Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member is right. If we were to take a look at what was being said on the floor of the House of Commons last year, it would be very clear we could have passed Bill C-66. It did not pass and get royal assent because the Conservative Party had an agenda that was politically self-serving, as opposed to serving Canadians. This is the reality. I would debate that issue anytime, because …
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Mr. Speaker, I am very interested in getting the member's thoughts in regard to the 48 recommendations. We have been very clear throughout the day that 47 of them are well under way, and we are anticipating that we could have them complete before the end of the year. The recommendation that has a question mark on it is actually Bill C-11. I wonder whether the member is in a position to provide som…
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Mr. Speaker, I suggest that we recess until 11 a.m. to get us to members' statements.
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Mr. Speaker, protecting the critical systems we have in place is ultimately protecting the Canadian economy, among many other things. Yes, we need to be concerned about the whole issue of privacy and so forth, but not moving legislation of this nature forward would have a very negative impact on cybersecurity and our economy. I wonder if the member could provide his thoughts on how important it is…
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Mr. Speaker, I am not too sure if the member supports the legislation. It comes across that she has some concerns for individuals like Sarah. I think the minister has been fairly clear as we have gone through this legislation that Bill C-8 is important for many different reasons. I recently highlighted that we need to protect the consumers of our economy through cybersecurity. It is not optional f…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always interesting to hear Conservatives make extreme, outlandish claims. The member opposite tries to say that the Liberal Party is going to take away the Internet, take away cellphones and deny people the opportunity to do their banking. The Conservatives have come up with a whole conspiracy theory on how big government is going to take everything away, when the legislation is…
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I ask that it pass on division. (Motion agreed to, bill read the second time and referred to a committee)
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the Leaders' Debates Commission report, entitled “Debates - Democratic Exercises Serving the Voting Public: A report on the Leaders' Debates Commission 2025 federal election experience”.
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Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
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Mr. Speaker, I suspect if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent to see the clock at 2:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I table a petition today calling upon parliamentarians to do what they can to ensure that disposable income increases for Canadian. In particular, the petitioners are suggesting there is a need for a tax break for Canada's middle class, and they are looking for ways we can support Canada's middle class. It is a pleasure for me to table this petition today.
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Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
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Mr. Speaker, just under six months ago, Canada elected a new Prime Minister, who put together a number of agenda items that came out of the election. One of the commitments that the Prime Minister made was to bring forward bail reform legislation that will be coming out this fall. I find it somewhat unfortunate that now the Conservatives, in a pre-emptive strike, have decided to come out to say th…
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Mr. Speaker, in my years as a parliamentarian, what I have witnessed is that the Conservatives tend to use the issue of crime and safety more as a fundraising tool or bumper-sticker issue to try to create fear in the minds of Canadians. We are genuinely concerned about the issue, but what has surprised me about this particular motion and Bill C-242 is that there is no reference to their American-s…
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Mr. Speaker, there were no extreme words coming from the leader of the official opposition there. Let us look at what he is actually saying, and we wonder why he has fallen so far to the right. Interestingly enough, in the legislation the Conservatives are proposing, they have abandoned the policy of the American-style “three strikes and you're out”. I wonder why. Can the leader of the Conservativ…
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Mr. Speaker, let us be real here. In the last federal election campaign, the Prime Minister made it very clear that he is concerned about what is happening with crime and safety in our communities. He made a solemn commitment to bring forward significant bail reform. The Conservatives know that. Here, they say to not politicize it. When the government, and this particular Prime Minister, brings fo…
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Mr. Speaker, I will not provide any further comment on the member's lack of a response to my question, but I think it is a legitimate issue when we take a look at the stats the Conservatives continue to provide the House. I would suggest to anyone who is listening to do a bit of a follow-through on the stats. I will start off by reflecting on the last federal election. Every member of the House, I…
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Mr. Speaker, I want my colleague to expand on an issue. During the last federal election, our Prime Minister understood what Canadians were saying at the doors; Liberal candidates throughout the country raised concerns and issues related to the need for bail reform. Now we have a Prime Minister who has made a commitment to bring forward that bail reform, and this is something that will be reflecti…
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Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member could provide his thoughts on the other jurisdictional responsibilities the provinces, territories and even municipalities have with regard to the need for bail reform. It is a shared responsibility, and I am interested to know if he feels that there is any obligation on other levels of government to take action, given that the current Prime Minister has made a …
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Mr. Speaker, Bill C-2 is legislation that we have had before us for quite a while. In fact, we have had over 18 hours of debate on it. We have a Prime Minister who has made a commitment to substantial bail reform. That bail reform is going to be coming soon to the House of Commons. Can we anticipate that the Conservatives will do what they are doing on Bill C-2 by having a filibuster as opposed to…
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Mr. Speaker, I will withdraw the word “hate”.
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Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the word “hate”, but let us realize that fundraising plays a critical role in why the Conservative Party takes the position it takes. It is all about raising money. Let me give a good example. Here are four emails. These are all emails that the Conservative Party has sent out to literally thousands and thousands of people. Every one of these emails actually has a link to do…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always a concern when Conservatives stand up to intentionally, or maybe, sometimes, unintentionally, mislead. For example—
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Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the member could reflect on the automobile theft in the area of York. From what I understand, the percentages are actually down, yet the member has indicated that auto theft is up. Would the hon. member be able to provide some clarification on that issue?
