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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 192

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 8, 2023 11:00AM
  • May/8/23 2:56:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives can shout all they want, but that will not detract from the work that the government is doing to defend our democracy. It will not detract from the work we have done in setting up a committee of parliamentarians, which the Conservatives continue to play Jekyll and Hyde in. One week they sit on it; the next week they do not. The Conservatives need to abandon these types of political tactics and do the hard work, roll up their sleeves and make sure that we protect this chamber as a place that is sacred, where we can have debates in the interest of all Canadians. That is what the Conservatives need to do, not continue along the lines of this hopped-up rhetoric.
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  • May/8/23 2:56:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, rather than expel a diplomat who targeted an MP's family, the Liberal government did nothing for two years. Last week, the Prime Minister peddled a narrative that it was the member for Wellington—Halton Hills who in fact knew and said nothing. Nobody in this chamber is debating that a Beijing official engaged in threats against a sitting member of this House. When will the Prime Minister stop misleading Canadians to cover up for his failures, and expel the Beijing diplomat today?
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  • May/8/23 2:57:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is really important to say that no one is misleading the House in this matter. There are steps that need to be taken, always, if we are going to expel a diplomat. It is due process. Conservatives might say that we do not need to follow the rule of law. They do not need to say that, on that side of the House. On this side of the House, we will always do due diligence, follow the evidence, follow the rule of law and make the right decision at the right time. The House can rest assured of that.
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  • May/8/23 2:57:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the weekend, two former senior Liberal ministers stated that many people in Ottawa knew what was happening with the Conservative member and China, and yet the Prime Minister keeps saying that he did not know. All of Ottawa knew, except the Prime Minister. As members know, the Standing Orders prevent me from saying what I think of the Prime Minister's attitude, but the one thing I can do is ask questions. When will this government take action in the interest of all Canadians by expelling this so-called Beijing diplomat?
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  • May/8/23 2:58:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague knows full well that we will make the necessary decisions at the right time. It is also important to remember that we are the only government that has taken the threat of foreign interference seriously. We put in place measures and strengthened them for the 2021 election. We are obviously concerned about the situation of our colleague from Wellington—Halton Hills. That is exactly why we gave intelligence agencies further instructions.
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  • May/8/23 2:59:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at their convention, the Liberals came up with a solution to the Chinese interference issue: stop the media from reporting on it. This was literally one of the resolutions that the Liberals passed last weekend. As they see it, the problem is not that China helped or threatened members and their families; the problem is that the media talks about it. It is disgraceful. To slough off the burden of dealing with Chinese interference, the Liberals have proposed a solution worthy of the Chinese Communist party. Can they assure that House that any consideration of this solution is out of the question?
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  • May/8/23 2:59:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the thing about the Liberal Party is that its members can disagree on things. Our government has always respected, and will always respect, the independence of the press. Journalists need to be able to freely report the news as they see it. They need to be able to ask the tough questions and report on the facts as they see them. A free and independent press is fundamental to our democracy and is guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is also the best defence against disinformation.
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  • May/8/23 3:00:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is not what the resolution said. Last week, the Prime Minister blamed CSIS for failing to inform the member for Wellington—Halton Hills that he was the target of threats from China. That is false. CSIS warned the Prime Minister's Office as early as 2021. The top security adviser to the Prime Minister confirmed this to the member. Why is this important? It is important because, once again, when it comes to Chinese interference, the Prime Minister is telling the opposite of the truth. What he has been saying since day one flies in the face of the truth. He has no credibility to get to the bottom of this. When will there be an independent public inquiry?
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  • May/8/23 3:00:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as my colleague is well aware, we appointed an independent special rapporteur, the Right Hon. David Johnston. He is working on this as we speak. He has been reviewing all of the issues presented by the intelligence agencies for several weeks now. He has full and free access to the necessary information. We look forward to hearing his recommendations before the end of May. They will be precisely what my colleague's question is all about.
