Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, today marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's barbaric and illegal invasion of Ukraine. As we sit in the House, our friends in Ukraine continue to make sacrifices as they bravely fight for their freedom. Can the Minister of Foreign Affairs share with the House how Canada is working to support Ukraine and Ukrainians in their time of need?
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to speak to Bill C-219 and Canada's ongoing work to promote human rights and address corruption. Canada recognizes the work and influence of Sergei Magnitsky in helping create international tools designed to respond to acts of significant corruption and human rights violations. These tools remain essential as we confront modern threats to international peace and secu…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have a long-held view that opposition day motions are actually obstruction day motions, and today seems to be no exception. These motions clearly are designed to create and perpetuate a false narrative. In this case, the Conservatives are perpetuating a false narrative that this auto strategy is designed to help American auto manufacturers. I would like the member to address that …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will say again that I enjoy working with colleagues on the justice committee and elsewhere. I mean that, but it is more enjoyable if we actually work constructively to try to get these bills passed. Bill C-2 is a perfect example. With the passage of these laws, the issues that the Conservatives continue to raise time and time again would be addressed. However, as I also said earlier…
Read full speech →Government Orders
It is refreshing; that is right. Mr. Speaker, it is genuine. I really mean that, and the opposition members know that. Let us deal with the obstructionism, and I will try to put it in its best frame possible. There are a number of pieces of legislation before the House that Canadians want and desperately need, and that are designed in response to widespread consultations with the legal community, …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate because I was just talking about how much I like the opposition members, so I will scratch that part from my speech.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my friend is right. We need to have an evidence-based approach that is solution-focused. Rhetoric does not help anybody, except for people on social media, perhaps. I would love to talk to the member at greater length. I do not have a lot of time right now, but Bill C-16, for example, addresses some of the very concerns he just raised. That is evidence-based legislation. This legislat…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel. First, I want to say that I am always incredibly proud to speak in this chamber and to stand here as a representative of the people of Etobicoke—Lakeshore, whom I have the great fortune and honour of representing. I thank them at every opportunity I get. I am really happy to be standing here today, talking about…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I assume the member is talking about the opposition motion because what we are debating here is a motion, not a bill. Since he was careful to correct people on their use of language, I thought I would return the favour. I have expressed my views very clearly. I think the motion before the House is a form of obstruction in itself, because if we go through all of these pieces of legisla…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in relation to Bill C-14, an act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act, regarding bail and sentencing. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the close and growing relationship between Ireland and Canada. Today, the Irish Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan, and our Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture launched Canada-Ireland 180. This initiative, planned for 2027, will commemorate the 180th anniversary of the Great Famine migration in 1847, when over 100,000 Iris…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, I became chair of the justice committee just two short days ago. I am honoured to take on that responsibility, and I take it very seriously. It quickly became very apparent to me that the committee was having a great deal of trouble, emotions were running high and the members did not have a path forward to deal with some very important legislation that was before the committee. Acting…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, across the country, Canadians are seeing a rise in hate, threats and intimidation aimed at our communities. If the Conservatives are finally ready to put the safety of their own communities first, the combatting hate act is right in front of them. Can the Minister of Justice tell us what this legislation would mean for the safety of our neighbourhoods, schools and places of worship?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on September 27, the Ottawa Valley lost a giant in Terry McHale. Devoted to his community, he served as a municipal councillor and spent 40 years with the Douglas Fire Department, rising to become fire chief. An entrepreneur, he and his brother Jim owned and operated Bromley Farm Supply, a cornerstone of the local agricultural community. In addition, together with his love, Evelyn, he…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, this year we celebrate the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Following a request from His Holiness to then prime minister, Lester Pearson, the first two Tibetan refugees landed in Canada on October 15, 1970, just over 55 years ago. Since then, Tibetan Canadians have been contributing to the Canadian economy and to the community and social fabric of our country. Personally,…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there we go. There is the rhyming. It is very productive. Bill C-14 creates a regime that is going to help our frontline police officers. It is going to help our Crown attorneys, and it is going to make sure they are properly informed on what the principle of restraint actually means so it can be applied properly. When I speak with those frontline officers, unfortunately, the rhetoric…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, first, I would like to point out that I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Winnipeg North. I am pleased to stand on behalf of my constituents in the great riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore, as I always am, but in particular I am pleased to speak to a bill of such importance to not only my community but also communities across the country. Bill C-14 is the result of an over…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would encourage members to take some time to read it. Having said that, this bill does enhance the provisions in that section of the Criminal Code.