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…
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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 →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, 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 →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 →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…
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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…
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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 …
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Madam Speaker, once again, he is pointing in the wrong direction—
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, every single day in the province of Ontario, there are Justices of the Peace, appointed by the provincial government, who are letting people out on bail. This is because the conditions inside provincially built, provincially funded and provincially operated prisons are inhumane and not okay for people, even prisoners, to be in. There are judicial decisions by Justices of the Peace, …
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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 →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I am not trying to be cute. This is a very serious issue. I live in Toronto. The price of gas at the pumps in Toronto is lower now than it was a year ago. It is about the same price as it was when carbon pricing was introduced a number of years ago. The notion that it costs more to get in the car and travel is pure fallacy. It is political rhetoric to score some political points to he…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for her ongoing advocacy for environmental causes in Canada. Countries around the world are taking decisive action toward combatting climate change and protecting the environment, and Canada is no different. Tackling the climate crisis requires many innovative solutions, and one of the tools in the tool box is achieving a healthy env…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, my immediate reaction is that James should check his mail and look at the carbon rebate, but the Conservative Party seems to be obsessed with the idea of attacking the carbon pricing mechanism. Carbon pricing is a proven, effective method of reducing emissions in Canada. Whether someone lives in Toronto, in Manitoba, in Saskatchewan or in Nova Scotia, the fact remains that carbon pric…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, last October, the Supreme Court of Canada issued an opinion regarding the constitutionality of the Impact Assessment Act, stating that we needed to clearly focus on the areas of federal jurisdiction and underscoring that we work with provinces “in the spirit of cooperative federalism.” More specifically, the Supreme Court of Canada stated that decisions under the act must be tied excl…
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I admire this member, and I admire her passion. She is baiting me to defend the Harper government, and there is no chance I am going to do that, of course. I will defend the Liberal government's record on the environment. I will defend the former environment minister Catherine McKenna. We have taken every step along the way to make sure that the assessment process works, that it satis…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, Conservative rhetoric is up, Conservative nonsense is up, rhyming is certainly up and Canadians are getting fed up. My intention is to do what I have always done: keep my head down and work on the issues with my colleagues. They can keep working on bumper-sticker slogans all day long.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, sadly, what else is up? It is character assassination. It is unacceptable to come into this chamber and time after time go after individuals' character. It undermines the integrity of this institution and Canadians are fed up. I would have thought the member of all people would have learned that lesson some time ago, but apparently I was wrong.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, Canadian Development Consultants International Inc., CDCI, provided services to the Department of Justice for the purpose of litigation. The litigation is ongoing, as the terms and deliverables under the settlement of the class action lawsuit have not yet concluded. Therefore, the reports and related details, such as the mandate and scope of the research, the terms of reference and th…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the April 7, 2021, decision of the former Minister of Justice ordering a new trial for Jacques Delisle, the details of all legal advice received by the former minister regarding the holding of a new trial, including the identity of the person who provided the advice, the mandate conferred by the minister and the evidence reviewed, is subject to solicitor-client privileg…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour a distinguished diplomat, an accomplished historian, a great Irishman and, most of all, a wonderful friend to Canada. His Excellency Dr. Eamonn McKee and his wife Mary McGillis-McKee came to Canada four years ago. For anyone else, coming during a pandemic would have caused many hardships to make a mark. For Eamonn, he dove into what he called a journey of discov…
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2021-22 annual report from the Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime. In addition, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2022-23 annual report from the Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2023-24 departmental plan for the Law Commission of Canada.
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Speaker, I rise today to highlight a special event that took place last week on Parliament Hill: the second annual Cutest Pets on Parliament Hill contest. I thank the Canadian Animal Health Institute for organizing this contest, and I congratulate all the nominees and winners. Of course, I would like to congratulate my Walnut, who won cutest dog; I would also like to recognize the runner-up, owned…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the answer to the last part of the question is that I do not think anybody can. The Conservatives are playing politics with the bill, pure and simple. They supported it at second reading. They filibustered the bill for 40 hours at committee. They hauled out the name of David and Joyce Milgaard here tonight; it is shameful. This commission would be set up to be independent and effici…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for his remarks tonight. I serve on the justice committee with him now, as I did at the time we reviewed the bill, and he has a great deal of compassion. He brings a level of fairness to the job that is admirable. However, the member started his speech by saying that Canadians need to have faith in the justice system; they also need to have faith in…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the premise of the member's question is that it is unfair and that it is wrong. This is not about trampling over rights. In fact, it is about expanding rights. The whole purpose of this commission is to make access to justice easier for the wrongfully convicted. The member wants people to have access to this body in both official languages, full stop. She also wants the best people …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker. I am very pleased to speak tonight to Bill C-40, the miscarriage of justice review commission act, David and Joyce Milgaard's law. This legislation would transform the process for identifying and remedying wrongful convictions in Canada. This change is overdue and would be a monumental improvement to justice in our country. As a member of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, flattery will get my colleague everywhere, but I do not profess to be an expert on anything, frankly. On this issue, he raised a very