Routine Proceedings
Speaker, I would ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand.
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Mr. Speaker, I ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers be allowed to stand.
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 12 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to maybe provide a bit of a different perspective and, at the same time, to recognize that sexual violence in all forms is, in fact, a horrific crime. The victims of this particular crime all deserve justice. That is one of the motivating factors in regard to why, over the last number of months, the government has brought forward a series of legislative initiatives that a…
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Mr. Speaker, this is substantial legislation. Let us look at Indonesia's role, in particular as a player in the whole Pacific area. There are billions of dollars in bilateral trade between Canada and Indonesia today, and this is good news in terms of the potential that is there. Never before have we had a prime minister so aggressively go out to meet world leaders and to bring opportunities for ex…
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Mr. Speaker, the member is wrong in so many ways and put a lot of information that is questionable, at best, on the record. We would have to go back generations before we would see a prime minister who has been more proactive, whether it is signing an MOU or going to countries like India to talk about energy, have discussions and secure export opportunities second to no other. I realize the member…
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Mr. Speaker, the member was talking about the pork industry. It is an $8-billion industry here in Canada. Less than a year ago, I was with the Minister of Agriculture in the Philippines, where we highlighted industry representatives from the province of Quebec. I have met, as recently as yesterday, with members of the Manitoba pork industry. We understand the true value of that industry. The gover…
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Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded vote, please.
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Mr. Speaker, I was a little disappointed in the Conservative member's question. I appreciate that they are voting in favour of the bill. Having said that, she tried to downplay the amount of trade by saying it is a fraction of a percentage point of the GDP. We are talking about billions and billions in merchandise trade with Indonesia. That is a whole lot of opportunities for—
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Mr. Speaker, yes, we are. They do not understand that. We are. Look at the numbers. Having said that, the member opposite talks about the issue of consultation. I think, at times, the Bloc could maybe be found to not be recognizing the amount of consultations and the amount of working with stakeholders, whether it is in the different levels of government or private industry. I wonder if he could p…
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I believe you will find that there is unanimous consent to put the question on Bill C-18 at third reading.
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Mr. Speaker, I request that it be carried on division.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to one petition. This will be tabled in an electronic format.
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I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
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Mr. Speaker, the intentional spreading of misinformation is what we continue to witness from the Conservatives. The motivating factor behind their opposition to Bill C-9 is that of fundraising. I could table, if they wanted, an email in which the Conservative Party is attempting to raise money by spreading misinformation and asking the recipients to donate to the party.
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Mr. Speaker, they are speaking notes, but I could table the document, if they like, which clearly shows that the motivating factor for the Conservative Party is to raise money by spreading misinformation. Is the minister concerned about misinformation being spread by political entities in the House of Commons?
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Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded vote, please.
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Madam Speaker, the member was a part of the Doug Ford government at one point, and the Doug Ford government would have had the opportunity to do some of the things that he is advocating for here. Can the member give a clear indication as to why he was so ineffective in getting the Doug Ford government to take some of the actions he is telling the government to do? I find his assertions to be absol…
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Madam Speaker, less than a year ago, Canadians elected a new Prime Minister. A part of the Liberal election platform was that we would deal with the issue of hate, which is very real and tangible. We brought in legislation months ago, and the Conservatives have made the decision that they do not want to see the hate legislation. The Conservative Party does not make up the majority of the members o…
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Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate what the secretary of state has put on the record, which in a very significant way reflects the reality of how the Conservative Party has really changed and moved further to the right. We can compare the Conservative Party of just a couple of years ago, when they were supporting initiatives of this nature, to the party under the current leadership that appears to o…
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Mr. Speaker, there has been a great deal of misinformation with respect to Bill C-9. When I look at Bill C-9, I see it as a very positive piece of legislation dealing with hate crime, but let us be very clear. There is nothing that is taking place in the Sikh gurdwaras, Christian churches, mosques or synagogues that would be impacted by the passage of Bill C-9. Bill C-9 is there to protect. I appr…
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-9 is a very serious piece of legislation that deals with combatting hate. The Conservative misinformation that gets pumped out through social media is very harmful. Today, whether it is with respect to a church, a mosque, a gurdwara or a synagogue, nothing that is taking place today would be prevented in any fashion whatsoever with the passage of Bill C-9. That is an absolute t…
