Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Bill C-236, introduced by my colleague and friend the hon. member for Parkland. It is a bill that speaks to something fundamental, not just in our justice system but also in our shared humanity. It is about dignity and accountability, and above all it is about justice for victims and their families. For most Canadians, when a loved one passes, there…
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Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question. This country is rooted in faith. We have faith communities and faith organizations right across this country, and they do not accept for one minute this Liberal narrative. Liberals say Canadians and faith communities have nothing to worry about and that they are still protected by the charter. It is that same false, erroneous argument they sold to Canadi…
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Mr. Speaker, through all that bluster and noise, I thought I had opened up the door for any member of the Liberal government to stand up and speak directly to the millions of Canadians who would be impacted and are concerned about the position the Liberal government is taking. Why was the bill never drafted to include the removal of a 56-year-old defence? What were the circumstances that caused th…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the second time this week to speak to Bill C-9, after the Liberals rammed it through committee and this House and are censoring debate on their own censorship bill. At third reading, we are no longer deliberating intentions. We are deciding consequences. The consequence of Bill C-9, as it now stands, is clear: a fundamental change to Canada's Criminal Code that the Li…
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Mr. Speaker, sadly, and she is probably not surprised by this, I certainly do not agree with anything my colleague had to say. The justice committee did not debate this particular amendment in good faith. There were no witnesses called. There were no expressions by any of the Liberal members to support the Bloc amendment. The only person who raised it was the Bloc representative on the justice com…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this particular bill, Bill C-235, introduced by my colleague, the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford. This is a bill rooted in something very simple yet too often overlooked in our justice system, which is respect for victims and their families. For far too many Canadians, justice does not end at sentencing. For the families of victims who have endu…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely correct. As I indicated in my speech, I am sure that the Liberal Party is a deeply divided caucus when it comes to Bill C-9.
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Mr. Speaker, to the people who are heckling me now and to the member for Winnipeg North, we heard from people from Winnipeg, we heard from faith leaders in Winnipeg, and they are absolutely disgusted with the antics of the Liberal government in choosing to ram through a piece of legislation without proper consideration or proper debate. This was for political reasons, not through evidentiary issue…
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Mr. Speaker, what an absolutely ridiculous preamble and a ridiculous question. It is the same approach the Liberal government took for the invocation of the Emergencies Act. The Liberals said to Canadians, “You have nothing to worry about. Your charter rights are temporarily suspended, but the balance of those charter rights will be upheld.” Now we have had two decisions from the Federal Court, an…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague's speech was excellent. I have been here most of the day, listening to a number of interventions by the Liberals, particularly the member for Winnipeg North. He sounds like a broken record. He has been able to identify one lawyer in Toronto who actually supports the removal of the religious defence. I have listened to the member over a number of days, and that is the only…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is absolutely right. That is the problem. The government chose not to call any evidence whatsoever to support the Bloc amendment that would remove this 56-year-old religious defence. We asked for more meetings, something that was denied by the Liberal Party. In fact, it was even denied by the member from the Bloc Québécois who sits on the justice committee. We asked for a…
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moved: That Bill C-9 be amended by deleting the short title. Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise in this great House to speak to the great residents of my riding. I rise today to speak yet once again to Bill C-9. It is a bill that has many Canadians across all faith communities deeply concerned, and for good reason. The bill was originally presented as a measure to protect places of worsh…
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Mr. Speaker, that tragic case is a direct result of Bill C-5 and Bill C-75's laws that weaken bail, water down consequences and fuel the revolving door for violent crime. Conservatives have repeatedly fought to strengthen bail and early release provisions and to keep violent offenders behind bars. We have offered to work with the government, yet the Liberals vote down tougher laws that Conservativ…
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Mr. Speaker, Liberal revolving-door policies strike again. Today in Toronto, a criminal who, while out on bail and convicted of stabbing a male seven times on the subway, caused life-altering injuries and permanent trauma, is now walking free. The judge called him a high risk to reoffend, and now his victim fears for his life. How many more innocent Canadians have to be stabbed, shot or terrorized…
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Mr. Speaker, I am at a complete loss. The Liberals have known for well over a year that violent crime was on the rise, but particularly extortion, at over 330%. On the highest level of any criminal act in this country, they sat silent. If anything, they could have sent a very clear signal to law enforcement, to victims and to those who prey on and victimize individuals using extortionary tactics t…
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Mr. Speaker, I share the same sentiment as my colleague from the Bloc. It has always been a pleasure working with him. I certainly enjoy all of his interventions and his contributions to the justice committee. I think our party made it abundantly clear where we stand on Bill C-14. We wanted to prioritize Bill C-14. We tried desperately at least 19 times before Christmas to prioritize it. Unfortuna…
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Mr. Speaker, the member and the entire Liberal government talk really tough on crime, particularly on extortion, when the national average is over 330%, and in B.C. alone, it is over 500%. If the Liberals were truly genuine in their words about being tough on crime, why did they gut the mandatory minimum penalty in Bill C-5? Why did they not bring back a reverse onus in Bill C-14 or even bring bac…
