Parliamentary Speeches

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, as a Canadian of Jewish origin and a descendant of a Holocaust survivor, I feel personally hurt by this incident. It has hurt all members of the House, all Canadians and President Zelenskyy. The Speaker made his apology and took responsibility for a shameful decision that has hurt all of us. He did the responsible thing by resigning.

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, we all feel the deep embarrassment and shame of what happened on Friday. Had anyone in this House known what the Speaker was going to do ahead of time and who this person was, I am certain that not a single person would have stood in this House of Commons. However, the fact of the matter is, and my Conservatives colleagues know this, neither the Prime Minister nor the government nor t…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, while the member opposite tries to personally attack me, I will actually stay focused on the facts. The fact of the matter, and she knows this as well as every other member in this House, is that it was the Speaker who decided to invite this individual. It was the Speaker who acknowledged that he was going to acknowledge him in the chamber. No one in this chamber knew ahead of time wh…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I will remind my Conservative colleagues, because they seem to have forgotten, that they also called for the Speaker's resignation this morning. They recognized that it was actually the Speaker who did this on his own. Instead of trying to cast blame where no blame should be cast, the Speaker has taken responsibility for his actions and has resigned. It was the honourable thing to do,…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the Speaker took responsibility for his actions and he apologized.

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned several times yesterday, the Parliamentary Protective Service followed all the security protocols. The Speaker of the House was the individual responsible for the invitation and the recognition. He has apologized and taken responsibility. He resigned a few minutes ago.

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows full well, it was the Speaker of the House who invited this individual, who chose to recognize him without informing a single member in this House, the government, the Prime Minister or the Ukrainian delegation. This has caused enormous hurt to communities across this country, including Polish Canadians, and for that the Speaker has apologized. He has resi…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, my Conservative colleague opposite continues to spread false information. We know the Speaker has admitted it. He has apologized and he has resigned because it was he and he alone who invited this individual and recognized him. The guest list was vetted by the Parliamentary Protective Service, which followed all security protocols. The member opposite knows that the Speaker has a Spea…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, today, every member of the House has called for the Speaker of the House to resign because everyone recognizes that it was his actions that led to what happened on Friday and he was responsible. This was deeply shameful for us as MPs and as Canadians. I would once again ask my Conservative colleagues not to politicize this issue and to stick to the facts.

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I have already answered this question. Conservative members are aware of the facts. I would like to ask them once again to stick to the facts and not to say things that are untrue.

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, this question has been answered several times. The member knows that what she is alleging is not true. The truth of the matter is that it was the Speaker who took these actions. It is why he took responsibility. It is why he resigned. In fact, it is why every member of the House asked for his resignation.

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite would know that when egregious acts happen in this place, they are sometimes struck from the record. In fact, when the member from St. Albert read some very inappropriate remarks into the record, they were struck from the record. That is something we took seriously. The House decided not to do this. Again, had members of the House been aware of what they were doing…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I do not think any member of the House disagrees with how horrific what happened on Friday was. In fact, that is why every single member of this place called for the resignation of the Speaker, because he brought shame and embarrassment not only to this Parliament, but also, indeed, to all Canadians. As I have said several times in the House, that is why he has apologized. It is why h…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge my hon. colleague, because he is the first and only Conservative MP who has actually acknowledged that this was the responsibility of the Speaker, which is why the Speaker took responsibility and why he resigned. I want to thank the member for sticking to the facts, which we have not heard from most of our Conservative colleagues.

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague knows, the decision to invite and acknowledge this individual was the Speaker's and the Speaker's alone. For that, he has apologized. For that, he has resigned. This is something that has brought shame and embarrassment to all of us as parliamentarians and, indeed, to all Canadians. It has hurt Canadian communities across the country, Jewish communities, Ukrainian…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I think we all agree with my hon. colleague that we wish this had never happened, because it did bring shame and embarrassment to every single member of the House, as well as every single Canadian. Unfortunately, it was the Speaker and the Speaker alone who chose to invite this individual and acknowledge this individual in the gallery, unbeknownst to any member of Parliament in here, …

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, again, I would ask my hon. colleagues to please stick to the facts. They all know that this was the decision of the Speaker of the House of Commons, to both invite this individual and recognize him, without informing a single member of Parliament, the Prime Minister, the government or the Ukrainian delegation. We all feel completely embarrassed and shamed by this fact. For this, the S…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, my family walked into Auschwitz, and only my grandfather and great uncle walked out. Never in a million years would I have imagined that the Speaker of the House of Commons would invite someone who fought for the Nazis to this place, recognize him in front of everyone and ask us all to stand. We all placed our trust in the Speaker. It was broken. We are hurt by this. I personally am i…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the allegation that my hon. colleague has made is simply false. That did not happen.