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have the honour of sitting on the justice committee with the member. He has referred to a defence lawyer and a police commissioner, both of whom came to committee and asked us to pass this bill. My question for him is this: Will he comply with their request to move quickly and agree to support this bill?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me say how sorry I am. The heart of every member of the House, as I said earlier, goes out to people like that. I want to live in a world where that is not going to happen, just like the member does, and just like Jonny did. However, using these examples to suggest that the entirety of the system is broken is, with respect, unfair and a mis-characterization. I am not…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I also enjoy working with the hon. member on important issues like Tibet. His question was an excellent one. We are prepared to work with all parties at committee to make sure the bill would be adopted in a fashion best suited for Canadians. We are open to amendments; we are always open to amendments. That is what the committee process is for. We respect the process of committees, and…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, that was an excellent question. It gets to the nub of the issue, because without data we cannot make further enhancements and the provinces cannot make further enhancements. As I was saying in my previous response, we need to know the circumstances in which offences are subject to criminals' being released: how busy the courts are, what the workloads are for the Crown attorney and wha…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, there is a lot of material to cover in the hon. member's words. I just want to remind him that I know he is much younger than I am, but Canada, like other countries, went away from the gold standard in 1971. Canada sold its gold reserves to diversify its portfolio into more interest-bearing types of investments. He knows that. I know that the British pensioners are coming to Ottawa …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate one of our country's oldest friends and allies, Ireland. The ties that bind our two countries are many; they are economic, historical, cultural and emotional. In 1866, the first transatlantic cable between Europe and North America connected Canada and Ireland. Irish Canadians helped build our country. During challenging economic times, Canada and Ireland have…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice undertook a preliminary search in order to determine the number of litigation files and quantity of information that could fall within the scope of the question, as well as the amount of time that would be required to prepare a comprehensive response. It was concluded that producing and validating a comprehensive response to this question would require a manu…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with respect to legal proceedings involving the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, FNCFCS, our electronic system has identified approximately 19 litigation files involving FNCFCS that date back to 2006. This total is composed of various types of legal proceedings before the Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal and Tribunals, wherein the Attorney General of Canada is an a…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with respect to legal expenses incurred by the government for outside legal counsel on work related to the invocation of the Emergencies Act in 2022, as well as any subsequent legal action, to the extent that the information that has been requested is or may be protected by any legal privileges, including solicitor-client privilege, the federal Crown asserts those privileges. In this …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Apparently, I was right, Madam Speaker. The member just brought my point home for me. The member is my friend and I know he cares deeply about rural Canada and agriculture. I have worked with him on some of these issues and I am proud to do so. The member mentioned the Daily Bread Food Bank and talked about a number of affordability measures. He campaigned in the last election on the exact GST bre…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, I was going to start by thanking my friend for his remarks, but I think his leader has some people up in the gallery with notepads, so I do not want to get him in trouble. The second thing I want to acknowledge is that I feel bad because I did not know the member was such a proponent of electoral reform, and he seems torn up by the—
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, yes, we are always advocating to find better ways and better solutions to help the very people the member is talking about. I would be more than happy to sit with the member and have a discussion. I know that the other MPs in the same geographic area are deeply committed to the issue and are working on it every day.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, that is an excellent question from an excellent member of the House, for whom I have a tremendous amount of respect. Mental health is an issue that is very near and dear to my heart for a variety of reasons. It is an issue that the government is committed to, but no, we are not there yet; I will concede that. There is a long way to go. When we were elected in 2015, the first thing w…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to discuss the important issue of drug crime, the opioid crisis and the efforts our government has taken in this respect. I want to speak specifically about the criminal law framework in place to address drug-related crime, including where it is linked to organized crime. Off the top, I want to note the inconsistencies in the motion the leader of the Conser…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is a great question. I am proud to be part of a government that takes the issue incredibly seriously. I am proud to serve with my colleague who is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services. Just this past week, the Prime Minister spoke before the AFN here in Ottawa and addressed the very issue of indigenous policing. Indigenous policing is an issue that i…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, probably the best thing we could do is give a civics lesson to the Conservatives. They need to know the responsibilities of the federal government. They need to learn the responsibilities of the provincial government. If the member wants to address some of the issues he is speaking to, I would encourage him to speak to the Government of British Columbia about the enforcement it is t…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the Department of Justice, including the Attorney General of Canada, did not receive any reports concerning potential offences under federal or provincial laws under subsection 63(2) of the Access to Information Act from the Information Commissioner between January 1, 2024, and October 17, 2024.