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Jun/7/24 10:46:09 a.m.
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The hon. member for Drummond is rising on a point of order.

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Jun/7/24 10:46:13 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I apologize to my colleague. I hate to interrupt her in the middle of a speech like this, but we can hear a telephone or device vibrating near a microphone and it must be very irritating for the interpreters. Could you ask members to be mindful of that and to keep their devices away from the microphones, please?

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The Deputy Speaker

Jun/7/24 10:46:31 a.m.
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I would ask the hon. member to move the cellphone away from the microphone so that it does not vibrate.

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Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner

Jun/7/24 10:46:46 a.m.
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Re: Bill C-63

Mr. Speaker, third, the government must actually enforce laws that are already on the books but have not been recently enforced due to a extreme lack of political will and disingenuous politics and leadership, particularly as they relate to hate speech. This is particularly in light of the rise of dangers currently faced by vulnerable Canadian religious communities such as, as the minister mentioned, Canada's Jewish community. This could be done via actions such as ensuring the RCMP, including specialized integrated national security enforcement teams and national security enforcement sections, is providing resources and working directly with appropriate provincial and municipal police forces to share appropriate information intelligence to provide protection to these communities, as well as making sure the secure security infrastructure program funding is accessible in an expedited manner so community institutions and centres can enhance security measures at their gathering places. Fourth, for areas where modernization of existing regulations and the Criminal Code need immediate updating to reflect the digital age, and where there could be cross-partisan consensus, the government should undertake these changes in a manner that would allow for swift and non-partisan passage through Parliament. These items could include some of the provisions discussed in Bill C-63. These include the duty of making content that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor, or of intimate content communicated without consent, inaccessible to persons in Canada in certain circumstances; imposing certain duties to keep all records related to sexual victimization to online providers; making provisions for persons in Canada to make a complaint to existing enforcement bodies, such as the CRTC or the police, not a new bureaucracy that would take years to potentially materialize and be costly and/or ineffective; ensuring that content on a social media service that sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor, or is intimate content communicated without consent, by authorization of a court making orders to the operators of those services, is inaccessible to persons in Canada; and enforcing the proposed amendment to an act respecting the mandatory reporting of internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service. Other provisions the government has chosen not to include in Bill C-63, but that should have been and that Parliament should be considering in the context of harms that are being conducted online, must include updating Canada's existing laws on the non-consensual distribution of intimate images to ensure the distribution of intimate deepfakes is also criminalized, likely through a simple update to the Criminal Code. We could have done this by unanimous consent today had the government taken the initiative to do so. This is already a major problem in Canada with girls in high schools in Winnipeg seeing intimate images of themselves, sometimes, as reports are saying, being sexually violated without any ability for the law to intervene. The government also needs to create a new criminal offence of online criminal harassment that would update the existing crime of criminal harassment to address the ease and anonymity of online criminal harassment. Specifically, this would apply to those who repeatedly send threatening and/or explicit messages or content to people across the Internet and social media when they know, or should know, it is not welcome. This could include aggravating factors for repeatedly sending such material anonymously and be accompanied by a so-called digital restraining order that would allow victims of online criminal harassment to apply to a judge, under strict circumstances, to identify the harassment and end the harassment. This would protect privacy, remove the onus on social media platforms from guessing when they should be giving identity to the police and prevent the escalation of online harassment into physical violence. This would give police and victims clear and easy-to-understand tools to prevent online harassment and associated escalation. This would address a major issue of intimate partner violence and make it easier to stop coercive control. As well, I will note to the minister that members of the governing Liberal Party agreed to the need for these exact measures at a recent meeting of PROC related to online harassment of elected officials this past week. Fifth, the government should consider a more effective and better way to regulate online platforms, likely under the authority of the CRTC and the Minister of Industry, to better protect children online while protecting charter rights. This path could include improved measures to do this. This could include, through legislation, not backroom regulation, but precisely through law, defining the duty of care required by online platforms. Some of these duties of care have already been mentioned in questions to the ministers today. This is what Parliament should be seized with, not allowing some unnamed future regulatory body to decide this for us while we have big tech companies and their lobbying arms defining that behind closed doors. That is our job, not theirs. We could provide parents with safeguards, controls and transparency to prevent harm to their kids when they are online, which could be part of the duty of care. We could also require that online platforms put the interests of children first with appropriate safeguards, again, in a legislative duty of care. There could also be measures to prevent and mitigate self-harm, mental health disorders, addictive behaviours, bullying and harassment, sexual violence and exploitation, and the promotion of marketing and products that are unlawful for minors. All of these things are instances of duty of care. We could improve measures to implement privacy-preserving and trustworthy age verification methods, which many platforms always have the capacity to do, while prohibiting the use of a digital ID in any of these mechanisms. This path could also include measure to ensure that the enforcement of these mechanisms, including a system of administrative penalties and consequences, is done through agencies that already exist. Additionally, we could ensure that there are perhaps other remedies, such as the ability to seek remedy for civil injury, when that duty of care is violated. This is a non-comprehensive list of online harms, but the point is, we could come to consensus in this place on simple modernization issues that would update the laws now. I hope that the government will accept this plan. A send out a shout-out to Sean Phelan and David Murray, two strong and mighty workers. We did not have an army of bureaucrats, but we came up with this. I hope that Parliament considers this alternative plan, instead of Bill C-63, because the safety of Canadians is at risk.

