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Mr. René Arseneault (Madawaska—Restigouche, Lib.)

May/31/22 2:14:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all high school, college and university graduates in Canada, especially those in Madawaska—Restigouche. I congratulate them on their success. Their efforts over the past years are now rewarded. They have, through thick and thin, carried out their work with brilliance and perseverance. They have rolled up their sleeves and reached this important milestone in their lives. I ask them to take the time to enjoy their accomplishments. They are now well prepared to take their next steps, which will lead to a bright future. I hope they dare to take risks and follow their passions. I hope they take pleasure in the personal and professional opportunities offered to them. Above all, I hope they always keep an open mind and an open heart, as they will be good guides in their future. Once again, I extend my congratulations and wish them success in their future endeavours.

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Mr. Charlie Angus (Timmins—James Bay, NDP)

May/31/22 2:15:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to an extraordinary youth leader, the late Shannen Koostachin of Attawapiskat First Nation, who died 12 years ago tonight in a terrible highway accident in northern Ontario. Shannen was only 15 at the time, but in her short life, she launched the largest youth-driven children's rights movement in Canadian history. Shannen had never seen a real school. Children on her reserve were being educated in deplorable conditions, but Shannen stood up and challenged the negligence of the Canadian state. “School should be a time of dreams,” she said. She said that very child deserves the right to go to a safe and comfy school. Shannen never lived long enough to see the beautiful Shannen’s dream school in Attawapiskat, but since her death, youth from across Canada have carried on the Shannen’s Dream campaign for equal education rights. Shannen has been recognized as one the 150 most important women in Canadian history. That is a powerful legacy for a girl who just wanted to go to a real school. On this anniversary, we remember and miss you, Shannen. I miss you, but we know your spirit lives on.

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Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)

May/31/22 2:16:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, over the past few days, I had the privilege of meeting Catalonia's minister of foreign action, who came to meet with a significant number of Quebec institutions, including the Government of Quebec. We discussed the extraordinary economic advantages of developing partnerships between such prosperous and innovative territories as Catalonia and Quebec, which share some comparable characteristics. Of course, we had the chance to talk about a people's right to self-determination, Catalonia's desire for independence, or at least the desire of a large number of Catalan citizens, and the Spanish government's shameful repression of the will of the Catalan people. We also touched on Canada's support for Spain in this repression, and on the fact that this is hardly flattering. I promised to raise this issue in the House of Commons of Canada so that, together, we could regain a position of dignity before the Catalan people.

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Mr. Kevin Waugh (Saskatoon—Grasswood, CPC)

May/31/22 2:17:56 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-11

Mr. Speaker, everyone agrees that Canada needs a modernized Broadcasting Act that fits today's digital age. Unfortunately, Liberal Bill C-11 is another in a long line of bad Liberal bills. Bill C-11 would create more red tape for businesses and creators, put more control in the hands of the incompetent CRTC and open up a Pandora's box of Internet regulation. If passed, Bill C-11 could give the government the power to decide what Canadians can and cannot post on their social media profiles. Bill C-11 would limit consumer choice, drive up prices, create further uncertainty for Canadian businesses and creators and limit the free expression of all Canadians. It is time for the government to scrap Bill C-11 and get back to the drawing board, once and for all.

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Ms. Rachel Bendayan (Outremont, Lib.)

May/31/22 2:19:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there were over 200 shootings in Montreal last year. A few days ago, someone fired at a day care in Quebec. Gun violence is a real problem in Quebec. Yesterday, I stood alongside the Prime Minister as he announced a total freeze on the sale and import of handguns. The market is frozen nationwide, period. I would like to take this opportunity to thank some of the incredible advocates I have had the opportunity to work with: PolySeSouvient, the Coalition for Gun Control, the Danforth Families for Safe Communities, Dawson College, la Grand Mosquée de Québec, Ensemble avec Thomas, the National Association of Women and the Law, and many, many others. It is with an enormous sense of relief that I stand in this House of Commons to say that our government is putting an end to the sale and importation of handguns. No more. In Canada, things will be different: People will not be able to legally purchase a handgun. That will be over 55,000 guns sold in this country off of our streets, period, for our children and for the safety of all Canadians.

