44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 20, 2022 07:00AM
- Feb/20/22 8:46:02 a.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I think it has repercussions on Canada's reputation.
Right now, in Europe, England, the United States and elsewhere, people are saying that Canada does not respect human rights. I find that disturbing and very unfortunate.
38 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/20/22 11:19:16 a.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, this is a very serious issue, and when someone breaks the law, there are very serious consequences.
What this act does is give police the legal authorities across the country to protect us and our constituencies from people who are working behind the scenes, including people donating to this cause for the wrong purposes. Rights are protected. It is right in the legislation. The member's party made sure of that when it introduced this piece of legislation.
I am a lawyer. I worry all the time about protecting people's rights. I have spent my life fighting for them. I am comfortable with what we are doing here. It is the right thing to do.
118 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/20/22 2:12:30 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, like my colleague, I rise to speak in a moment when we are called on to do what is right, to choose to defend our democracy and the fabric of our country.
I am the child of immigrants who were part of freedom movements that saw the overthrow of oppressive colonialism in East Africa. Members of my family experienced the violence of a dictatorial xenophobic regime in Uganda that used its powers to harm its citizens. I know all too well what happens when a government overuses its powers.
My family came to Canada to seek safety, prosperity, peace and order. To this day, my family is grateful for the freedoms they have as Canadians, freedoms that they have had and continue to have through the pandemic, freedoms enshrined by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. When they became Canadians, they also accepted the responsibilities that come with citizenship, responsibilities that I have come to realize many of us who were born in this country may have forgotten.
Our citizenship is not just about rights but also about responsibilities. It is our responsibility to protect one another's safety, to stand up in the face of hatred, to make sacrifices for the greater good, sacrifices like the ones Canadians have made throughout the pandemic because they know that is how we take care of each other. It means sacrifices like those being made by health care workers in my riding of Vancouver Granville, who continue to fight hard to keep us safe and healthy in the face of anger and threats.
Let us talk about where we are today. The illegal blockades in Ottawa, in other cities and at our borders is not about Canadian truckers. The vast majority of Canadian truckers are out there doing their jobs, keeping the Canadian economy going. They are, and continue to be, unsung heroes, and we thank them. They are not trying to hold Canadians hostage or encouraging violence against government or costing Canada billions of dollars.
The invocation of the Emergencies Act is in direct response to those who are trying to harm Canadians and the Canadian economy and those who are financing these efforts. It is not a decision for any government to take lightly. It is an instrument of last resort, and one that is subject to and upholds the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Let me be clear: The right to peaceful, lawful protest is a right Canadians have, and it is central to our democracy. We hold this right dearly, and it is one that we defend at all costs. However, that is not what we have been dealing with over the last three weeks. From its first day, this occupation was illegal. It was allowed to go on for 21 days in the hope that it would come to an end. Occupiers were warned repeatedly. They chose to ignore every single request to leave by the federal government, by the province, by the City of Ottawa and by the citizens of Ottawa themselves.
The members of this occupation and the blockades actively chose to weaponize their misguided notions of freedom against our collective national interest, the Canadian economy and indeed Canadians themselves. Choking off cities, blocking off supply chains, shutting down borders and interrupting trade with a deleterious impact on the Canadian economy are not forms of legal protest. The participants in these illegal blockades are not free to take the law into their own hands, which is what they tried to do.
Their actions have negatively impacted the rights of workers to earn a living. They have harmed businesses already hit hard by COVID, and they have obstructed people's right to freely cross the border. These acts are illegal.
That is why the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, asked for federal assistance last week. He said, “But we need to do what it takes to restore law and order in our country. Blocking billions of dollars of trade, putting hundreds of thousands of jobs on the line, and continuing to disrupt the lives of everyday Ontarians cannot continue.”
That is why even Jason Kenney's Conservative government acknowledged, in reference to the Coutts blockade, that local and provincial efforts to clear the blockade had failed. In a letter, Ric McIver, Minister of Municipal Affairs, wrote “In order to ensure a return of free movement of people, vehicles and goods and services...we are seeking federal assistance in removing obstructions from the highway.” He added, “We are looking to the Government of Canada for assistance.”
We cannot and must not make this a partisan issue, yet sadly, the opposition has chosen to do just that. It surprises me that the Conservative Party, the authors of this very act that we have invoked, the party that has claimed to be the party of law and order, that claims to be on the side of law enforcement, is opposed to restoring law and order. Instead, the Conservative Party has stood with, supported—
843 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/20/22 4:16:58 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I believe the hon. member raised an incredibly important point of law around the protection of our rights and freedoms under our charter. It is necessary for him to clearly answer this point in order for us to fully understand the scale and scope of powers granted under the provisions of the proclamation.
I know the hon. member to be a learned lawyer who would have some knowledge of this incredibly important point of law as the former attorney general of Ontario. Will he please confirm and clearly state whether the rights afforded by the charter remain whole and intact; or is the government, through its declaration, attempting to surreptitiously rescue any potential charter breaches, violations and abuses of government authority through section 1 of the charter and thereby being compliant, as he has so far stated? The public and this House deserve to know.
147 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/20/22 9:51:21 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I can say it depends, but on a serious note, I have always been that way for rights and freedoms. That is where I have been and, since I have been elected, that is where I will stand.
40 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- 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
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/20/22 10:39:15 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I will go back to what I was saying on the first response to one of the members who asked me a question in the House.
I and the NDP value protecting the rights of Canadians. Right now, the rights of Canadians widely feel to be at risk, and we are looking to restore confidence and security in our institutions in Canada.
64 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/20/22 11:38:01 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.
I want to clarify one thing. No one’s rights and freedoms have been suspended. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms continues to apply while the Emergencies Act is in force.
That said, I would like to know the state of mind of the members of his political party. There is a convoy that came from far away, that announced that it wants to disturb and disrupt our democratic institutions, and that is funded by supporters of Donald Trump. At the same time, his party’s interim leader and his party’s former finance critic are openly supporting these people organized by the far right. They give these people coffee and pizza while they make life miserable for the residents of Ottawa.
How can my colleague explain the actions of some of the key figures in his caucus?
151 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Feb/20/22 11:38:57 p.m.
- Watch
Madam Speaker, there were two questions. The first was about the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Indeed, the Emergencies Act says that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Bill of Rights must still apply, but it is not good enough just to say that. The regulations coming out of the order in council actually have to honour that, and I am submitting that did not happen.
69 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
