Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, once again, he is pointing in the wrong direction—
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Madam Speaker, that last statement is just outrageous. I live in the city of Toronto, where this police officer worked. My family, my neighbours and I rely on the police every single day, and we are grateful for the work they do. This member is a former Crown prosecutor, as he likes to remind us time and time again. It is provincial responsibility to deal with the enforcement of bail laws. The Cro…
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Madam Speaker, they just do not understand. They do not want to understand. The laws are in place. They cannot be enforced properly because the province is underfunding the system. One hour ago, none other than Ben Mulroney was on his podcast saying that one of the biggest problems is the lack of resources provided by the provincial government in the province of Ontario. That is why people are get…
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Madam Speaker, every single day in the province of Ontario, there are Justices of the Peace, appointed by the provincial government, who are letting people out on bail. This is because the conditions inside provincially built, provincially funded and provincially operated prisons are inhumane and not okay for people, even prisoners, to be in. There are judicial decisions by Justices of the Peace, …
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, last October, the Supreme Court of Canada issued an opinion regarding the constitutionality of the Impact Assessment Act, stating that we needed to clearly focus on the areas of federal jurisdiction and underscoring that we work with provinces “in the spirit of cooperative federalism.” More specifically, the Supreme Court of Canada stated that decisions under the act must be tied excl…
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Mr. Speaker, I admire this member, and I admire her passion. She is baiting me to defend the Harper government, and there is no chance I am going to do that, of course. I will defend the Liberal government's record on the environment. I will defend the former environment minister Catherine McKenna. We have taken every step along the way to make sure that the assessment process works, that it satis…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not trying to be cute. This is a very serious issue. I live in Toronto. The price of gas at the pumps in Toronto is lower now than it was a year ago. It is about the same price as it was when carbon pricing was introduced a number of years ago. The notion that it costs more to get in the car and travel is pure fallacy. It is political rhetoric to score some political points to he…
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Mr. Speaker, my immediate reaction is that James should check his mail and look at the carbon rebate, but the Conservative Party seems to be obsessed with the idea of attacking the carbon pricing mechanism. Carbon pricing is a proven, effective method of reducing emissions in Canada. Whether someone lives in Toronto, in Manitoba, in Saskatchewan or in Nova Scotia, the fact remains that carbon pric…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands for her ongoing advocacy for environmental causes in Canada. Countries around the world are taking decisive action toward combatting climate change and protecting the environment, and Canada is no different. Tackling the climate crisis requires many innovative solutions, and one of the tools in the tool box is achieving a healthy env…
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Madam Speaker, sadly, what else is up? It is character assassination. It is unacceptable to come into this chamber and time after time go after individuals' character. It undermines the integrity of this institution and Canadians are fed up. I would have thought the member of all people would have learned that lesson some time ago, but apparently I was wrong.
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Madam Speaker, Conservative rhetoric is up, Conservative nonsense is up, rhyming is certainly up and Canadians are getting fed up. My intention is to do what I have always done: keep my head down and work on the issues with my colleagues. They can keep working on bumper-sticker slogans all day long.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the April 7, 2021, decision of the former Minister of Justice ordering a new trial for Jacques Delisle, the details of all legal advice received by the former minister regarding the holding of a new trial, including the identity of the person who provided the advice, the mandate conferred by the minister and the evidence reviewed, is subject to solicitor-client privileg…
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Mr. Speaker, Canadian Development Consultants International Inc., CDCI, provided services to the Department of Justice for the purpose of litigation. The litigation is ongoing, as the terms and deliverables under the settlement of the class action lawsuit have not yet concluded. Therefore, the reports and related details, such as the mandate and scope of the research, the terms of reference and th…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour a distinguished diplomat, an accomplished historian, a great Irishman and, most of all, a wonderful friend to Canada. His Excellency Dr. Eamonn McKee and his wife Mary McGillis-McKee came to Canada four years ago. For anyone else, coming during a pandemic would have caused many hardships to make a mark. For Eamonn, he dove into what he called a journey of discov…
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2021-22 annual report from the Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime. In addition, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2022-23 annual report from the Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime.
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the 2023-24 departmental plan for the Law Commission of Canada.
