44th Parl. 1st Sess.
October 21, 2022 10:00AM
- Oct/21/22 10:38:34 a.m.
- Watch
- Re: Bill C-9
Madam Speaker, as I was sharing, we all have EDAs and campaign teams. Although it is our names on the ballots, there is a huge group of people, and I count almost 200 volunteers over the course of my last three or so years in politics, who have helped fight for the cause. I am so thankful and blessed because of my EDA and campaign team and all those people who have worked so hard to fight for the principles that I am so proud to stand in this place to represent.
When it comes to the reason we are all here, I often joke when I speak with classes in my constituency that there are only three job qualifications to be a member of Parliament in Canada. Just three; that's it. Number one, we have to be Canadian. Number two, we have to be over the age of 18. Number three, we simply have to get more votes than the other guy or gal. That process, that participation in our democratic system that each parliamentarian has, with, at least in the current standing, 338 different paths, different types of individuals, different parties represented, different backgrounds, different experiences and different professions, brings a unique cross-section of Canadians to this place.
I cannot thank the people of Battle River—Crowfoot enough for the last three years. I have spoken over 400 times in this place, being up in question period, giving speeches, speaking over 500 times in committee, being part of interparliamentary groups, meeting with delegations and being a part of international trips, representing the people of Battle River—Crowfoot here in Canada and around the world, voting almost 400 times, jointly seconding private members' bills, and all the various ways of communication.
Last night we talked about mental health and being able to break some of the stigma surrounding things like mental illness. There are things like constituency communication, social media outreach, more than a dozen mail-outs and visiting 63 communities. I represent a constituency that is about the same size as the province of Nova Scotia and has about 60 or so self-governing municipalities. I have visited each one of those communities over the last three years, some more than once, and attended hundreds of events, doing dozens of town halls and helping when it comes to the base of what being an elected official is about: helping people and taking thousands of calls, helping with practical issues regarding case work or the Phoenix pay system, helping veterans and members of the military, and helping people with passport issues or immigration or whatever the case may be.
There is so much that goes into what we do in this place. The headlines always grab the big news items of the day, but as I reflect on the last three or so years that I have had the honour of taking my seat in this place, looking back at my experiences, those who helped me get here, my family and the impact this has on them, and those who mentored me, I truly am very blessed and thankful for the opportunity to serve in this place.
I appreciate the latitude given me for a moment to share some thoughts on three years of being able to serve in this place.
To the substance of Bill C-9 before us, I would note that this is the sort of bill that should have been passed a while ago. I know there have been a few questions asked about why Conservatives are speaking to this bill. I am speaking for myself, and I think for many of my colleagues, when I say we like to do our jobs to make sure that we comprehensively look at, evaluate and examine everything that comes forward in this place.
When the government talks about this bill in particular, I believe it was Bill S-5 in the last Parliament, and there is a constitutional intricacy that the government, especially, likes to dismiss or not elaborate on when it blames Conservatives for somehow obstructing the democratic process by doing our jobs. Bill S-5 was something that died on the Order Paper when an unnecessary election was called in the summer of last year.
I could certainly get into the many aspects of that, with our returning to this place with almost an identical makeup, the frustrations that were felt by so many Canadians and the erosion of trust in our institutions. I will expand on that a bit more. I would share with the member for Durham how many of those frustrations manifested themselves over the course of that last campaign, with the selfishness of a Prime Minister who tried to use what seemed to be a few polls bending in his direction, even when he promised to do the exact opposite of what he did.
The reason I bring that up today is not only to highlight the hypocrisy of government members. They seem to want to blame everybody but themselves for some of these things. I suggest they would be best positioned to look in the mirror to truly self-evaluate some of the reasons we find ourselves in those places.
This is a bill that addresses a very practical issue, which is that over the course of the evolution of our legal system we have the need for changes to be made. Specifically, Bill C-9 addresses that there would have to be a review process, even though a judge is and should be a lifetime appointment. Certainly we see the consequences of when politics are injected into the selection of judges and some of the challenges associated with that, but there could be the need for a review. We saw that need in the case that brought this whole conversation forward a number of years ago, when a judge made some very disparaging comments that certainly called into question the integrity of his ability to oversee that specific court case. There has to be a process. There has to be the ability to discipline individuals on the bench.
Of course, we all need to have accountability and integrity checks within each of our professions, whether it be in this place as members of Parliament, in Canada's Senate or in our judicial branch of government. We have created many instances of this with the Ethics Commissioner, the Lobbying Commissioner, reporting requirements and all of those associated things. Bill C-9 is just a practical response to ensure that we address one of the key aspects of where we have seen what I alluded to earlier, which is that erosion of trust in our institutions.
