Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to present petitions in the House today.

The first petition comes from the last Parliament, but I think it is one that is still very much relevant. The petitioners point out that Canada made us all a promise, a promise that anyone from anywhere could do anything. They say that, after nine years, the promise of Canada has been broken, that we have seen a lot of promises broken. They say the promise to balance the budget was broken. The promise to reduce taxes on the middle class was broken. The promise to build more affordable housing was also broken.

Petitioners say that many hard-working Canadians who are 35 years old are living in their parents' basement. This never happened before the government came along with policies that have doubled housing costs. There are 1,800 homeless people in encampments across Ontario; this has never happened before. This is the type of thing we would see in third world countries. People are dying in these encampments. Gun violence is up 120%, yet we have a government that goes after hunters while letting criminals and gun smugglers go free.

The petitioners want to see a reduction in taxes so servers, truck drivers and plumbers can work more, earn more and earn powerful paycheques. For this to happen, people need a roof over their head. They say that Canada has fewer homes per capita than any other G7 country. There is too much red tape. We need to incentivize municipalities to speed up—

The chief government whip is rising on a point of order.

Mr. Speaker, the member is a very experienced member in presenting petitions, Mr. Speaker, and knows the rules. He knows that we should not be reading the entire petition but giving a quick summary of it. He is now on point four with respect to reading it. Hopefully you can encourage him to expedite the presentation.

Yes, we have a lot of work today, so we should be as speedy as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I must confess that it has been a difficult six months for me not being in this place. I missed everyone, but especially the member for Kingston and the Islands.

An hon. member: The end of April was particularly difficult.

Order, please. The member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan has the floor.

Mr. Speaker, it was not difficult for me. I got two-thirds of the votes of my constituents, so I have a strong mandate to share—

Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

Garnett Genuis: Mr. Speaker, the petitioners have observed, and I share their views without comment, that Canada has fewer homes per capita than any other G7 country, and that there is too much red tape. Just to generally summarize, they are suggesting that we incentivize municipalities to allow the construction of more homes. They also express concern about the need to cap population growth and about the out-of-control immigration system.

Further, the petitioners say that we need to fix the budget with a law that would require government to find one dollar of savings for every new dollar of spending. They say we must stop crime, not by banning hunting rifles but by being tough on criminals and strengthening the border.

The petitioners want the House to build more homes, fix the budget, stop the crime, reduce taxes—

This has gone on too long. I would ask the member to be brief.

Mr. Speaker, the next petition is with respect to the human rights situation in Eritrea. The petitioners note that Eritrea has been ruled by an authoritarian, brutal dictator, under a totalitarian system for the last 30 years, with no constitution, no elections, no parliament, no freedom of press or freedom of movement and association.

There are many different points made in the petition about the human rights situation in Eritrea; there are also concerns raised about foreign interference and the collaboration of the Eritrean government with the Putin regime.

The petitioners therefore call on the Government of Canada to engage Eritrean political and human rights activists and pro-democracy groups, to take a leading role among western allies to challenge the Eritrean dictator's malicious conspiracy with Vladimir Putin, to investigate foreign interference here in Canada, to strengthen sanctions against human rights abusers and to advocate for the release of all imprisoned journalists and imprisoned Eritrean parliamentarians.

Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling deals with a bill that was previously named Bill S-210 and has been reintroduced in this Parliament as Bill S-209.

The petitioners are calling for meaningful age verification for those accessing sexual material online. They note that the consumption of sexually explicit materials by young persons is associated with a range of serious harms, including the development of pornography addiction, the reinforcement of gender stereotypes, the development of attitudes favourable to harassment and violence, etc.

Okay, we get the point.

The government House leader does not want to hear this, but it is an important petition. I hope he will take note of it and support this important bill.

The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to adopt Bill S-210, which is now Bill S-209, the protecting young persons from exposure to pornography act.

Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling deals with euthanasia, or medical assistance in dying.

The petitioners are concerned that allowing medical assistance in dying for those with disabilities or chronic illness who are not dying devalues their lives and tacitly endorses the notion that life with disability is optional and, by extension, dispensable. They note in this petition that many disability advocates in Canada have expressed opposition to allowing MAID for people with disabilities.

The petitioners' ask to the House today is to protect all Canadians whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable by prohibiting medical assistance in dying for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.

Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling deals with the human rights situation in Venezuela, a situation that many members of Parliament have spoken about over the years.

The petitioners say that the current government is aware of crimes against humanity by the Venezuelan government and has created a family-based humanitarian program for Colombians, Haitians and Venezuelans suffering under current country conditions. The petitioners note that Canada was one of six countries that submitted Venezuela to the ICC, denouncing crimes against humanity as defined by the Rome Statute.

The petitioners note that several international organizations, including a Canadian NGO, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, led by former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler, have recognized the unjust incarcerations, torture, forced disappearances and political persecution—

I would remind members that while petitions are important, it might be useful to summarize the main points.

Mr. Speaker, I am doing my best to summarize. People have put a lot of work into a fairly lengthy petition on a very serious international human rights issue, and they were waiting throughout the government's—

The hon. member for Winnipeg North has a point of order.

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, the member is intentionally abusing the rules. He knows full well that members are not supposed to be reading a petition. Every petition he has introduced, he has read. We are supposed to capture the essence of a petition, and the member knows full well that he is mocking the rules of the chamber.

It has been heckled across and has been brought to his attention. I would ask that he be called to order, give the essence of the petition and stop reading it. Other members in his own caucus want to present petitions.

