44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 23, 2022 10:00AM
- Jun/23/22 2:08:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate an amazing run of 32 years for the City of Surrey’s manager of culture Liane Davison, who retired earlier this year.
As Surrey has grown from a rural community to one that will soon become British Columbia's largest city, Liane's dedication and passion were at the heartbeat of the city’s arts and cultural landscape. Our population has grown dramatically over Liane’s tenure, and whether it was exhibitions of local artists, presentations of innovative and interactive art, or the acquisition of significant works from artists across Canada, she has left an indelible mark.
I thank Liane Davison for her contributions in enriching all of our lives in Surrey.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, the government is bringing forward firearms legislation that will impact lawful gun owners and not do nearly enough to address gun crime. The arbitrary handgun ban in Bill C-21 will do nothing to stop gun smuggling, nor will it prevent gang violence.
However, there are some measures of this bill the Conservatives support, such as the provision to keep firearms out of the hands of those who have committed domestic abuse. Despite the Conservatives' efforts to fast-track these pieces of the legislation, the NDP-Liberal coalition teamed up to block it, which I believe revealed their goals to be political rather than practical.
On this side of the House, our approach will always be to stand up for common sense measures to ensure that Canadians are safe and that guns are out of the hands of our criminals, instead of the soft-on-crime approach from the government.
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- Jun/23/22 2:10:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, hockey is a Canadian pastime that bring us together and makes us proud, particularly when our national teams represent our country on the international stage. That is exactly what happened this month when the national women’s under-18 team won a gold medal in Madison, Wisconsin, beating our arch rivals, the Americans, in a back-and-forth three-to-two game. I am sure I speak on behalf of my colleagues in congratulating all the players, staff, and management involved in winning the world championship.
As a Nova Scotia member of Parliament, I would highlight that we punch above our weight in hockey talent with players such as Olympic gold medalist Jill Saulnier, Blayre Turnbull and NHL stars Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon, who are truly some of the best players in the world.
I want to celebrate our next generation of stars: Avi Adam, a forward who lives in Wolfville, and, Lucy Phillips, a goaltender originally from Fall River. We are proud of their hard work in making the national team and for their dedication to bringing home a world championship gold medal to Nova Scotia. Well done.
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- Jun/23/22 2:11:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is failing on so many basic matters. It is failing to provide passports to Canadians. It is failing Afghan refugees, who assisted our brave men and women in a war zone. It is failing to process immigration applications. There are now millions of files that are behind. Frontline government employees are now simply resorting to telling their frustrated clients to call their MPs, just as the minister for Service Canada has recommended. One can imagine the significant increase in call volumes to our offices. Our caseworkers are doing their utmost to fill the void.
The people of Calgary Centre and I are extremely lucky to have Shaney Pap in my office. There is not a week that goes by that I do not get glowing comments about the invaluable assistance she has provided. The volume of files she handles is immense and broad. While the government is working at half speed, often from home, Shaney has stepped in to ensure that people who need essential services are getting them. Today, I join my constituents in thanking Shaney for all she does for us.
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- Jun/23/22 2:12:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, starting this July, the NDP-Liberal coalition is taking its first step to increase the retirement age to 75. The decision by the NDP-Liberal coalition to practise age discrimination by creating separate classes of the aged in the amount paid out for old age security has made seniors' worst fears realized.
The socialist coalition is shifting the financial burden onto the backs of seniors to pay for Canada's excessive debt. Seniors see this age discrimination as an effort to force Canadians under 75 to remain in the workplace and continue paying taxes for the “tax, borrow and wasteful spending” Liberal policy of high inflation. It is robbing seniors of their lifetime savings for what should be their golden years.
Inflation erodes the worth of savings. This is a massive societal shift. People are being forced to work longer and are needing to work longer. The socialist coalition needs to be held accountable for left-wing inflation policies that are robbing Canadians of the retirement they have been dreaming of.
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- Jun/23/22 2:13:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today is the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. Thirty-seven years ago today, Air India Flight 182 was blown out of the sky, which killed 329 innocent souls. These were 268 Canadians, including moms, dads, grandparents, friends and 82 children, who would never come home.