There are many reasons for that erosion of trust, certainly some of which are very political and some of which are very practical. Many of which, I would suggest, need to be unpacked so that we can truly get to the bottom of them. Because this is a justice bill and specifically relates to the Judges Act, I am going to focus on some of my constituents' experiences when it comes to how they perceive the justice system.
I have been asked a number of times by the Minister of Justice and other Liberal members why I do not trust judges. This bill actually speaks to why there has to be firm parliamentary oversight. In the Westminster system. Parliament is supreme, and I am thankful for that. That is one of the things that makes our system of government the best in the world: that Parliament and the voices of the people ultimately have that final say.
One of the comments that is often made to me is that we do not have a justice system anymore, but we have a legal system and that legal system is failing. That is not my perception. That is the perception of many constituents who share with me those feelings and their experiences associated with it.
I mentioned before that there are 338 different paths to get here, but I have no doubt that each and every person in this place will have heard from constituents who have had their own experiences when it comes to the way that the legal system, Canada's justice system, is not serving them well. I am going to highlight a few of those instances from the perspective of being a rural Canadian.
I mentioned in my observations of being in Parliament for three years that I represent a large rural area. My constituency is 53,000 square kilometres of what I would suggest is the most beautiful countryside in the world. When somebody asks me what the area I represent is like, I say it is a lot like cowboy country. It is the beautiful rolling hills and wheat fields as far as the eye can see. The only thing dividing one piece of land and the next is a simple barbed wire fence, and even then sometimes it is hard to find those with how vast the space is. I think about the many people who live there, and although sometimes it is sparsely populated, it would work out to be about two individuals per square kilometre. That is the density of my constituency, approximately.
We have some significant challenges. Specifically when it comes to our justice system, we see how the dynamics associated with rural crime have changed significantly in the last number of years. From both when I was elected in 2019 and also my work being involved in politics in the community prior to that, I have seen the crime severity index increase dramatically.
It is astounding, some of the stories I hear from constituents, members of the community and law enforcement officers who are on the first line. There are crimes that just a few years would never have been thought possible to be committed in a small town of only a few hundred people, yet with the Internet and access to gangs, drugs and all of these associated things, some of the things that happen are astounding. Then, there is the revolving door of the justice system.
Before I get to the revolving door of the justice system, I will share that I was invited to attend a town hall in a small town. It was about 200 people in this community. There were about 100 people who came to the town hall. It was on rural crime, organized by the mayor and council. They had invited their member of Parliament and their MLA, who was not able to make it, but also their local law enforcement, the RCMP.
I got there and, as is often the case, the RCMP had planned to be there but got a call, so they were not able to be there when the town hall started. I listened for probably an hour to story after story, and we were not just talking about hypotheticals. We were talking about real lived experiences and tragic instances where people's homes were broken into and where individuals were terrorized, and after multiple instances of calling the police, somebody would be arrested and taken away, but a few days later they would be back in that same community terrorizing the streets again.
There were dozens and dozens of examples, and there was a lot of frustration there. There was a lot of frustration at lawmakers and there was a lot of frustration at local law enforcement. It was one of the things I endeavoured to highlight during that time, and I was thankful that the RCMP came for the last third of the meeting. I would suggest it was providential that, when I stood up and said, to the room of about a hundred people, to be sure not to blame those men and women in uniform for some of the challenges and that they were working as hard as they possibly could, only a moment later the Mountie who serves the area, in a detachment with only three officers, walked into the town hall.
I was happy to cede the floor to him, and it was amazing. We could see in the eyes of many that they were frustrated, because sometimes it would be a four- or five-hour response time after calling 911. With something like a serious break-in with a firearm, it could be four or five hours before a police officer even got to somebody's door. We are talking about serious stuff here, but that Mountie started to unpack what his days looked like and some of the rules and restrictions he, as a law enforcement and peace officer, was forced to abide by.
I saw after that instance many others like it. I highlight specifically that town hall in the community of Amisk, but there have been many other instances like that, where we see that erosion of trust taking place within specifically, because we are talking about the Judges Act, the legal system in our country.
Therefore, when the Minister of Justice stands up and says something like those who do serious crimes in this country will serve serious time, it is almost laughable. It is laughable I would suggest in a tragic way, because the experience of so many of my constituents speaks to the exact opposite of that.
