Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans entitled “Challenges to the Sustainability of the Yukon Salmon Stocks”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Mr. Speaker, as vice-chair of the fisheries committee, FOPO, I would like to point out that, as stated in this report, there has been mismanagement of the Yukon River salmon stocks. The result is that indigenous and non-indigenous harvesters can no longer harvest. This affects the livelihoods in communities and food security. The government has failed to deliver on the diplomacy needed to comanage with U.S. partners, and Canadians are suffering because of this.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise on behalf of constituents in Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford to table a petition regarding nicotine pouches. The Government of Canada has banned the sale of nicotine pouches from convenience stores, from gas stations and online, and it will allow pharmacies to sell the product only behind the counter. Small businesses, including convenience stores, have a proven track record of responsibly selling age-restricted products, including nicotine pouches.

The petitioners are asking for the government to repeal this overburdensome regulation and to keep the process and sale of these products as they were before.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to table a petition from Canadians deeply concerned about the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza. The petitioners note that, under common article 1 of the Geneva Conventions, Canada must respect international humanitarian law. They highlight that article 59 of the fourth Geneva Convention requires occupying powers to allow impartial humanitarian relief and that Canada's international assistance accountability act mandates that our aid uphold human rights to international legal standards. The petitioners state that Israel's current policies violate these obligations.

The petitioners therefore call on the Government of Canada to reject militarized aid models, restore access for UN agencies and NGOs such as UNRWA and the World Food Programme, permit safe entry for Canadian health care and humanitarian workers and ensure that all Canadian aid is delivered through internationally recognized, neutral and independent channels.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to take the floor on an issue of concern. In every one of the community meetings I held since we last met in this place in June, I heard from constituents desperately concerned about the lack of primary health care providers and family doctors, and I know that while this is of particular concern in Saanich—Gulf Islands, it is a concern everywhere.

The petitioners call for the federal government, the House of Commons, to work with all provinces and territories to come up with a full and fair solution to Canada's family doctor shortage, premised on the importance of the Canada Health Act, that is universal and single-payer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of Canadians alarmed by the House of Commons finance committee's recommendations in its pre-budget report: recommendation 429, which proposes revoking the charitable status of pro-life organizations; and recommendation 430, which proposes removing “advancement of religion” as a recognized charitable purpose under the Income Tax Act.

I have received from houses of worship across this country so much concern, reflected in this petition, that these recommendations are fundamentally anti-free speech and anti-religious freedom. The petitioners, and I on their behalf, advocate for the complete protection of charitable status regardless of these ideological litmus tests.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on the charitable status of religious organizations and those that are pro-life, and on the Liberal and NDP proposal to revoke that charitable status.

Petitioners lament that some members opposite are so blinded by their animus towards charitable organizations that they would seek to undermine the good works that these groups do for the most vulnerable Canadians. Moreover, petitioners lament that members opposite seem not to care for the fundamental freedoms protected in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms: the freedoms of belief and religion. Therefore, the petitioners call on the government and all parliamentarians to fundamentally reject these recommendations to revoke charitable status, to not include them in the upcoming budget and to strongly affirm the value of these charitable organizations to Canadians across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I delayed standing up because I know other members have petitions as well, and I have more than one to table today.

First of all, I would like to begin by tabling another petition similar to that tabled by colleagues in response to this very concerning recommendation from the Liberal-dominated finance committee in the previous Parliament.

Notwithstanding his protestations, the member for Winnipeg North can observe in this report, as petitioners say, recommendations 429 and 430. Recommendation 429 proposes applying a political values test to charitable status determination and revoking the charitable status of organizations that take a position on abortion that is different from that taken by the government. Recommendation 430 of that same report, endorsed by the Liberal-dominated committee, calls for the removal of “advancement of religion” as a charitable tax purpose. That would effectively strip charitable status from all houses of worship, regardless of religion.

Petitioners further note that stripping charitable status from these organizations would result in a revocation tax, which would force them to hand over all of their property. That is an extremely draconian proposal from the Liberal-dominated finance committee.

Petitioners note that religious charities in Canada provide vital services for society, including food banks, care for seniors, newcomer support, youth programs and mental health outreach, all of which is rooted in their faith tradition, and that singling out or excluding faith charities from the charitable sector based on religious belief undermines the diversity and pluralism foundational to Canadian society.

Petitioners ask the government to reject these recommendations and refrain from including them in the next federal budget, which we will see eventually, I suppose, and to affirm the charitable status of faith-based organizations whose work flows from sincerely held beliefs and whose contributions serve the common good in Canada.

