44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 6, 2022 10:00AM
- Dec/6/22 2:12:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, 33 years ago, on December 6, 1989, 14 women were murdered. They were murdered because they were women. They were murdered because they were at university. They were murdered because they were studying engineering. It was the ugliest form of cruelty. The words “Poly” and “Polytechnique” will always and forever be associated with this tragedy.
This tragedy concerns us all and serves to remind us how fragile life is. How many times have we looked the other way? How many times have we pretended not to hear? How many times have we let out a nervous laugh?
We have a duty to stop pretending and start taking direct and concrete action. We have to start approaching people, to guide them towards help, or to report them. We cannot sit back and do nothing. We owe it to the 14 victims of École Polytechnique.
We must never forget.
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- Dec/6/22 2:13:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every December 6 for the past 33 years has served as a sorrowful reminder that violence against women happens every day. The Polytechnique tragedy shook our collective conscience and brought the lives of 14 brilliant young women to an abrupt end. It is our duty, one and all, to remember this shocking event.
Violence against women is not always obvious, but it is always devastating. I would like to take this opportunity to salute organizations such as Re‑Source, Quartier des Femmes, and the CALACS, the sexual assault centre, along with many other organizations in Châteauguay—Lacolle that do such essential work in our communities to counter violence against women. I thank them for their engagement and their conviction.
As a society, we must keep working to make sure that tragedies like what happened at the Polytechnique never happen again and that the lives of thousands of women in Canada do not turn tragic.
I remember.
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- Dec/6/22 2:15:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on December 6, 1989, a man entered a classroom at École Polytechnique with a semi-automatic rifle. He separated the men from the women and killed 14 female students. These 14 bright young women were cowardly murdered because they were women. It is a horrible, misogynistic, sexist and hate-filled crime.
Hate continues to kill, even today. We see evidence of this violence and toxic masculinity every day. Recently, four indigenous women were murdered in Manitoba. Last year, there were 26 femicides in Quebec; that is 26 women who were murdered. This year there have already been 14 femicides. We have seen the equivalent of another Polytechnique this year alone.
Not only must we change our culture, we must also work together to better protect women who are victims of violence. Chronic underfunding forces shelters to turn away thousands of women because they have no room. The memory of these 14 students whose lives were taken must motivate us to do better for all women.
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- Dec/6/22 2:16:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I was not yet born when tragedy struck at the Polytechnique. I did not know the women who fell in the hail of bullets fired by a misogynistic gunman. However, like the women and men of my generation, I am an heir to this event. It is a legacy that comes with a certain responsibility.
We have a duty to do everything in our power to ensure that Quebec never again experiences such a tragedy. That is why we are strongly in favour of tighter gun control. That is why we strongly support banning assault weapons. It will not solve everything. It will not guarantee that there will be no more tragedies, but it will reduce the risk. We need to take steps in the right direction. Banning assault weapons is a step in the right direction.
Above all, we must fight misogyny and violence against women and normalize equality for all. Today is December 6, 2022. Thirty-three years after the Polytechnique massacre, we must remember and we must take action.
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- Dec/6/22 2:17:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the difference between what I am hearing from my residents in Kelowna—Lake Country and from the Liberal government could not be more far apart. While local seniors tell me they are choosing between gas and groceries, a Liberal minister said he is “sick and tired” of people complaining about heating their homes in cold weather.
Canadians are sick and tired of a carbon tax plan that has missed every target and left Canada as 58th out of 64 countries on climate performance. People are worried with the latest “Canada's Food Price Report”, which says a family of four will pay more than $1,000 extra in 2023.
A Conservative government will axe the tax to lower the costs of basic essentials like food, gas and home heating. We will end wasteful government spending to stop the Liberals' made-in-Canada inflation. We will invest in Canadian innovation, mineral exploration and electric infrastructure to build the cleaner, greener and affordable future that we all want.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to welcome members of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, who are here as part of their annual fire chiefs on the Hill days.
Over the coming days, many of us will have the opportunity to talk to these fire chiefs about the main issues fire departments across the country are facing, including challenges around recruiting and retaining firefighters when climate and health crises are on the rise. Another issue that is of particular importance to me is the risk of cancer among firefighters.
I am proud to have the support of the CAFC and other stakeholders for my private member's bill, Bill C-224, an act that would establish a national framework for the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting. This, as members know, was referred to the Standing Committee on Health last June. It is my hope that all members will work together to ensure this legislation is passed soon, and send a clear message to our firefighters that their health and safety is a top priority for all of us.
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- Dec/6/22 2:20:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today our thoughts are with the victims of the terrible École Polytechnique tragedy. Women lost their lives just because they were women. We remember their lives. We remember how talented they were. We remember how tragic this is for their families. We are working to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
Would the government like to share its thoughts on this subject?