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The Deputy Speaker

May/31/22 2:20:33 p.m.
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Before we get to Oral Questions, I thought I would bring in a backup. Some hon. members: Hear, hear!

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The Speaker

May/31/22 2:20:33 p.m.
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I am almost speechless—almost. I will take a couple of minutes to thank you for that warm welcome. Thank you for giving me such a warm welcome. It is great to see you all again and it is great to be back. Please do not let me regret saying that. I just want to thank you all for the texts, the calls, the emails, the fruit baskets, the flowers, the plants you sent me while I was away. It really made the time go faster knowing that someone was thinking of me, and that is something that I really do appreciate from each and every one of you. It was so kind of you. It really helped me pass the time. Thank you for all your support while I was away. I also want to take a second for a bit of a shout-out to some very special people, folks at Health Sciences North in Sudbury: Dr. Bittira, who was the lead surgeon, and Dr. MacDonald, who were both outstanding, and Dr. Wong, who was my cardiologist, who said “You better go see these people; otherwise, you're not going to be around much longer.” I thank all three of them very much, as well as some North Bay doctors: Dr. Graham, who is my family doctor, and Dr. Andrews, who is a cardiologist in North Bay, who has been following up to make sure everything goes well. Doctors do great jobs, but to someone who is lying there in the hospital, there is a certain group of people who really do an excellent job, and they are the nurses. Some hon. members: Hear, hear! The Speaker: That is well deserved. A special shout-out goes to Victoria, Lianne, Angela and Shannon, who made my stay as pleasant as it could be. There are two people I really want to thank, my wife Chantal and my daughter Samantha. They both stayed at my bedside. They brought me all sorts of things and made sure I did what I was supposed to do, which was not always easy. Of course, the the staff in the constituency office and the staff in the Speaker's office did yeoman's work to make sure that everything continued to work well. I did not get any major complaints, aside from what you guys were doing here on both sides, but other than that, overall, they took good care of constituents. The Table officers in the Clerk's office did outstanding work, to the point where they even signed an order making sure that I would get better, so I had to follow that order. They did an excellent job that way. Of course, in my absence, there were some very special people here. I am thinking of one person in particular, the hon. member for Joliette, who was here every day helping out and making sure that everything was going smoothly. Of course, there are the chair occupants: the hon. member for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing and the hon. member for Brossard—Saint-Lambert, who did outstanding work. Of course, last but not least, there is the Deputy Speaker, the hon. member for West Nova, who did outstanding work. Thank you all so much. Now let us get on with the business of Parliament. Oral Questions, the hon. Leader of the Opposition.

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Hon. Candice Bergen (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

May/31/22 2:26:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is always good to have you back. Hopefully we give the government, and not you, a hard time today. The Prime Minister is penalizing Canadians at the pumps on purpose. That is because he wants to end Canada's energy sector. He is quite happy when gas prices soar. The fact is that the carbon tax does nothing but increase the cost of gas and everything else. Still, the Prime Minister wants it because he wants high gas prices and he does not care that it is hurting Canadians. Is it not true that Canadians paying excessively high gas prices is exactly what the Prime Minister wants?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/31/22 2:26:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the global pandemic and the inflation caused by Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine have led to rising prices across the country and around the world. That is why we continue to be there to support families, with investments in child care, with increases to the CCB and with investments in supporting our seniors and young people. When the member opposite attacks the price on pollution, she perhaps forgets that $832 is what we send to families in Manitoba, on average, to help with the price of fuel.

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Hon. Candice Bergen (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

May/31/22 2:27:38 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-5

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we saw the Liberals engage in a game of smoke and mirrors. On one hand, they are banning handguns. On the other hand, they are pushing through Bill C-5, which tells criminals not to worry; if they are convicted of a gun crime, they can just hang out at home for their sentence. This is not keeping communities safe and it is not reassuring to moms and dads who are worried about their kids. Will the Prime Minister get serious about keeping vulnerable communities safe, scrap Bill C-5 and legislate tough penalties for gun criminals?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/31/22 2:28:12 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-5

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely true that we moved forward to present legislation that, once passed, will make it no longer legal to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns anywhere in Canada. At the same time, Bill C-5 would not stop police from charging people with gun offences or prosecutors from pursuing convictions. What it would do is make sure that criminals face serious penalties, while addressing the overrepresentation of Black Canadians and indigenous people in the criminal justice system.