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Mr. Speaker, just to be perfectly clear, the Conservative Party of Canada is literally sending out thousands of emails, spreading misinformation and using fear in order to raise additional money for its political party. I would argue that the Conservatives have taken the position that under no circumstances are they going to allow the legislation to pass, even though a majority, which means the Li…
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Mr. Speaker, the member needs to have a reality check. Quite frankly, I would love and the government would love to see unanimous support for the legislation. In fact, prior to the election, under a standing committee, we had Conservative members working with Liberals in the previous administration, saying that hate legislation was something that was necessary. We then fast-forward to today. I mak…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to pick up on two points very quickly. One is the motivation issue. I have received an email that has been shared with literally thousands of Canadians, sent by the Conservative Party of Canada, that is clearly meant to do two things. One is to raise money, because it is asking for a donation. The second is to plant fear in the minds of individuals concerned about faith. The le…
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Mr. Speaker, if we are to talk about the motion before us today that is being debated, the fact is that we have been debating Bill C-9 for many months now. It has been at committee for endless hours. I think it is over 30 hours now. We have a majority of members of Parliament who ultimately want to see the advancement of the legislation. I understand the Conservative Party members do not want to s…
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Mr. Speaker, I do not think I have ever quoted the Toronto Sun. This will be the first time. I would like to quote from an article that was published, by Joseph Neuberger, that was special to the Toronto Sun. He says, “I write as a criminal lawyer with more than 32 years of experience, and as the chair of the Canadian Jewish Law Association.... I also write as a supporter of political campaigns, i…
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Mr. Speaker, when we look at Bill C-9, it is important to recognize that there is nothing within the bill that actually threatens freedom of religion. In fact, the Charter of Rights guarantees it. It was a Liberal government, back in the 1970s, that brought in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. What is happening today in our mosques, gurdwaras, churches and temples is going to continue t…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it was not that long ago that we had a Conservative member bring forward Bill C-351, which is, in essence, the same as Bill C-232. At that time, there was a debate and ultimately a vote. We saw members of the Liberal Party, the Bloc Party, the New Democratic Party and, I believe, even the member from the Green Party vote against the legislation. Can the member give a clear indication …
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Mr. Speaker, I know that the member opposite is very pleased I have taken the opportunity to rise to address this piece of legislation, even though with his presence in the chamber one has to question his level of alertness. If he were actually following the debate today, he would know that numerous Liberal members of Parliament stood up not only to address the issues of the day but also to ask qu…
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Mr Speaker, if the member maybe just paid a bit more attention, for example, right now as he is heckling across the way, he would probably have a better understanding of what actually is taking place inside the House. Let me make a suggestion. I believe the member was making reference to taking instructions from the people who sent us here. We will find that this is in fact something all members, …
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Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member who continues to want to heckle me that the people I represent in Winnipeg North understand how important it is to respect the issue of judicial independence. Judicial independence is a shared responsibility between different levels of government, and I would suggest that even when we deal with incarceration and with Correctional Service Canada, which makes the…
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Mr. Speaker, the interruption is unfortunate, but I am not surprised. I was making the point that at the end of the day, we do have Correctional Service Canada that ultimately is in the best position to make a decision that is not based on politics. Back in the day, when it did happen when the member's party leader sat around the cabinet table—
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Mr. Speaker, to show that it was relevant, so the member is aware, it is about transferring from maximum security to minimum—
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Mr. Speaker, from her seat, the member says I am not debating Bill C-9. We are not talking about Bill C-9. We are talking about a private member's bill. It is completely relevant. It is hypocrisy when we have the leader of the Conservative Party and the Conservative Party today talking about politicization, whereas when he was in government around the cabinet table, he did nothing of the sort in r…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments the member has put on the record in terms of why it is so important that Bill C-9 pass and on her frustration with the official opposition and the manner in which they feel they have an absolute entitlement to be a destructive force inside the House of Commons and at times in standing committees. As the member has pointed out, this is an issue that was rais…
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Madam Speaker, the reality is that there is no attack by the government on our faith communities. Members of the opposition know that. When we look at the amendment that was brought forward for greater certainty, it provides assurances so that those faith communities have a higher sense of comfort, in part because of the misinformation constantly being pumped out by the Conservative Party of Canad…
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Madam Speaker, through time, Canada has evolved and adhered to values that are envied around the world. Part of that means that legislative changes have taken place, both at the national and provincial level, because they were deemed necessary based on a reflection of Canadian values. For example, hate-motivated assaults take place in Canada today. I truly believe that the values Canadians have re…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate many of the member's comments. What we often hear about are the hate crimes that get publicized. There are literally thousands of hate crimes that take place in Canada. Could he provide his thoughts on that and on why it is so important to have legislation of this nature?
