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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Jun/4/24 9:52:44 p.m.
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Order. I must interrupt the hon. member because the hon. member for Saint-Jean is rising on a point of order.

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Jean
Saint

Jun/4/24 9:52:47 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-20

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order regarding relevance. My colleague has been speaking for about eight minutes. I would be curious to know his position on Bill C-20 because, unless I am mistaken, he has not yet spoken about the bill itself. I believe he has two minutes left to do so.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Jun/4/24 9:53:05 p.m.
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I thank the hon. member. I will remind the hon. member for Saskatoon West to bring it back to the subject at hand.

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Mr. Brad Redekopp

Jun/4/24 9:53:12 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, what I am getting at with all of the crime that I am discussing and all of the soft-on-crime policies that the Liberal government has put in place is the fact of the workload that is on the RCMP and other police forces, which then leads to issues that would have to be investigated by the new commission that we are talking about. Part of the answer is to fix the underlying problem in our laws so that we could reduce the crime we are seeing on our streets, make sure that appropriate punishments are being given to people who deserve to be punished, and ensure that appropriate treatment policies and other things are there. That is how we could make sure that the work of the new commission would be minimized. I just want to mention the CBSA briefly. The CBSA does need oversight. We know it is having a very difficult time managing auto theft, and that is another huge problem. I have heard stories, for example, of people who are installing bollards in their driveway. For people who do not know what those are, people pull their car into the driveway and push a button, and steel columns come up to surround their vehicle so it cannot actually be removed, in any way, from their property. That is something we should not have to do in Canada, but people are doing it. It costs tens of thousands of dollars to install those in a driveway, yet people are being forced to do it. As I wrap up, I want to take a moment to thank our RCMP officers, our local police officers and our CBSA officers. These individuals do tremendous work on behalf of Canadians. They keep our country safe. They keep our cities safe. They have a thankless job. They do not often get credit for what they do, so I just want to make sure to acknowledge that work and acknowledge that we in the House, and all Canadians as well, are thankful for the work that they do. I am looking forward to the public review commission. I do support the idea. It is unfortunate that it has taken so long for it to get to this point and that it has been such a low priority for the government. I look forward to further discussion on it. Maybe this time, as the third time is the charm, it might actually get passed. We are going to make sure to stop the crime.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Jun/4/24 9:55:52 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the only reason it would pass is that the government has been able to bring in time allocation, as the Conservatives made it very clear they do not want government legislation to pass. That is why, on this particular piece of legislation, the Conservatives moved a nonsense amendment to delete the short title, public complaints and review commission act. That is the reason we continue to debate it. There is a limit; we will debate it for five hours, and then it will come to a vote. If it were not for that, the legislation would not pass. That was more of a comment than a question.

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Mr. Brad Redekopp

Jun/4/24 9:56:35 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, a comment related to that as well is that this started four years ago, and I believe the government decided to prorogue Parliament because it was trying to hide other issues. It was trying to stop people from looking at scandals that were coming up. The second time. I believe it was the election that was called unnecessarily to hide the WE scandal that was happening, to try to prevent it from being known. This is now the third time. I do not think one can accuse members of the opposition of being the problem here. It is clear the government is in control of the agenda. The government can pull things and make them happen, so—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Jun/4/24 9:57:18 p.m.
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Questions and comments, the hon. member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford.

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Mr. Alistair MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, NDP)

Jun/4/24 9:57:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, there was a terribly erroneous link in my colleague's speech between the crime rates in Canada and what the bill is actually about. Let me be very clear that the legislation is here because of complaints of Black, racialized and indigenous people who had interactions with the police not because of what they did but because of who they are, what they look like and what their background is. I would like to give my hon. colleague a chance to speak about that, not about the crime rate in Canada but about people's interactions with both the RCMP and the CBSA because of their indigenous background, because they were Black and because they were racialized, not because they did anything wrong but because they were profiled. That is why we are here. That is what we need to hear from the Conservatives about.

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Mr. Brad Redekopp

Jun/4/24 9:58:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to have a review board that can look into allegations and complaints that are received publicly. It does not matter who they come from. It is important, though, that there be a mechanism in place, which is why the legislation is being supported, why it is moving forward and ultimately why it would do much good in our country.

