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Mr. Damien Kurek (Battle River—Crowfoot, CPC)

May/3/22 2:11:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today I joined with dignitaries, Canadian Polish Congress representatives and Polish Canadians to raise the flag of the Republic of Poland here in Ottawa on Constitution Day in Poland, an acknowledgement of the 231st anniversary of the introduction of the Polish Constitution. Poland continues its legacy of fighting for freedom in the midst of insurmountable odds. From its history and standing for democracy around the world to NATO involvement and, most recently, the support for the people of Ukraine during the present Russian invasion, Poland commands respect during uncertain times. I am proud to stand in this House as the great-grandson of Polish immigrants, and I am proud to be a member of the Canada-Poland Interparliamentary Friendship Group to build the relationship between our two countries. I join with Polish Canadians from across our great nation in commemorating this important day for Poland, the Polish diaspora and all those who value freedom and democracy around the world.

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The Deputy Speaker

May/3/22 2:13:05 p.m.
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I thank the member for that intervention. I do need to remind the hon. member about the usage of props, even though it was a big part of his presentation. The usage of props is not allowed in the House of Commons. The hon. member for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock.

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Mr. Jamie Schmale (Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, CPC)

May/3/22 2:13:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is Mental Health Week, and I want to highlight the work of two amazing organizations in my riding. I send a big shout-out to Marg Cox, a tireless champion at the Haliburton County Youth Wellness Hub, one of only 10 such centres in Ontario. Despite restrictions imposed by COVID, the hub served 656 youth aged 12 to 25 last year, helping with mental health, substance abuse, primary care, vocational housing and other support services. In addition, our local chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association is launching a mobile mental health and addictions clinic that will include an office in a modified bus to deliver services to remote and underserved areas. This initiative will save lives by providing accessible services for those who are dealing with complex mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, suicide, addictions, abuse, trauma and psychosis, as well as poverty and isolation. It is perhaps fitting that the theme of Mental Health Week this year is empathy. It has been said that the shortest distance between two people is empathy, which can help bridge divides and heal our communities.

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Ms. Soraya Martinez Ferrada (Hochelaga, Lib.)

May/3/22 2:14:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, access to abortion is important in Canada. A woman's right is well entrenched and, I hope, unassailable. We have a responsibility to speak out when this right is under attack. Today, our Prime Minister reiterated that the right to choose is a woman's right and a woman's right alone. It is my right, it is my daughter's right, and it is the right of all Canadian women, across the country, to have access to a safe and legal abortion. Even today, there are members of the opposition who are not speaking out about what is happening. According to CBC, the interim leader has asked her MPs to keep quiet and not to comment on abortion. I hope that is not true. Canadians across the country need to know that the members of this House will protect this fundamental right, today and always.

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Mr. Randall Garrison (Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, NDP)

May/3/22 2:15:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today with renewed hope to address the crisis of coercive and controlling behaviour in Canada. I began this work at the start of pandemic when I started to hear from police and frontline service providers who were seeing a spike in domestic violence. I still hear every week from those suffering from coercive and controlling behaviour. They are living in fear of the physical violence that nearly always follows it. A tragic fact in this country is that one woman dies at the hands of her partner every six days. Many fear not only for themselves, but also for the safety and well-being of their children and other family members. The justice committee has tabled its report “The Shadow Pandemic: Stopping Coercive and Controlling Behaviour in Intimate Relationships” for a second time. I eagerly await the response from the government to this unanimous report. Taking action to make coercive and controlling behaviour a criminal offence will send a clear message that this behaviour is, in itself, violence. Taking this action will give hope to survivors, allow earlier intervention and help create a path to safety for survivors.

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Mr. Martin Champoux (Drummond, BQ)

May/3/22 2:16:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, these are tough times for the press. In Ukraine, journalists are being bombed to death. In Russia, journalists have to go into exile or let themselves be put in jail, where they are silenced for telling the truth about the war. Journalists, columnists and bloggers everywhere are being imprisoned, threatened or killed. The planet is warming, the pandemic is lingering and war is raging in Europe. Now, more than ever, we need a free press. We need to be informed. In Quebec and in Canada, on social media, journalists are increasingly the target of insults, bullying and threats. I call on our fellow citizens and all democracy-minded people: Let us work together to protect the free press. Let us not allow intimidation to prevail over information. There can be no free press without newspapers. I therefore call on the government to provide more support to our local and regional weekly papers. This matter is urgent. On this World Press Freedom Day, I thank journalists for their essential work.

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Ms. Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, CPC)

May/3/22 2:18:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the world has witnessed an abhorrent new low from Russia's foreign minister, whose ignorant comments about Adolf Hitler perpetuate a hateful and bigoted narrative to distract us from his war crimes. Russia has frequently invoked Nazism and World War II to justify its brazen aggression in Ukraine, while attacking Holocaust memorials as well as survivors of Russia's deliberate murder of civilians. This is the lowest form of racism against Jews: to accuse Jews themselves of anti-Semitism. Lavrov's remarks are simply false and continue to contribute to the perpetuating discrimination and disinformation worldwide. It takes courage and more than just words when it comes to standing up for Jewish communities and their homeland. That position is non-negotiable, and I invite members of the House to say so. I will add my voice to the forceful condemnation and complete repudiation of these vile comments from Mr. Lavrov. They should also be called out in the House.

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Ms. Iqra Khalid (Mississauga—Erin Mills, Lib.)

