Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for drafting the jail not bail act. Can the member please describe the substantial difference between the approaches in the jail not bail act and Bill C-14 when it comes to repeat violent criminals, and how we create a presumption of detention in his bill?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to speak to e-petition 6626. Extensive social science research shows that children of separated or divorced parents exercise significantly better physical, emotional, social and academic outcomes when they spend equal or near-equal time with both parents, barring safety concerns. In Canada, public opinion polling since 2007 shows that over 70% of Canadians, across…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of Liberal waste, Canadians hoped for change. Instead, the Prime Minister delivered the costliest budget outside of COVID with a bloated, inflation-fuelling deficit that punishes work, drives up prices and shatters every promise his government made. He vowed discipline, but his budget explodes the deficit to $80 billion, piles on $90 billion in new spending and drives b…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the Secretary of State for Rural Development left his seat and returned to his seat before the vote was tabulated.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, since the Liberals formed government in 2015, this country has had a steady and alarming increase in major crime. Violent crime is up 55%, homicides are up 29%, sex assaults are up 76%, firearms offences are up 131% and extortion is up a whopping 330%. The government’s tireless efforts to prioritize the rights and freedoms of the accused at the express expense of victim and community …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, every member of the chamber has seen the toll that addiction, trafficking and exploitation take on our communities. I have spoken with first responders who arrive at overdoses of the same people night after night. I have met with outreach workers stretched to the breaking point and with volunteers who keep showing up because no one else will. I want to begin by recognizing what the …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, on Friday, the Supreme Court struck down mandatory jail time for predators convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material. That decision is disgusting. These offenders were not caught with a few files; they had hundreds of images and videos of children as young as three being tortured and abused, yet instead of standing up for victims, the Liberal government stays silent. Why is …
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, with the Liberals, why do the charter rights of pedophiles come before the charter rights of children? Shamefully, every single member of that party, including the Minister of Justice, remains silent. There are crickets. This ruling means pedophiles with hundreds of videos of children being sexually assaulted can escape mandatory jail. They cannot claim to stand for victims while they…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, a general theme running through the member's speech was offender accountability, and I think every member of the House appreciates that principle. However, I say to the member that if she were truly concerned about accountability, she would know that accountability also promotes meaningful consequences for individuals who prey on other humans in order to traffic them and for those i…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, from my review of Bill C-14, I believe that there is a partial admission by the government that it failed and that it dropped the ball when it introduced Bill C-5. It actually rolled back some of the conditional sentences, so I want to spend a bit of time talking about that. Given that sex assault is on the rise across this country, why did the member's government see fit to claw ba…
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Madam Speaker, I will highlight how disappointing it was to hear the parliamentary secretary for justice being so partisan in her attacks. I thought we were getting along so well in the spirit of collaboration. Public and community safety are not a partisan issue. They never should be. Our goal is to make this bill as strong as possible, and her attacks were absolutely not appreciated. The title o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have a question with respect to the bill and the clamping down on the availability of conditional sentences. In our respective view, this is a partial admission of the failures of the introduction of Bill C-5, which allowed for conditional sentences to be served for very serious offences. I recognize that Bill C-14 mentions sexual offences and sexual offences against children, but…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will ask my colleague to reflect on the issue of the principle of restraint. Obviously, it has not been abandoned in Bill C-14. There have been some attachments and limitations to its application. Why are provisions of the principle of restraint in jail not bail a better approach for the protection of Canadians?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I would like to follow up on my colleague's response to the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader about trying to make this bill better. You said it best when you said the government has had six-plus years to get this right. The election is almost seven months removed. Why do you think the government left out such substantive pieces of reform, particularly in the area…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, my colleague gave an excellent speech. He referenced Bailey McCourt, the tragic, preventable homicide that is still on the books in British Columbia, which was a result of a decision made by a judge to release after conviction pending sentence. Bill C-14 does not close that gap. What would the jail not bail act say in reference to that type of process?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Cariboo—Prince George. It is always a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak on behalf of the fine constituents of my riding, and it is significant for me as a former participant in the criminal justice system for almost two decades. This is an issue that I have been pushing for, and it is an issue for which I have been advocating f…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the bill is some 35 pages long. It would make 80 significant changes to the Criminal Code. In fact, the title of the bill is the bail and sentencing reform act. The question I will put to the minister is regarding sentencing. He spoke very generally about the consecutive sentence aspect of the bill. He spoke about the aggravated features of the bill for sentencing purposes, but he d…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, before I start, I seek unanimous consent to split my time.