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Speaker, I rise today to highlight a special event that took place last week on Parliament Hill: the second annual Cutest Pets on Parliament Hill contest. I thank the Canadian Animal Health Institute for organizing this contest, and I congratulate all the nominees and winners. Of course, I would like to congratulate my Walnut, who won cutest dog; I would also like to recognize the runner-up, owned…
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Madam Speaker. I am very pleased to speak tonight to Bill C-40, the miscarriage of justice review commission act, David and Joyce Milgaard's law. This legislation would transform the process for identifying and remedying wrongful convictions in Canada. This change is overdue and would be a monumental improvement to justice in our country. As a member of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human …
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Madam Speaker, the member is very thoughtful and I enjoy working with him, as I said earlier. I do not believe this would lower the threshold. It would change the nature of the equation that the commission has to calculate when reviewing the circumstances in each case. It is up to the courts to determine innocence or guilt. It would be up to the commission to determine whether maybe there has been…
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Madam Speaker, the answer to the last part of the question is that I do not think anybody can. The Conservatives are playing politics with the bill, pure and simple. They supported it at second reading. They filibustered the bill for 40 hours at committee. They hauled out the name of David and Joyce Milgaard here tonight; it is shameful. This commission would be set up to be independent and effici…
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Madam Speaker, the premise of the member's question is that it is unfair and that it is wrong. This is not about trampling over rights. In fact, it is about expanding rights. The whole purpose of this commission is to make access to justice easier for the wrongfully convicted. The member wants people to have access to this body in both official languages, full stop. She also wants the best people …
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Madam Speaker, flattery will get my colleague everywhere, but I do not profess to be an expert on anything, frankly. On this issue, he raised a very important point. There are many cases where people do not have the ability or the means to exercise their right of appeal, or there are many more cases where facts come up later, long after their ability to appeal has expired. It is only in exceptiona…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for his remarks tonight. I serve on the justice committee with him now, as I did at the time we reviewed the bill, and he has a great deal of compassion. He brings a level of fairness to the job that is admirable. However, the member started his speech by saying that Canadians need to have faith in the justice system; they also need to have faith in…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, when I was 14, I met a guy named Joe Kennedy. We formed a friendship that would last a lifetime. On March 9, Joe passed away due to a heart problem, which is ironic given that he had a better heart than anybody I have ever met. He was kind, he was generous and he oozed integrity and humility, which guided him during a successful career, first with Ontario Hydro and later with Commun…
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Madam Chair, it is a pleasure to rise again this evening to join this conversation, which is so central to our democracy. There is something I want to talk about, which I touched on earlier, about federally appointed judges and our judiciary in Canada, which is one of the strongest in the world, in my opinion. We are very fortunate in Canada to have an independent and highly regarded judiciary tha…
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Madam Chair, I am going to go back to a topic I touched on earlier. It has to do with the judiciary, judicial vacancies and delays in our courtrooms. As I said, I practised for a long time. I practised in Toronto, and there were a number of times I would have a trial ready to go in Newmarket, Oshawa or Brampton, only to be told there was no judge available or there was no courtroom available. In f…
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Madam Chair, on the issue of the complexity of problems, I am going to go to auto theft. The minister has been quite candid in acknowledging the fact that this is a serious problem. I find candour is a rare commodity in politics these days, so it is refreshing to see somebody who is willing to admit that there is a problem and that circumstances require a response, but one of the issues is auto th…
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Madam Chair, I will get back to this later, but perhaps the minister could briefly touch upon, and reinforce, the changes that were made by the government to the appointment process that have enhanced the quality of the bench.
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Mr. Speaker, on that point, the Liberal government, shortly after it was elected, increased the judicial complement in this country, including here in Ontario. Perhaps the minister could take a moment to share with us the number of judicial appointments he has made since he was appointed as minister.
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Mr. Speaker, I will move on to a different subject. We are talking about court delays. I practised law in Ontario for 20 years before I had the privilege of serving in this House. We all know that court delays are caused by multiple different factors. Perhaps the minister could share his thoughts on some of those other factors, including the provincial government's role in and responsibility for t…
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Mr. Speaker, perhaps the minister could just reinforce the difference between the Liberal government's position and the position taken by the Leader of the Opposition, just so that Canadians can be assured, as long as this government is in power.