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Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, CPC)

Jun/4/24 9:58:56 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, there have been some suggestions about what my colleague's speech could have focused on, but normally the way speeches proceed in the House is that members choose particular themes that relate to what they are hearing from their constituents. Certainly, the rise in crime that has occurred under the NDP-Liberal government over the last nine years is a major topic of concern in constituencies across the country and is affecting many of the country's most vulnerable communities to a greater extent. People who do not have the means to protect themselves or secure their property in other ways are more vulnerable as a result of the rise in crime that has been driven by the failed policies of the NDP-Liberal government. I wonder whether my colleague can share a bit more in particular about what he is hearing from people in his community about the negative impacts of the government's policies, the way that as soon as it took office there was a change in the trajectory of crime, with it dropping under the previous government and rising again under the now nine-year-old NDP-Liberal government.

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Mr. Brad Redekopp

Jun/4/24 10:00:12 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, there is no question that since the NDP-Liberal government has been in place, crime has gone up in Canada. I gave some statistics, and in my riding it has gone up significantly. People I speak to in Saskatoon, particularly in my riding, are very concerned about this. It is causing many, many problems. Keep in mind that in Saskatoon there are all kinds of people. There are indigenous people, Métis people and immigrant people from all kinds of backgrounds. There is a wide variety of people who live in Saskatoon West, who are all impacted to a great degree by the crime happening. It is critical we get a handle on this and start to put in place laws that put back punishment for crimes and that will help us get crimes back on a downward trajectory to make our community safer and make Saskatoon a safer place.

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Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

Jun/4/24 10:01:10 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-20

Madam Speaker, it is such an honour to rise and talk about this subject matter, as much of what is happening with Bill C-20 relates to the calls for justice that came out of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Before I start, I have to honour the work of the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, who is a true diplomat. He is able to work across party lines, even with parties that are not co-operative, to make things better for people. The member has been an ally for indigenous people and BIPOC people, who have formed the basis for the need for this piece of legislation. I was not shocked when we heard stories from the member for Edmonton Griesbach. He spoke of the assault of a 10-year-old by the RCMP. The member for Edmonton Griesbach spoke about an incident in Manitoba where an indigenous woman was taken to a home to pursue a relationship, with the permission of the sergeant on duty. This is unconscionable. Also, although not the RCMP, the City of Winnipeg is under investigation for several deaths of mostly indigenous and Black people in Winnipeg. When people have that much power without oversight, there is a problem. Let us not forget the history of the RCMP. Historically, the RCMP's purpose was to apprehend little children from their communities and ship them to and incarcerate them in residential schools. The whole history of the RCMP's relationship with indigenous peoples in this country has been marked with violence. In particular, indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people have experienced excessive force, rape, beatings and sometimes death at the hands of the RCMP. I find it shocking that the member for Saskatoon West, who has a high indigenous population in his area, is not standing up for his constituents. Turning a blind eye to systemic racism has resulted in the ongoing crisis of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. There are often reports of total neglect and either overpolicing or underpolicing by police forces, as noted in calls for justice 9.1 to 9.11. I have hope because I sit on the FEWO committee with women from across party lines who listen openly, can work through differences and spend time learning about matters that do not personally affect them. The fact that there are members of this House who do not see a need to protect all people in their community speaks to systemic racism and the racism even in the House of Commons. I am glad that all members in the House are voting in favour of this bill, although games were played when members tried stalling and changing the short title. Supporting this bill is necessary. I want to read comments from the Feminist Alliance for International Action about the RCMP. It said: The evidence of systemic discrimination and violence against women perpetrated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is shocking, and it is growing. The RCMP’s culture of misogyny, racism and homophobia, identified by the Honourable Michel Bastarache in his report Broken Dreams, Broken Lives, affects not only the treatment of women who are employed by the RCMP, but also the treatment of the women whom the RCMP is intended to serve. Canada cannot have a credible National Action Plan on Violence against Women, or a credible National Action Plan on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, until we confront the deeply entrenched misogyny and racism in the culture of the RCMP. An independent, external review of the RCMP, its practices, structure and future, is needed now. Some members do not see the urgency here, even though all members of this House have agreed to implement all the calls for justice, many of which relate to policing and the failure of police to act. Those were not my words. Those words came out of the Feminist Alliance for International Action. I can tell members, as I am an indigenous woman in this country, that growing up, we were not taught that police were a safe place to go. We were not taught, should a loved one go missing, experience violence or be in situations of violence, that going to the police was safe. It is no wonder that in our study at FEWO about what is needed to implement a red dress alert system, one of the biggest calls is for overall oversight that is led by indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. That includes police services. When we go missing, nobody looks for us, but certainly the RCMP officer in northern Manitoba looked for an indigenous woman in her jail cell, took her home and assaulted her. He found her there. That is why we need oversight. Arguments about some good apples and some bad apples are not relevant. This system is not working the same for all people, particularly BIPOC individuals: Black, indigenous and people of colour. We deserve to be treated with respect by systems that have been put in place to protect us. However, the very systems that have been put in place to protect us perpetrate violence against us on our spirits, on our bodies and in the erasure of our lives when our loved ones go missing. How can we see change? I am talking about “we” as an indigenous woman. How can we feel safe if the very systems that are supposed to be there to protect us instead rape us, hurt us, ignore us and disregard us? Whether it is on the front lines peacefully assembling with axes, chainsaws and guard dogs; walking in the streets going to our jobs; or being harassed and sexually harassed by police officers, we need oversight. I have experienced this, with police officers scoping me out on Facebook after I reported a car incident. I am glad everybody in the House is supporting this bill. I want to thank the member for Cowichan—Malahat—Langford once again for his leadership and diplomacy in making sure that all people are treated with dignity and safety in this country.

