44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 16, 2023 10:00AM
- Jun/16/23 11:29:04 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, people fearing gender-based persecution are adversely affected by the safe third country agreement. Today, the Supreme Court of Canada stated that equality rights are just as important as every other human right. Even the government's lawyers argued that an urgent exemption for migrant women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people in the safe third country agreement is needed.
Will the Liberals do the right thing and expand the exemption in the safe third country agreement for people fearing gender-based persecution?
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- Jun/16/23 11:29:38 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her advocacy on behalf of vulnerable people in Canada and around the world.
Of course, members will have seen by now that the Supreme Court of Canada has upheld the safe third country agreement, recognizing that Canada and the United States have the ability to make decisions to monitor and control the flow of people who seek asylum in Canada in a way that respects the need to be compassionate toward the world's vulnerable but also to have an orderly and regular migration system.
To the extent that we want to look for ways to improve the agreement over the years ahead, we will continually monitor this particular issue to ensure that those fleeing violence who are vulnerable and may not have the opportunity to seek protection elsewhere have the ability to have their claims considered in Canada.
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- Jun/16/23 11:30:21 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, in the debate between the Conservative leader and the Liberal finance minister, we hear a lot about public spending and inflation, but what neither of them will say is the role that outsized price increases and record corporate profits have been playing in driving inflation for Canadian households. Canadians know it, as they are the ones paying the bill, and the number one stressor for them now keeping them up at night is their financial position.
The agriculture committee has finally recognized that the New Democrats were right to call for a windfall profit tax on those very same corporations. Now that we have a multipartisan recommendation to implement a windfall tax on giant grocery companies, will the Liberals finally do it?
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- Jun/16/23 11:31:06 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I wish my hon. colleague would have spoken to some of his members. What the recommendation says is that politicians should not be deciding what is a reasonable profit and that the Competition Bureau should be looking at it. As the recommendation talked about, if the Competition Bureau decided that, yes, there were excess profits, then perhaps the recommendation would be to look at implementing a windfall tax. However, politicians should not be deciding that. At the Competition Bureau, there is a process in place and it is looking at that.
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- Jun/16/23 11:31:36 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the government likes to deny its role in the transfer of killer Paul Bernardo from a maximum-security prison to a medium-security prison, but it is responsible. The Liberals passed Bill C-83, which allowed for this transfer. In fact, the Minister of Public Safety knew for three months and did nothing to stop this transfer. Why does he not do the honourable thing and resign?
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- Jun/16/23 11:32:06 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I want to express how troubling it is that the opposition continues to bring up a horrific crime that is impacting not only victims of this criminal but all victims across this country, some of whom have reached out to me. To spread misinformation that Bill C-83 is in any way responsible for this is irresponsible. That bill ended segregation and put people into structured intervention units. It has absolutely nothing to do with classification and where offenders are placed in our prison system.
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- Jun/16/23 11:32:45 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I think Canadians are really tired of the government's fake rage. The Prime Minister, in 2015, promised Canadians accountability, yet his Minister of Public Safety has misled this House on a minimum of five occasions. Most recently, he misled the House on the fact that he received a briefing about the transfer of Paul Bernardo from a maximum-security prison to a medium-security prison. Why does he not show just a little bit of respect for Canadians, a little bit of respect for the House and a little bit of respect for the victims of Paul Bernardo and resign?
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- Jun/16/23 11:33:22 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, of course, the member opposite knows that we all have the deepest regard and respect not only for the victims of Paul Bernardo but for the entire country that he traumatized by these events.
As the member knows, we are all horrified anytime we hear these crimes raised, but we also know that we have an independent corrections system that makes decisions about the transfer of inmates independently. It is supposed to be free from politics. What we need is a mature conversation about how we deal with this and our rightful outrage, making sure that we continue—
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- Jun/16/23 11:34:03 a.m.
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The hon. member for Kelowna—Lake Country.
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- Jun/16/23 11:34:05 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, serial killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo was transferred to a medium-security facility, and a previous Liberal bill, Bill C-83, was helpful in allowing this to happen. The public safety minister said that there should be a review to determine if Bernardo should go back to a maximum-security facility. This is unbelievable.
The Liberals changing laws allowed this monster of our time more freedoms and comforts. When will the minister take public safety seriously and reverse changes the Liberals made that allowed for Bernardo to have more comforts and freedoms?