important point. There are many cases where people do not have the ability or the means to exercise their right of appeal, or there are many more cases where facts come up later, long after their ability to appeal has expired. It is only in exceptiona…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the member is very thoughtful and I enjoy working with him, as I said earlier. I do not believe this would lower the threshold. It would change the nature of the equation that the commission has to calculate when reviewing the circumstances in each case. It is up to the courts to determine innocence or guilt. It would be up to the commission to determine whether maybe there has been…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, when I was 14, I met a guy named Joe Kennedy. We formed a friendship that would last a lifetime. On March 9, Joe passed away due to a heart problem, which is ironic given that he had a better heart than anybody I have ever met. He was kind, he was generous and he oozed integrity and humility, which guided him during a successful career, first with Ontario Hydro and later with Commun…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to stand in the House on behalf of the residents of Etobicoke Lakeshore. This evening, I am pleased to speak to Bill S-224, an act to amend the Criminal Code with regard to human trafficking. I want to say at the outset that while we are unable to support the bill, I understand the objective the sponsor was trying to achieve, and it is a laudable one. The inten…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, first, let me start by thanking the minister for his remarks and saying that it is a privilege to serve alongside him in his capacity as Minister of Justice. The minister made some remarks about our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Throughout my entire adult life, this has been a document that Canadians have come to rely on, and the expectation is that their rights will be protected. H…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the minister could just reinforce the difference between the Liberal government's position and the position taken by the Leader of the Opposition, just so that Canadians can be assured, as long as this government is in power.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will move on to a different subject. We are talking about court delays. I practised law in Ontario for 20 years before I had the privilege of serving in this House. We all know that court delays are caused by multiple different factors. Perhaps the minister could share his thoughts on some of those other factors, including the provincial government's role in and responsibility for t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I am going to go back to a topic I touched on earlier. It has to do with the judiciary, judicial vacancies and delays in our courtrooms. As I said, I practised for a long time. I practised in Toronto, and there were a number of times I would have a trial ready to go in Newmarket, Oshawa or Brampton, only to be told there was no judge available or there was no courtroom available. In f…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, on that point, the Liberal government, shortly after it was elected, increased the judicial complement in this country, including here in Ontario. Perhaps the minister could take a moment to share with us the number of judicial appointments he has made since he was appointed as minister.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I will get back to this later, but perhaps the minister could briefly touch upon, and reinforce, the changes that were made by the government to the appointment process that have enhanced the quality of the bench.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, it is a pleasure to rise again this evening to join this conversation, which is so central to our democracy. There is something I want to talk about, which I touched on earlier, about federally appointed judges and our judiciary in Canada, which is one of the strongest in the world, in my opinion. We are very fortunate in Canada to have an independent and highly regarded judiciary tha…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, on the issue of the complexity of problems, I am going to go to auto theft. The minister has been quite candid in acknowledging the fact that this is a serious problem. I find candour is a rare commodity in politics these days, so it is refreshing to see somebody who is willing to admit that there is a problem and that circumstances require a response, but one of the issues is auto th…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to speak about Bill C-381, an act to amend the Criminal Code on the important issue of extortion, which is something that I and, I expect, all parliamentarians are deeply concerned about. Bill C-381 proposes amendments to the Criminal Code to address the rise in extortion offences. I will focus my remarks today on the proposed amendments relating to m…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canada-United Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association's bilateral visit to the United Kingdom, including London, England, Cardiff, Wales, and Edinburgh, Scotland, from November 13 to 17, 2023. I would like to add my thanks to all of the members who participated, b…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to speak to Bill C-270, an act to amend the Criminal Code (pornographic material), at second reading. I would like to begin my remarks by stressing the bill's important objective. It is to ensure that those who make, distribute or advertise pornographic material verify that those depicted in that material are at least 18 years of age and have consented to its product…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, fearmongering does nothing to encourage Canadians to have more confidence in our justice system. We have one of the safest countries in the entire world. We had an auto summit just a few short months ago, where all of the different parties came together. Since that time, we have seen an increase in the measures taken by police and other authorities across the country, including the …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, in response to part (a) of the question, the government-issued vehicle of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada was stolen and reported as such on November 22, 2023. The government assets were also reported stolen on November 22, 2023, and subsequently on November 28, 2023. With respect to part (b), the total value of the contents that were stolen from the vehicle is …
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Mr. Speaker, statistics on the number of applications received, the number of assessments by category and the number of appointments made, as well as demographic data on applicants and appointees, are published every year. These statistics are available on the website of the Office of the Commissioner for Judicial Affairs, at https://www.fja.gc.ca/appointments-nominations/StatisticsCandidate-Stati…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am grateful to speak to this bill today. The oath of allegiance is one everybody in the House is familiar with because they have taken it. Everybody sitting here has taken it at least once. Some of us have been lucky enough to take it more than once. The moment a member of this place takes the oath for the first time has a powerful impact. It is a moment filled equally with excite…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Chair, Canada's support since the outset of this awful situation has been unconditional and unequivocal. I was not at the committee today to hear the ambassador's testimony, but I can say that her position, which has been unequivocal, is that Canada should support the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement. As for the specifics of the member's question on ammunition, I would be happy to speak to …
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