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Hon. Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)

Jun/7/24 10:53:57 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I genuinely thank the member opposite for her contributions to today's debate because it is really important. I will point out four things and then ask her a question. The first is that, with respect to my position on amendments, what I said, and I want to make sure it is crystal clear to Canadians watching, is that I am open to amendments that would strengthen the bill that are made in good faith. The second point is with respect to free-standing hate crime, which is a provision that exists in 47 out of 50 states in the United States. The nature of the penalty that would be applied in a given context of a hate crime would depend on the underlying offence. Uttering a threat that was motivated by hate would constitute less of a penalty than committing a murder that was motivated by hate. For the member's benefit, paragraph 718.1 of the Criminal Code, which I do trust judges to interpret, specifically says that the penalty “must be proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the offender.” With respect to the peace bond, what I would say to the member's point, quite simply, is that I do believe it is necessary to take a tool that is well known to criminal law and apply it to the context of a synagogue, which has already been targeted with vandalism and may be targeted again, where there would be proof needed to be put before a judge and where the safeguard would exist for the attorney general of jurisdiction to give consent before such a peace bond was pursued. The member talked about the fact that Criminal Code tools should be used in the context of ensuring that we can tackle this pernicious information. What I would say to her is that law enforcement has asked us for the same tool that Amanda Todd's mother has asked us for. The victimization of people, even after death, continues when the—

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The Deputy Speaker

Jun/7/24 10:55:35 a.m.
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The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.

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Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner

Jun/7/24 10:55:41 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have outlined in detail why the bill is irremediable. It is not fixable, and members do not have to take my word for it. The Atlantic magazine, hardly a bastion of conservative thought, has a huge expose this morning on why the bill is so flawed. I suspect it is why the government has only allowed it to come up for debate now. I do not expect to see it in the fall. Given that the bill is so flawed, it is incumbent upon the Minister of Justice to take the suggestions of the opposition seriously. I have outlined several, and they are very easy to pick out of my speech, suggestions on how the minister could proceed. He could proceed, likely on an expedited process, under those situations. It sounds like my colleagues from the Bloc and the NDP have similar concerns. The bill cannot proceed in its current state. Frankly, Canadians should not be expected to trade their rights for safety online, and they should not have to expect a government, which has dragged its heels for nearly a decade, to continue with the facade that it actually cares about this issue or has a plan to address it. We have given it one, and the Liberals should take it.

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Concerns

Mr. Martin Champoux (Drummond, BQ)

Jun/7/24 10:56:48 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at the end of this parliamentary term, I am pleased to see that more and more school groups are coming to watch the business of the House. I think this is a strategy used by teachers to show that they are not as boring as they seem and that students should pay attention in class. Quite often, what happens here is a lot more interesting than sitting in class. That said, I listened closely to my colleague's speech. I noted several interesting points, particularly the fact that she made proposals. We do not often hear proposals about regulating online content from the Conservatives. I heard proposals and I also detected some desire for consensus. There may well be certain points on which we could agree. Does my colleague agree with the Bloc Québécois, which is proposing that we split the bill, that we should fast-track the study of part 1, given that we generally agree on its principles at least, and that we should take the time to study part 2 in the House and in committee? Part 2 contains aspects that require much more in-depth discussion, in our opinion.

