44th Parl. 1st Sess.

February 21, 2022 07:00AM

Feb/21/22 3:02:11 p.m.
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I can stand here all day and wait for everybody to come to order to bring the temperature down a bit. I know the Minister of Justice was trying to answer the question. I will give him 10 seconds to finish up. The hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

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Hon. David Lametti

Feb/21/22 3:02:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, the reason why, as an Attorney General, one never discloses whether or not one has an opinion is because that could be construed as giving consent to divulge that opinion. It is covered by solicitor-client privilege, and it will remain so.

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Mrs. Kelly Block (Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, CPC)

Feb/21/22 3:02:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is an example of a failure of leadership. Legal experts, civil liberties organizations and many others are sounding the alarm, stating that emergency legislation should not be normalized, that it threatens our democracy and charter liberties. With the support of the NDP, the federal government is ordering financial institutions to freeze the bank accounts of Canadians who do not agree with it. Why are the Liberals and the NDP so willing to trample over the rights of the citizens they represent?

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Hon. Marco Mendicino (Minister of Public Safety, Lib.)

Feb/21/22 3:03:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since the outset, we have been very transparent with Canadians about the reasons why we have invoked the Emergencies Act. There has been a very vigorous debate in this chamber about why, in the government's view, we meet the test under the Emergencies Act. I assure my hon. colleague that all of the powers that are being exercised in it are being done in a responsible, measured and proportionate manner that is consistent with existing provincial and municipal authorities, and we will sunset the Emergencies Act as soon as we can. In the meantime, we will work with law enforcement to restore public order and public safety.

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Mr. Rick Perkins (South Shore—St. Margarets, CPC)

Feb/21/22 3:04:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I was a legislative assistant here in the 1980s. I knew the legendary NDP co-founder Stanley Knowles, who was elected 13 times as the member for Winnipeg North Centre. In the 1970 debate invoking the war measures act, Mr. Knowles said, “we have to work very hard to show that in our kind of society we still think there is a better way...to deal with ideas that we do not [agree with].” Why did the NDP coalition not listen to the sage words of Mr. Knowles before implementing the act?

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Hon. Bill Blair (President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Lib.)

Feb/21/22 3:04:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, although I appreciate the member's newfound New Democratic viewpoints, let me say this: The Emergencies Act is not the war measures act. A Progressive Conservative government, back when the Conservatives called themselves progressives, brought in this legislation, which was charter compliant and respected the rights of all citizens and every freedom contained within the charter. It is a carefully crafted law, a law that we have complied with throughout. In articulating our reasons for bringing this forward, I think even Mr. Knowles would recognize that what has been happening on our streets and at our borders constitutes an emergency that required—

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The Deputy Speaker

Feb/21/22 3:05:31 p.m.
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The hon. member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle.

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Ms. Anju Dhillon (Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, Lib.)

Feb/21/22 3:05:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, by invoking the Emergencies Act, this government has ensured that law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to dismantle illegal blockades and clear the occupation. We heard directly from experts and law enforcement agencies how these tools were used to do exactly that. Can the minister update the House on how the financial measures continue to play a vital role in putting an end to the illegal protests and letting Canadians get back to their normal lives?

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Hon. Marco Mendicino (Minister of Public Safety, Lib.)

Feb/21/22 3:06:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question and all her hard work. Over the past few days, we have seen significant progress in Ottawa and at our borders. Downtown Ottawa is free of blockades, and our borders are open. I want to thank the RCMP and all police forces for their good work. All the measures mentioned in the Emergencies Act are very practical, very targeted and temporary. They were all implemented in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The government will sunset the Emergencies Act as soon as possible.

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Mr. Brian Masse (Windsor West, NDP)

Feb/21/22 3:06:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Ambassador Bridge blockade cost over $1 billion in economic losses. The bridge is now open, but new barricades are blocking local business. We have cancellations of doctor and health appointments and continued job losses. Since the Emergencies Act started, further convoys have been turned back and resources have been invested to protect this national route, even when we just recently faced a bomb threat. The government has offered support for Ottawa businesses affected by the occupation, and that is good. Will this government ensure that it is helping all the border municipalities and the workers who were harmed by the convoy crisis, because it still carries on?

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Hon. Marco Mendicino (Minister of Public Safety, Lib.)

Feb/21/22 3:07:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Windsor West for his advocacy and hard work in representing his constituents. We have maintained very open lines of communication during the illegal blockades. The member highlights why it is that the Emergencies Act continues to be necessary given the risks in Windsor, Coutts and other ports of entry, such as Surrey. We are going to work very closely with my hon. colleague, the hon. colleague for Windsor—Tecumseh and the mayor of Windsor to ensure that small businesses have all the supports they need so we can get the economy going again. Notwithstanding the challenges of the illegal blockades, this government will be there for those impacted by them.

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Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP)

Feb/21/22 3:08:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as hon. colleagues will know, from the beginning I have been very concerned that the regulations appear overly broad and not connected to the declaration itself. I want to ask the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada if he is satisfied, and if he can satisfy me, that the declaration is tied to these regulations, and that they cannot be used for anything other than for the specific emergency as described in the declaration.

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Hon. David Lametti (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)

Feb/21/22 3:08:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the way in which the regulations for orders are based in the declaration, as well as the way in which they are written, clearly indicate that they flow from the declaration. Therefore, I can assure the hon. member, and I can assure Canadians, that the regulations for orders can only be used for combatting this particular emergency and no other situation.

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Ms. Julie Dabrusin (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Lib.)

Feb/21/22 3:09:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to standing Order 32(2), I have the pleasure to table, in both official languages, the 2020-21 annual report for the green municipal fund, “Forward Together”.

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Hon. Bardish Chagger (Waterloo, Lib.)

Feb/21/22 3:10:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. The committee advised that, pursuant to Standing Order 91.1(2), the Subcommittee on Private Members' Business met to consider the items added to the order of precedence on February 9 and February 11, 2022, as well as the orders for the second reading of private members' public bills originating in the Senate, and recommended that the items listed herein, which it has determined should not be designated not votable, be considered by the House.

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The Deputy Speaker

Feb/21/22 3:10:53 p.m.
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Pursuant to Standing Order 91.1(2), the report is deemed adopted.

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Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP)

Feb/21/22 3:11:16 p.m.
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No opportunity wasted, Mr. Speaker, I have a petition. This petition is on behalf of very concerned and increasingly desperate citizens of Ottawa who are concerned that 750 mature canopy trees at Queen Juliana Park in this city will be destroyed and removed to put in a parking lot, and that the National Capital Commission's recommendation to use a different location for the much-needed expansion of the new Ottawa Hospital, which they recommended should go to Tunney's Pasture, was reversed without proper process. The petitioners specifically and concisely call to restore the National Capital Commission's initial recommendation, to preserve Queen Juliana Park and the entire Central Experimental Farm as green spaces, and in this pandemic we know how much we need to get outdoors and into green spaces, and to support the panel's request for a public inquiry.

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