SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 316

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 23, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
Mr. Speaker, I would be very open to looking at what is transpiring in California. Centring victims at the heart of our criminal justice strategy is important, and we have been attempting to do that with respect to victims of hatred, through the online hate bill; victims of child sex predation, through Bill C-63; victims of intimate partner violence, through our changes to the bail regime, not once but twice, through Bill C-48 and Bill C-75; and fundamentally, victims of gun violence in this country, through bills like Bill C-21, which would put a freeze on handgun sales and ensure tougher penalties with respect to things like gun trafficking. These are important provisions, but I am definitely willing to entertain suggestions about what California is doing and look at whether the model could be brought over.
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Ms. Elizabeth May
  • May/23/24 10:23:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one of the things that concern victims and their families is the sort of black box around plea bargaining. Victims' impact statements can happen at the point of an open court, but plea bargaining leaves victims and families out. I wonder if the minister has any thoughts on how Canada could get the balance right to ensure that victims and their families have more access to consideration in the plea bargaining process.
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 10:24:04 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill S-12 
Mr. Speaker, I would just reflect on the fact that when we were looking at Bill S-12, if I remember the number correctly, with the sex offender registry, we heard greatly from victims about the context of things like non-disclosure agreements and where their autonomy was vitiated, and we looked at how we could recalibrate that so they could have control over their information. That is important and guides me in the work I do. What I would also underscore is that in the victims fund, we injected an amount of $40 million in 2023-24 to support victim-focused measures.
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Ms. Elizabeth May
  • May/23/24 10:24:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I also recall that when we were debating that and other issues in this place relating to mandatory minimums, there was a fair degree of evidence and concern that as jurisdictions used mandatory minimums, that tended to decrease what a judge did at the moment of sentencing and increase the likelihood of plea bargaining, as defence lawyers realized they were not going to have much option because there was a mandatory minimum associated. I wonder if the minister has any thoughts on whether plea bargaining is more likely when there are mandatory minimum sentences over many offences.
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 10:25:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand the gist of the member's question, but what we have seen in tracking the data is that when there is a mandatory minimum in place, it actually results in longer processes because plea bargaining does not occur as frequently, because the nature of the minimum penalty is already entrenched in law. That has resulted in more judicial resources and more delays. In fact, Ben Perrin, who is the individual who has been involved with a great deal of mandatory minimum considerations, a former adviser to Stephen Harper, described them as “a grave policy failure and cheap politics” and said, “Poilievre's idea may actually backfire, leading to more—
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The Speaker
  • May/23/24 10:26:03 p.m.
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I want to inform the hon. minister and all hon. members that when referring to members of Parliament, even if they are quoting, they are to refer to them by their riding names or by the position they hold and not by their names. The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.
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Ms. Elizabeth May
  • May/23/24 10:26:24 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-69 
Mr. Speaker, the minister will not be surprised that I want to turn to Bill C-69 and the sections relating to the Impact Assessment Act. I never did practise constitutional law, but I have been consulting with some constitutional law experts. The minister brought the bill forward, so he must think it will meet the standards of the Supreme Court of Canada that this is federal jurisdiction. I do not. I wonder if the minister is open to considering changes, even at this stage, to ensure that environmental assessment is returned to the four squares of federal jurisdiction, as was the case under Brian Mulroney's version of environmental assessment, which was repealed by Stephen Harper.
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 10:27:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what I would say with respect to the Impact Assessment Act is that we have looked at the Supreme Court decision from October 2023, and I am very confident that the proposed amendments would address the concerns identified by the court and establish a robust and constitutional impact process. With respect to the mandatory minimum piece, I would quote David Daubney, a former Conservative MP, who said, “The proliferation of mandatory minimum sentencing will lead to fewer guilty pleas, significant processing delays, big increases in the number of accused persons awaiting trial in already overcrowded”—
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The Speaker
  • May/23/24 10:27:38 p.m.
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The hon. minister has run out of time. We will move on to the hon. member for Brantford—Brant.
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Mr. Larry Brock (Brantford—Brant, CPC)
  • May/23/24 10:27:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to state at the outset I will be sharing my time with the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo and the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle. To the minister, through you, Mr. Speaker, how much is your gun grab going to cost Canadians?
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Hon. Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)
  • May/23/24 10:28:04 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, I would not use that terminology. I would say that when we put a national freeze on handgun sales through a bill like Bill C-21, we are keeping victims safe.
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Mr. Larry Brock
  • May/23/24 10:28:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister can reject the language all he wants. The fact is that the question is very relevant. How much is the gun grab going to cost Canadians, for the second time, minister?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 10:28:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think the better question would be on how much not addressing gun violence would cost Canadians in terms of their mental health and their physical health.
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Mr. Larry Brock
  • May/23/24 10:28:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear Canadians are being denied the opportunity of hearing from Canada's chief legal officer, so I will supply the answer to Canadians, because clearly the minister does not want to provide clarity, transparency or accountability on the issue. The answer is $40 million. How many guns has your government collected so far?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 10:29:07 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, through bills like Bill C-21 and through funding allocations that the member voted against, what we are putting in place are tools for the CBSA and the RCMP to interdict guns and gun trafficking to get them out of the hands of criminals and people who would do harm in our country.
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Mr. Larry Brock
  • May/23/24 10:29:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is so difficult for Canada's chief legal officer to be honest with Canadians, so I am going to ask the question again. How many guns has the Government of Canada collected so far?
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 10:29:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what I would say, in terms of transparency, is that the member opposite's voting record includes voting against $83 million in funding through supplementary estimates (B) that would help with gun and gang violence in this country.
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Mr. Larry Brock
  • May/23/24 10:30:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will ask the question again, very slowly, because clearly the minister has great difficulty understanding the question. What is the number? How many guns have been collected, minister?
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The Speaker
  • May/23/24 10:30:18 p.m.
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Questions should be posed through the Chair, not directly to members. I would also remind all members to wait for their name to be recognized before taking the time. It does cut off the time that they have to respond. The hon. minister has 16 seconds to reply.
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Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 10:30:44 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, with respect to Bill C-21, I would just underscore that it also includes red flag and yellow flag provisions. As a former Crown, the member opposite will appreciate that they will help keep people safe through an emergency weapons prohibition order to immediately remove a firearm for up to 30 days from an individual who may pose a danger to themselves or others, such as the member's constituents in Brantford—Brant.
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