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Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner

Jun/7/24 10:57:48 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the unfortunate thing is that the government is close to the end of its mandate and does not have a lot of public support across the country. The reality is that even if the government members said that they were going to split the bill, which they just said that they were not going to do, the bill would not likely become law. Certainly, the regulatory process is not going to happen prior to the next election, even if the bill is rammed through. The problem that is facing Canadians is that the solutions that are required have problems that need to be addressed today. I would suggest that what is actually needed is a separate, completely different piece of legislation, which outlines the suggestions I have in there. It is unfortunate that the government, with its army of bureaucrats, was not able to do it and that it is the opposition that has to do it. I am certainly willing to work with my opposition colleagues on another piece of legislation that could address these issues and find areas of commonality so that we can protect Canadians from online harms.

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Mr. Peter Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby, NDP)

Jun/7/24 10:58:51 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's hard work in terms of tackling issues like harassment and the distribution of non-consensual images; she is very sincere in this regard. The member has flagged the issue of resources; the bill is unclear as to what the government would actually provide in terms of resources. I do note this has been an ongoing problem over the last 20 years with cutbacks to law enforcement. The member notes as well the impact of big tech. I wanted her to comment on a substantial missing piece in the legislation around algorithm transparency, which is currently before the U.S. Congress, and needs to be addressed absolutely. Big tech companies often promote non-consensual images through their algorithms and hate through their algorithms without any sort of oversight or responsibility. How does the member feel about that missing piece?

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Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner

Jun/7/24 10:59:57 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with regard to resources, I asked the Parliamentary Budget Officer to conduct an analysis of the resources that the government was anticipating for the creation of its bureaucracy, because I believe that those resources would likely be much better allocated to other places. My colleague can wait for that report and perhaps re-emphasize to the Parliamentary Budget Officer the need to speed that along. The second thing is with regard to algorithmic transparency. This is why we need to have a legislated duty of care. If we proceeded on the principle of a legislated duty of care of social media operators, then we could discuss what needs to be in there. Certainly, algorithmic transparency and bias that are used in AI systems that could be potentially injurious in a variety of ways are something—

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The Deputy Speaker

Jun/7/24 11:00:44 a.m.
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It is time to go to Statements by Members.

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Time

Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North, Lib.)

Jun/7/24 11:00:56 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is a government that truly does care. I think of pharmacare, the school food program, dental care, child care and the disability program that we put into place, and we are focused on building a stronger economy. I think of the investments that we are receiving. Did anyone know that when we talk about direct investments per capita, Canada is number one in the G7, and when I compare us to the rest of the world, we are number three? This is because people know and understand that the Canadian economy is doing well. At the same time, we are providing supports to Canadians. Earlier this week, the action that the Government of Canada is taking was reaffirmed as being positive, as the Bank of Canada dropped our interest rate. Canada is the first of the G7 countries to see a drop in interest rates. That is good for all of Canada.

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Mrs. Shannon Stubbs (Lakeland, CPC)

Jun/7/24 11:02:03 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, two years after Putin's illegal attack on Ukraine, many Lakeland towns, groups and people have opened their hearts to displaced Ukrainians who now call Canada their home. These are families like the Krawecs from Athabasca, who started by filling out immigration forms and then found furnishings for multiple homes. There are volunteer settlement committees, like Vegreville and Area Stands with Ukraine, and community efforts, like the Vyshyvanka Day fundraiser in Bonnyville to provide winter clothing or the Koinonia retreat outside Thorhild, the family camp, to connect displaced people for emotional support. That is only a small glimpse, but all Lakeland's efforts share one common goal: to welcome and assist Ukrainian families. One of them, parents Tetiana and Kostiantyn and big brother Daniil, were blessed with a beautiful baby boy in May. Ernest is the first baby born to Ukrainian newcomers in the community and now also a baby Canadian citizen. Conservatives will keep fighting to send weapons and Canadian LNG to help Ukrainians kick Putin's gas. That is real action to bring home peace, security and sovereignty for Ukrainians and Canadians.

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Mr. Peter Fragiskatos (London North Centre, Lib.)

Jun/7/24 11:03:09 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour the extraordinary life of Stefano “Steve” Economopoulos who recently passed away, unfortunately, in his 100th year. He was the husband to Angeliki for 74 years; father of Gus, Tom, Vivian and Angelo; grandfather to seven; and a great-grandfather as well. He came to Canada in 1951, but he grew up in the Kalavryta area in Greece. He fought in the Second World War. A proud veteran, he then became a police officer and served the Greek police before coming here. When he came here, he came here humble. He came willing to work hard to make a contribution to his country. He began as a dishwasher, and eventually became a very successful entrepreneur, owning several restaurants and doing very well throughout. In fact, even in his later years, he worked at Richies Family Restaurant, helping his sons. Everybody knows Richies back home. He was kind and humble; he showed compassion to everyone he knew. He always had good advice for me. We will miss him. All of us will miss him very much. I wish all the very best to the family. We are thinking of them.

