Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by thousands of Canadians across the country who are deeply concerned that the government's proposed freeze on the sale and transfer of handguns is an ineffective way to combat violent crime and that these regulations disproportionately affect law-abiding firearms owners. The petitioners are calling on the government to immediately repeal this…
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague went to some length to explain that Bill C-11 would not impact user-generated content, so my simple question would be this: Why would we not just accept the amendment proposed by the Senate to do exactly that? It would remove user-generated content from the bill. Would the bill not, thus amended, still have all the other positive effects the member is promoting?
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Madam Speaker, it might have started as a good idea, but the Liberals, with the support of their NDP allies, could not resist the temptation to take this opportunity to reshape Canadian culture and society in their own image, so we are here in the House of Commons this evening, late at night, talking about Bill C-11, the so-called online streaming act. This act has morphed into the Liberals' attem…
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Madam Speaker, I am not quite sure how to answer that question. The Internet is a new invention. It changes everything. Just like when the Gutenberg printing press was invented, it upset culture and completely overturned society, but it came out stronger. I think the Internet will do the same. We are too close right now to see what effect it will have, but we have already started seeing some of th…
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Madam Speaker, I think that would be a question to put to Margaret Atwood. I am just going to take her at face value. This is what she thinks. This is her experience. She believes what Canadians want to see, write and publish and how they are going to have a conversation with each other should be up to Canadians to decide, not up to the government bureaucracy. I think that is what she is talking a…
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Madam Speaker, to be honest, I think the question from my colleague from Manitoba makes a whole lot more sense. If the Liberal government would pause, think carefully about what the experts are telling us, what people like Margaret Atwood are telling us, what the Senate is now saying and what ordinary Canadians are telling them, maybe they would just decide that removing user-generated content all…
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Madam Speaker, if I get a well-drafted email, like I did from the Springman family, I am going to assume that they have thought about this carefully and that this is something that they wrote of their own volition and to express their own opinions. I think that we should respect it. I think the Liberal government should respect voices like this.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I am very intrigued by the concept of CERB amnesty. I would like to hear some more details about my colleague's thoughts about that. Will there be means testing? I am assuming that applicants for this amnesty would have to be below a certain income or below a certain wealth level. Would there also be inquiries as to why applicants for amnesty applied for CERB when they clearly did n…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's comments, particularly about not wanting to add more bureaucracy and more red tape to small and medium-sized enterprises, especially small start-ups. I am looking at a study from the public safety committee about Canada's security posture in relation to Russia. I will just read one of the committee's recommendations. Recommendation number 4 states: That t…
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Mr. Speaker, I am reading from the summary of Bill C-26, which would amend the Telecommunications Act to “authorize the Governor in Council and the Minister of Industry to direct telecommunications service providers to do anything, or refrain from doing anything, that is necessary to secure” our telecommunications security. Although it is a laudable goal, those are very broad powers to give to a m…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by a number of Canadians who are deeply concerned the Government of Pakistan has failed, and continues to fail, to afford protection and legitimate rights to persecuted Christians. A good number of those persecuted Christians have found refuge in Canada, having escaped persecution in Pakistan via Thailand, from where they are able to apply for refug…
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Madam Speaker, in her last budget and latest fall economic update, our Minister of Finance talked about Canada's lagging productivity numbers compared to those of our trading partners. She even called this “Canada's Achilles heel”. I wonder if my colleague shares that concern. What does he think is the source of the lagging productivity problem, and could he point to some solutions?
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With regard to the regulatory changes related to amendments to the Insurance Companies Act made in budget 2018: (a) what is the status of the drafting of the regulations; (b) what is the anticipated timeline for publishing the regulations in the Canada Gazette; and (c) what is the anticipated date of bringing these changes into force?
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Madam Speaker, at the justice committee, we are currently studying bail reform, largely instigated on account of violence against police officers. Just a few months ago, Constable Pierzchala was murdered by a person who was out on bail. One of the charges was relating to inter-partner violence. I wonder if my colleague would have a comment on that.
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-75 was introduced four years ago. One of its stated purposes was to reduce the number of indigenous people in our criminal justice system and in our prisons. However, our correctional investigator, Dr. Zinger, said in his latest report that the number is going in the wrong direction, particularly for indigenous women. Could my colleague comment on that?