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- Jun/16/23 11:34:45 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I think we have to be very careful. These are horrific, grievous crimes.
The inference that there was some other system is patently not true. The reality is that transfers in this country have always been done independent of government and remain outside of politics.
I am certain the member's outrage on this is equal to mine, but we need to make sure that we respect the independence of corrections and have a mature conversation about how we deal with this issue and the emotions that we rightly have about it while maintaining the independence of corrections.
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- Jun/16/23 11:35:24 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the friends and families of Bernardo's victims deserve a better answer than that.
Yesterday, the Liberals had an opportunity to expedite a Conservative bill that would have kept serial killers and rapists in maximum security, but they rejected it. Victims of crime are constantly the bottom priority of these soft-on-crime Liberals. The Conservatives offered a way to quickly fix the mess the Liberals have created, but they rejected it.
Again, when will the minister take public safety seriously and reverse course on the changes the Liberals made so that people like Bernardo do not have access to more freedom?
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- Jun/16/23 11:36:05 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I do not doubt the member for a second when she talks about her concern for victims. I am concerned that she would cast aspersions on any member of this House, as if we do not share equally in her concern for victims. Every single person in this House has been touched by crime, unfortunately many times viscerally and in ways that were very destructive.
The way to meet that is with evidence. The way to meet that is to make sure that we have the best policies to keep our communities safe, not to let emotion lead the debate, as it did in the United States, as an example. Newt Gingrich, who was the father of a movement, said it was the biggest mistake of his career and a disaster.
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- Jun/16/23 11:36:45 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, for three days now, we have been calling for the Minister of Public Safety to resign. He is still in office. For three days now, we have been asking the Prime Minister to answer our questions. He has not. He does not have the guts to explain to the families of Bernardo's victims why he created conditions that allowed Bernardo to be transferred to a medium-security prison. Bill C-83 allowed that to happen.
Is the government sorry for what it did?
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- Jun/16/23 11:37:17 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, that is not the case at all. It is very unfortunate that such things are being said, especially when we know that our correctional system is founded on independence and that we have one of the best correctional systems in the world.
If they want to discuss the importance of this issue and the emotions it stirs up, that is entirely valid. However, it is important to have that conversation responsibly and honestly.
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- Jun/16/23 11:37:56 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Bill C‑83 is the latest in a series of errors, questionable decisions, backtracking and contradictions we have seen from this government when it comes to protecting victims. This time, the families of Bernardo's victims are suffering a second time because the government has allowed this dangerous criminal to enjoy less strict conditions.
Can the government reverse its decision and support our proposal from yesterday to keep dangerous criminals in maximum-security prisons?
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- Jun/16/23 11:38:27 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Bill C‑83 has nothing to do with the current situation and it has nothing to do with the correctional service's unfortunate decision regarding Mr. Bernardo.
Bill C-83 is a response to a Supreme Court of Canada ruling and to what we have heard from other experts, which is that solitary confinement violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We have created another type of structured intervention to address the problem.
I can say that Bill C-83 has nothing to do with the current situation.
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- Jun/16/23 11:39:08 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, we have just one week left until the House rises for the summer. There is only one week left for the government to finally launch the commission of inquiry into Chinese interference that the public has been calling for since last winter.
I urge my Liberal colleagues to face reality. They must all realize by now that this commission of inquiry is inevitable. Above all, I appeal to their democratic values. There is a real risk. They must also realize that such a commission would absolutely have to publish its recommendations on how to better protect democracy before the next election.
Will the government give the green light to this independent public commission of inquiry?
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- Jun/16/23 11:39:47 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as the hon. member knows, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs has indicated that that is an option on the table. We are currently reviewing all options on how we move forward.
However, let us be really clear: All of our elections have been fair. They have been determined to be fair and there was no interference. We will always take action when a hostile foreign actor is trying to interfere in our country.
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- Jun/16/23 11:40:18 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, hope springs eternal, but as Paul Valéry added, it is like walking a tightrope.
The government says it wants to work together, but there is only one week left for parliamentary business. It has one week to announce a commission of inquiry, and it does not have carte blanche. The government must have the consensus of the House regarding who will lead the commission. It must give the commissioner the flexibility to define the terms of reference. It must ensure that the commission can conclude its work before the next election.
The clock is ticking. The government must announce this commission of inquiry immediately, so why waste precious time?
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