SoVote

Mr. Frank Caputo (Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, CPC)

Feb/20/22 10:18:43 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. I have noticed a trend as a sit here in the House of Commons on behalf of my constituents, and it is as though the speeches coming from the government benches are pretty much exactly the same. They cite the exact same rationale in just about the exact same order. In fact, section 21 of the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act flies in direct contravention to what the member said. One thing the member talked about that caught my ear was having to dial down the rhetoric. Leadership starts from the top, so has he delivered that message to the Prime Minister?

122 words

All Topics

Mr. Tony Van Bynen

Feb/20/22 10:19:25 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, we have been actively engaged in ongoing dialogue. I have, for two sittings of this House now, seen the behaviour of both sides of the House. I believe that both sides of the House own the responsibility to speak responsibly, to be open-minded and to be supportive of finding solutions. That is why Canadians sent us to this House, and that is how we should all behave.

70 words

All Topics

Mr. Martin Champoux (Drummond, BQ)

Feb/20/22 10:19:59 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. The Emergencies Act is only meant to be applied in the event of an existing or imminent crisis. The situation taking place on Parliament Hill for the past three weeks appears to have been cleared or is well on the way to being cleared. Does my colleague still think it is necessary to enforce the Emergencies Act?

66 words

All Topics

Mr. Tony Van Bynen

Feb/20/22 10:20:26 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, we are not sure that this is over yet. There have been people who have vacated the precinct that is currently being protected, but there is also dialogue and discussion about coming back, returning. There is also dialogue about regrouping. I think it is important for us to maintain vigilance, to monitor the process as it goes forward and to be ready to respond when it is appropriate.

70 words

All Topics

Ms. Heather McPherson (Edmonton Strathcona, NDP)

Feb/20/22 10:21:10 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, one of the things I am very concerned about, which we are seeing across the country right now, is attacks on the media. I was just reading an article about attacks that have been happening in British Columbia against media. Obviously, we have seen some horrific assaults happen in Ottawa against members of the media. I am just wondering what the government's plans are. What steps will it be taking to ensure that we are protecting journalists, that we are protecting those who are working so hard to tell their stories and share information with Canadians?

99 words

All Topics

Mr. Tony Van Bynen

Feb/20/22 10:21:49 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, protecting a free press is critically important for any democracy. It is the press that shines a light on the issues. What I am particularly proud of is the independent ability for the media in Canada to present the facts as we go forward. I agree with the member. It is very critical that we should be going forward and making sure that we do have a free press that is protected and that has the same rights as anyone else who is seeking to report the facts to our communities.

93 words

All Topics

Mr. Chad Collins (Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, Lib.)

Feb/20/22 10:22:33 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for Newmarket—Aurora for his comments earlier. It was a great speech, as always. The member has a lot of experience. I want to speak to the question that was posed by the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo when he talked about looking at leadership from the top. We have consulted with the Premier of Ontario, who has supported the act being presented here this evening. We have consulted with the mayor of Ottawa, who has supported the act being presented here this evening. We have consulted with the mayor of Windsor, who declared an emergency and who supports what we are doing here this evening. Could the member comment on consultation with municipalities and the Premier of Ontario as it relates to the act that is being presented here tonight in the House?

145 words

All Topics

Mr. Tony Van Bynen

Feb/20/22 10:23:24 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I appreciate working with the member on the HUMA committee. Both of us have some municipal background, and both of us understand the need to consult at the municipal, regional, provincial and federal levels. I believe those consultations have been undertaken. The decisions that were made were as a result of the consultations that were undertaken.

58 words

All Topics

Ms. Bonita Zarrillo (Port Moody—Coquitlam, NDP)

Feb/20/22 10:24:03 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I will begin my comments by highlighting what we are all agreeing on in this House. In the past few days of debate, I have heard agreement that we must denounce hate and hate symbols. Let us build on that consensus, because it has been exposed this past month that there was a far-right, sinister element that had infiltrated the convoys at the highest levels. It is organized and well funded, and it has the stated goal of overthrowing our elected government. I take that threat very seriously. I heard most members of this House denounce these bad actors and recognize that their actions and intentions do not represent the Canada we want to pass on to the next generation. These are serious times that call for serious debate and action that is appropriate and proportionate to the severity of this dangerous situation we find ourselves in. Let me be clear. These occupations are dangerous. They are not peaceful. They are unlawful. They never should have been allowed to become entrenched in our communities. Governments did have the resources to halt the occupation of Ottawa early on, but failed to respond with the urgency required. Why do I say that? On social media, convoy organizers were openly sharing their intent, including their plans for when they got to Ottawa. There was endless coverage of the convoy as it moved across Canada, and it was known from the beginning that factions of the convoy—