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as my hon. colleague knows, things that go horribly wrong in the House and maybe even in committees are erased from publications. This was the case when the member for St. Albert—Edmonton read some extremely unsettling comments in committee. Underlying the request of the House was the fact that no one knew who this person was ahead of time. Otherwise, I am sure that no one in the Hous…

Private Members' Business

Madam Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion: That, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practice of the House: (a) at the time of adjournment on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, the member for Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, the Dean of the House, be deemed elected Interim Speaker of the Hou…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Protective Service had the appropriate screening in place to ensure the security of last Friday's event, and that is what I was referring to. However, what I can continue to say is that we all must take this seriously because it is hurting many communities—

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for that apology. I am parliamentarian, a Canadian of Jewish origin and a descendant of Holocaust survivors. A majority of my family walked into Auschwitz-Birkenau and only my grandfather and his brother walked out. I think this hurt all of us in Parliament. Personally, I feel particularly hurt by this. As parliamentarians, we place our trust in you, Mr. Speaker. There are …

Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond to my hon. colleague, because I think we both share the frustration about what happened on Friday. However, I do want reiterate, and as you made very clear in your statement, that this was your initiative. The Government of Canada had no knowledge of this individual. The Speaker is responsible for this chamber. He invited him of his own accord, and he made the …

Mr. Speaker, I have immense respect for my colleague opposite. In fact, he occupied that chair, so he would know that, as the Speaker, you do have prerogative to invite guests into the chamber. I will reiterate that neither the government nor the Ukrainian delegation had any prior knowledge. In fact, if colleagues will recall, when the recognition was done, it was done by the Speaker, and we did i…

Mr. Speaker, I would just reiterate for colleagues that, if they recall when this happened, which was during the Speaker's remarks, we were all caught off guard by this. I am not trying to collectivize responsibility; I am trying to lay on the table the facts, which my Conservative colleagues are choosing to ignore. I have asked them respectfully not to politicize this issue. In fact, it hurts com…

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, I think my hon. colleague has misinterpreted what I was saying. What I was saying and what you, indeed, have said is that you invited this particular individual. You decided to recognize this individual without informing either the government or the Ukrainian delegation that you would be doing this. When it comes to everyone who was invited to Parliament, of course that…

Mr. Speaker, of course security measures are taken for invitations to Parliament. However, this individual was invited by the Speaker. The government had no knowledge that this individual was invited or that he would be recognized in Parliament.

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, like every other member of the House, I was extremely disappointed by this situation. Personally, as a descendant of Jewish Holocaust survivors, I was very hurt, and I know everyone in the House was hurt too. As the Leader of the Opposition knows, and as you mentioned, Mr. Speaker, it was your decision and yours alone. Neither the government nor the Ukrainian delegation was aware of t…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, like all members of this chamber, I am incredibly disappointed in the fact that this individual was invited. As you yourself, Mr. Speaker, confirmed, this individual was recognized in the gallery. I found out just like every other member in the House at that time that this individual was present. This is deeply embarrassing for us as parliamentarians, as Canadians. It is something tha…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as a descendant of Jewish Holocaust survivors, I am personally very hurt by the fact that this chamber recognized this individual. I am sure that everyone feels the same way in this chamber.

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, again, I would ask the Leader of the Opposition to not politicize this issue. He knows, just as well as everyone else in this chamber does, that the decision to invite this individual was yours, Mr. Speaker, and yours alone, and that you did not inform the government or the Ukrainian delegation that you were inviting him or that you would recognize him. You made that public yesterday.…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I know the Leader of the Opposition does not want to rely on the facts, but the facts in this situation are that the government had no prior knowledge that this individual was being invited, nor that he would be recognized. If members go back and recall what happened on Friday, they will see that it was indeed the Speaker of the House who recognized this individual. We were all caught…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. As I mentioned, it was a very painful incident for everyone in the House and, of course, for all Canadians, especially those who have family members who were affected by the Holocaust, namely, the Jewish and Eastern European communities. This really hurts. Personally, I was disappointed by what happened. I would like to ask everyone…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, everyone in the House is deeply hurt by what happened on Friday. We were all taken by surprise. This is something that is completely unacceptable. There are communities across Canada, including Jewish and Eastern European communities, for whom the Holocaust and the Second World War are particularly painful. As a descendant of Jewish Holocaust survivors, I take this ver…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as a Canadian of Jewish origin, I have shared very clearly with the House on several occasions how disturbing this event is for me personally. I also know how disturbing it is for Canadians who are Jewish right across this country. Today, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, the day of atonement as we prepare for the new year, this is particularly disturbing. However…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I would again ask my hon. colleague to stick to the facts. We know and he knows, because you stated publicly and in this chamber, that it was your decision to invite this individual, your decision alone to recognize him in the chamber. We were all caught off guard on Friday. Everyone in this chamber stood, because we trusted the Speaker to know who this was. At the same time, we must …