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for the member, as he knows. He is from Manitoba and I grew up in northwestern Ontario. We have a kindred relationship. The answer is no, obviously. My reaction when I heard the news was, I am sure, identical to his own. At a time when employees are being laid off or having to take pay cuts, there is no place for bonuses and the type of behaviour that to…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I do not know if that was a question, but I will thank the member anyway. If he is looking for an argument, he is not going to get one from me. We all know why we are having this discussion in the House of Commons today. It is another opportunity for the Conservatives to attack the CBC, as they do day in and day out. As my friend rightly pointed out, their attack on media, public or p…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking members of the standing committee for their examination of the issue of the adaptation of CBC/Radio-Canada's audiovisual content for the international market. I would also like to thank the representatives of CBC/Radio-Canada, Ms. Catherine Tait, president and CEO, and Mr. Marco Dubé, chief transformation officer and executive vice-president for people and …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, it sends the wrong message. Everybody I have heard speak today agrees with that. It was the wrong thing to do and the CBC agrees. It should not have done it. It apologized, the apology has been accepted and it is being rectified. I can stand here and say I agree with the member, but I think she knows that already. The CBC said many times, in many appearances at committee and elsewhere…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, on November 30, 1874, one of the world's greatest statesmen, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, was born. He was an accomplished officer in the British army but caught the political bug, rising to become democracy's greatest defender in the 20th century. His leadership during World War II saved Britain and the world from Nazi tyranny and preserved the very foundations of the freed…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, crusading against tax cuts over the holidays. Merry Christmas from the Conservative Party of Canada. Let me tell the House about the reaction from constituents in Etobicoke—Lakeshore, who I represent. They are very excited and very grateful. Let me talk about the small business owners throughout the City of Toronto, who are very grateful for this opportunity because it is going to hel…
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, I have spent almost the entire day listening to the member speak. He talked about accountability. I just spent three hours in the justice committee listening to him filibuster, trying to block his own colleague from Peace River—Westlock because he had a very compelling argument that Bill C-270 should come to the House as soon as possible to be debated. Now I come to the House and I am…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, the hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan talks about common sense. My mother used to say that common sense is not all that common, and every time I hear him speak, I realize how right my mother was. Our government takes its responsibility as stewards of the public purse very seriously, and we are committed to making sure that government spending stands up to the highest l…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Madam Speaker, since we are determined to talk about family tonight, I will remind the member that his aunt not only lives in my riding but has my sign on her lawn and is a big supporter of mine. She will not agree with anything he just said, just to be perfectly clear, but I will leave that there. The government takes its responsibility with respect to procurement very seriously. The government t…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, Canadians were shocked to learn that agents of the Indian government were involved in serious crimes on Canadian soil, including the murder of Canadian citizens. These actions by a foreign government are a clear violation of Canada's sovereignty and an attack on the safety of Canadians, particularly those in the Sikh and South Asian community. Yesterday the Standing C…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, this is a bait and switch in classic form. The Conservatives say it is a cut, and they are right. They are going to cut the housing accelerator fund. They are going to cut out the ability of tens of thousands of Canadians to access affordable housing. They are going to undercut their own MPs who want the housing accelerator fund to continue. This is absolutely a mis-characterization o…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned the leader of the Bloc Québécois received his security clearance. The only leader in the House who has refused to get the security clearance, and continues to put his head in the sand, is the leader of the official opposition, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Therefore, I repeat, in terms that he can understand: Get the clearance, take the briefing …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, they just do not understand. They do not want to understand. The laws are in place. They cannot be enforced properly because the province is underfunding the system. One hour ago, none other than Ben Mulroney was on his podcast saying that one of the biggest problems is the lack of resources provided by the provincial government in the province of Ontario. That is why people are get…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, that last statement is just outrageous. I live in the city of Toronto, where this police officer worked. My family, my neighbours and I rely on the police every single day, and we are grateful for the work they do. This member is a former Crown prosecutor, as he likes to remind us time and time again. It is provincial responsibility to deal with the enforcement of bail laws. The Cro…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, once again, he is pointing in the wrong direction—
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