Ziad Aboultaif

“Current laws fail to protect veterans and people with mental illness. The government needs to listen and protect these vulnerable people.”

“Mr. Speaker, the current legislation has failed to protect Canadians with mental health and some veterans. Why does the government need to listen this time and make sure that protection is there for vulnerable Canadians?”

“Millions of Canadians rely on food banks, and prices are still going up. The government's taxes make life more expensive. We want the government to drop federal taxes on diesel to lower grocery costs.”

“Mr. Speaker, in March, 2.4 million Canadians had to rely on the food bank. The Bank of Canada expects prices to rise through next year. This is an out-of-touch government. Excessive taxation and rising energy costs are making it worse for Canadians. Conservatives would lower costs at the grocery store by scrapping all federal taxes on diesel sales until at least next Canada Day. Why would the government not adopt our plan?”

“I want my colleague to say more about how we can protect people with mental illness from this law.”

“Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned Bill C-218, which sought justice and protection for people with mental illness from the expansion of this bill. If he does not mind, I wonder if he could elaborate on what he meant by that and why the bill was necessary to protect vulnerable Canadians.”

“The Prime Minister wants Canadians to trust his economic plan without explaining it. The government has borrowed money non-stop for 11 years and will not admit that this is wrong. I want the member to say more about this.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is telling Canadians to just trust him. He wants Canadians to buy fish in the ocean without even seeing them. I think it would be responsible for the Prime Minister to explain that to Canadians, since he is a fantastic economist, and make them understand what he is trying to do. The government has been borrowing money for the last 11 years non-stop. How long is it going to take the government to realize that what it has been doing is wrong? I would like the hon. member to elaborate on that.”

“Prices have gone up since the Liberals took power, and Thanksgiving dinner costs 10% more this year. Conservatives want to cut fuel taxes to save people money. Will the Liberals admit that life in Canada is too expensive?”

“Madam Speaker, Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful. There is a lot to be thankful for, including the beautiful country we live in, but since the Liberals took office 11 years ago, costs have been on the rise, including for Thanksgiving dinner, which will be 10% more expensive this year. Conservatives have shared our plan to cut fuel taxes and save Canadians money. Will the Liberals admit that after their 11 years in power, there is an affordability crisis in Canada?”

• Echo ×5

  A repeated line

  “Does he believe there is an affordability crisis in Canada?”

  Said 5 times by 2 members since October 8.

  Every time it was said →

“I support my colleague for bringing this bill forward to strengthen our sanctions rules. Can he explain why this bill is so important?”

“Madam Speaker, I congratulate my hon. colleague for bringing this forward to strengthen the current protocol or regime we have regarding this important issue. Why is this bill very important?”

“The government makes many housing announcements, but it builds very few homes. Housing is still too expensive, and many Canadians cannot afford to buy a home. I want the member to explain why the government failed to deliver on its plan.”

“Mr. Speaker, the member talked about so many announcements. There is a large number of announcements, but the result is very small. It is a fraction of the amount of housing needed for Canada. Housing prices are still high and still unaffordable. A lot of Canadians are leaving this dream behind. What can the hon. member can tell Canadians about the result of the government’s not delivering the plan it put in place?”

“Alberta deserves better from the federal government, but leaving Canada is not the answer. I want all Albertans to vote on October 19 and choose to stay part of Canada.”

“Mr. Speaker, on October 19, Albertans will vote on the future of our province and our country. Alberta absolutely deserves better from the Liberal government, but separation is not the solution to our problems. Edmonton Manning is full of proud Canadians, and I count myself as one of them. We are Canadians first, seeking a stronger Alberta in a united Canada. As Sir John A. Macdonald said, we are “One people, great in territory, great in resources, great in enterprise, great in credit, great in capital.” Now is the time to unite for our future and show that we will not be divided. On October 19, I encourage all Albertans to get out, vote and stand for Canada.”

• Unsupported
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  Member's statement

  Reasoning 33 of 100

  This statement drew 3 conclusions, but gave no reasons for 2 of them.

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“My colleague has been speaking for three hours and sharing good ideas with the government. Students are watching us.”

“Madam Speaker, our wonderful colleague has been speaking for three hours, and he is putting a lot of good ideas and points out there for the government. Unfortunately, we have students out there, watching—”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes forced sterilization a serious crime under the Criminal Code. This practice has harmed Indigenous and minority women in our history and is still happening today.”