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Mr. Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, NDP)

Jun/7/24 11:04:26 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, eight months ago, the Hamas terrorist attack killed 1,200 Israelis and took 200 people hostage. Since then, Palestinians in Gaza have been subjected to massive bombardments. The images and the resulting toll are apocalyptic. More than 36,000 people have been killed, and that is not even counting the thousands of bodies buried under the rubble. There have been missile attacks on refugee tents, hospitals and schools, where people shelter when fleeing to safety. This is a humanitarian disaster, but aid is being blocked. Netanyahu's war objectives are tantamount to ethnic cleansing. Some ministers say so openly. What are the Liberals doing to stop this genocide? They are reluctantly calling for a ceasefire. Without consequences, however, their call will not be taken seriously. The Liberals need to support the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. Respect for the law is not a pick-and-choose proposition. They need to sanction the Netanyahu cabinet. They need to provide stable funding to UNRWA. They have to impose an arms embargo. Finally, the Palestinian state must be recognized to offer everyone the prospect of a future.

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Ms. Jean Yip (Scarborough—Agincourt, Lib.)

Jun/7/24 11:05:33 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, congratulations to the Agincourt Community Services Association on its 50th anniversary. ACSA is dedicated to serving and uplifting those in need through an impressive array of critical programs, including youth empowerment initiatives, job training sessions, tax clinics, and emergency food and housing services. ACSA has strengthened our community by welcoming newcomers and providing assistance to seniors, as well as providing breakfasts and showers to those who are homeless and in need. I want to thank Executive Director Lee Soda, her team of dedicated staff and volunteers, and the board of directors for their unwavering commitment to the people of Scarborough—Aginourt and Greater Scarborough. Here is to 50 years of serving the community and many more.

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Mr. Branden Leslie (Portage—Lisgar, CPC)

Jun/7/24 11:06:31 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a bombshell intelligence report recently revealed that members in this House have knowingly and wittingly aided hostile foreign actors. This is not the first time the Prime Minister has been made aware of foreign interference. In fact, he has known about it since 2020, and yet he has done absolutely nothing about it. If it were not for Conservatives relentlessly calling for inquiries, the Prime Minister would have continued to hide the fact that foreign interference has run rampant under his watch. Let us make one thing clear. It is our duty as parliamentarians to protect our democracy and our elections. Anything even remotely suggesting that a member of Parliament is wittingly aiding a hostile foreign government should be addressed immediately. That is why Conservatives are demanding the Prime Minister release the names of the parliamentarians referenced in the report. Enough with the cover-ups. Canadians deserve to know who these people are, what they have shared and who they actually work for.

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Mr. Randeep Sarai (Surrey Centre, Lib.)

Jun/7/24 11:07:34 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, June 2024 is a sombre time of remembrance for the Sikh community. Forty years ago, the skies of Amritsar turned red as the Indian government attacked the Golden Temple complex, Akal Takhat, plus 40 additional gurdwaras across the country, killing thousands of Sikhs. Forty years ago, the Sikh Reference Library, home to our histories dating back to the inception of our faith, was reduced to ashes. The following years saw forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of thousands of young Sikhs. Forty years later, we continue to fight for justice. This month also marks 40 years of Sikh resilience within the community rooted in Chardi Kala, or high spirits, as the Sikh love for justice continues to overpower the genocide they have endured. As we pray for those lost and for those defiant in the face of oppression, let us never forget 1984.

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Mr. Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre, Lib.)

Jun/7/24 11:08:30 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of coach Cliff Brimmell. Anyone who had the good fortune of knowing Cliff knows what a wonderful man and passionate coach he was. An active member of the Ottawa Rowing Club for almost 50 years, Cliff shaped the lives of countless young rowers, instilling in them not only the skills and discipline required for rowing but also the values of teamwork, perseverance and sportsmanship. Cliff loved his athletes wholeheartedly and his enthusiasm for rowing spread to everyone who met him. His passion for the sport has left a lasting impact on the Ottawa rowing community, with his contributions deeply ingrained in the fabric of the Ottawa Rowing Club. It is clear that his presence on the river will be deeply missed and his spirit will continue to propel future generations forward on and off the water. May he rest in peace.

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