Ottawa Report – October 9, 2023

Latest News

History Has Been Made in Canada’s House

The Hon. Greg Fergus, the Liberal MP for Hull—Aylmer and former parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made history Tuesday, elected by his peers as Speaker of the House of Commons, the first Black Canadian to hold the position. Reflecting on the Nazi controversy that sank MPs’ faith in his predecessor, eventually forcing Anthony Rota’s resignation from the speaker’s chair, Fergus remarked “the words that we use matter. Symbols matter.”

Lac-Mégantic Rail Bypass Project Moves Forward

On October 6, the Minister of Transport and Quebec Lieutenant, the Hon. Pablo Rodriguez, announced progress on the Lac-Mégantic Rail Bypass project, including the signing of two essential agreements to launch the first calls for tender. He made the announcement during his first official visit to Lac-Mégantic as Minister of Transport.

A contribution agreement was signed between the federal government and the City of Lac-Mégantic. This will allow the city to carry out preparatory work for the construction of the bypass, which includes the reconstruction of city-owned municipal infrastructure and its relocation to the industrial park. The City of Lac-Mégantic will oversee planning and implementation.

Legislation

Upcoming Debates

• Week of October 9: The House is adjourned for Thanksgiving and a constituency week
• Week of October 16: Priority will be given to Bill C-56, the Affordable Housing and Groceries Act and Bill C-50, the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act
• Tuesday, October 17: Opposition Day

Private Members’ Business

• Monday, October 16: Resuming debate on second reading of Bill C-325, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (conditions of release and conditional sentences)
• Tuesday, October 17: Resuming debates on second readings of Bill C-320, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (disclosure of information to victims), Bill C-252, Child Health Protection Act
• Wednesday, October 18: Resuming debate on second reading of Bill C-319, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act (amount of full pension)
• Thursday, October 19: Report stage of Bill S-245, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (granting citizenship to certain Canadians)
• Friday: October 20: Resuming debate on second reading of Bill C-219, Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights

Departmental Updates

Retrofitting Investments in Ontario

The Hon. Rob Oliphant, Member of Parliament for Don Valley West and John M. Rafferty, President and CEO, Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), announced a federal investment of more than $2.3 million to support retrofits to a number of buildings at the CNIB’s Lake Joe camp in MacTier, Ontario.

Government is investing $2,347,065 to this project through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program and the CNIB will fundraise $586,766. The GICB program was created in support of Canada’s Strengthened Climate Plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, supporting the Plan’s first pillar through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the increase of energy efficiency, and higher resilience to climate change

Innovative Energy-Saving Solutions in the City of Hamilton

The Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and Scott Pearce, President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), announced an investment of $335,000 through the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) to support two feasibility studies aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Hamilton. GMF, administered by FCM and funded through an endowment by the Government of Canada, helps local partners switch to sustainable practices faster by giving them the tools they need to reduce emissions and build sustainable, prosperous communities.