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Hon. Candice Bergen (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

May/31/22 2:28:48 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-5

Mr. Speaker, I am a mom and I know all of us want our kids safe in their schools and in their communities. That is why I am so frustrated with what the Liberals are doing. They are banning guns, and then when the criminals ignore their gun ban and use the guns to rob someone or commit a carjacking, the Liberals are letting gun criminals do their time at home. How can the Prime Minister claim to be keeping people safe when he refuses to have jail time for violent criminals who ignore his useless gun bans and are hurting and terrorizing our children?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/31/22 2:29:22 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-5

Mr. Speaker, our criminal justice reform legislation turns the page on failed Conservative policies that ignored systemic racism and discrimination. What our communities need is a justice system that punishes criminals. What we do not need is a system that targets racialized people because of systemic discrimination or sends people to prison because they struggle with addiction. This bill is another step forward to create a system that is fair and effective and keeps Canadians safe.

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Ms. Raquel Dancho (Kildonan—St. Paul, CPC)

May/31/22 2:29:57 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-5

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that violent gun crime has only gone up under the Prime Minister. Actually, it has gone up significantly since he has formed office, and the data proves this. He has failed to keep Canadians safe from gun violence in cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg. At the same time, he has been weak on violent crime and soft on criminals by allowing them to avoid jail time with bills like Bill C-5. When will the Prime Minister drop his failed approach, stop putting our communities at risk and go after dangerous criminals with guns?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/31/22 2:30:31 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-5

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, over the past seven years, we have continually moved forward on strengthening gun control in this country. That is exactly what we announced yesterday, making it no longer legal, as of the passage of that legislation, to buy, sell, import or transfer handguns in Canada. On top of that, the assault weapon ban that we brought in place two years ago is going to be matched with a mandatory buyback. These are measures that are going to keep our communities safe, measures the Conservatives have voted against because they are against gun control.

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Ms. Raquel Dancho (Kildonan—St. Paul, CPC)

May/31/22 2:31:10 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-5 Bill C-21

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is misleading Canadians. Bill C-5 and the other measures by the Liberal government are failing to keep our communities safe. They are putting them at risk. If they wanted to stop gun violence, they would put more resources to border agents to stop gun smuggling. They would put more resources to police to stop violent criminals with guns. They would put more resources to anti-gang community groups to divert youth from a life of crime. That is how we stop gun violence, not useless gun bans or bills like Bill C-21 that will do nothing to stop gun violence in this country. Is that not right?

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All Topics

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/31/22 2:31:42 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-5 Bill C-21

Mr. Speaker, while Conservative members parrot talking points from the gun lobby, we will continue to act on keeping Canadians safe. That is exactly what we have continued to do over the past many years. We will continue to move forward with stronger gun control at the same time as we invest in communities and invest in more tools for CBSA and RCMP to interdict guns at the border. Indeed, over the past year, we interdicted twice as many guns as we had the year before. Our plan is working. We are going to continue to keep Canadians safe.

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Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)

May/31/22 2:32:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, you have clearly exhausted my colleague from Joliette, but I am still extremely happy that you have returned. Welcome back. The Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister have stated that they definitely intend to appeal Bill 21 and Bill 96, an extension of Bill 101, to the Supreme Court. In other words, they are taking the issue to friendly territory with predictable results. Why is that? Ultimately, the question for the Prime Minister is the following: Is English threatened in Quebec?

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Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

May/31/22 2:33:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with respect to Bill 21, we are on the side of Quebeckers who are shocked and disappointed that a young teacher can no longer practise her profession. We support and follow Quebeckers who are defending their rights in court with respect to this law that they feel is unjust. We expect that this matter will be appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, and, if that happens, our government is determined to contribute to the debate, given the vast implications for all Canadians across the country and the need to defend the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

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Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)

May/31/22 2:33:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, his idea of contributing to the debate is giving money and perpetuating a blatant lie. Enough with this business about not practising or not being able to practise a profession. It reeks of partisanship. Quebec has been so often maligned across Canada that attacks on language and secularism in Quebec are gaining traction among Conservative Party leadership candidates. That was the very premise of my question, which the Prime Minister did not answer. Is English at risk in Quebec?

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