of wildfire smoke, including the tragic death of nine-year-old Carter Vigh. Health Canada points out that these are not distant risks. These are happening now. There are also growing legal issues. Cases before the courts argue that government failure on climate action violates Canadian charter rights to life, liberty and security of the person. A case in Ontario supported by Ecojustice reached all the way to the superior court before the provincial government gutted its environmental regulations to evade legal scrutiny.”
“The top five Canadian oil companies made over $25 billion in profits just last year and will make $90 billion in windfall profits from the war on Iran. Big oil is already raking in profits off a pipeline they wanted but refused to buy, and now they want another one. While the Liberals and Conservatives will not even ask big oil to support relief for everyday people through a windfall profits tax, the government is instead subsidizing them further with a gas tax cut that big oil should be covering. Between this MOU and the over $1.8 billion in subsidies for mainly foreign-owned LNG projects, the government appears ready to repeat the same mistake it made with TMX. These giveaways to polluters also hurt our health and the health of future generations. We remember the hundreds who died in the 2021 heat dome in British Columbia.”
“We have seen this film before with the Trans Mountain expansion. In two separate investigations, the Parliamentary Budget Officer found TMX to be a net loss. Since the government purchased the pipeline in 2018, its costs have ballooned from $7.4 billion to $34 billion. In the long term, subsidizing fossil fuel export infrastructure is a losing game and a bad investment. In a climate-safe scenario, around 70% of new LNG projects would never recover their costs due to low demand and a structural oversupply. Carbon Tracker projects that, in the long term, the financial risks of new Canadian oil and gas projects are double their potential rewards, and while taxpayers lose out, big oil is reaping the rewards.”
“Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight on behalf of those who have been cut out of the conversation on the Liberals' pipeline MOU with Alberta Premier, Danielle Smith, and the Canadian taxpayers who are continually on the hook for big oil subsidies. It is time for their voices to be heard. The MOU fails to respect first nations' emphatic stance against a new pipeline to the north coast; fails to respect the crucial principle of free, prior and informed consent; and fails to respect the B.C. government's clear stance that the oil tanker moratorium must stay in place. However, there is another group this MOU fails to respect, which is Canadian taxpayers. The federal government already subsidizes fossil fuels to the tune of $30 billion, and with no proponent lined up, this new pipeline could be yet another taxpayer-funded, subsidized boondoggle.”
“We need to be honest about how we got here. In 1992, the government pulled out of housing. We know this can be fixed. There are plenty of opportunities, but let us face it: The opportunity is now. Keep public land public, build housing, fund it properly and prioritize veterans and their families.”
“At a time of a housing crisis, these lands should be used to house people, especially those most affected, including veterans and their families, and of course, indigenous peoples. No veteran and no veteran's family should ever be without a home in this country. We have heard directly from veterans about what this failure looks like in practice. From Comox Valley, retired sergeant William Webb, who served in the 1st Regiment of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, told a parliamentary committee in 2019 that after nearly 20 years of service, he cycled through nine case managers and ultimately became homeless. He said, “Case managers are not aware of what to do when a veteran, like me, is soon to be homeless and then becomes homeless.” If the system does not know what to do when a veteran becomes homeless, then the system is not working.”
“However, the motion before us would not deliver that. We can see what works. In Esquimalt, the Veterans House, formerly known as Cockrell House, has been helping veterans transition out of homelessness with safe, stable and on-site supports. I also want to acknowledge Angus Stanfield from the Royal Canadian Legion for getting that off the ground. The model works. It provides dignity, stability and community. However, it totally relies on donations and volunteers, which is why it is not scaled up. Certainly, we need to implement and use government lands to ensure that all veterans have a safe place to live. We cannot be relying on non-profits to do what the government clearly has a responsibility to do.”
“This includes mental health supports for veterans and their families, suicide prevention, rehabilitation and other critical services in addition to housing. I also want to thank the Legions in my riding, across Vancouver Island and across this country and the local non-profit housing organizations that support people experiencing homelessness, including many that support military and RCMP veterans and their families. In the Comox Valley alone, 16 veterans have been identified as homeless, representing about 12% of the total homeless population. This should never happen in a country like Canada. The Government of Canada pledged a sacred obligation to support veterans and their families. This is to ensure care, compassion and respect. This is often, as members know, referred to as the “social covenant”.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for Cumberland—Colchester for bringing this motion forward and for raising this important issue about how we support veterans. This motion proposes a study on how unused federal lands and buildings could support veterans, including with housing and community services. We support studying these ideas, but let us be clear: This is a non-binding motion. It asks only for a study. Veterans do not live in studies. Already many of them are facing insecurity now, and we already know enough to act. If this motion passes and the government operations committee undertakes this study, it must hear directly from veterans about their lived experiences, including the veterans ombud, retired colonel Nishika Jardine, who has been working tirelessly to advance the concerns and urgent needs of veterans.”