When I look back as a political observer, although I would have been quite young when there was a change from a past Liberal government to a Conservative government, I know that crime was a big issue. One thing that was interesting is this. The Liberals like to blame Stephen Harper somehow for imposing mandatory minimums. However, some of the mandatory minimums of Bill C-5 that the justice minister blames Harper for have actually been around significantly longer. I believe some of those were put into place by former prime ministers, including Chrétien, Mulroney and even Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
Often the demand for mandatory minimums is something that comes from a true frustration from the public. I would suggest that if we are not careful, we will end up seeing that erosion of trust take place to the point where people may end up taking the law into their own hands. I do not think anybody in this place, regardless of party, wants to see that happen. When we see a government focus more on demonizing law-abiding firearms owners than dealing with smuggled guns coming across our border, that is a problem and it is demoralizing for those who have been robbed by a firearm or been the victim of a crime that should involve serious time.
Therefore, when it comes to Bill C-9, we need to do everything we can to ensure that we address some of the erosion of trust within our institutions and, in this case, make sure there is a mechanism to ensure that those on the bench are held to a high account, as Canadians expect us to do.
I believe we should expect those who are appointed as judges to be held to that higher account, and Bill C-9 is part of a practical mechanism to ensure that.
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- Oct/21/22 10:56:03 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-9
Madam Speaker, first off, I would echo some of the comments the member made with respect to our RCMP. The institution and the members of the force have contributed so much to public safety, so I would just like to acknowledge and express our appreciation for the service they provide our nation.
I would like to ask the same question I had asked the previous member with respect to the Canadian Judicial Council, which had a semi-annual meeting in the province of Alberta. It expressed some disappointment that the legislation has not been moving forward and not passed to date. I wonder, given the fact that it appears the Conservative Party is supporting at least its passage to go to committee, if the member would agree that today would be a good day to see this bill sent to committee. It does not limit debate, but allows, fosters and encourages more debate at second reading, as well at the third reading stage that would follow.
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- Oct/21/22 10:57:09 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-9
Madam Speaker, I would simply say this. If the member was so concerned about this bill being expedited through the process, back in the summer of 2020 he should have suggested it to his leader, who hoodwinked Canadians with his promise at the beginning of June to not call an election and only a couple of months later did exactly that, resetting the legislative agenda and sending this bill back to the drawing board.
I know the member and I have had disagreements about the significant delays brought forward by the Prime Minister's calling for a prorogation that just happened to coincide with the release of what, certainly I think as a member of the ethics committee at the time, would have made him look really bad. He happened to prorogue Parliament the day those documents were to be released.
Therefore, if the member wants to talk seriously about the legislative agenda, it is within the government's prerogative to do so. However, it should be quick to look at itself for the reasons why we find ourselves in a situation where realistically we could be years behind with respect to some of the things it now claims are the priorities of Canadians.
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- Oct/21/22 10:58:48 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-9
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.
Aside from the very specific subject matter of Bill C-9, he talked about a few things that can sometimes contribute to a loss of public trust in our institutions, particularly legal and judicial institutions.
Given that Bill C-9 deals with what happens further downstream, that is, after judges are appointed, I wonder if my colleague could comment on what happens upstream, in other words, how judges are appointed.
Would this not have been a good opportunity to review the judicial appointment system, so we will never again have to talk about the notorious “Liberalist”?
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- Oct/21/22 10:59:26 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-9
Madam Speaker, the member brings up a good point. There have to be checks and balances in the process to ensure that we are appointing good people to the bench.
Let me take advantage of this opportunity to share not just my concern when it comes to Liberal donors being appointed to the bench and how that seems to be a conflict of interest, but also some of the real challenges when it comes to the erosion of trust in our institutions in general. Many Canadians are not aware that when somebody is granted bail, it does not involve cash bonds anymore. In many cases, when a bond is set, only a fraction is required compared to the consequence if a perpetrator who, for example, has allegedly committed a crime and is charged ends up not showing up in court.
There is a whole host of issues that need to be addressed here, and Bill C-9 addresses one small aspect of them related to a terrible instance. There are so many other things that have to be addressed to restore the trust in our institutions.
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- Oct/21/22 11:00:42 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as we are coming to the end of Small Business Week, let me take members on a very quick tour of the incredible small businesses in my community of Ottawa Centre.
There is Devinder Chaudhary, owner of the Aiana Restaurant Collective in downtown Ottawa, who is changing the restaurant industry by paying his staff a living wage. Then there is Paula Naponse of Beandigen Cafe in Lansdowne Park, who is reinventing the coffee house model with an indigenous spin. I can also mention Justyna Borowska of Wedel Touch of Europe in Westboro, who is bringing authentic European cuisine to Ottawa. There are so many more examples of small businesses like these in my community of Ottawa Centre.