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Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, CPC)

Jun/4/24 10:11:12 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her impassioned speech highlighting ongoing instances of racism and injustice in our country and within our institutions. One instance where I see this happening is with the destruction of cultural property in indigenous communities. That has not been treated with nearly the level of seriousness that it deserves. I was just reading a report saying, for instance, that a significant amount of cultural and religious property, in this particular case churches, has been destroyed in indigenous communities. I think this required a stronger response from leaders at all levels. I have asked the member twice whether she would condemn this destruction of cultural property in indigenous communities. I asked her twice during a debate in February, and she chose not to answer at that time. I wonder if this time, a third time, she would join me in condemning the destruction of churches and other cultural property that has occurred in indigenous communities and call for a stronger response to that destruction.

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Ms. Leah Gazan

Jun/4/24 10:12:24 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, this is not surprising coming from the member. We are talking about violence against indigenous people, and it is clear that there are residential school denialists in his party. I am assuming he is one of them. One of the last speeches he gave—

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Mr. Garnett Genuis

Jun/4/24 10:12:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have a point of order.

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Point

The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Jun/4/24 10:13:03 p.m.
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Is there a point of order here? I do not know. The member made a claim, but she did not call anybody any names.

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Names
Claim

Mr. Garnett Genuis

Jun/4/24 10:13:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the member made an outrageous, unfounded and obviously false claim in the House, and I think she should be called to order for that. She did not even claim she had any evidence for her statement. She just said that she suspected that I may have particular views that I have never stated. Come on.

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Jun/4/24 10:13:25 p.m.
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We are starting to get into debate, and unfounded accusations go around quite often in this chamber. I do advise members to be very judicious with the words they choose. The hon. member for Winnipeg Centre.

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Ms. Leah Gazan

Jun/4/24 10:13:40 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I know the member has very big feelings about indigenous people. I know he has a history of disregarding any discussions on indigenous people. I have articles and facts about what else the Conservatives said was a false claim. I would be very happy to quote articles with residential school denialism comments that came from the member for Carleton, the leader of their party. I know the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, as I have said before, has trouble controlling his toxic masculinity and often heckles in the House, as he is doing right now, but I welcome the member to read the paper. I welcome the member to learn about the history of this country and maybe explore some of his cultural biases and—

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The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès)

Jun/4/24 10:14:46 p.m.
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We have gone way beyond the time for the question and answer. Questions and comments, the hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

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