247 words

All Topics

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Feb/20/22 10:25:39 p.m.
Watch

I have to interrupt the hon. member. We have a point of order from the hon. member for North Island—Powell River.

23 words

Powell
River

Ms. Rachel Blaney

Feb/20/22 10:25:42 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I apologize for interrupting my colleague, but I wanted to make sure that she remembers to share her time with the member for Vancouver Kingsway.

27 words

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Feb/20/22 10:25:52 p.m.
Watch

The hon. member for Port Moody—Coquitlam.

8 words

Ms. Bonita Zarrillo

Feb/20/22 10:25:55 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I did forget that. I will be sharing my time. There were factions of the convoy that were displaying symbols of hate, hate that was not taken seriously by governments and has not been taken seriously for years. What has become clear through these last several weeks is that Canada does not have the tools to deal with the hate or disinformation that is growing across our communities. The fear, intimidation and lawlessness that have evolved on the streets of Ottawa and at borders across the country have shone a magnifying glass on how the government systems are not equipped to uphold even the most basic laws when hate and disinformation rear their ugly head and when white privilege underpins it. It has become glaringly obvious to Canadians that government let them down and left them on their own to deal with the consequences of unlawful occupations in their communities. This reality is threatening the safety of—

160 words

All Topics

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Feb/20/22 10:27:01 p.m.
Watch

Can I ask the hon. member for Don Valley East to please put himself on mute?

16 words

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Feb/20/22 10:27:01 p.m.
Watch

Of course. We stopped counting the time. I apologize for the interruption. The hon. member for Port Moody—Coquitlam may start again.

23 words

Ms. Bonita Zarrillo

Feb/20/22 10:27:01 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, can I have my time back from that?

