SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 147

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 13, 2022 10:00AM
  • Dec/13/22 2:17:35 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, another Iranian protester, named Majidreza Rahnavard, was murdered yesterday morning by the barbaric Iranian regime. He had a bright future. They all do. He was imprisoned 23 days ago, charged with waging war against God. He was publicly executed in yet another escalation. Now we watch with horror the ruthlessness of the mullahs and the bravery of the revolution. We cannot be silent. We must show them we will not give up until all Iranians have been given a voice. We must ban the IRGC, seize its assets and give them to the families of the victims of flight 752. It killed 55 Canadians. We must impose the harshest and broadest, most sweeping, sanctions to cripple the regime and bring it down. For the safety and security of Iranians, the region and the world, what will it take? How many murders? How many threats against Canadians? What needs to happen in order for the government to do the right thing?
162 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:18:45 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to pay tribute to the Hon. Jim Carr, my long-time friend and a respected colleague on all sides of the House. Jim was truly a Renaissance man. He had an extraordinary career as a professional musician, a journalist, a leader in the business community and a politician who served in the Manitoba legislature and here in the House as the MP for Winnipeg South Centre. Jim served with distinction around the cabinet table as the minister of natural resources, minister of international trade and diversification, and minister for the Prairies. Above all, Jim was a passionate and articulate voice for the Prairies as a special part of Canada with its own unique culture and economy. He believed that our evolving energy sector will help power our country forward, that our innovative agriculture can feed the world and that we can do all of this sustainably. That is how he found the strength to see his private member's bill, the building a green prairie economy act, pass third reading last week. In these last few years, Jim spoke of his children and grandchildren often. He worked every day for a better Canada and a better world for them and for all of us.
216 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:20:50 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the official opposition, I wish to join all those expressing their condolences to the family of the Hon. Jim Carr, the Liberal caucus and all his friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in their grief. The Prime Minister says he does not want to ban hunting weapons, but now there are Liberal members, government officials and indigenous groups who say that the 300-page list includes a large number of hunting weapons that are entirely appropriate for civilian use. When will the government target real criminals by adding resources at our borders and going after the real criminals instead of hunters who are doing their work legally?
114 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:21:56 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking my colleague and all members who have been so empathetic in expressing their grief over the death of our friend, the Hon. Jim Carr. I know we will have an opportunity to talk about him more tomorrow. I really want everyone to remember that he was an exceptional man and an extraordinary parliamentarian. His devotion to community, to region, to country; his devotion to the idea of a Canada that was even better, where everyone came together to build a strong future; his passion, his thoughtfulness, his commitment to the Prairies and to Canada will be long remembered and need to inspire us all every single day, as we notice the empty seat among us.
122 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:22:57 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, the government has the wrong target when it comes to public safety. It is banning hundreds, and in fact we do not know exactly how many because its officials cannot tell us, of previously legal hunting rifles and shotguns that are used by first nations, by farmers and by rural people right across the country. Meanwhile, last week, a man who was convicted of second degree murder had been released early and is now rearrested for 51 counts of trafficking firearms. Why will the Liberals not go after this criminal and others like him instead of targeting Grandpa Joe's hunting rifle in Cape Breton?
107 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:23:42 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are united around the need to see communities safer. Most Canadians understand that this means eliminating the guns that are most dangerous, those guns that are designed to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. That is why two years ago we moved forward with a ban on assault-style weapons, but we also know we need to ensure that ban stays in place. That is why we are moving forward with a definition to define assault-style weapons. We will continue to consult with Canadians and all parliamentarians to ensure we are capturing the right weapons, but we will keep Canadians safe.
111 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:24:23 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, only he is not capturing the right weapons, according to his very own Liberal MP for Yukon, who said, “This is really upsetting. Many, many Yukoners...regularly hunt, either as a food source or for the recreational aspects of hunting.” He said, “I'm not happy with this [bill].” Other Liberal MPs have said likewise, and the Prime Minister's own public servants have testified that hunting rifles will be banned under his proposed amendment. Now that he has been caught with his real agenda, which is to go after hunters and farmers rather than gun smugglers and gangsters, will he reverse himself and promise never again to go after our hunters in our country?
121 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:25:06 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, while Conservative politicians continue to fearmonger and share disinformation, we are doing the work necessary to keep Canadians safe. We will continue to consult on the list, because, yes, we are not interested in going after guns that are typically used for hunting and protecting farms. We are going to continue to make sure we are banning the most dangerous weapons that were designed to kill people in the shortest amount of time. This is something that unfortunately the Conservatives want to make legal, assault-style weapons, again. That is why they are in the pockets of the gun lobby and that is why we are standing strong.
110 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:25:46 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, we all wondered how it was possible for the government to build up a 2.2 million person backlog in the immigration system, and now we have found a clue. There are 60,000 people whose cases have been handed over to employees who no longer work for the government. Just imagine someone calling up and saying, “I'd like to speak to Jack. He's my case officer. I've been waiting for my immigration." and he is told that Jack has not been there in 10 years. No wonder things are delayed for so long. These are people who are separated from their families, refugees who need to get here quickly for their safety. How could the government have been so careless?