“Madam Speaker, I would like to apologize from the outset. This is not a speech that will soar to oratorical heights, castigating the government for its many failures and its apparent inability to understand the needs of the country. There is a time for that, but it is not now because this is not a partisan issue. It is not a matter of left or right, but we could say it is a matter of right and wrong, or at least to ensure that a historical wrong is never repeated. Four years ago, the Senate human rights committee issued its report on forced or coerced sterilization of persons in Canada. For many people, it was eye‑opening. Canadians are vaguely aware of the history of forced sterilization in this country. Our history at times is nothing to be proud of. In the early part of the 20th century, a movement arose that had a flawed concept of human dignity and what it meant to be authentically human. The idea was that we should strive to create perfect people, which meant those who were considered to be imperfect should not be allowed to have children. The state would force those deemed unfit to be sterilized so they could not reproduce. This was, and is, a reprehensible view. Sadly, it was my home province of Alberta that led the way in this sad chapter of our history. The provincial Sexual Sterilization Act was passed in 1928, and more than 2,800 women were sterilized before the act was repealed in 1972. These women were denied the privilege of having children because society felt there was something wrong with them. What is more, they had no say in the matter. Many were sterilized at a young age. They were not even aware of what was being done to them, hardly the actions of a society and a government that was supposed to protect its citizens. While Alberta may have led the way, it was not the only province to carry out these shameful acts. What is even more reprehensible is who the state deemed to be unworthy of having children. Young people and minorities from indigenous backgrounds were targeted. Furthermore, many of those were declared to be mentally deficient. Because of that classification, their rights were denied, and they were sterilized without their consent. Canadians understand now that these actions were wrong; the product of another time and a warped view of the humanity of some individuals. We know that such things should not be allowed to happen again, but there is nothing in our laws to ensure that. Bill S-228 would fix that. It proposes to clarify one section of the Criminal Code to bring an end to a legacy of systemic discrimination, colonization and racism that disproportionately, but not exclusively, affects indigenous and racialized persons. It will end the sterilization of persons without their consent. Section 268 of the Criminal Code deals with the crime of aggravated assault. I think we can all agree that sterilizing someone without their consent is indeed a form of assault. Bill S-228 would add a subsection, 268.1, to the Criminal Code of Canada, clarifying what a sterilization procedure is and ensuring it is understood that a sterilization procedure is an act that falls under this section. It is a simple change, but an important one if we want to make sure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated. We want to make sure that there are no misunderstandings. I should point out that, at the Senate committee, concerns were raised by witnesses and senators that the original drafting of Bill S‑228 was over-complicated and that it might have unintended consequences, especially in cases of emergency surgeries or medical procedures resulting in sterilization. That has been rectified. After consultation with the Minister of Justice and legal advisers, the bill was simplified while maintaining its core goal of making it explicitly clear in the Criminal Code that forced sterilization meets the requirements of an aggravated assault. It would be against the law and would be prosecuted. Some hon. members might be wondering about the issue of consent. What about those situations where an individual, for medical or other reasons, desires to be sterilized? Would this still constitute an assault? After all, in the Criminal Code, consent is not a defence against a charge of aggravated assault. The case law on that is very clear. However, there is jurisprudence concerning when the patient or substitute decision-maker is unable to consent and there is demonstrable severe suffering or an imminent threat to the life or health of the patient. In that case, a doctor has the duty to do what is immediately necessary, without consent. Additionally, section 45 of the Criminal Code of Canada protects individuals from criminal responsibility for performing a surgical operation if it “is performed with reasonable care and skill” and is reasonable based on the person’s state of health and other circumstances. If this is a situation from the past, why do we need to address it today? Why is the bill necessary? As the Senate report noted after hearing from witnesses, this is not just a historical issue. The conclusion was that involuntary sterilization continues in Canada, under-reported and underestimated, and it needs to stop. As in the past, the targets are marginalized people, including racialized women, women with disabilities, institutionalized persons and indigenous women. Justice demands that we in the House deal with this situation. Forced sterilization is a clear human rights issue. Non-consenting sterilization is aggravated assault and should be prosecuted under the Criminal Code. It is as simple as that. Legislation, of course, is not enough. The bill cannot fix the past trauma and harms suffered by victims, but it would go a long way to preventing future violations and to providing survivors some measure of justice. It is a cliché to say that people who do not learn from the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them, but those words have become a cliché because there is a lot of truth in them. With Bill S-228, we in the House have an opportunity to show that we have indeed learned from our past and that we are concerned about our present and, of course, our future. We want to put an end to the practice of forced sterilization in this country once and for all. We have the opportunity to do something meaningful. I encourage hon. members to do the right thing and support the legislation.”