10 words

Time
Back

Ms. Bonita Zarrillo

Feb/20/22 10:27:22 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, this reality is threatening the safety of citizens and institutions, and the very sovereignty of this country. We know that this threat is real, and that the online environment is amplifying it. The power of online disinformation can be exemplified by the varied reports of a protester being trampled by a police horse this weekend. A phone call to my office that I picked up on Friday from a distraught constituent, as well as emails, reported that one victim was a woman, or it was a senior woman, or it was a senior woman with a walker, or it was an indigenous elder; that they suffered a shoulder injury; or maybe a horse stepped on their face and throat; or maybe they lost a limb or died. The only consistencies were inconsistencies in those stories. It is time to get serious about the very dangerous consequences of the spread of disinformation, which gave rise to the length and size of the unlawful occupation in Ottawa, along with occupations and blockades across Canada. Again, I will say that it should not have come to this, but it did. Let us stop looking backwards in this House and start looking forward and acknowledging the facts we are dealing with. When Ottawa called a state of emergency, it did not stop the lawlessness on our streets. When Ontario called a state of emergency, it did not stop the lawlessness. When indigenous leaders called for the occupiers to go home, they did not. It was only when the Emergencies Act was invoked that finally there was some initial resolution to this unlawful attack on the rights and freedoms of the citizens of Ottawa. The interim chief of the Ottawa police has been clear that without these additional powers, they would not have been able to achieve the outcomes so far. Many members have spoken about how the threats are now over, but I want to share with this House what is happening in B.C. Protests are building here, and the agitators are increasingly aggressive. The RCMP had to pre-emptively close down the border yesterday and 16 were arrested. Other unlawful activity could not be addressed on the spot, due to a lack of resources. Here is another really sad security threat. Private citizens are now feeling compelled to stand up against these aggressors. In Vancouver yesterday, convoy supporters and counter-protesters were facing off in the streets. In B.C., at YVR, police presence has been increased, and the cost of maintaining public safety at our borders in these times is mounting. I have to share that in the riding next to mine, the home of the provincial minister of public safety was affronted yesterday by protesters. In B.C., this is far from over. The NDP takes the invocation of the Emergencies Act under public disorder very seriously. We have said over and over again that we will not give a blank cheque to the government. The government will have to stay within the established powers or we will withdraw any support. We will continue to protect peaceful protesters, including land defenders, and will protect the Charter of Rights for all Canadians. Going forward, the federal government and all levels of government need to take responsibility for their failures, for not taking seriously the very real safety threats and infringements on rights and freedoms that the majority of Canadians have endured these past weeks. Going forward, they must accept and address the very real threats of intolerance, hate, discrimination and disinformation happening online and manifesting physically in our communities across Canada. These are real threats to the safety and security of every person and the institutions in this country, as well as our democracy and sovereignty. The NDP has consistently shown leadership during these occupations and has used the tools available as the progressive opposition to act. We have moved motions to investigate and expose weaknesses in crowdfunding platforms, brought forward an emergency debate on the occupation of Ottawa, and tabled bills in this House to address hate and hate symbols. The NDP has shown leadership in standing up for health care workers, frontline and essential workers, and all workers who have gotten us through these two years of difficult, difficult times. We continue to stand up for them. While the NDP has been focused on solutions, there has been a lack of forward thinking and leadership by the government. The Liberals have failed in so many ways. They have failed to take seriously the declining standard of living for Canadians. They are no longer in touch with what is really happening in our communities. The years of neglect for the need for affordable housing, of not addressing the climate crisis with urgency, of declining to introduce pharmacare, of not addressing Canadians' high cellphone bills are just a few examples. I could go on. The government has created an environment in which too many Canadians are hurting, and when people are hurting, when things are desperate, people can easily find themselves being taken advantage of by sinister actors who exploit those vulnerabilities for their personal gain. It is the job of all parliamentarians to protect Canadians from that. It is late, and in this eleventh hour there is still work to be done to protect Canadians from the very real threat of hate and disinformation that fed off the vulnerabilities of exhausted, scared and anxious Canadians who live in every riding of this country. What manifested in Ottawa, in Coutts, in Windsor, in Surrey and in Winnipeg is no accident. It is well funded and well organized. It is an exploitation of the weaknesses in our government and our government systems that has led to the spread of hate and disinformation, and it is not over yet. In closing, I must look to the future too, so I call on all my colleagues to support the NDP's private member's bill, Bill C-229, which would prevent anyone from selling and displaying symbols that promote hatred and violence in this country in the future.

1016 words

All Topics

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Feb/20/22 10:34:10 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, it is nice to see that the New Democratic Party recognizes the true value of the Emergencies Act. It is legislation that is actually required. We have seen that expressed by the interim chief here in Ottawa and we have been asked by the Province of Ontario as well as the trading corridors that she made reference to. We can talk about that, but for me, it is all about the people and the freedom of people to be able to live in peace, to have jobs and to not feel threatened. She made reference to the issue of racism we saw raise its ugly head during the blockades. Could the member provide her thoughts on why it was important for Ottawa to work with the Province of Ontario and the municipality of Ottawa and others to be able to resolve this issue?

145 words

All Topics

Ms. Bonita Zarrillo

Feb/20/22 10:35:16 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, I do value protecting innocent Canadians who are just trying to pay their mortgages and keep their livelihoods during these very difficult times. I will say that in B.C., we heard yesterday that many arrests could not be made because there were not enough resources and that the RCMP had had to commit to following up on those unlawful acts at a separate time and place because they did not have the resources to keep everyone safe.

80 words

All Topics

Mr. Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard, CPC)

Feb/20/22 10:36:01 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, one of the provisions in the Emergencies Act is warrantless search and seizure. This provision is especially relevant to the freezing of bank accounts of those known to be connected to the protesters outside or of people who are related to them, which could happen further down. I would like to hear the member comment on the fact that the government no longer needs to go to a judge to obtain a warrant to freeze a bank account or financial assets. Does she have any concerns whatsoever that the government could abuse this power because there is no longer judicial oversight?

103 words

All Topics

SoVote

House Hansard - 35