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Mr. Speaker, I will ask the question again. The member talked about bringing mandatory minimum penalties back in Bill C-16, but that does not happen at all. In fact, there are no mandatory minimum penalties brought in for specific offences in Bill C-16. What the government did was bring in a safety valve. Again, if the member is that serious about extortion, why did he vote in favour of removing t…
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Mr. Speaker, leaving aside the very controversial decision my friend referred to in the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Pham, which still does not provide any sort of framework by which judges are to apply a discount, if any, I want to focus on the Bill C-5 implications for extortion. I believe I heard my colleague indicate that Bill C-5 did not take away a mandatory minimum penalty for extort…
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Mr. Speaker, I hope my hon. colleague, as deputy leader, can provide some final clarity to the House, because I have heard nothing but exaggerated statements and mistruths in the Liberal Party's explanation about our party's being obstructionist. Can the member provide context as to how many times the justice committee tried to prioritize Bill C-14 before Christmas and how many times the justice c…
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps the secretary of state needs to look herself in the mirror and ask why she has failed Canadians, why she has failed victims and why she has allowed such criminality to be so pervasive throughout this country. She had a choice. She could have said no to the passage of Bill C-5, which eliminated mandatory minimum penalties. She voted yes. She had a choice in passing Bill C-75, w…
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Mr. Speaker, I ask my friend opposite how she could be so proud of her government's abysmal track record for the last 10 years when she herself voted in favour of Bill C-75, in favour of Bill C-5 and in favour of Bill C-48, which created the problems we are facing right now with extortion. It is fine to say they are taking it seriously now, but where was she 10 years ago?
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Mr. Speaker, in the member's 10-minute diatribe, I heard very few relevant talking points to support the government's position. In fact all I heard repeatedly, was reference to a non-binding motion, that it is our solution, that we do not have any talking points and that we are not creating any opportunities for the government to pass legislation. Perhaps the member needs a little bit of a history…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the good people of Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations. I rise today to speak to this excellent Conservative motion, which we brought forward after countless meetings across the country with small business owners, families and community leaders, where Canadians have expressed deep concern and genuine fear about the rising extortion issue now …
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Mr. Speaker, extortion is a national crisis, exploding 330% since the Liberals took office. In Surrey, Calgary, Brampton and across Canada, Canadians are being threatened, shot at and firebombed, while criminal gangs and violent non-citizens extort families, all thanks to Liberal inaction. Will the Prime Minister support our plan, supported even by the NDP premier of B.C., to bar extortionists and…
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Mr. Speaker, here we go again. This time, in Guelph, police warned the community that a high-risk offender with a history of violence and breaching court orders was released after pleading guilty to breaching probation. Police said he posed a danger, especially to women, and less than two hours later, he was arrested again. This is weak Liberal bail law in action. Once again, the Liberals' princip…
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Mr. Speaker, this dangerous release happened for only one reason. Liberal soft-on-crime laws are still on the books, and the government refuses to repeal them. Time after time, Liberal laws put repeat violent offenders back on the street, ignore police warnings and put Canadians in harm's way. Conservatives, on the other hand, are ready to work with anyone in the House to put public safety first a…
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Madam Speaker, that is an important question. I am very hopeful that 2026 ushers in a positive change in the House of Commons. Today the Prime Minister and the government House leader gave press conferences setting out their purpose for the winter and spring session. They want to prioritize the quick passage of Bill C-14 and Bill C-16. We are currently debating that. In fact, it may have already b…
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Madam Speaker, I can answer the question very affirmatively. It is yes. Ideally, we want this bill to be split in order to focus in on those areas that have been long overdue for 10 years. Victims, law agencies and victim advocacy groups have all been asking for additional reforms to prioritize the needs of victims, to recalibrate the focus on bail and to take a look at community safety, while at …
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for that excellent question because it is important that legislation reflect not only the will of the public but also a rigorous debate in the House of Commons. My friend commented on the rising level of gun crime and the outrageous extortion numbers, particularly in British Columbia. I was out there recently, giving a press conference. I was shocked to learn th…
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Madam Speaker, welcome back to the House. I welcome all of my friends on the other side, as well as my colleagues, and I wish every member of the House a very happy new year. I hope to have a really productive winter and spring session in the 45th Parliament. I start by reflecting on what Bill C-16 would and would not do. At the outset, I can state that the bill is largely supported by the Conserv…
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Madam Speaker, I want to be very clear about something. Bill C-16 would make available the possibility that all the mandatory minimum penalties that were ruled unconstitutional by appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, get reopened. This would include the most recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in Senneville, which was on the possession of child sexual abuse material.…
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Madam Speaker, clearly, my colleague opposite did not listen to a word I had to say, because I indicated that the vast majority of the provisions that deal with trial delays and victims are going to be supportable by the Conservative Party of Canada. Where we differ, and I would beg to differ with her, is with respect to the position of law enforcement. They want meaningful sentences. They do not …