• Reasons given
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  Speech on a bill

  Reasoning 100 of 100

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“This bill will not help. The government needs to focus on building more homes instead of just creating more government offices. I want the member to comment on that.”

“Madam Speaker, I agree that this bill is not going to do anything. What is scary in this whole process is this: Is the government losing direction? Is it losing focus? The focus has to be on building more homes for Canadians to fix the problem. Is the government only interested in building bureaucracies? I would like the hon. member to comment on that.”

“I support this bill to make April Arab Heritage Month. More than one million Canadians have Arab roots and have helped build this country in business, culture, and politics. This month will help all Canadians learn about our history and contributions.”

“Mr. Speaker, we are here once again to consider whether April should be designated as Arab heritage month in Canada. Given the contributions of Arab Canadians to the growth of this country, since the first one arrived in 1882, I am sure this is an idea that we can all agree on. This community, which started with just a few families, has grown to more than one million Canadians who have Arab heritage. The Arab community in Canada is not, as the media sometimes thinks, a group of people who come from one place and have one way of thinking. We are, in many ways, an example of the diversity that is Canada. Canada’s Arabs trace their roots to many countries: Lebanon, Algeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Kuwait, Tunisia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Jordan, Mauritania, Libya, Yemen, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. United by a common linguistic root, they have different religions and cultural traditions. The popular perception may be that to be Arab is to be Muslim, but we Arabs know differently. Canada’s Arabs identify as Christian, Catholic, Orthodox and various types of Protestants. The majority are of Muslim background. There are many who are a vital component of the societies of the Middle East. These diverse communities are tied together by a common language, the Arabic language. Even if one does not understand a word, it has a melody that makes it pleasing to listen to. Arabic is spoken by more than 400 million people worldwide. After English and French, Canada’s official languages, it is the third most widespread official language on our planet. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. When we celebrate Arab heritage month, we are celebrating the people and we are also celebrating this language. It is the language of poetry and mysticism, and of law and humour. It is a language that unites people across the Middle East and North Africa. The rich literature that can be found in Arabic tells the story of many cultures united under a common banner. To me, that sounds like Canada. For centuries, Arabic was the language of culture and learning, especially when looking for information on science, mathematics and philosophy. Our mathematics system is based on Arabic numerals. We all know that and rarely, if ever, stop to think about why they are called that. Arabic heritage month would be an opportunity for those of us with Arab roots to share the richness of our culture in perhaps a more deliberate way than is the case now. I must admit, I have never had a conversation about the origins of Arabic numerals and their liberating effect on mathematics that has led to so many scientific advances. Perhaps I should start doing that. Or, maybe I could initiate discussions about the scientific advances of what is referred to as the Islamic golden age, a period of rapid scientific advancement that took place between the eighth and 13th centuries. Despite its name, the advances of this period were not brought about exclusively by Muslims. Wikipedia tells us: Christians...contributed to Islamic civilization during the reign of the Umayyads and the Abbasids by translating works of Greek philosophers and ancient science to Syriac and afterwards to Arabic. They also excelled in many fields, in particular philosophy, science...[and theology]. Some of the notable Christian scholars of the time were Hunayn ibn Ishaq, Yusuf Al-Khuri, al Himsi, Qusta ibn Luqa, Masawaiyh, Patriarch Eutychius, and Jabril ibn Bukhtishu. If not for Arab scholars at that time working to translate works from antiquity, from the original Syriac, Greek, Persian and Latin, into Arabic, much of the knowledge of the ancient world could have been lost forever. We owe a cultural debt to those Arabic scholars of more than 1,000 years ago for preserving so much of the world’s heritage. I could go on and talk about how Arabs have influenced architecture and medicine in ways that continue to impact us today, but members get the idea. There is so much more to Arabic culture and history than most people are aware of. Setting aside April as Arab heritage month would encourage Canadians to discover more about these people and their history. The Arabs have always exported their culture. We can visit Spain’s Andalusian region and see the Arab influence in the architecture of the region. Does this matter in Canada? There are probably those who say that what happens elsewhere is not as important as what happens inside our borders. The truth is that Arab Canadians have made a huge impact on this country in all the areas one can imagine. Who was the first international Canadian pop star? It was Paul Anka, a Lebanese Canadian from Ottawa. Who is perhaps our most beloved children’s entertainer? It is Raffi, whose roots are also in Lebanon. What NBA all-star is of Syrian background? It is Jamal Murray, who also represents Canada internationally. Championship wrestler Sami Zayn is a first-generation Canadian born to Syrian immigrant parents. We Arabs are a social people, which may be why many of us are drawn to political life. We want to serve, though we do not always see things the same way. That may be why Arabs who have served in this House have done so for the Conservatives, the Liberals, the Bloc Québécois and the New Democrats. We are united in our desire to serve, even as we disagree on policies. That, of course, is the very Canadian way. We have not had an Arab Canadian prime minister yet, but Prince Edward Island has had a Lebanese Canadian premier, Joe Ghiz. It goes without saying that one of the Arabs’ biggest contributions to this country has been in the area of business. We have an entrepreneurial spirit. Wherever commerce happens in this country, whether it is big or small, we are almost certain to find a businessman or woman of Arab descent. All of this is to point out that it is long overdue for us to acknowledge the contribution of those of Arab heritage to the Canadian mosaic. Setting aside April as Arab heritage month would allow all Canadians an opportunity to pay tribute to a special people. As I have said before, Canada is an example of what a society can be when the people celebrate their heritage without forgetting what unites them in common purpose. Let us celebrate Arab heritage month, whoever we are and wherever we are from.”

