Hon. Michèle Audette: Would Senator Plett agree to answer a question?

[English]

Senator Audette: Yes, but I’d like to give it some more thought, and I hope to get some good answers in the course of the debate.

Hon. Michèle Audette: Honourable senators, I want to start by thanking the Wendat, Innu, Abenaki, Wolastoqey and Atikamekw nations for welcoming me on their land in the Quebec region.

Although I am rising today for the first time, this is not my inaugural speech. I will soon be giving that speech in response to the Speech from the Throne.

However, this issue is so important and resonates with me so much as an individual, and as a senator from Quebec, that I felt I needed to share my thoughts and, of course, some observations that raise a lot of questions.

As you know, I supported the statement issued by the Parliamentary Black Caucus regarding the protests in Ottawa on Anishinaabe territory. I also supported the statements made by Indigenous senators on these protests. I remind senators that the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations in Saskatchewan, the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan, the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council and the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Nation expressed their concerns about the violation of First Nations protocol and the appropriation and misuse of objects and ceremonies that are precious and sacred to us.

I continue to support and stand behind these statements.

I firmly believe in the right to peaceful protest, and here is why. I am a peaceful protester. I have participated in peaceful protests, and I have watched and observed others. Here are just a few: the Summit of the Americas, Idle No More, Theresa Spence’s hunger strike, the Amun March from Wendake to Ottawa, and countless protests on Parliament Hill, in front of the Quebec National Assembly, and even before the Supreme Court of Canada. These protests were against the injustices faced by Indigenous women and sought to make our voices heard and to propose changes to eliminate those injustices.

On several occasions, I have heard senators in this chamber talk about how there were guns at Indigenous protests. I can assure you that the only tool or, as some might describe it, the only weapon that I had at any of the protests were my voice and my convictions regarding the democratic process.

That being said, I cannot support intolerance, hate, the use of hate symbols or violence of any kind.

As some have said after seeing and hearing what has been going on, my Canada is suffering. I have felt that more keenly these past few weeks. We are seeing a Canada that is letting racism and discrimination permeate various institutions.

The question I am asking myself is one that has been raised over and over again these past few weeks: Do you really think this charade would have been allowed to continue had the protesters been Indigenous, Black or from a cultural community?

My answer is simple: No, it would not have lasted. There is evidence that tolerance for peaceful protests by Indigenous people and members of the Black community is lower. Police intervention and other measures such as injunctions happen in the blink of an eye when it’s racialized, Indigenous and vulnerable people involved.

I would like to quote from an article by Audra Diptée, an associate professor of history at Carleton University:

 . . . in 2016, on the very first day of a peaceful demonstration in Toronto, participants of the Black Lives Movement were beaten and gassed by the police. Four years later, in Ottawa, a protest at a key intersection advocating for Black and Indigenous lives resulted in 12 people being charged and the protests being removed within three days.

As Emilie Nicolas wrote in Le Devoir, and I quote:

 . . . while racialized parents are reported to child protection services for basically no reason, dozens of kids have been in unsafe conditions in the Ottawa convoy for weeks.

Who is going to do anything about it, I ask? That same reporter, Emilie Nicolas, went on to say, and I quote:

 . . . we are reminded of the homeless encampments that the police aggressively razed, citing fire hazards. While countless Indigenous leaders have been subjected to close police surveillance, authorities are so unconcerned about the dangers posed by the far right that they were “surprised” by several of the convoy organizers’ plans for occupation and sedition (which had been clearly stated online).

I could also use the platform I have here today to inflame the political debate. All I will say, however, is that certain parliamentarians unfortunately have a double standard when it comes to blockades set up by Indigenous people and the protesters who took over Parliament Hill.

Isabelle Picard, a Huron-Wendat ethnologist for whom I have a great deal of respect, also wrote about this recently, and I quote:

This time two years ago, all eyes were on the Wet’suwet’en community and what the media was calling, at best, the railway crisis and, at worst, the Indigenous crisis. Because this crisis was far from being entirely Indigenous. The people blocking the tracks were from all walks of life. The people who were arrested, however, were definitely Indigenous. Nearly all of them. At least on Wet’suwet’en traditional territory. Twenty-eight people were arrested by the RCMP after Coastal GasLink obtained an injunction for a major gas pipeline through Wet’suwet’en territory.