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Madam Speaker, to start off, I will make it very clear that I truly believe, as I know my colleagues believe, that no one in Canadian society should feel unsafe because of who they are. Bill C-9 deals with a critically important issue that was raised in the last federal election: a commitment that today's Prime Minister made to Canadians less than a year ago to come forth with legislation that wou…
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Madam Speaker, some are saying, “hear, hear”, and another is saying, “free speech”. I will add something else. The Conservatives are more interested in the Conservative Party of Canada and what is happening internally within their party than what is in the best interest of Canadians, and I will expand on that. With respect to Bill C-9, there is a great deal of misinformation out there, and a lot o…
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Madam Speaker, the far right members in the Conservative caucus applaud the comment. Sure they would. They are the authors of the letter. It goes on: “Conservatives will fight tooth and nail to stop this reckless and unprecedented attack on our freedoms and defend the Canadian Charter of Rights.” What a joke this is. This is actually ridiculous. What is the purpose of sending the letter out? It is…
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Madam Speaker, let us look at the aspect of the legislation that would enable people to have a higher sense of comfort in knowing that they cannot be denied an opportunity to practise their faith and do not have to worry about issues of intimidation and obstruction, such as blocking an entrance to a church, a mosque or a synagogue. Having a stand-alone hate offence is a positive thing. In terms of…
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Madam Speaker, someone says, from across the way, “Yes, they could.” That is absolutely ridiculous, and this is the type of propaganda that we get coming from the Conservative Party. They talk about the chamber. It is only a faction within the Conservative Party. I would like to believe, at least I hope, it is not all of the Conservative Party. Here in Ottawa today, in a minority government, a maj…
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No, it is true. Madam Speaker, what happens now is that the amendment is sitting in committee, yet we still see the Conservatives wanting to continue the filibuster, even though there is a general consensus that we are moving forward in addressing the issues that have been raised. True to form in terms of what the justice minister has indicated from the beginning of the debate is that if there are…
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Madam Speaker, I have had the opportunity to challenge Conservative members and to have debates in different areas. I would be more than happy to have a debate in Winnipeg on this and on how Conservatives filibuster the crime agenda, which would include this. I look forward to the member opposite accepting that challenge. I would be happy to work with the member and make the arrangements necessary…
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Madam Speaker, to the credit of members of the Bloc, they have recognized the true value of Bill C-9. They have recognized that the Minister of Justice was serious when he said that he is open to making the legislation stronger and working with opposition members or faith leaders so that we have good legislation here in Canada. A vast majority of the members of Parliament in today's Parliament act…
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Madam Speaker, with the exception of that last statement, I am in concurrence with the leader of the Green Party. Having said that, if we were to do what the leader of the Green Party is saying, we would not be able to pass any legislation. Bill C-9 would die. There is no reason Bill C-9 could not have passed at the end of last year. We could have passed it. It could be the law today. The reason i…
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Madam Speaker, I do care about what they think, and that is one of the reasons I have to dispel many of the untruths that are put out through social media by the Conservative Party of Canada. At the end of the day, I suspect that once all the filibustering comes to an end, and it will, because of the motion, there are going to be a lot of Conservatives voting in favour of the legislation. We will …
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Madam Speaker, that is a tough question. The best way for me to answer that would be to recognize what the Conservative Party is today and contrast that to a Progressive Conservative Prime Minister, Joe Clark. Joe Clark has indicated that he never left the party, but the Conservatives left him, in essence. We have witnessed through the current leadership of the Conservative Party that there is a v…
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