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  • May/8/23 3:01:35 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, one of the mass casualty commission's recommendations directly reflects the Liberal ban on firearms, Bill C-21. This bill would add firearms without consultation, and even use this tragedy to its advantage. The opposition was fierce; however, a revamped version has reared its ugly head. What we know clearly is that the monster from this tragic event was not a legal gun owner, and nor were his guns legal. In a recent op-ed, the authors state that the focus should be on securing the border, providing mental health support and diverting at-risk youth from gangs. When will the Prime Minister start addressing violent repeat offenders and stop attacking grandpas who own a hunting rifle?
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  • May/8/23 3:02:19 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, respectfully, that is exactly what the government is doing. Last week, I was very proud to see that members of our caucus had put forward amendments to Bill C-21 that would strengthen the national ban that the government put into place on AR-15 style firearms, which have absolutely no legitimate recreational purpose in any of our communities. It is only the Conservatives who continue to put forward policies that amount to legalizing AR-15 style firearms. That is the wrong path. They need to get behind Bill C-21 so we can save lives.
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  • May/8/23 3:02:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the NDP-Liberals are at it again. The minister wants to talk about saving lives, but, under his watch, we have seen a violent wave of crime across the country. The Liberals have failed to fix the broken bail system. They are failing to address violent repeat offenders. What they are doing is bringing forward a confiscation plan that would only hurt hunters and sport shooters. In fact, I received a text this morning from Chief Rudy Turtle, a former NDP candidate, who told me that he is against any gun law that would impact their traditional practices. When is the coalition finally going to target criminals and not—
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  • May/8/23 3:03:38 p.m.
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The hon. Minister of Public Safety.
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  • May/8/23 3:03:42 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, there they go again; Conservatives are trying to stoke fear. If my colleague had actually read the amendments that are part of Bill C-21, he would have seen that we included a non-derogation clause specifically for indigenous persons, but he did not read them. Instead, the Conservatives are just filibustering. They are about their record of putting cuts to police budgets. They are about weakening our borders. On this side of the House, we are going to keep our communities safe by strengthening our borders, by putting more resources into law enforcement and by passing strong gun control laws.
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  • May/8/23 3:04:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every time a criminal uses a firearm in the commission of a crime, it costs society half a million dollars. A study published by Yanick Charette, a criminology professor at Laval University, states that the most expensive crime is homicide, costing an average of $10 million per murder committed with an illegal firearm. Instead of addressing the source of this problem, the great Liberal-NPD-Bloc Québécois coalition would rather spend billions more on buying up legally owned guns from harmless hunters. When are we going to stop the partisan games and actually work for public safety?
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  • May/8/23 3:04:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservatives are out there with their tough talk, yet they did not take any real action during their time at the head of the previous government. Our government is making investments to support policing. This morning in the Peel region, my colleagues and I announced another $390-million investment to protect our communities. The Conservatives are the ones who cut police budgets. Our government will continue to support the good work of police services.
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  • May/8/23 3:05:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, public servants from the Canada Revenue Agency work hard to provide important services to Canadians. The Government of Canada believes in the collective bargaining process. The best deals are always the ones that are reached at the table. Could the Minister of National Revenue update the House on the agreement in principle?
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  • May/8/23 3:06:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for her question. After many weeks of hard work, the Canada Revenue Agency reached an agreement in principle with the taxation employees' union. We appreciate Canadians' patience and understanding during this time. The best deals are reached at the bargaining table. These deals are fair, competitive and reasonable, and we are deeply grateful for the public servants who work hard to serve Canadians.
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  • May/8/23 3:06:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians are fed up with the insulting cost of the Prime Minister's joyrides and the luxury vacations he takes at the taxpayers' expense while everyone else is struggling to pay their bills. Could the Prime Minister stop living it up and lead by example by not recklessly spending Canadian taxpayers' hard-earned money?
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  • May/8/23 3:07:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yes, the Prime Minister took a vacation with his family at Christmas. Is the opposition member's position that it is unacceptable for the Prime Minister to take a vacation at Christmas with his family? Is that the position of the member across the way? The vast majority of the cost was for security. Does the member think that the Prime Minister does not need security?
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