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I have tremendous respect for my colleague opposite. He was the Speaker, and he is the House leader now. He knows how this chamber operates. He knows that the Speaker has prerogative for whom they invite to the Speaker's gallery. The Parliamentary Protective Service followed all screening protocols to ensure the security of the event on Friday. Nevertheless, neither the government nor…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, let me continue to lay out the facts for this chamber. It is a fact that the individual was not granted access to either the President of Ukraine or the Prime Minister of this country. He was specifically invited by the Speaker of the House, who did not make either the Government of Canada or the Ukrainian delegation aware. We all found out at the same time, when he was recognized in …

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I will repeat for my hon. colleague what I have already said because it is a matter of fact and the truth. Neither the government nor the Ukrainian delegation knew in advance that this individual was invited or that the Speaker of the House would draw attention to his presence during his speech. We have all been hurt by this incident and we are deeply disappointed by what happened. Th…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as a Canadian of Jewish origin, I am extremely hurt by what happened last Friday. My grandfather is a survivor of Auschwitz. This is so very painful for me, and I know that it is also very painful for all members of the House. However, the facts are the facts. It was the Speaker of the House of Commons who invited this individual and decided to recognize his presence in the House. No …

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as I have already stated, the Parliamentary Protective Service followed all screening protocols to ensure the security of last Friday's event. I agree with the member opposite in that it was profoundly embarrassing for Parliament and for Canada that this individual was both invited and recognized. However, as the member knows, and as all members know, it was the Speaker of the chamber…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as I have stated, I think the episode on Friday was one of profound embarrassment for parliamentarians and for all Canadians. As has been stated clearly, the Parliamentary Protective Service did all of the required security protocols to ensure the security of the event. However, neither the government nor the Ukrainian delegation was aware that this individual would be present in the …

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, as a descendant of a Jewish Holocaust survivor, this is something that is profoundly disturbing and upsetting to me, as it is to everyone in Canada whose family has been impacted by the Holocaust and, indeed, to everyone around the world. It is not lost on me that the President of Ukraine is Jewish and has also suffered the same way my family did, but I will reiterate to the member op…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows, because she heard it from you this morning and from me several times today, that it was not the Prime Minister who either invited this individual or recognized him. She acknowledged that he was recognized during the Speaker's remarks, because the facts of the matter are that this individual was invited by the Speaker of the House and was recognized by the Sp…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I have clearly laid the facts on the table several times today. In fact, the only person who invited this individual and decided to recognize him was the Speaker of the House. The Parliamentary Protective Service followed all security protocols to ensure the security of the event. However, I agree with the member opposite that this should never have happened. It is profoundly embarras…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, in fact, the Speaker has already clarified and expressed that this was his decision alone, that he did not inform the government or the Ukrainian delegation, that this was entirely his decision. I cannot force Conservative members to believe what the facts are. I can only put them on the table as they are. They have been clearly outlined, and we will continue to stand by them, because…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that neither the Prime Minister nor anyone in his cabinet or in the Ukrainian delegation knew in advance that this individual was invited or that he would be recognized by the Speaker of the House of Commons. As I said many times, the Speaker of the House of Commons invited this individual of his own accord and he made the decision himself to recognize him. It was very pa…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague knows, because he listened to you this morning and he saw your message yesterday, that you clarified that it was your personal initiative and that you had not notified the government that you were inviting this individual and drawing attention to his presence. We are all deeply hurt. We are hurt as parliamentarians and as Canadians. More importantly, communities acro…

Oral Questions

Mr. Speaker, I can only share the facts and the truth. The truth and the facts are that, no, the government did not know that this individual was invited, nor that he was going to be recognized by the Speaker of the House. As the member opposite heard the Speaker say earlier today, this individual was from his riding. He decided to recognize him. He did not inform either the government or the Ukra…