I am proud to see new spaces emerging across my community to support small, local entrepreneurs from equity-deserving communities. Over the past year, we have seen the Black entrepreneurship knowledge hub at Carleton University's school of business and the ADAAWE indigenous business hub to support young indigenous entrepreneurs.
I congratulate them all.
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- Oct/21/22 11:01:58 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, today I want to welcome and give congratulations to one of my constituents, Theresa Bailey, and her co-author, Terry Marcotte of Ottawa, for their recent publication of Hockey Moms: The Heart of the Game.
This book is a collection of insightful stories from the perspective of Canadian hockey moms and celebrates the foundational strength that these women provide to families and hockey programs across Canada. This book is shifting the narrative of hockey in Canada to the potential ahead that results from diversity, inclusion and the common thread we as hockey moms and all Canadians value and share: the love of our children and the love of the game.
I trust the House will join me in congratulating Theresa and Terry for this monumental milestone. Having grown up in Madoc, I know Theresa has made Hastings—Lennox and Addington very proud.
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- Oct/21/22 11:02:54 a.m.
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I remind members that the use of props is not allowed, for future reference.
The hon. member for Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill.
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- Oct/21/22 11:03:10 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as we reach the end of Small Business Week, I want to thank our local small business employees and recognize that although Small Business Week is coming to an end, their work is continuing.
These entrepreneurs and their teams are the backbone of our communities and local economies. While supporting financial well-being, they also bring community together and support local initiatives, even providing emotional well-being at times.
In my riding of Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, we are so fortunate to have small businesses to do just that. There are so many, but recently I had the pleasure to visit Jay at The STEAM Project in Richmond Hill, Penny at Zena Salon, Rosa at Royal Rose, Phiona at Coconut Village Nails Spa and Naiyer at Future Gadgets.
Our government has supported these businesses and so many others through the pandemic. As part of our plan to build a robust economy that abandons no one, creates good-paying jobs and greens our economy, we will continue to support small and local businesses. We are committed to growing the economy today and tomorrow for all Canadians—
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- Oct/21/22 11:04:13 a.m.
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The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.
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- Oct/21/22 11:04:17 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, this summer, we lost Robert Evans Skelly, a great parliamentarian and a fearless champion for the rights of women and indigenous and working people.
Bob's legacy will be everlasting. He was elected to the B.C. legislature five times as the NDP MLA for Alberni and to the House here as the member for Comox—Alberni for one term. He succeeded Dave Barrett as the leader of the NDP in British Columbia, a role that he filled with dignity and vigour. In his maiden speech in 1972, he called for the province to recognize the rights of indigenous people, and he carried the same message to the House of Commons when he arrived here in 1988.
Bob died of Parkinson's disease, which was first diagnosed in 1998. I am sure I speak for all members in expressing our deepest condolences to Bob's wife, Alex, and to his family. May he rest in peace.
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- Oct/21/22 11:05:25 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I rise in the House to mark Small Business Week. I also want to thank Claude Thériault, owner of Thériault Électronique, and Claude Desjardins, owner of the Desjardins convenience store. I had the opportunity to work at both of these small businesses when I was young.
Hard work and customer service are two values I learned at these businesses that have stayed with me to this day. Our small businesses came through the pandemic, and it was a tough time for some of them. At the 2022 Gala of Excellence on the weekend, we recognized the contributions of several businesses. I would like to congratulate all of the finalists.
Congratulations to the winners, including Arboris, Aventures Ahoy!, Brasserie Tuque de Broue, L'Original Packing, Garden Path Homemade Soap, Studio Shanthaly, Impressions Design, Lamarche Electric, Minijeux gonflables Chartrand, Brasserie Brauwerk Hoffman, and, finally, congratulations to Yves Berthiaume on winning the emeritus award.
Let us continue to encourage our small and medium-sized businesses by buying local.
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- Oct/21/22 11:06:30 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, today I want to honour the memory of Gérard Laliberté, who passed away on October 11.
Mr. Laliberté lived a very full life on both a personal and professional level. He had deep roots in Honfleur, where he lived his entire life with his wife, Rose. They had five children who gave them 33 descendants.
Gérard Laliberté was the son of a farmer and he followed in his family's footsteps by taking over his father's farm and expanding it. His farm is both prosperous and a model of cleanliness and order. He also had a large sugar bush operation. His farm was so well run that he was awarded the medal of the Ordre national du mérite agricole, a feat not many of his colleagues can boast about. His example was so inspiring that his three sons became farmers.