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Mr. Speaker, at the justice committee we have heard from many witnesses, including from groups that advocate for women who are victims of crime, and they have told us that, in their opinion, reducing sentences for men who are guilty of intimate partner violence is not helping the cause of women. I wonder if the member has a comment about that.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister, his housing record spells double trouble. Average rent costs have doubled to $2,200 a month. Average mortgage costs have more than doubled to $3,500 a month. After eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister, many Canadians are worried about keeping a roof over their heads. Here is my question: Will the Prime Minister take responsibilit…
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Madam Speaker, at the justice committee, where the hon. member and I both serve, we have heard from witnesses, people who work with female victims of crime, and we have heard from more than one witness that sexual assault goes largely unreported. Of those that actually get reported, even fewer go to trial. We have heard from witnesses, from victims of sexual assault, that going to trial is like be…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, Canada has a significant money-laundering problem, and corrupted money comes flooding into our economy on account of that. Nowhere is that more evident than in Vancouver. Professional money launderers have a term for it. It is called the “Vancouver model”. It usually involves a lot of foreign, corrupt money, and it is distorting our economy. We learned a lot about money laundering i…
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Mr. Speaker, yes, I mentioned only one flaw in this legislation because we were pressed for time, but this is definitely another one. The Canada Investment Act has not been reviewed in a long time. Its predecessor, the Foreign Investment Review Act, was with us for many years. It was drafted at a time when we were concerned about international corporations taking over our energy sector. Today, the…
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Mr. Speaker, today we are talking about foreign investment in Canada: What are the benefits? What are the risks? Canada is a large nation by geography, but a relatively small nation when measured by population or by economic power. We are a small contributor, relatively speaking, to the world economy, but we are punching above our weight class, and the only way we can do that is by being a trading…
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Mr. Speaker, I have a question about foreign corporations and state-owned corporations funding research chairs at our world-class leading universities and, at the end of the process, being the owners of the intellectual property that has been produced by Canadian brain power. Does he think there should be controls or regulations around that? Does Bill C-34 address that?
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Mr. Speaker, recommendation number one in the industry committee's report, which unfortunately did not get picked up in Bill C-34, is that the threshold for a takeover of assets, or of corporate shares, by a state-owned enterprise should be set to zero. This would require a deep review of any such acquisition. Could my colleague comment on whether that is a gap in the bill that should be fixed?
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Mr. Speaker, indeed, the pandemic revealed a lot of things to us. We are a free-trading nation, which is one of Canada's strengths, but it can also be one of its weaknesses in that we have seen through the pandemic that supply chain disruptions interrupted our ability to get products that are necessary for us. I am thinking of the pharmaceutical industry and how we learned about its weaknesses dur…
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Mr. Speaker, that is a good question. I am not familiar with that particular file, so I will have a conversation with my colleague about that afterwards, but no, I do not think this bill provides adequate coverage for that. This is another one of the missed opportunities in redrafting the Investment Canada Act, so it is definitely something the committee should look at.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I give a big shout-out to the Langley RCMP. I met with them one day last month for their early-morning briefing to hear their stories and for a ride-along with one of their officers to learn first-hand about community policing. I met brave and dedicated officers who keep us safe, but who are also deeply concerned about their own safety. They were very encouraged to hear that Conservat…
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Madam Speaker, there is something very broken in Canada today. I could talk about inflation being at 40-year highs. I could talk about interest rate hikes in the last 12 months that are doubling the average mortgage payments and making residential rental rates out of reach for many workers in Canadian cities that need workers. I could talk about the housing affordability crisis and I could talk ab…
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Madam Speaker, in the opening part of his speech, my colleague said that he would be voting in favour of extending the deadline by another year. Is he optimistic that in that one year the government will be able to develop regulations, safeguards and guidelines to assist the medical profession in the responsible application of medical assistance in dying?
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Madam Speaker, yes indeed I would completely support the government doing whatever is necessary to make sure that indigenous people, and indeed all Canadians, receive the mental health care that they need. I gave the example of Mr. Todd's father, which I think is just a great example of where Canada used to do this much better, but for some ideological reason, we have abandoned that. It is a disas…
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Mr. Speaker, I wonder what the member's thoughts are on what is going to happen in the next year. We have had two years to develop guidelines, regulations and safeguards around MAID for those suffering a mental illness, and yet we have not developed a consensus at all. What we did was hear conflicting evidence and conflicting opinions at committee. Is the member confident that in the next 12 month…
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Madam Speaker, what is not the solution is to allow mentally ill people to live in tent cities or in squalor in some of the single-room occupancy hotels in the Downtown Eastside. This is terrible. The government is funding those homes, but it is inadequate. It is just slightly better than living in a tent. I completely agree that—
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Madam Speaker, indeed Canadians are disappointed the government has failed to deliver on its promise to fund mental health to the extent that it is necessary, and they are doubly disappointed now the government is now talking about expanding medical assistance in dying for mentally ill people. They need help; they do not need assistance in dying.