“The government is cutting short the debate on this 332-page bill. We do not have enough time to debate it, so Canadians will not understand what it does.”

“Madam Speaker, we are debating the time allocation the government has given, which is basically shortening the debate on 332 pages of law. It gave us only three hours before, so for each 100 pages, we have only one hour of debate. Members can imagine the shortcoming of Canadians not being able to understand what is going on with these bills and not being able to understand the consequences of what the government is providing.”

“I want the member to explain how this affects our trade deal negotiations with the United States. We are already hearing concerns from them.”

“Mr. Speaker, the member is a neighbour in Edmonton. He mentioned in his previous answer how this can affect the negotiations with CUSMA or the USMCA. We are hearing from the United States about this specific topic. If he can talk about this, I think it will be important for this conversation.”

“Government overspending is causing high inflation and making life unaffordable for Canadians. I want the Prime Minister to admit his spending caused this problem.”

“Mr. Speaker, Canadian families are cutting down on groceries, gas and necessities while the Prime Minister is piling up the national credit card. Life is becoming unaffordable. Inflation caused by deficit spending is eating away at their ability to afford day-to-day life. With a trillion-dollar debt, the government’s approach is just an illusion while Canadians are paying the price. Will the Prime Minister tell Canadians that his credit card budgeting is the cause of all their suffering?”

• Unsupported
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  Opposition question in Question Period

  Reasoning 33 of 100

  This statement drew 3 conclusions, but gave no reasons for 2 of them.

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“Hundreds of thousands of Canadians live with type 1 diabetes, and it has no cure. I am thanking the group Breakthrough T1D for their work and their plan to turn Canadian research into new treatments.”

“Mr. Speaker, 12,000 Canadians will be diagnosed this year with type 1 diabetes, joining the 300,000 already dealing with it in the system. T1D can occur in people of any age. Its causes are not fully known. Most of those diagnosed have no family history of diabetes. It is not caused by diet or lifestyle. It is not contagious or something someone can outgrow. It has no cure. For more than 50 years, Breakthrough T1D has been working to improve the lives of Canadians suffering from diabetes. Their five-year plan, including $62 million proposed for budget 2026, is part of a $100-million private-public project to translate Canadian medical research into therapies that can benefit Canadians. I thank them for their tireless efforts.”

“The government borrows and spends too much money, and taxes keep going up. This is making life too expensive for Canadians, and many cannot afford groceries.”

“Mr. Speaker, going into debt makes things cost more. After 10 years of increasing Liberal borrowing, Canadians are worse off, and 60% of Albertans said it is difficult to meet monthly expenses. The Liberals spend and spend, and the taxes go up and up. Canadians cannot afford to buy groceries. Can the Liberal Prime Minister not see that his policies are making things worse for Canadians?”