Ever since these pre-pandemic events, negotiations have become mired in the status quo. There have been 50 or so additional arrests. Almost all were Indigenous people. Women and elders were in the bunch. Ten days ago, a complaint was filed with the UN by pipeline opponents, for the violation of several articles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Ms. Picard added that there are many differences between the protests in Ottawa and those in British Columbia:

On the one hand, you have people who have burned thousands of litres of gasoline to get their message heard, and on the other, you have people who want to prevent oil from flowing through their land. The former speak of freedom, maybe because they have too much of it, and the latter can only wish for freedom, because they have none. However, both groups (and that’s not including regional imitators) are ready to stand their ground for as long as it takes to uphold their convictions.

As you know, I heard testimony during the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The witnesses clearly demonstrated how the Canadian government committed or tolerated violations of human rights and First Nations, Métis and Inuit rights. These violations perpetuate a system where violence is regularly trivialized and where crimes are committed with impunity. Our trust in our institutions is shot, but we are hoping — I am hoping — that this trust can be rebuilt. However, in light of recent events and the leniency of these same institutions, it should cause no surprise or offence that we are puzzled and bewildered.

I stand puzzled before you now. Why is there no mention of racism or the use of hate symbols in the proclamation of the public order emergency? Why aren’t the tools and measures applied in the same way for everyone?

It is unquestionably important to ensure that everyone can live in a safe and peaceful environment. The people of Ottawa have gotten their city back, but we cannot disregard or dismiss the threats that still linger in Ottawa or elsewhere in Canada. How can we ensure that daily life for the silent majority will never again be obstructed in this way? More importantly, why would we allow splinter groups to undermine and weaken democracy?

However, I do have one concern. Could the invocation of the Emergencies Act be used in the future to justify restricting the right to protest? I hope not.

Therefore, I urge you, esteemed colleagues, to ensure that a senator who is a member of a Métis, Inuit, or First Nations community or a member of the Parliamentary Black Caucus takes part in the parliamentary reviews and any other measure to study the sequence of steps taken by the government under this act. It is important to me that this be examined through different eyes and diverse lenses.

The same principle must apply to those chosen to undertake an inquiry and table a report in each House of Parliament within 360 days of the expiry or revocation of the state of emergency. Here again, it will be important to have a Métis, Inuit and First Nations lens.

As ethnologist Isabelle Picard said so well:

Let’s get back to love and peace. That doesn’t seem to be our biggest problem. To be able to talk about love, you have to be able to talk about hate and war. To talk about freedom, you have to be able to talk about servitude and slavery.

For as long as I can remember, I have carried, I have “portaged,” the values of social justice, equality and equity in my heart. I too dream of a just and open society, in which everyone feels welcome and all languages, cultures and stories are respected.

I think this is an important debate, and I will be listening closely while I wait to make a decision, which will happen very soon.

Thank you.

[English]

Senator Audette: I noticed that I’m free to ask my question in French because of the interpreters. I thank them for their incredible work.

You know this because I told you in private, and I may have said so before in previous conversations, but I am new here. It will take me years to get comfortable in these very important moccasins. As a mother, grandmother, citizen and senator, I have some concerns.

What can you say to reassure me, Senator Plett, about the small but very powerful groups I’m seeing in Quebec and in other regions? We may not necessarily see them ourselves, but we understand that they exist, we see or we read things. There is an incredibly powerful economic force behind the recent movements.

Ian Lafrenière, the Minister Responsible for Indigenous Affairs, for whom I have a great deal of respect, told the media that in Quebec, even members of the Hells Angels managed to infiltrate the convoy. Naturally, that makes me feel nervous and scared, because that is certainly not the type of protest we should be encouraging, in my opinion.

I would like you to reassure me. If this motion concerning the Emergencies Act is not adopted, how are we going to fight against this type of protest?

What’s more, you and I both know that other governments will come into power in Canada. Let’s say that a government led by someone other than the Liberals suddenly comes into power. If that government takes a very hard line against the emergency measures, I hope that we will collectively remember not to enact this legislation again.

Do you agree with me that what we are discussing today should also apply to future political generations?

[English]