44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 21, 2022 07:00AM
- Feb/21/22 2:35:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am confident as Attorney General that we have met the standard to apply the Emergencies Act. As we have stated on many occasions, we are required as a government that any measures we take will conform with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including section 8 rights of search and seizure.
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- Feb/21/22 2:35:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my question is for the justice minister or the finance minister.
First, how many bank accounts have been frozen under the authority of the emergency proclamation? Second, will the government commit that no further funds will be frozen without a court order verifying that a rational connection exists between the funds and the unlawful blockades? Third, will any currently frozen accounts for which a rational connection has not been demonstrated be released forthwith?
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- Feb/21/22 2:36:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will say at the beginning that the RCMP has clarified that at no time did it provide any list of donors to banks for enforcement under the Emergencies Act.
With regard to those financial controls that are being exercised under the act, as we have said many times, those powers are being exercised in a manner that is consistent with the charter, including due process rights, as well as the right to be protected against any unreasonable search and seizure.
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- Feb/21/22 2:36:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the occupation of Ottawa is over. There is not a single truck left in the streets, and the protesters have been dispersed. The police are in control of the situation and life is getting back to normal.
However, the House will vote tonight on invoking the Emergencies Act to address what the government is wrongly calling a “national crisis”.
Not only was there never a national crisis, there was no crisis at all. Will the Prime Minister immediately revoke his declaration about a state of emergency?
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- Feb/21/22 2:37:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, although we have seen the progress made against the illegal blockades, threats remain.
The Emergencies Act will continue to play a critical role in ending the illegal blockades. We will follow the advice of the police and of other experts, who are telling us that the act is still necessary.
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- Feb/21/22 2:37:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is completely absurd. The Prime Minister wants us to vote in favour of special legislation when there are no trucks and no protesters in the streets of Ottawa to get rid of.
The Prime Minister has turned this into a no-confidence vote, so if we oppose it, it will trigger a second useless election in six months.
Even worse, what the Prime Minister is demanding means that, for the first time in history, the House of Commons will vote in favour of the use of the Emergencies Act to solve a problem that no longer exists.
Does the Prime Minister realize how low he is setting the bar and that he is creating a shameful precedent?
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- Feb/21/22 2:38:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague, there are still risks, despite all the progress that has been made.
There are risks outside the House of Commons, in the streets of Ottawa, and at our borders. Efforts are being made to bring back the illegal blockades.
That is why, according to law enforcement, we still need the Emergencies Act. We will use this measure in a very responsible way, in compliance with the charter.
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- Feb/21/22 2:39:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us continue with this theatre of the absurd. Dozens of truckers who have left Ottawa have threatened to return as soon as possible.
How long does the Prime Minister plan to maintain the emergency measures? Will he keep them in place forever, even if there is no longer a crisis, just in case the truckers come back?
Seriously, what will it take for the government to realize that it was not the Emergencies Act that solved the crisis, but rather a coordinated police response, which is what we have been calling for since day one?
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- Feb/21/22 2:39:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important to understand how the act works. All the measures in the Emergencies Act, which were brought in by the declaration, are temporary, targeted and used in a way that is consistent with the charter.
We will withdraw the legislation as soon as possible. However, at the same time, we must follow the advice of the police.
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- Feb/21/22 2:40:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the finance minister said at a press conference this morning, “For anyone who is concerned that their accounts may have been frozen because of their participation in these illegal blockades and occupation, the way to get your account unfrozen is to stop being part of the blockade and occupation.” The blockades have ended, but concerns over frozen accounts have not.
What mechanisms are in place today to help those who were accidentally caught in the government's dragnet?
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- Feb/21/22 2:40:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, the RCMP issued a statement today clearly and unequivocally stating that they have not released the names of donors to the banks and are doing their job of targeting those individuals who are primarily responsible for this, including the people who parked their trucks illegally on the streets. Any Canadians who happens to have their accounts frozen by their bank should call their bank and find out why.
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- Feb/21/22 2:41:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Emergencies Act authorizes the freezing of bank accounts. Many Canadians know very little about the rules, the duration or the guidelines.
The legislation must not be trivialized. It is very troubling and, worse still, the Minister of Finance wants to introduce legislation to give more powers, without a warrant.
Will the minister commit to including a mechanism to appeal abusive decisions in order to protect honest Canadians?
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- Feb/21/22 2:41:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member that, first of all, there is nothing retroactive in the measures we have brought forward. They take effect on February 15. Anyone who, for example, made a donation to a cause prior to that date would not in any way be impacted by these measures. Additionally, there is, built right into the Emergencies Act, parliamentary scrutiny. It is subject to scrutiny by the House and by the other place. The concerns the member brings forward can be addressed quite appropriately within the existing act.
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- Feb/21/22 2:42:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a financial crime expert says the Emergencies Act is a “serious [deviation] from the normal democratic processes”. A U of T finance professor says, “Banks may be inclined to overreact...to avoid running afoul of the government”. Security and finance experts say there are no suspicious activities or credible threats with protest-related donations. There is no evidence, court order or due process and no limits on what direct or indirect participation means.
It is already happening to my constituents, so when will frozen bank accounts be up and running again?
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- Feb/21/22 2:42:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the integrated command team, which is composed of the Ottawa Police Service, the OPP and the RCMP, has been clear and unequivocal. The authorities that have been provided to them under the Emergencies Act have been essential to the progress they have made in getting the situation under control. We have also heard from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, which is all the chiefs, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and even the Canadian Police Association, representing the rank and file. All have been clear and unequivocal that these measures were essential and have been helping them restore order in this country.
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- Feb/21/22 2:43:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, while some MPs are claiming that the threats are now over, Canadians are still living with the impacts of the ongoing convoy crisis. In B.C., the Pacific Highway crossing had to be pre-emptively closed this weekend, blocking commuters, essential workers and goods. The RCMP arrested 16 people, while other unlawful activity could not be addressed on the spot due to lack of resources.
After weeks of failed leadership from the government, will the minister assure Canadians that it is now acting with the urgency needed?
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- Feb/21/22 2:44:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for highlighting one of the ongoing risks we face, which is the threat to our borders and our trade corridors. They are so critically important to keeping Canadians at work and our economy rolling. That is why we continue to listen very carefully to the advice we are getting from our police services, which say that the Emergencies Act was instrumental in addressing the blockades at ports of entry and continues to be instrumental in preventing them.
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- Feb/21/22 2:44:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what happened in Coutts, Alberta, is unprecedented. The Conservatives are downplaying the severity of what is happening and are pretending that the threat is over.
There was a plot to murder RCMP officers by dangerous extremists. Millions of dollars are still coming in from foreign sources to fund these hate groups—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/21/22 2:45:14 p.m.
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Order. I have the volume as far up as I can, and I am not hearing the question. Let us keep it to a relative roar when members are asking a question.
The member for Edmonton Strathcona.
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- Feb/21/22 2:45:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what happened in Coutts, Alberta, is unprecedented. The Conservatives in the House are downplaying the severity of what is happening and are pretending that the threat is over.
There was a plot to murder RCMP officers by dangerous extremists. Millions of dollars are still coming in from foreign sources to fund these hate groups. When will the government bring forward legislation to halt all—
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