The second petition is in support of the people of Lebanon.

Petitioners note that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that started on October 8, 2023, has had terrible consequences for the Lebanese people. They further note that Hezbollah is a terrorist Iranian regime proxy that acts to serve the regime's ideology against the interests of the people of Lebanon. The people of Lebanon want a complete end to colonial oppression by the Iranian regime.

Petitioners, therefore, call on the government to seek the complete disarmament of Hezbollah, the end of Iranian aid to Hezbollah and the restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty with all of its territories governed by an elected sovereign Lebanese government.

I do note that significant progress has been made toward this end since the collection of signatures for this petition. While there has been ongoing work to secure Lebanon from the influence of this terrorist organization, I feel that, notwithstanding some of the change in circumstances, it is still important to table that petition.

Mr. Speaker, I want to propose a petition brought to me by constituents that deals with Senate reform. Petitioners are concerned about unequal representation in the Senate. In particular, they are concerned about the fact that there are some provinces in this country with lower populations that have more representation in the Senate relative to provinces such as mine, which have a much lower number of senators than their population would suggest they should. This is obviously an artifact of a certain history, but we should move forward and affirm a concept of Canada where regions are treated equally and not facing discrimination on the basis of historical circumstances.

Petitioners in this case are proposing the establishment of equal representation for each province in the Senate. I look forward to hearing the government's response to that proposal.

How many petitions does the member have?

I have four more, but I'm happy to end earlier.

The member can go ahead, but succinctly, please.

Mr. Speaker, my succinctness is one of my best qualities, as members of office have said.

I must interrupt the hon. member.

The hon. member for Shefford is rising on a point of order.

Mr. Speaker, the interpretation cut out, but it magically came back just as I rose, so everything is fine now.

The member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan may continue.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I do not know how to say “succinct” in French.

An hon. member: The French word is “succinct”.

Garnett Genuis: Mr. Speaker, my ability to be succinct is my best quality.

Next, I would like to table a petition in support of Bill S-210. The petitioners say that was the number of the bill in the last Parliament, the protecting young persons from exposure to pornography act. It is now Bill S-209 in this Parliament.

The petitioners note that sexually explicit material, including demeaning and violent material, can be easily accessed on the Internet by young persons. A significant portion of that material is made available on the Internet for commercial purposes and is not protected by age verification. Parliament recognizes the harmful effects of the increasing accessibility of sexually explicit materials online for young persons. Further, the petitioners note that online age verification technology is increasingly sophisticated and can now effectively ascertain the age of users without any breach of privacy.

The petitioners, therefore, want to see reasonable age verification requirements that protect privacy so that young children are no longer able to access sexual material online. That is why they are calling on the House to support what is, in this Parliament, Bill S-209, which was Bill S-210 in the previous Parliament.

Mr. Speaker, the next petition I am tabling deals with the issue of euthanasia or medical assistance in dying. Petitioners are concerned, in particular, about what has come to be known as track 2 euthanasia and how this has led to significant problems for Canadians living with disabilities. In fact, these expansions have been vocally opposed by every single major organization representing Canadians with disabilities.

The petitioners note that allowing medical assistance in dying for those with disabilities or chronic illnesses who are not dying devalues their lives, tacitly endorsing the notion that life with disability is optional and, by extension, disposable. They warn about the risks of having an ableist health care system, where the lives of those with disabilities are not seen as worth living.

The petitioners call on the House 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 away.

Next, Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition, and I am not sure who prepared it, in which petitioners say that Canada made us all a promise: that anyone from anywhere could do anything. They say that after 10 years of the Liberal government, the promise of Canada has been broken. There have been a lot of broken promises: to balance the budget, to reduce taxes, to make more affordable housing, etc. The petitioners say that hard-working young, 35-year-old Canadians are now living in their parents' basements. This never happened before. It is the response to a situation where housing costs have doubled.

Petitioners note, further, that gun violence is up 120%, and that the government has gone after hunters instead of criminals and gun smugglers.

The petitioners say that it is time to bring home powerful paycheques and that, for this to happen, people need a roof over their heads. Currently, Canada has fewer homes per capita than any other country in the G7. The petitioners say we need to incentivize municipalities to speed up building permits, cut building taxes, free up land for building—

I would note for the hon. member that there are 30 seconds left in the petition segment of Routine Proceedings.

Mr. Speaker, there is a lot in this petition, but I will wrap up in the time that is available.

The petitioners note that we need a rule where one dollar of savings is found for every new dollar of government spending. This is how parents, seniors and small businesses balance their budgets, and they would expect the same common sense from their leaders.