44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 15, 2023 10:00AM
- Jun/15/23 2:52:35 p.m.
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The hon. member for Vancouver East.
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- Jun/15/23 2:52:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, international students who were victims of unscrupulous immigration agents should not be punished. They have invested everything they have to study in Canada. They have contributed to the economic, cultural and social fabric of our community. Halting the deportation and removal orders is a good first step.
The minister said that he is working on a long-term solution. However, what the students need is permanent residency status. Will the minister follow up to ensure that an alternate permanent residence pathway is made available to the victims of fraud?
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- Jun/15/23 2:53:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy, along with members who come from all parties represented in the House of Commons, in finding a solution for innocent victims who were taken advantage of by fraudsters who allowed them to enter Canada on the basis of fraudulent letters of admission.
Yesterday we announced a new path forward, including a task force, that would give an opportunity to students to demonstrate that they were not complicit in fraud but were in fact victims of fraud. They will be given temporary status in Canada to allow them to complete their studies or to continue to work. We have also advanced new measures to ensure they can apply for permanent residency or remain in Canada without prejudice. That is the right path forward—
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- Jun/15/23 2:53:55 p.m.
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The hon. member for London—Fanshawe.
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- Jun/15/23 2:53:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the London Food Bank is seeing its highest turnout ever. People cannot afford the cost of food right now, and major grocers are using inflation as a cover to jack up prices. The government is choosing to protect the profits and greed of major grocers while Canadians' bills skyrocket.
The multipartisan committee released a report stressing how a windfall tax would incentivize large grocers to keep prices low. Will the government implement this windfall tax immediately so that Canadians can stop going to food banks and can actually afford their groceries?
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- Jun/15/23 2:54:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we agree with the member, and we know that Canadians are paying far too much for their groceries right now. That is why, not long ago, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry wrote to the Competition Bureau to make sure that the bureau is using all the tools it has at its disposal to keep prices down and to prevent businesses from taking advantage of the high prices to profit off of Canadians. We have also asked the bureau to look immediately into these matters. We will continue to work to make life more affordable for Canadians in all matters.
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- Jun/15/23 2:55:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, around the world we are seeing the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ people being restricted. Even within our own borders, we are seeing extremist groups callously using innocent trans and non-binary children as political targets.
The Minister of Labour recently represented Canada at the UN International Labour Organization in Geneva, where he raised this issue. Would the minister share with the House what he said to this international forum?
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- Jun/15/23 2:55:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a few days ago I stood before nations that have attempted to roll back 2SLGBTQI+ rights, and I reminded them that as a gay and married man, I would be jailed or even condemned to death if I happened to have been born in their countries.
Nations make progress and they achieve rights in their own time and in their own way, as was the case with Canada, and we respect that, but once those rights are achieved, once they are named, we will not stand by and see them swept under the carpet, put back in the closet or taken away, not here, not there, not anywhere.
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- Jun/15/23 2:56:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and cabinet have never taken responsibility for their many acts committed in bad faith.
For example, the Minister of Public Safety alone has misled the House no less than seven times. He even misled a judge by backdating documents. He should have been fired for that, but he is still here. The Liberals have also never showed empathy or compassion for the victims of Paul Bernardo.
The Prime Minister is in Ottawa. Can he rise today and tell us whether he is going to fire his public safety minister?
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- Jun/15/23 2:56:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, that is absolutely not true. I called the representatives of the families of Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French to express our government's solidarity and our full support.
In addition, we will now work with CSC to prevent further cases like this from happening. Victims must be notified before such decisions are made. That is the commitment we are making for the future.
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- Jun/15/23 2:57:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Correctional Service of Canada took the trouble to inform the Prime Minister's Office three months ago that Paul Bernardo was being transferred to a medium-security prison.
Did anyone in the Prime Minister's Office think to have the common sense to contact the families and warn them? No one seems to have thought about calling the victims' families, even though this should be standard procedure.
The minister says that he did so two weeks ago. Why did his prime minister not do it three months ago?
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- Jun/15/23 2:58:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, my hon. colleague does not understand our current laws. These are issues that we need to address. We are prepared to work with all members of the House.
In the meantime, I have issued a new directive to CSC to make sure of one very important thing: I will be briefed directly, and CSC will notify victims when making such decisions in the future.
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- Jun/15/23 2:58:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, an unsealed justice department indictment in U.S. court revealed that a Canadian in Vancouver was coerced back to the PRC. It has been eight months since the first reports about Beijing's illegal police service stations. Beijing brazenly admitted to five of these stations, and another two have been identified. These stations are being used to coerce people back to the PRC.
The minister has indicated these stations were shut down, but they have not been. When will they be?
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- Jun/15/23 2:59:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with great respect to my colleague, he needs to listen carefully to the RCMP, which has consistently updated Canadians that it is taking action in regard to foreign interference associated with these so-called police stations.
If the Conservatives are serious about fighting foreign interference, they will stop with the partisan attacks. They will support the government's agenda to tackle this issue and do so in a way that is unifying, because we must protect our democratic institutions, and most importantly Canadians, from this phenomenon.
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- Jun/15/23 2:59:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that same indictment also revealed that in New York City last summer, PRC agents tried to coerce someone in New York City to come to Toronto for more intensive interrogations. The implication is that Beijing is comfortable using Canada as its foreign interference playground. Maybe that is because two months ago those same PRC agents were arrested, yet here north of the border there is nothing: no arrests, no new legislation.
When will the Prime Minister replace the minister with someone who will get the job done?
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- Jun/15/23 3:00:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are getting the job done by adding new authorities for our national security establishment, by adding $49 million for the RCMP to protect Canadians from foreign interference, by being on the cusp of introducing a new foreign agent registry—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Jun/15/23 3:00:35 p.m.
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I have to break for a second. We are starting to see the volume go up again, and we are hearing individual voices. It is getting a bit out of hand, so we are going to take a deep breath and pause a bit.
I will ask the hon. minister to start from the top, please.
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- Jun/15/23 3:00:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we are getting the job done by making sure that we equip our national security establishment with the tools that it needs to fight foreign interference, by adding resources for the RCMP, which we put into the budget, by raising the bar on transparency through the creation of NSICOP and NSIRA, and by continuing to engage Canadians on this.
That is what we are doing. What the Conservatives are doing is continuing on with an agenda that focuses on partisan attacks. They should stop that and do the work with all members in the chamber so that we can fight against foreign interference and protect our democratic institutions.
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Mr. Speaker, 1,300 people learned yesterday that they would be losing their jobs at Bell Media. Six radio stations are going to stop broadcasting. When even a giant like Bell can no longer protect its media and newsrooms, the situation is dire. The entire news industry and the people who work in it are all under threat.
The Bloc Québécois is proud to have contributed to Bill C‑11 and Bill C‑18, two very important bills. However, I think the minister is beginning to realize, as I have, that this will probably not be enough.
In light of these new job losses, does the minister have anything to suggest in order to better protect the diversity of information?
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Mr. Speaker, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their jobs, and with their families. It is always worrisome when radio stations shut down and journalists lose their jobs. That is why we have been there from the start. We worked with the Bloc Québécois and the NDP to study Bill C‑11 and Bill C‑18, but the Conservatives did everything they could to delay the passage of those bills.
Do they finally understand that their actions have consequences?
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