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Madam Speaker, my colleague's questions are becoming more challenging. Yes, indeed the intent of the legislation we are talking about today is to prohibit people who have been sanctioned from entering Canada. There are some people who have been sanctioned, maybe just because they live in a state that we have sanctioned, and they do have the right to appeal, to have their case heard and to convince…
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Madam Speaker, my colleague from Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge is absolutely right. Just because we have a good law does not mean that it is administered properly. He raised a couple of examples about citizens of this or other countries who go abroad to be involved in terrorist actions and then come home again and how they are treated. It is a problem in Canada as well. Not only are ISIS war brides com…
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Madam Speaker, yes, the Magnitsky act sends a powerful signal to the world that Canada stands up for human rights. If we read the story about Sergei Magnitsky and how he was mistreated for doing the right thing, then I believe the world will support us as we try to do our best to support human rights around the world. It sends a good, strong signal. I am happy this is one act that, and I am assumi…
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Madam Speaker, we are here today to talk about Bill S-8. For the benefit of my constituents who may be interested in following this, this is an act that started its life in the other place last spring, a month or so before Parliament rose for the summer. We are talking about Bill S-8, an act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, to make consequential amendments to other acts and to …
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Madam Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal government, Canadians are facing a cost of living crisis, with inflation at a 40-year high, seniors worried about putting food on the table and university students going to food banks. After eight years of the Prime Minister's incompetence, we have high interest rates, doubling of mortgage payments and out-of-reach residential rent rates. After eight…
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Madam Speaker, indeed, this creates a big challenge for Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada recently ruled that so-called ISIS brides must be returned to Canada, and furthermore, that even men who fought for ISIS or Daesh, if Canadian citizens, have the right to come back to Canada pursuant to section 6 of our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That is the section of our charter that states that we a…
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Madam Speaker, as I was listening to the speech from the parliamentary secretary, I do not know if I am amused or confused. At a time when Canadians are hurting so much because of inflation, the cost-of-living crisis and interest rates going up, when people in my community are worried about how they are going to put food on the table and how they are going to make their mortgage payments now that …
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Madam Speaker, I just wanted to follow up on the question from my colleague from South Shore—St. Margarets about individual assets ending up in the hands of foreign state-owned enterprises. I am thinking particularly of state-owned enterprises from nondemocratic nations, as the member for Windsor West mentioned. When we fund research chairs at Canada's research universities, at the end of the proc…
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Mr. Speaker, the hon. member from Quebec said in his speech that Conservatives are not putting forward any data. I would ask him to read the motion once again. There is some data put in there. One important fact is that of the 44 firearms-related homicides in the city of Toronto, 24 saw the person charged with the crime being out on a firearms-related bail, so that is a very significant fact. Also…
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Mr. Speaker, the member's speech sounded like a chapter out of a criminal law textbook, but it did not touch at all on the reality of what Canadians are hearing, feeling and seeing on the streets. Twenty-four out of 44 gun-related murders in Toronto were perpetrated by people who were out on bail on firearms-related charges. Surely there is a crisis in Canadian cities and surely the member opposit…
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With regard to contracts provided by the government to McKinsey & Company since March 1, 2021, broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity: (a) what is the total amount spent on contracts; and (b) what are the details of all such contracts, including (i) the amount, (ii) the vendor, (iii) the date and duration, (iv) the description of goods or services provided…
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Madam Speaker, the Minister of Justice would be aware that at the justice committee, Conservative members put forward a common-sense motion. It was a proposal to amend Bill C-9 to include an automatic right of appeal to the Federal Court of Appeal, not the trial court, and that was rejected by the other members of the committee. They argued that the Supreme Court of Canada is already there for app…
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Madam Speaker, I am here to talk about Bill C-9, an act to amend the Judges Act. In the end, the Michel Girouard case was not even about whether Justice Girouard had purchased cocaine from his former client, a known drug dealer. The Canadian Judicial Council panel hearing the case found that there was not enough evidence on a balance of probability to find that the judge had been dealing in drugs.…
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Madam Speaker, of course, judicial independence is extremely important. It goes to the core of our society and our judicial system, and the public must have confidence in the judicial system. I think we can celebrate that Canada's judges are highly professional, highly ethical and very considerate of the people who appear before them. They are highly regarded by the community as well. There is a l…
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Madam Speaker, I completely agree that the appointment of judges must be non-partisan altogether, whether or not that is done through a multi-party body that oversees the appointment of judges. I would take it a step further and say that politicians should not be involved in it at all. It should just be done on a very non-partisan basis, based on the lawyer's ability to be a good judge.
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Madam Speaker, we voted in favour of Bill C-3 in the previous Parliament, which originated as a private member's bill from the Hon. Rona Ambrose. I completely support it. I know there was some debate about whether Parliament telling judges they must get educated interfered with their independence. I do not think it did. Judges, like everybody, should be fully educated and informed on the topics th…
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Madam Speaker, Marissa from Langley shared with me recently her deep concern about the Liberal Party's direct attacks on hunters like her, farmers and sport shooters. She also shared with me her concern about gun violence, and urges me to support common-sense gun controls. In her own words, she says, “I can detect no sign of that in Bill C-21.” On behalf of Marissa and the hundreds of others who h…
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Mr. Speaker, at the justice committee, the Conservative members put forward what we thought was a common-sense proposal to amend Bill C-9 to allow one appeal directly to the Federal Court of Appeal, not to the trial division where things became bogged down with the Girouard case. This proposal was made because we thought there should be some judicial overview on the work of the Canadian Judicial C…
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