To this day, this remains the single largest act of terrorism perpetrated against Canadians. It was the result of a conspiracy conceived, planned and executed in Canada. Despite the advocacy of the victims' families, who have battled racism, discrimination and indignity, few Canadians know about this tragedy. We do not learn about it in schools. We hear little about it in the media. It cannot be this way. This is, and must always be, remembered by the House and all Canadians as a Canadian tragedy.
As we remember, let us reflect on the words carved into memorials for the victims from Vancouver to Bantry, Ireland:
Time flies. Suns rise and shadows fall.
Let it pass by. Love reigns forever over all.
May love always reign forever over all.
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- Jun/23/22 2:14:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees provides mental health counselling, specially trained interpreters and culturally appropriate trauma services. Ukrainians fleeing Putin's war have been arriving on Vancouver Island, and many are understandably traumatized.
While the federal government is providing settlement services, there is no funding for mental health support. These victims of war should be covered by the interim federal health program. Organizations such as VICCIR were already responding to increased demands, and now are providing mental health supports without funding.
In addition, there is a serious issue with clinical counsellors in B.C. not being able to register as providers with the interim federal health program, no matter how qualified and experienced they may be. The IFHP needs to provide consideration for professional equivalencies. These issues negatively impact refugees who struggle to find providers.
I want to say a huge thanks to the counsellors, the interpreters and the staff at VICCIR. I thank them for their incredibly important work.
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- Jun/23/22 2:15:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am awfully proud that one of our wonderful homegrown organizations has gained recognition outside Quebec. At the annual Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada awards, La Brunante won the small co-operative of the year award, which recognizes the unique impact of a co-operative on a community.
Established in 2003, La Brunante is a fantastic model of a solidarity housing co-operative for seniors in the village of Racine in the Eastern Townships. The model has gained momentum. Over the years, La Brunante has forged an international reputation, even giving three presentations on seniors and aging to the World Health Organization.
I had a chance to visit the co-operative, where I witnessed how well the “aging in place together” model works. Seniors there have opportunities to share their knowledge and know-how. By helping one another, seniors continue to feel useful.
I have to hand it to two of La Brunante's founders, Gaston Michaud and his partner, Mariette Bombardier. They have enabled so many seniors to grow old with dignity. I heartily congratulate them on this well-deserved award.
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- Jun/23/22 2:16:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we will soon rise, let us recap what we have learned. A Canadian diplomat attended a party at the Russian embassy and embarrassed our country, but the minister says it is not her fault because her staff do not check their emails.
We learned that the Emergencies Act was not used at the request of the police, but the minister falsely claimed otherwise.
The Liberals do not get a pass on passports. People camp out for hours every day, but the minister points to a spike in demand. We will learn that this was not true.
We have chaos in our airports, but the minister blames rusty travellers.
Inflation is out of control, but the minister says it is not her fault, despite injecting $100 billion of stimulus that makes inflation in the lives of Canadians worse.
We found out that the commissioner of the RCMP promised the PMO and the public safety minister to help them achieve their political objectives after a horrible tragedy. In response, the former minister tried to shift the blame onto an RCMP superintendent for doing his job with integrity.
The Prime Minister was a schoolteacher. He knows one cannot pass students who do not do their work or take responsibility. He should flunk them, but he will not. At the very least, he and the lot of them should spend their summer at remedial school. The Canadian people deserve better.
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- Jun/23/22 2:18:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this week, my riding of Hochelaga, like the rest of Quebec, is celebrating our national holiday. This year's theme is “One Language, a Thousand Accents”.
With its French language, Quebec is a strong nation with a unique identity, a large artistic community, and a resilient and inspiring entrepreneurial and community-centred culture. We are celebrating an open, inclusive Quebec. We are celebrating a Quebec where everyone is welcome, regardless of their French accent.
Quebec nationalism is for all Quebeckers. Pride in being a Quebecker is about more than political parties. It is the belief that Quebec's future is intimately entwined with its ability to carve a place for itself in Canada and the world, that Quebec is an example of language protection and immigrant integration.
There are millions of immigrant Quebeckers who speak French, with thousands of different accents. That is not a trivial or minor fact, let alone an anecdotal one. We should be proud of it and focus on our similarities and shared goals to create a unifying message that respects Quebec's uniqueness.
Happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste.
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- Jun/23/22 2:19:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, promises and more promises, but never any results: That is the hallmark of the Liberal government.