May/3/22 2:19:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Muslims across Canada and around the world observed the end of the holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting and charity, and marked the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, a time to pray, feast, give back, help the less fortunate in our communities and celebrate with our loved ones. This Eid, I would like to draw attention to those Muslims across the world who are struggling: the Uighurs, the Rohingya, Muslims in India, the Kashmiris, the Philistines, and more. Human rights matter. Here in Canada, we are combatting Islamophobia through appointing a special representative for combatting Islamophobia. We are working on online hate and so much more. We all need to work together to ensure that Canadians in Mississauga—Erin Mills and across Canada have the protections we all need to ensure that we prosper. Today, I wish each and every Muslim Canadian in Canada and across the world a very happy Eid. Eid Mubarak.

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Mr. Luc Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable, CPC)

May/3/22 2:21:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for days during the illegal protest on Wellington Street, the Prime Minister stayed in hiding, refusing to intervene and deliberately sowing discord and division by condemning Canadians who did not think like him. Then on February 14, realizing that his inaction might backfire, he brought out the big guns, the Emergencies Act, claiming that the police needed it to deal with the protests. Protesters returned on the weekend. They left, without the Emergencies Act. Can the Prime Minister tell us why?

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

May/3/22 2:21:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank all the police forces and the RCMP for their good work. Last week, they carefully prepared a plan for the protest. This protest played out very differently from the events in January and February, when we invoked the Emergencies Act on advice from the police. It was a necessary and responsible decision, and we are going to work with the commissioner and parliamentarians in the interest of transparency.

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Mr. Luc Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable, CPC)

May/3/22 2:21:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to justify invoking the Emergencies Act, the Liberal government cited security threats. It stated, “the threats of violence and presence of firearms at protests...constitute a public order emergency”. These are serious allegations that created a lot of public concern. Knowing that, why did the Prime Minister allow members, senators and House of Commons staff to continue to circulate among the protesters at the protest in January and February?

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

May/3/22 2:22:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from the beginning of the illegal blockade last winter, we offered a great deal of support to all parliamentarians working on the Hill. However, what some parliamentarians experienced here was very different from what the residents of Ottawa experienced, which included many disruptions and violence in the community. This was proven by all the arrests made by the police. The Emergencies Act needed to be invoked. We will now co-operate with all transparency processes.

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Mr. Luc Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable, CPC)

May/3/22 2:23:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, another part of the proclamation states that there must be an emergency that arises from threats to the security of Canada that are so serious as to be a national emergency. What information did the Prime Minister possess at the time that confirmed the existence of such a serious risk to our country? How many Canadians were arrested for committing sedition against the Government of Canada?

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

May/3/22 2:23:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there was a plenty of evidence of disruptions at the border, in our communities and to our economy. Many Canadians lost their jobs temporarily. That is one reason why the Emergencies Act needed to be invoked. Now we must participate in a transparency process, and the government will co-operate with the commissioner, Justice Rouleau.

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Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC)

May/3/22 2:24:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the main pillar of our justice system is that all Canadians must be treated equally under the law. When new evidence of fraud comes to light, law enforcement has a duty to investigate, regardless of how powerful or privileged any individual who committed the fraud may be. The Attorney General has an obligation to make sure this applies to everyone, including a sitting prime minister. Does the Attorney General believe that individuals who commit criminal offences, regardless of how powerful or privileged they are, or what positions they hold, should be charged?

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Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

May/3/22 2:24:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what we see again and again is the Conservatives wanting to play partisan games. Rather than posing questions on the issues that are affecting Canadians they want to throw mud. Canadians are looking for answers, and we have put forward tangible solutions in everything from housing to the environment. They want to talk about things that happened six years ago. They want to obfuscate and block Parliament from doing its work, taking days and days to repeat the same things. We can do that. They can play their partisan games, or they could do the business of the nation and ask things that Canadians actually care about.

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Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC)

May/3/22 2:25:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians do care that they are treated equally under the same laws that apply to the powerful and privileged in this country. The criminal brief released by the RCMP made it clear that, if this were a civil servant or any other Canadian, they would be facing serious criminal charges in this case. There are new known facts that warrant a full investigation. Does the Attorney General believe that the law should be applied equally to all Canadians, including a sitting prime minister, if they commit a criminal offence?

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Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

May/3/22 2:26:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I realize that the Conservatives want to spend time talking about things that happened six years ago, but I would ask them about this instead. Right now we have a Bill C-8, which has been debated for 12 days in the House. That was introduced in December, so that is five months of obstruction. I would say that, while they do not want to talk about the economy, while they do not want to talk about the environment and while they do not want to talk about the issues that are important to Canadians, will they at least let the other parties in this place do their work and get the business of this nation done?

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Mr. Alain Therrien (La Prairie, BQ)

May/3/22 2:26:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the federal immigration department is possibly the worst department in Canada, and that is saying something. The wait time for Quebec immigrants applying for permanent residence is 31 months. There is a backlog of 29,000 files, and some cases have been dragging on since 2009. Ottawa is where cases go to die. That is why it is arrogant to mock Quebec for wanting to manage all of its own immigration files. Above all, it is arrogant towards the people who are waiting. In light of its obvious incompetence, why does the federal government not let Quebec manage all of its own immigration applications?

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Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Lib.)

May/3/22 2:27:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, immigration is essential to our economy. What is going to get things moving is an increase in Quebec's immigration levels. Quebec is allowed to receive up to 28% of the immigrants who are welcomed to Canada each year, but it has chosen to accept only 13%. If Quebec really wants to improve wait times for the tens of thousands of people waiting for permanent residence in Quebec, it only has to follow the example of our government and increase its immigration cap.

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