Ensuring the success of his business and the well-being of his family was not enough for Gérard Laliberté. He also dedicated himself to his community. He was mayor of Honfleur, a town in the middle of Bellechasse, and he was also a judge for the Ordre national du mérite agricole.
Today, I want to highlight everything he accomplished in his lifetime. Mr. Laliberté used to say that his ancestors were visionaries—
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- Oct/21/22 11:07:46 a.m.
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Order.
The hon. member for Winnipeg North.
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- Oct/21/22 11:07:54 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, happy Diwali. Diwali is a wonderful celebration across Canada from coast to coast to coast. Many will recognize Diwali as a festival of lights. Let us think in terms of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.
Canada is a diverse nation, second to no other in terms of our heritage. I encourage members, and in fact all Canadians, to take a moment to note that on October 24, we celebrate Diwali, and I encourage people to participate in whatever way they can in this wonderful festival.
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- Oct/21/22 11:08:38 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, on September 30, a suicide attack in Afghanistan killed 54 people, mostly girls and young women, and injured another 120. These were students belonging to the Hazara community who were sitting for a practice university exam.
The Hazara community in Afghanistan is subjected to multiple forms of discrimination, negatively affecting its economic, social, cultural and human rights. A report by British parliamentarians stated that as a religious and ethnic minority, the Hazara community in Afghanistan is “at serious risk of genocide”.
Since the Taliban came back to power, Hazara community members have been killed through targeted bombings of Hazara schools and places of worship. I call on Canada to condemn these killings and ask the authorities in Afghanistan to protect the Hazara community.
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- Oct/21/22 11:09:44 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, people are worried about how they will get to work, heat their homes and put food on the table.
Douglas wrote to me about the cost of diesel: “I couldn't believe that diesel in Lindsay ranges from $2.16 to $2.40. With diesel being so high, grocery prices will rise even more and make it more unaffordable for the low and middle class to buy food. When will the federal government lower the tax at the gas pumps?”
At the end of her rope, Kathy expressed her anxiety to me in a long email: “I work hard for the little money I get and soon will have to figure out what to purchase—fuel, groceries, or heat. I know the Prime Minister doesn't have to worry about those things.”
It is clear that Canadians cannot afford the Prime Minister and his costly coalition with the NDP. The new Conservative leader will put people like Douglas and Kathy first: their paycheques, their savings, their homes and their country.
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- Oct/21/22 11:10:50 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, on Monday, Nokia Canada announced its intention to redevelop its 26-acre campus in the Kanata North technology park into a sustainable, accessible mixed-use corporate, residential and commercial hub. The new R and D hub will help secure Canada's position as a global leader in the green digital future by broadening expertise in 5G, cybersecurity and AI.
Kanata is already home to one of Nokia's largest R and D sites, with more than 2,300 employees. With this redevelopment and a $340-million investment, an additional 340 high-paying jobs will be created in my community.
I am proud of our government's commitment to support this important project with up to $40 million in strategic innovation funding, which means more jobs and more Canadian IP. The future is digital and it is happening right here in Canada's largest technology park, in Kanata.
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- Oct/21/22 11:11:58 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, inflation is at record highs, and this month food inflation has jumped to over 11%. This is something that we are feeling especially across northern Ontario. In communities in my riding, people are now having to choose between heating their homes, filling their vehicle's gas tanks or putting food on their tables.
In Sandy Lake, one individual can of beans is now costing five dollars. That is even after the government has applied the nutrition north subsidy. It is all a creation of the government's policies. It is clear that Canadians can no longer afford the current Prime Minister and his costly coalition with the NDP.
It is time for a Conservative government that will put the people first, cut taxes, reduce spending and give those struggling across northern Ontario some much-needed relief.
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- Oct/21/22 11:12:57 a.m.
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- Re: Bill C-5
Madam Speaker, yesterday, at the public safety committee, Edmonton police chief Dale McFee said that the Liberals' handgun freeze is not only a bad idea but will undermine public safety by increasing smuggling and black market activity. He said that, instead, the focus ought to be on targeting the criminals who pull the trigger.
Chief McFee's approach is in stark contrast to the Liberals' approach with their soft-on-crime, do-no-time Bill C-5, which eliminates mandatory jail time for serious gun crime. This all the while the Liberals target law-abiding firearms' owners with not only a useless but potentially harmful handgun freeze.
The Liberals should heed the advice of Chief McFee, go after the criminals and leave law-abiding firearms' owners alone.
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