“The government needs to recognize that and act: Stop the duplication, free up doctors, support people and let public servants do their job. Why will the Liberal government not act now and take this issue seriously?”
“Mr. Speaker, even though this is federal, clearly the Liberal government does not see this as its issue. During COVID, governments moved quickly. We cut red tape, trusted existing systems and delivered support when Canadians needed it most. We need that same urgency now. Today, doctors are losing valuable time to paperwork instead of seeing patients. People who qualify for the disability tax credit and the Canada disability benefit cannot access the supports they need because they cannot find a doctor to complete the form. Meanwhile, public servants are stuck managing a duplicative process and growing backlogs. When resources are scarce, every hour matters and every barrier matters. Provinces already assess eligibility.”
“My bill would streamline the process so that when a disability is recognized by a province or territory, it would automatically be recognized federally. This is a practical and common-sense fix. It would reduce barriers, improve access to benefits and free up doctors to focus on patient care. It would also ensure that people are not excluded simply because they cannot access a physician to complete their paperwork. Canadians deserve a system that works. New Democrats will continue to put forward practical solutions that relieve pressure on our health care system, respect health care workers and ensure that supports reach the very people who need them the most. It is time to fix the disability tax credit process once and for all.”
“Instead of fixing the system, the Liberal government is asking people to pay to get through it. It is just not okay. This is not a solution. Canadians deserve to know why these barriers remain. When eligible people cannot access supports, it raises serious ethical questions about whether the complexity is being used to limit access and make life harder rather than to improve outcomes. That is why I introduced Bill C-211 , which would make it easier for people with disabilities to access the benefits they are entitled to while reducing the paperwork burden on health care workers. Right now, Canadians are forced to prove the same disability over and over again across different levels of government.”
“Instead of removing barriers, the government is maintaining them. We are also learning from public servants at the Canada Revenue Agency who deal with the burdensome and duplicative process I identified that they are repeating the work that provinces and territories have already done. While a growing backlog of applications leaves Canadians waiting, this is not just inefficient but deeply frustrating for the staff, doctors and health care workers who are trying to help the people navigate the system to get this done. I have been raising this issue for years. Tonight I am responding to a question I asked again in December, and this question still has not improved the situation. Budget 2025 sets aside $10 million so applicants can pay a $150 fee to navigate the same broken process.”
“That is one million appointments that could have gone to giving Canadians the care they need. There is also another side to this problem. Across the country, many people who already qualify for disability supports in their province or territory cannot access the disability tax credit, not because they are ineligible but because they cannot find a doctor to complete the form. No doctor means no form, and no form means no access. As a result, people are being shut out of both the disability tax credit and the disability benefit that depends on getting the disability tax credit. The benefit they are trying to get is modest, about $200 a month, but it can make a huge difference in the life of someone who is living on disability. It can be the difference between getting by and falling even further behind.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am again here late at night to offer the government common-sense solutions. We hear every day that our health care system is stretched thin. Across the 34 communities in my riding of Courtenay—Alberni, too many people are already struggling to find a family doctor. We should be reducing pressure on the system, not adding to it, yet the federal disability tax credit process continues to do exactly that. Family doctors are spending hours on Government of Canada paperwork when they could instead be seeing their patients. The College of Family Physicians of Canada has been clear. In 2022, roughly 250,000 disability tax credit forms consumed about 250,000 hours of physician time, which is the equivalent of one million lost patient visits.”
“Mr. Speaker, it was not that long ago that the leader of the official opposition was running on a campaign around axe the tax. He talked about how the sky was falling because of the carbon tax. What happened when the carbon tax was removed? Gas prices dropped for maybe a day or two then started increasing. What we have seen is gas prices skyrocketing. What is also skyrocketing is profits for big oil and gas. Today, the Liberals adopted another Conservative policy. They removed the carbon tax. Now they have removed the fuel excise tax. If the big oil and gas companies continue to have skyrocketing profits and the price of fuel goes up despite the fact that they are removing this tax, will they finally implement an excess profit tax on big oil and gas?”
“Mr. Speaker, two months ago the Minister of Health stood in the House and called herself “the guardian of the Canada Health Act”, yet after months of delay, she has failed to act while Danielle Smith expands American-style “pay for access” diagnostics and two-tiered care. Canadians cannot afford more stalling while our universal health care system is undermined. If the minister is truly the guardian, why is she taking so long to enforce the law and stop the erosion of our public health care system?”
“Mr. Speaker, it feels like Groundhog Day showing up here. We come here and hear the Liberals adopting Conservative policies, such as removing the carbon tax. The Conservatives said the sky was falling because of the carbon tax. Now it is the gas tax, or austerity, or the first-time homebuyer tax that my colleague talked about. That has not made housing more affordable. What we see constantly with Liberals and Conservatives is that they are standing up for corporate greed and the corporate machine. Big oil, for example, is posting record profits right now. What is the amount of record profits that big oil can charge before the Liberals or Conservatives will start implementing an excess profit tax so it pays its fair share?”
“Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada highlighted yesterday that inequality is skyrocketing even more, with the bottom 40% only holding 3% of the wealth and the top 20% holding two-thirds of the wealth. This is at a time when the big banks have posted $70 billion in profits. For the top big five oil companies, it is almost $25 billion. The top five grocery stores have gone from $2.4 billion in profits to $6.3 billion. At what point, or at what level, would there be a threshold between the Conservatives and Liberals where they will charge an excess profit tax on the big corporations or a wealth tax on individuals so they are moving forward with tackling inequality in this country? This measure alone would not do that. It would actually push the deficits, and the investments in infrastructure and health that would help those people, down the road.”
“What is the threshold on corporate profits for big oil and gas before the Conservatives and Liberals will ask them to pay a little bit more when they win so they can take the pressure off everyday Canadians and pay their fair share for once?”
“Mr. Speaker, I just hosted four town halls in my riding on the cost of living and affordability, and I brought this very idea that the Conservatives are proposing to the people at those town halls. Nearly unanimously, people there wanted the taxes removed temporarily to provide relief. However, it was also unanimous that the people at those town halls wanted the big oil and gas companies, which are posting record profits, to pick up the tab. Attendees agreed that the relief needs to happen, but it should not be at the expense of investments in roads, infrastructure and health. When will the Conservative and Liberal coalition for corporate welfare end?”
“They point to a national defence report that recommends that the Government of Canada re-establish the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre with a mandate that includes, but is not limited to, conflict research, conflict prevention, mediation and civilian protection. Lastly, they recommend that the Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association also advocate for the re-establishment of the former peacekeeping centre. The petitioners' call to action is to establish and fund, as a fundamental part of Canada's increasing commitment to defence and security, an independent Canadian centre for peace dedicated to peacekeeping and global security through research, education, policy and training in conflict resolution, diplomacy and peace operations for Canadian civilians, police and military personnel, and the international community.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to table this petition on behalf of petitioners who are part of the peace train movement. They highlight that for lasting peace, military deterrence must take place within the context of long-term solutions identified through research and analysis. They also note that, within its NATO funding commitment, Canada can and should establish a national centre dedicated to peacebuilding and should contribute much more funding, training, equipment and personnel to UN peacekeeping, and that Canada's pre-eminent free institutions dedicated to peacebuilding have been terminated, including the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre and the Canadian Institute for Peace and Human Security.”
“The petitioners are calling upon the government to support my bill, Bill C-206 , to develop a national strategy to support and improve brain injury awareness, prevention and treatment, as well as the rehabilitation and recovery of persons living with brain injury. Preferably, the petitioners would like this brain injury strategy implemented in the spring economic statement.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition on behalf of constituents of my riding of Courtenay—Alberni. They are citing that there are 165,000 new cases of brain injuries annually in Canada; that health and community service providers require more education regarding the intersection of brain injury, mental health and addiction; that the risk of suicide increases by 400% for a survivor of brain injury; that brain injury survivors face a 200% increase in risk of struggling with addictions after sustaining a brain injury; and that, despite the federal government's committing $11 million over 10 years to improve community support and mental health and addiction services, none are specifically targeted to brain injury.”
“Mr. Speaker, seniors in my riding are being told they no longer qualify for the Canadian dental care plan because they supposedly have access to private insurance, even when that so-called access is only theoretical, unaffordable or based on plans they opted out of decades ago. Some have already had treatment approved and completed and are now being told they may have to pay the money back. Why is the government clawing back dental care from seniors who followed the rules and simply cannot afford private dental care coverage?”
“Mr. Speaker, the illegal war waged by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu in the Middle East is inflicting devastating consequences on civilians, especially children. The humanitarian and environmental tolls are immense, and the economic fallout is global. It is driving up gas and fertilizer prices, disrupting critical supplies, like helium used in MRIs, and threatening pharmaceutical supply chains. Canadians who are already struggling with the cost of living will feel these impacts. Will the Prime Minister ensure that Canada is not complicit with our arms exports in the killings of civilians and take a clear stance against this horrific war?”
“Petitioners are asking for the ghost gear fund, which helps protect coastal communities and our oceans, to be reinstated.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to table a petition on behalf of Vancouver Islanders who are deeply upset and concerned about the cutting of the world-class ghost gear fund. They cite that ghost gear is abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear that is among the deadliest sources of plastic pollution. The petitioners note that ghost gear kills fish, marine mammals, seabirds and turtles; damages habitats; and creates microplastics and even hazards for navigation and active harvesters, hurting coastal economies. They point out that dedicated funding for retrieval, prevention, repair and recycling works, creating skilled jobs and partnerships with indigenous communities, small businesses, fishers, harbour authorities and recyclers, especially in rural and remote regions.”