The minister knew for months that Passport Canada was headed for disaster, and yet what did she do? She went full steam ahead anyway.
People were told yesterday that they could wait in line to get a number, so they would be able to get a passport. People waited in line all night in the rain to get a number. What happened? There were no numbers left this morning. That is their new strategy.
We have learned that it takes 15 weeks to train a new employee. The minister is going to say that she has hired lots of people. This is truly appalling. Who is going to take responsibility for this monumental Liberal fiasco?
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- Jun/23/22 2:20:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand Canadians' frustration with the passport situation.
We implemented a new strategy as of yesterday. We saw the lines of people forming outside of the Saint-Laurent, Laval and Guy-Fravreau offices, so they received tickets and appointments.
Today, 250 people who were outside the Laval and Saint-Laurent offices spoke with managers and got appointments. There are 10 or so managers in each office who are organizing people into 12-hour shifts to ensure that everyone can travel on time.
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- Jun/23/22 2:20:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us just think about this for one second: This government is so out of touch that it cannot even provide basic services to the public. It waited until today to start talking to people who are waiting outside. The minister assured us that the government has installed toilets outside, which does not bode well for the rest of the summer. We anticipate that this is going to be a very long summer.
Every Canadian is affected by the cost of living, which is going up faster than ever. The inflation rate is the highest it has been in 40 years, when there was another Trudeau in power, incidentally. Every responsible country is lowering their gas tax. Why is this government refusing to do what is right for everyone?
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- Jun/23/22 2:21:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we understand that the cost of living is a major concern for Canadians, and that is why we have taken concrete steps to help the most vulnerable Canadians.
We increased the Canada workers benefit, so a family of three will get $2,400 more this year. We increased old age security by $815.
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- Jun/23/22 2:22:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, no one is listening anymore because no one believes this will change anything now.
The Minister of Public Safety has no problem misleading Canadians to justify political decisions. The former minister of public safety has no problem interfering in a police inquiry into a tragedy to use that information for political purposes.
According to RCMP Superintendent Darren Campbell, the RCMP commissioner said that she had promised the then minister of public safety and the Prime Minister's Office that the RCMP would release the information.
My question is simple. Does the Prime Minister believe RCMP Superintendent Darren Campbell?
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- Jun/23/22 2:23:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have never criticized, and will not criticize, a serving member of the RCMP. I was not a party to the discussions that took place between the commissioner and her subordinates. We have made no comment on that discussion, but I will reiterate that there was no interference in this matter, and the commissioner of the RCMP confirmed in her statement on Tuesday that there was no interference or pressure brought to bear by the government.
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- Jun/23/22 2:23:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there are handwritten notes confirming political interference during the active police investigation in Portapique, Nova Scotia in 2020. These notes are from a well-respected and experienced RCMP officer. Instead of honesty, we hear this minister doubling down on his rhetoric, disrespecting Parliament and Nova Scotia and blaming other people.
Given the gravity of the situation, will the minister admit the political interference and stop this shameful performance?
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- Jun/23/22 2:24:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, of course I will not because it would not be true. There was no interference in this matter.
I would also take the opportunity to remind the House that there is currently an independent public inquiry taking place in Nova Scotia: In the Mass Casualty Commission, these very matters are being addressed. Witnesses will be called to testify under oath. The work of the Mass Casualty Commission is important to the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy and important to the people of Nova Scotia. We intend to support the commission in doing its important work.
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- Jun/23/22 2:24:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the ongoing disinformation spawned by the former minister of public safety is revictimizing families and all those affected by the events in Portapique. The clear notes provided by Superintendent Campbell implicitly implicate the minister in peddling political pressure on Commissioner Lucki. Certainly, we all know from the comments of other officers that Superintendent Campbell is an exemplary officer.
If there is truly nothing to hide, will the minister submit to an in-depth investigation, yes or no?
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- Jun/23/22 2:25:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have absolutely no doubt that Superintendent Campbell is an exemplary officer, and I do not question his integrity in any way. I would simply remind this House that the fact is that there was no interference in this matter and the commissioner of the RCMP herself issued a statement on Tuesday, in which she said very clearly that there was no interference and no pressure brought to bear. Those are the facts.
I would also remind the member opposite that we have initiated an independent public inquiry that is examining these very issues, and that work will be very important to the families of the victims of this tragedy.
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