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Mr. Speaker, I would say to them the same thing I said to any victims during the Harper era. Victims of crime need to be listened to, and where we can support them, we need to support them. To try to give a false impression that terrible crimes are occurring only during a Liberal administration is misleading at best. I would suggest that it is a lot worse, in terms of what the Conservatives are do…
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Mr. Speaker, during the nineties and still now, to some degree, the whole issue of gangs and their patches was a hot topic in the province of Manitoba, my home province. I would be very careful in what we say a person can and cannot actually put on a jacket. I hope the member will have the opportunity to raise the issue at the standing committee. One has to be very careful with that, because what …
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Mr. Speaker, my preference is to amplify something, because of the Conservative member's question, and answer this member's question indirectly. I cited emails that were actually sent out by the Conservative Party and that emphasized the issue of crime. The party ratchets up the issue in order to generate money to fill its coffers. Otherwise, we can look at some of the statements that have been ma…
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Mr. Speaker, time is the greatest resource one has, and I want to be very careful in how I spend my time. I would welcome the opportunity to have a debate with the member opposite. Having said that, I would suggest that maybe we could meet at the University of Winnipeg or the University of Manitoba, which has a law department. I am more than happy to assist the member in setting something up. I we…
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Mr. Speaker, the member highlights the fact that our judicial system requires multiple levels of government to be involved in one way or another. Ultimately, even if a province makes a decision, it has an impact in terms of federal responsibilities and vice versa. We need to see more coordination. I think most Canadians would be very surprised to hear that we do not even have the bail data to make…
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Mr. Speaker, the thing that comes to mind with that particular question is this: If we take a look at Bill C-242, the bill being proposed in this motion, I suspect that no legal opinion would give any sense of comfort that it is compliant with our Constitution or the Charter of Rights. In fact, I would argue that it would not be found compliant if allowed to proceed. It also raises a question. We …
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Mr. Speaker, when we think of Bill C-75, something that the Conservatives have brought up a lot today, we should think in terms of what it actually did. It abolished peremptory challenges to the jurors and modified the process of challenging a juror for cause, introducing judicial standby. It enhanced measures to better respond to intimate partner violence, provided additional measures to reduce c…
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Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the member could provide his thoughts on Bill C-48, bail reform legislation that was passed. It was supported in virtually every corner of Canada. The only ones who dragged their feet on it were the Conservatives. I would ask the member to provide his thoughts on that bail reform legislation.
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Mr. Speaker, the member for Bourassa has been a very strong advocate for his constituents. Looking at the need for bail reform, members such as him, alongside the Prime Minister, have done a great deal of work from within trying to reflect the interests of their constituents. I am wondering if he could provide his thoughts, from his constituents' perspective, as to why it is important that members…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In no way would I want to mislead the House in any fashion. I did not imply that we pass the motion. I was referring to potential bail reform legislation that would be brought in by the government.
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Madam Speaker, I truly appreciate the approach of my colleague and friend in dealing with the legislation in general and his position on the motion. The question I have for the member is in relation to the issue of crime and safety in our communities. If we want a good example of the Conservatives' behaviour on this issue, all we need to do is take a look at Bill C-2, which would provide a stronge…
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Madam Speaker, first of all, no one laughs at or mocks, in any way, inside this chamber, individual victims or the individuals the member mentioned. However, I do call into question statements that this particular member has made. For example, when he says our communities are like war zones, I believe most Canadians would disagree. That is extreme. When we have the MP for Oxford saying, “We are no…
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Madam Speaker, I suspect if you were to canvass the House you would find unanimous consent to call it 6:30 p.m. so we could get on to the late show.
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Mr. Speaker, I ask that it pass on division.
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Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I think you would find unanimous consent to see the clock at 6:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is important that everyone clearly understand the rule. The member opposite was not sitting in her seat as you were reading the question. I believe that if you put it to the member in that fashion, she might have been there at the very tail end, but she was not in her seat while the question had started to be read. If members have to be in their seat at the time at which the questi…
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Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
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Mr. Speaker, once again I would ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers also be allowed to stand.
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Mr. Speaker, with my limited time, I will do a bit of an overview. When we look at the issue of combatting hate, we see that the legislation is substantive and would in fact make a significant difference in our communities. I would also suggest that one needs to look at the last election, where there was a commitment to bring forward legislation of this nature. I say that because the election was …
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Madam Speaker, as a government, it is important to look at the actions we can take to minimize hate, such as bringing forward legislation of this nature. Whether it was the previous government or even the Harper government that started an escalation of hatred, we always have to put things into the proper context of time. There are world events that take place. We can look at what is happening in t…
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Madam Speaker, I am a very strong advocate for the Canadian Charter of Rights. I respect our democratic principles, one of which is being able to protest. What I do not respect are hate-motivated protests targeted against a particular ethnic or religious group. I have very little or zero tolerance. I do not believe one should, for example, prevent an individual from being able to go to a place of …
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Madam Speaker, whether it is my friend and colleague who just raised the question; the Prime Minister, who has made comments on it; or the general feeling not only within the Liberal caucus but also among many others, people have a right to feel safe to be able to participate in the things my friend and colleague just referenced. Whether it is a Nagar Kirtan or going to a gurdwara, these are thing…
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Madam Speaker, the Internet in many ways has been such a wonderful thing in terms of advancement of our communities, society and the world in general, but there are a lot of negatives. The rage and hatred we see through different forms of the Internet is something that concerns me, and I suspect it concerns a great number of people. Looking for ideas on how we can minimize the negatives of the Int…
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate many of the comments that my colleague has put on the record. I wonder if she could amplify one fact. We made an election commitment to bring forward legislation of this nature. One of the things we have been very aggressive on with the new Prime Minister and the new government is looking at legislative measures that support our election platform, whether it is the tax …
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Madam Speaker, I find it somewhat unfortunate when Conservatives give misinformation, as if the proposed legislation would not have a very real and tangible impact. One of the reasons I want the bill go to committee is, for example, very specifically, the judicial manner in which the Attorney General would no longer be needed for consent to lay a charge in a certain situation. I see that as reinfo…
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