127 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:26:27 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, we continue to grow our immigration system. We continue to transform it and modernize it so it is able to respond to the needs of people who want to become Canadians and contribute to our society. That is why we are investing in our system to provide a modern client experience and a more efficient immigration system. Modernizing our immigration system is about putting people at the heart of everything we do. We will continue to be there and resolve any technical issues.
85 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:26:58 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, from incompetence to bad ethics, we have another Liberal minister found guilty of violating the Ethics Act, this time for giving a $23,000 contract to one of her best friends at a company called Pomp & Circumstance. It reminds us of the Prime Minister giving half a billion dollars to an organization called WE Charity that gave his family $500,000. Will the minister be held accountable? Will she be required to pay back the $23,000 in improper contracting that she gave out?
87 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:27:37 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, in the House, there is a lot of debate and back and forth, but every now and then there is an opportunity for Canadians to weigh in directly on what is going on in federal politics. Yesterday, the residents of Mississauga—Lakeshore had a choice. They could choose between the Conservative Party politics of division and reckless proposals that included recommending that they opt out of inflation by investing in crypto, or our government's approach of being there for Canadians every step of the way and putting more money back in their pockets. The people of Mississauga—Lakeshore have spoken and elected a Liberal member of Parliament to come to Ottawa.
116 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:28:24 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, if I may, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would also like to offer our condolences to the family and friends of the former minister and member Jim Carr. The Prime Minister has skilfully calculated that Quebec should take in 112,000 immigrants based on Ottawa's goal of welcoming 500,000. In doing so, he ignored the fact that there are about eight million francophones in the country and about 300 million anglophones on the North American continent. Oops. It was basic math. He himself is having such a hard time managing immigration that his government assigned 60,000 files to people who are no longer on the job. Should he not double-check his math and let Quebec manage its own affairs on immigration and the French language?
138 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:29:11 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, I merely pointed out that Quebec is entirely capable of increasing its immigration levels, if it wants to. This decision is up to Quebec, and we respect Quebec's jurisdiction with regard to immigration, as we do across our system of government. We will always work with the Quebec government and other governments across the country to protect the French language and to welcome francophone immigrants. We have a lot more work to do, but we will continue to do it.
83 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:29:46 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, in the past 24 hours, the Prime Minister said that Quebec must take in 112,000 immigrants. He says that he is not imposing that number. However, all the other times, he said that he would like to impose it. He sent a former minister and now sitting member to say that Bill 96 should be blocked, because the federal government obviously must not recognize Quebec's jurisdictions. He is forgetting about Roxham Road and the thousands of irregular claimants, who would have a hard time integrating into French-speaking society, and he is forgetting about the thousands of francophone African students who he himself is preventing from entering Quebec. Could he do the smart thing when it comes to the issue of language and recognize that the French language and immigration are Quebec's jurisdictions?
139 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:30:30 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what I am doing. I did not propose any numbers for Quebec. I acknowledged that Quebec was capable of increasing its immigration levels, if it wanted to do so, because it has those powers. We recognize the important role that Quebec plays in protecting the French language and the Quebec nation. That is why we will continue to work respectfully with the Government of Quebec. However, we do want to point out that the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause is something that the federal government should never support.
95 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:31:11 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all New Democrats, I want to extend our condolences to the friends and family of Jim Carr on his passing. We are in a pediatric health crisis. At the Sainte-Justine hospital in Montreal, workers have said this is unprecedented: the wait times, children getting sick, exasperated parents, desperate workers. We have a Prime Minister who lacks leadership. When will the Prime Minister show some leadership, meet with the premiers and find solutions to fix this crisis?
82 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:31:51 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, I have had regular meetings with the provincial premiers for several months. Our ministers are getting involved because we recognize that Canadians need better health care systems. They need family doctors. They need fewer wait lists. They need help for mental health. Instead of doing what the NDP leader is proposing, in other words, simply sending a blank cheque to the provinces to have them deal with their health care systems, we are demanding results for Canadians. We need to have results for families, for seniors and for young people. We will insist on that.
97 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:32:35 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Red Cross had to be called in to the Ottawa Children's Hospital. There is a trailer set up at the Children's Hospital in Calgary. Parents and children have such high demand for services that they have to wait out in the cold, so it has a trailer. Children are dying from respiratory illness, and this is just the beginning of the season. In Montreal, workers are saying that this is the worst they have ever seen. We have a Prime Minister who is not showing up to provide solutions. When will the Prime Minister work with the premiers, meet with them and find solutions instead of excuses to deal with this crisis?
117 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Dec/13/22 2:33:13 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, not only have I been speaking regularly with premiers, not only have our health ministers and other ministers been engaging directly with their counterparts across the country, but I have been sitting down with doctors, nurses and other frontline workers who have said very clearly, “Do not just send more blank cheques to the provinces for health care. Make sure that the provinces are delivering outcomes, delivering results for families, for seniors, for young people.” The opposition parties may call for just more cash to be flushed to the provinces. We are going to need to get results from the provinces for Canadians, not for us but for Canadians who need better health care.
118 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border