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Mr. Speaker, Conservatives asked the Liberals 17 times at the justice committee to start working on the bail bill. We moved 17 motions to get to bail, and 17 times the Liberals blocked it. They voted against our jail not bail act. They voted against our three strikes motion. Now they are blocking their own bill. At what point will the government stop voting against every single measure to finally …
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps the minister should actually show up at the justice committee and see what his colleagues are doing. We showed up, ready to fix the Liberals' broken bail system, but after more than 17 attempts to prioritize Bill C-14, the answer from the Liberals is always no. It is clear the government is unwilling to take even modest steps toward keeping Canadians safe. Still, today, it con…
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals had multiple opportunities to crack down on violent repeat offenders. Instead, they chose religious censorship over public safety. The Liberal members for Burnaby Central, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, Mount Royal and even the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice must answer to Canadians as to why they keep obstructing the study of Bill C-14. They were given the c…
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Mr. Speaker, last night at the justice committee, Conservatives moved to immediately prioritize Bill C-14 and scrap dangerous Liberal bail laws. What did the Liberals do? Shamefully, they blocked us, not once, not twice, but three times. Now we just learned that they cancelled today's eight-hour meeting. Instead of stopping criminals, the Liberals are more concerned with prosecuting religious expr…
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Madam Speaker, the level of hypocrisy coming from that member is absolutely through the roof. I am a proud member of the justice committee. I am the vice-chair of the justice committee. Every member of the Liberal government, including that member, should be ashamed of what has been happening at the justice committee. They have been stalling, filibustering, cancelling meetings without notice at th…
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Madam Speaker, I offer my congratulations to the member and her riding for that stellar performance and win. On the issue of the Prime Minister flip-flopping, the Prime Minister wrote a book called Values. He was absolutely against everything that he is promising now to Canadians. With all due respect to my friend, I have some deep reservations as to his true motive. Is this ultimately going to be…
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Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the great constituents of Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations. Budgets are not just balance sheets. They have consequences, and the consequences of the budget are already visible: higher food prices, fewer full-time jobs, rising debt and record food bank use. This is not theory. It is the lived, sad reality of families who can no longer aff…
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Madam Speaker, that is their formula. They love to mislead Canadians and paint a rosy picture that we have never had it so good. They can tell that to the people in my riding who are lining up in record numbers at food banks. They can tell that to a struggling—
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister told Canadians he should be judged by prices at the grocery store. The results are in, and the Liberals have failed. In my community of Brantford, the city council declared a food insecurity emergency. Liberal inflationary spending is causing a run at food banks. Grocery bills have doubled, and the outlook for 2026 is even worse. After all of this damage, will the L…
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They can stop the heckling, and—
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are tired of excuses. They want groceries they can afford. The food price report put it bluntly: If 2025 was difficult for Canadian households, 2026 will not be easier. After the most expensive Prime Minister in Canadian history has already shattered household budgets and forced families into desperation, Canadians are now being told the pain will only deepen. Will the Prime…
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Madam Speaker, the member clearly did not listen to my speech. The issue is not the religious exemption itself. It is the legal threshold that prosecutors must look at when presented with a case: Is there a reasonable prospect of a conviction? Is it in the public interest? As I indicated, the words of that radical Islamist were disgusting, absolutely abhorrent, but they do not meet the threshold o…
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Madam Speaker, they should be very afraid. Every faith leader should be very afraid about what the Liberal government, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, wishes to do. As I indicated, religious freedom is under attack at the hands of the Liberal government. They absolutely need to speak out loud and clear. Those members of religious organizations across this country in Liberal-held ridings, i…
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Madam Speaker, that particular member just spews hatred and spews disgust. He impugns the integrity of every one of my Conservative colleagues. I am so disgusted in that particular framing of the question and the content of that question that I am not even going to respond. It is just not worthy of it.
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Madam Speaker, the election was at the end of April. We returned to Parliament at the end of May. We had approximately five to six weeks of sitting. We then broke for the summer. Approximately six months have passed since the election, and the very first piece of criminal justice legislation brought forward by the Attorney General is Bill C-9. The Liberals are prioritizing it. We had our debate. W…
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Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the good people of Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations. I, too, share many of the concerns of my colleague who just spoke. We have seen first-hand, in my respectful opinion, a master class of Liberal hypocrisy. On full display yesterday, during question period, the member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, who is a sitting Liberal member of the co…
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Mr. Speaker, over the last several months, I have travelled across Canada on a “jail not bail” town hall tour listening to thousands of Canadians pour out their fear and frustration. Everywhere I go, Canadians say the same thing: They no longer trust their justice system. Who can blame them? Criminals are laughing at law enforcement, knowing they will be arrested in the morning and back on the str…
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