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, the rules are, as I think the member knows but misstated, that members cannot read an entire petition. Members are to summarize the petition, and in the course of that, reading from prepared notes that one has that relate to the petition is perfectly allowed. Historically, there was a time when members could not read anything in the House of Commons—

Summarizing can also mean making things succinct. I note that there is limited time for petitions and that other members would also like to present petitions.

I would ask the member to conclude as quickly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I challenge the member on the other side of the House who raised the point of order. Frankly, I gave a 30-second summation of a petition two days ago, and he stood up and interrupted that one because he did not want to hear it at that point in time either. If he does not want to hear summations of petitions, then let the summation be what—

I was not made aware of such an interruption.

The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

Mr. Speaker, I will finish summarizing this one, and I am almost done. I know that we do have limited time here, and there are a number of other members who will table petitions.

The petitioners note that at least three of 257 political prisoners have close family members here in Canada.

The petitioners call on the government to advocate for the release of political prisoners in Venezuela with close ties to Canada. In particular, they mention the following names: Ígbert José Marín Chaparro and Oswaldo Valentín García Palomo.

An hon. member: Point of order.

Garnett Genuis Mr. Speaker, I am reading the names of political prisoners. I did not have them memorized. Can I read off the page?

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on a point of order.

I am reading directly from the Standing Orders, the House of Commons rules, in particular Standing Order 36, which says that members are not permitted to make speeches when presenting petitions and may not read the text of the petition into the record.

The member has now done it on four petitions. It is your duty, Mr. Speaker, to bring him to order and to encourage him to observe the rules. If he does not do that, it is your responsibility to take the next steps as necessary.

I assume there are not many names to read. I think it is important to read the names in this case, but I would implore the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan to summarize and conclude.

The member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola is rising on a point of order.

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, it is not the prerogative or the right, frankly, of the chief government whip to tell you how to do your job.

I agree with the member.

The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

Mr. Speaker, if the member for Kingston and the Islands had run for Speaker, he certainly would have been somewhere on my ballot. I will not say where, but he would have been somewhere on my ballot.

I believe that it is important to summarize petitions and that we can read individual words, but we cannot read the petition into the record in its entirety, and that is precisely the rule that I have followed.

Mr. Speaker, having concluded the Venezuela petition, I have one more petition to table, and this is with respect to proposals to extend euthanasia to include minors.

The petitioners raise concern about a proposal to allow babies from birth to one year of age who have come into the world with severe deformities and very serious syndromes to have euthanasia. The petitioners say that the proposal for the legalized killing of infants is deeply disturbing to many Canadians. They call on the Government of Canada to block an attempt to allow the killing of children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition on behalf of citizens and residents of Canada who would like to draw the attention of the House to the plight of the people of Cyprus.

The Turkish military invasion of Cyprus in 1974 was illegal and brutal, resulting in the ongoing occupation of 37% of the island and 57% of its coastline. The Turkish occupation led to significant human rights violations, including the loss of lives, the displacement of thousands of Cypriots and the ongoing presence of the Turkish military forces and illegal settlers.

This being the 50th anniversary of that tragic event, the petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to uphold all UN Security Council resolutions on Cyprus and condemn Turkey's ongoing illegal occupation of northern Cyprus; advocate for the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops; ensure no Canadian arms, military equipment or technology is sold to Turkey for use against Cyprus or other oppressed groups; continue rejecting the recognition of the illegal occupation regime in northern Cyprus installed by Turkey; and, finally, advocate for a free, united Cyprus based on the relevant UN resolutions and the European Union acquis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of many Canadians who are concerned about human rights protections in Turkey, Pakistan and Bahrain.

The petitioners say that Turkish, Pakistani and Bahraini officials have committed gross human rights violations against thousands of Turks, including eight Turkish Canadians. The petitioners say that Turkish officials have wrongfully detained over 300,000 people without reason, and these petitioners say that multiple international human rights groups can confirm these gross human rights violations in Turkey.

The petitioners are asking our Canadian government to closely monitor human rights conditions in Turkey, sanction the officials who have committed these gross human rights violations against eight Canadians and call on the Turkish, Pakistani and Bahraini governments to end all human rights violations in their respective countries.

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I have is from Canadians across the country who are concerned about human rights protections in India. The petitioners say that, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, various actors are supporting and enforcing sectarian policies seeking to establish India as a Hindu state.

The petitioners are saying that Christians in India are being targeted by extremists vandalizing their churches, attacking church workers and threatening or intimidating the congregations. The petitioners also state that crimes against the Dalit groups, including Dalit women and girls, are increasing. The petitioners say that Indian Muslims are also at risk of genocide, assault and sexual assault.

The petitioners ask the Government of Canada to ensure that all trade deals with India are premised on mandatory human rights provisions, that extremists are sanctioned and that the government promotes respectful human rights dialogue between Canada and India.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

Respectfully, I was having a look at the clock during the repeated interruptions and points of order from the government.

An hon. member: That is not a point of order.

Garnett Genuis: It is a point of order.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the clock was continuing to run during those points of order, but the clock should have been stopped to have 15 minutes for petitions. I would be concerned if the government whip were able to stop members from presenting petitions by repeatedly running out the 15-minute petition clock with these spurious points of order.

I wonder if we can review and add a little time, based on the interruptions to petitions, which should have led to the stopping of the time, by the government House leader and the government whip. I think Canadians would be very disappointed by their behaviour today.

In any event, it is important in the rules that the time be respected.

My understanding is that when these points of order are fairly short, the clock is not stopped. They were fairly short and pointed, so I will move on now to questions on the Order Paper.