SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 63

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 3, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 63 - May/3/22
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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Context: House Hansard - 63 - May/3/22
Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner (Calgary Nose Hill, CPC)
  • May/3/22 6:51:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think the last couple of years have been hard on Canadians across political stripes. Whenever I talk to somebody, there is something about the last two years that has caused them a trauma. I would argue that every person sitting in here right now has probably had a similar experience, but what worries me now is that after these two years I feel like we do not know how to talk to each other. I feel like we do not know to be kind to each other, and I feel like we do not know how to be human. That does not mean that we cannot passionately fight for our ideas or advance things, but what I worry about is that we are so focused on calcifying our beliefs, entrenching our beliefs and being convicted in our beliefs as opposed to trying to listen and do something to better the country, that I feel like Canadians are feeling like they have to resort to civil disobedience to be heard. This is on the right and on the left; it is across demographics, and it really bothers me. It is the thing that keeps me up most at night. I could use examples from any political party, but one example that sticks with me the most is calling a certain group of people who believe a certain thing racist and misogynist during the political campaign in 2021. I firmly believe vaccines had a major, incredibly positive impact on limiting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there were people in Canada who had legitimate concerns or were vaccine hesitant. Instead of trying to listen to their concerns or address those concerns in a meaningful way, name calling was used, and I think that pushed civil disobedience. I am not justifying civil disobedience. There should be no room for that, but what I am trying to say, and we could use any example, is that maybe we need to do a better job of listening to each other on all sides. Even people who hold a certain belief should ask why this is happening and try to listen. I have not seen a lot of movement on our ability to listen or treat each other kindly, so tonight, to follow up on a question I asked several months ago, my question to the government is this: In the spirit of collaboration and in trying to actually fight for some dignity in this country, what is the federal government doing to lower the temperature on political rhetoric, to actually try to listen to Canadians and to bring us together after a significant event and a significant crisis in our country over the last two years?
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