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- Dec/6/22 2:21:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question.
Obviously, today, everyone's thoughts are with the families of the victims, the 14 women who were murdered in the École Polytechnique massacre. Obviously, our government wants to do more to better protect women. That is why we have a very important bill to get more assault weapons off the streets.
We invite all parliamentarians to work with us to strengthen this bill and better protect women across the country.
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- Dec/6/22 2:22:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today the Auditor General showed that there was terrible waste. According to her, the government wasted at least $4.6 billion. Moreover, it is believed that another $27 billion was wasted, and that should be investigated. The government even paid 1,500 inmates with CERB money.
Why did the government waste that money and cause massive inflation on the backs of Canadians?
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- Dec/6/22 2:22:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government did not hesitate to take action to help Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic and we made the right choices. We thank the Auditor General for her work and we thank her for confirming that our COVID-19 benefits were well targeted and effective. The report clearly indicates that these benefits helped the economy bounce back quickly and contributed to fighting poverty. Canadians know that we had their backs and will continue to be there for them.
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- Dec/6/22 2:23:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is now exposed for having wasted massive sums over the last several years. According to the Auditor General, there is $4 billion of known waste and another $27 billion of suspected waste. There is $60 million of spending that is under criminal investigation. There were 190,000 people who quit their jobs and therefore were not eligible to receive the CERB benefit but did anyway. They even sent the CERB to 1,500 prisoners.
Why did the government waste so much and make Canadians pay the price?
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- Dec/6/22 2:23:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General found, very clearly, that CERB and our individual benefits achieved their intended goals of getting money to Canadians quickly, of allowing Canadians to stay home safely and of avoiding severe social and economic consequences.
We, as a Parliament, approved an attestation-based approach. We knew from the beginning that there would be postpayment verification. We are working methodically through that, and I can assure all Canadians that we are on top of this.
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- Dec/6/22 2:24:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we already knew that the government paid billions of dollars in wage subsidies to profitable corporations that were able to pay out dividends to their wealthy executives. Now we know they also paid $15 billion to companies that did not have a significant revenue drop, so they were able to pocket the cash at the expense of the Canadian people. This is the same government that gave money to Loblaws and other wealthy corporations, always at the expense of the working class.
Why do they always take from the have-nots and give to the have-yachts?
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- Dec/6/22 2:24:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, our government made decisions that unquestionably saved lives and the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For the past several months, the CRA has been verifying recipients' eligibility. The Auditor General's findings are consistent with what the CRA has said. The verification and recovery process will take years.
While the Conservatives are left to deal with their leader's ridiculous advice about cryptocurrency, we will continue to deliver for Canadians.
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- Dec/6/22 2:25:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the government is delivering for inmates. It sent CERB cheques to 1,500 inmates who were serving time in prison for committing crimes. They were not eligible for the CERB. The Liberals also gave the CERB to 190,000 people who had voluntarily left their jobs and were not eligible. The government wasted $30 billion, and we also know that criminal investigations are under way.
Will the government finally launch an investigation to recover the money that Canadians lost?
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- Dec/6/22 2:26:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in a recent CBC article, the member for Edmonton West agreed with the government, saying that verification and recovery would be “a several year process”.
My question is very simple. Does his own leader agree with him?
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Mr. Speaker, on this day, December 6, we commemorate the terrible femicide that took place at École Polytechnique.
Compassion must guide all of our efforts, including the study of the bill to control assault weapons. The government has tabled an amendment that is unusual, huge and complex, so much so that the minister and the Prime Minister admit that it is an issue that should be dealt with by experts.
Will the government agree to add two committee meetings so experts can analyze the amendments very quickly, but rigorously?
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Mr. Speaker, we thank the Bloc and the NDP for their co-operation and their reasonable and responsible approach to working together to strengthen the bill at committee. It is truly important that everyone work together on this matter.
Today we talked about the École Polytechnique massacre. The objective of the bill really is to get assault weapons off our streets and to protect the rights of hunters and indigenous communities. That is what we are working on. The Prime Minister has made a commitment, and I encourage everyone to work together.
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Mr. Speaker, that is precisely what I am trying to get at with my question.
Obviously, I share the concern that sport hunters may be used as pawns in this matter, but this does not in any way help ensure the safety and sense of security of the victims' families, of women in general, or of civil society as a whole.
We want to truly understand, because clarity is at the heart of the matter, and we are simply asking to add two committee meetings with experts to study the amendment.
Can we do that?
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Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to working with all parliamentarians, with our colleagues in the Bloc and the NDP, to ensure that this bill is well balanced and that it achieves the objectives we have set, specifically, to get rid of the assault weapons used in massacres like the ones at the Quebec City mosque and École Polytechnique, while at the same time protecting the rights of hunters and indigenous communities.
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