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Mr. Speaker, first, let me start by thanking the minister for his remarks and saying that it is a privilege to serve alongside him in his capacity as Minister of Justice. The minister made some remarks about our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Throughout my entire adult life, this has been a document that Canadians have come to rely on, and the expectation is that their rights will be protected. H…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to stand in the House on behalf of the residents of Etobicoke Lakeshore. This evening, I am pleased to speak to Bill S-224, an act to amend the Criminal Code with regard to human trafficking. I want to say at the outset that while we are unable to support the bill, I understand the objective the sponsor was trying to achieve, and it is a laudable one. The inten…
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Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to speak about Bill C-381, an act to amend the Criminal Code on the important issue of extortion, which is something that I and, I expect, all parliamentarians are deeply concerned about. Bill C-381 proposes amendments to the Criminal Code to address the rise in extortion offences. I will focus my remarks today on the proposed amendments relating to m…
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Madam Speaker, I am grateful to speak to this bill today. The oath of allegiance is one everybody in the House is familiar with because they have taken it. Everybody sitting here has taken it at least once. Some of us have been lucky enough to take it more than once. The moment a member of this place takes the oath for the first time has a powerful impact. It is a moment filled equally with excite…
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Mr. Chair, I thank the member for her continued support for Ukraine in this awful situation. Again, I was not at the committee this afternoon. However, Canada works day in and day out. The Prime Minister, the defence minister and the foreign affairs minister are in regular, daily contact with their counterparts in Ukraine to make sure the measures that need to be taken are taken, including closing…
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Mr. Chair, it is now, it is tomorrow and it is into the future. When this war comes to an end, Ukraine is going to have to be rebuilt. Canada is there with Ukraine now and will be with it then. The free trade agreement is a step in that direction so we will be ready when the time comes. I speak to community members in Etobicoke—Lakeshore and across the country regularly, and they were enthused and…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time this evening. I rise on a topic that I wish I did not have to address. Two years ago, Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and, with it, unleashed an attack on democracy, freedom and the rules-based international order. Despite Russia's relentless assault, Ukrainians are standing strong, and Canada will stand with them for as long as it ta…
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Mr. Speaker, I apologize. Our Prime Minister and the President of Ukraine held a bilateral meeting to discuss the situation on the ground and Ukraine's needs over the coming months. The two leaders signed a new, historic agreement on security co-operation between Canada and Ukraine to establish a strategic security partnership. The agreement builds on the G7 joint declaration of support for Ukrain…
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Mr. Speaker, with respect to the legal costs incurred by the government for the Federal Court cases Canadian Frontline Nurses et al. v. AGC (court file no. T-306-22), Canadian Civil Liberties Association v. AGC (court file no. T-316-22), Canadian Constitution Foundation v. AGC (court file no. T-347-22) and Jeremiah Jost et al. v. AGC et al. (court file no. T-382-22), to the extent that the informa…
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Mr. Chair, Canada's support since the outset of this awful situation has been unconditional and unequivocal. I was not at the committee today to hear the ambassador's testimony, but I can say that her position, which has been unequivocal, is that Canada should support the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement. As for the specifics of the member's question on ammunition, I would be happy to speak to …
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Mr. Speaker, I will agree with him insofar as the facts do not lie. Some people just have a problem interpreting them. The reality is that we have toughened the sentencing requirements for auto theft. We have improved and strengthened the bail system. We have improved the system in a way that is going to protect Canadians and keep them safe.
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Mr. Speaker, this is a serious issue that requires a serious response. It is not something that should be highlighted in a negative way in the House of Commons. The Liberal government has taken steps through Bill S-12, Bill C-3 and Bill C-51. We have taken serious measures to address sexual assault crimes, including sexual assault offenders being included on the sex offender registry.
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Mr. Speaker, as we all know, auto theft is a very serious problem in Ontario, in Quebec and across the country. It requires consultation with experts to find a proper solution, not slogans or simple criticism that does not really address the problem. Today, we had the auto summit. We brought in people from all the provinces, the police associations and different levels of government. They are goin…
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Mr. Speaker, as I have said already, this a problem that requires consultation with all the parties involved: industry, different levels of government and the law enforcement community. Slogans are not going to find a solution. Jenni Byrne has obviously been hired by the bumper sticker industry, and that is her pool over there for drafting them.
Read full speech →Adjournment Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, everyone in this country has the right to live their life free from fear of attack or abuse because of who they are as an individual. Hatred that targets people based on race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability or any other personal characteristic is counter to Canadian values. Everyone in Canada deserves a safe space to be themselves and to thrive. U…
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Mr. Speaker, the answer is yes. As I noted, our government has made several investments to address hate crime in Canada. The $5-million expansion of the SIP, which I mentioned, includes programs in my riding and in other ridings across the country. Our government has acknowledged the realities of racism and prejudice in the country, something not all parties are prepared to do. We are committed to…
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Mr. Speaker, I will return the compliment and say I find the member to be quite a reasonable individual, too. When it comes to our energy future, I would refer the member to the recent report of the International Energy Agency, which stated that global demand for oil and gas will continue in some form for decades, but overall demand for oil and gas will peak in this decade. At the same time, the d…
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Mr. Speaker, we share the same priorities, but allow me to illustrate my earlier point by sharing some of the investments that the Government of Canada has made in southern Ontario, where the member and I are both from. For example, we provided $3 million to Kitchener-based Kuntz Electroplating Inc. to strengthen its manufacturing capabilities, creating 45 new jobs in the automotive and EV industr…
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Mr. Speaker, I would just say that there is no such thing as a no-name member in this House. However, anybody who stands in this House or outside this House and accuses any other member of being soft on crime is being disingenuous and it is disrespectful to the people who live in this country, because everybody in this House, regardless of political stripe, believes in law and order.
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