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for that excellent question and his equally excellent suggestion. It is a particular issue that, for years, we have been advocating for. As I indicated in my speech, in 2019, the creation of the principle of restraint and the amendment to the code was the genesis of the problems we face today. It would be a very easy fix to simply repeal section 493.1, the princ…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my relationship with our current justice minister is vastly different from those with previous justice ministers. He is open to conversation. We have exchanged our personal cell numbers. I spoke about the bill with him this past weekend. He knows that we are going to be putting forth reasonable amendments. He has indicated a willingness to look at that. In fact, I am even going to s…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is optimistic for the member to suggest that the bill could be passed by the end of the year. I am hoping, as we consider it as an opposition party, that my friend's party would also consider reasonable amendments to improve the bill. I said that it is good, but it is not the best, and it can be improved. My friend talks about a substantial bail reform package. I would disagree w…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals blew nearly $1 billion on a gun grab that even their own minister admits does not work. He was caught on tape telling the truth: It is a waste of money. The OPP wants no part of it, and the chief of the only police force they found to enforce their vanity project is related to a Liberal MP. This is not safety; it is political theatre with a $750-million price tag. When wi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, could the member repeat her last line? I did not quite catch it. There was some talking in the background and I could not hear it.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, sex assault victims, whether they be military-based or civilian-based, have an absolute lack of trust in the Canadian legal system. There is significant under-reporting, and inconsistent investigative measures are taken. When a matter does get to court, there are Crown attorneys who either display an interest or a lack of interest. There is revictimization within the trial process its…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am going to pose the same question to the member that I did to one of his colleagues, because I did not get an answer. The reality is that sex assault victims, whether they be in civilian court or military court, have a complete lack of trust in the system. They call it a system; they do not call it a justice system. There is under-reporting and there are problems with investigation…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, let us look at some examples of government inaction. In Vancouver, police had to arrest the same 40 offenders 6,000 times in one year. In Peel, police arrested 18 suspects for home invasions and carjackings, and half are already released on bail. In Saskatchewan, Myles Sanderson was out on release after 59 convictions when he murdered 11 people. Premiers, police chiefs, mayors and vic…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Liberal bail laws have unleashed a bloodbath of violent crime across the country. Bill C-75, the catch-and-release Liberal bail law, is the problem. The Prime Minister has kept Liberal bail in place, causing more bloodshed over his last six months. Conservatives listened to police and victims and drafted a bill to end Liberal bail and restore city streets. The vote is today. Victims a…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Liberal laws have unleashed crime and chaos on our streets, and it is no wonder: Bill C-75 requires courts to release repeat violent offenders at the earliest opportunity with the least restrictive conditions. The results are devastating. In Markham alone, a criminal out on bail for attempted murder shot a man in a home invasion. The Liberals promise bail reform, but it is just anothe…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my friend as he is one of the few Conservative MPs in the Brampton area. The majority of those ridings are dominated by Liberal MPs. My question to the member is simple: What is the community of Brampton saying about the weak, soft-on-crime agenda of the Liberal government?
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, it has been a long six months since the Prime Minister promised bail reform, and nothing has happened. Instead, the Liberals are obstructing the Conservative jail not bail act from passing, keeping soft-on-crime catch-and-release laws on the books. Since the Liberals took office, violent crime is up 55%, sex assaults are up 76% and gun crime has soared by a staggering 130%. Enough is …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what the question was.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the government misled Canadians into believing that it was simply codifying language from the Supreme Court of Canada. The decision the Liberals were referring to was Antic, which basically reiterated the principles under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that apply to people who are factually innocent, although charged with a serious crime. Justin Trudeau and his ministers said they…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I absolutely believe in democracy. I absolutely believe in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In the charter, we have two fundamental rights that apply to bail matters: the right to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise, and the right to reasonable bail. This is bail, not sentencing. Reasonable bail does not mean absolute bail, and that is the consequence, literally, o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the great citizens of Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations. It is particularly poignant for me given today's topic and given my prior history in the criminal justice system. I dare say that one of the driving forces for me to leave behind, at that point, almost 28 years in criminal justice to become a legislator was that I saw first-hand, dail…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, absolutely, the bill would see immediate changes to the safety quotient across the country. There would be a rebalancing of our criminal justice system, where the rights of the accused are balanced with community safety and victim safety. Those repeat violent offenders would find it exceedingly difficult, although not impossible, to obtain bail.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, perhaps my friend did not hear me as clearly as I wanted her to hear me. Law enforcement has been pleading with the government for the last four years. They have had regular meetings here in Ottawa and in many parts of this country. They came here to Ottawa for a one-day summit, a one-day summit producing Bill C-48, which added reverse onus provisions to a number of firearm offences, …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have couple of housekeeping matters to address. I seek consent from the House to be able to split my time.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the member's speech was excellent. The symbolism section in Bill C-9 specifically prohibits the wilful public display of the Nazi swastika. There are over one million Hindu Canadians in this country, and part of the symbolism associated with that culture and faith is a symbol that closely resembles the swastika.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I do not know what was funny about Christianity being under attack, but nevertheless, Christian churches have been burned at an alarming rate. Between May 2021 and December 2023, thirty-three Christian churches were burned in this country, with the vast majority being arson-based. For years, communities cried out for protection. What they got instead from their federal Liberal gover…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we have heard from several speakers from the government side that Jewish groups are absolutely supportive and in favour of the full content of Bill C-9. I would like to find out this from my colleague: As a proud Jewish resident in his community, has he heard from any other Jewish groups that offer a different view?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the minister talked about the codification of the term “hatred”. I believe his explanation was that it was a codification from the Supreme Court of Canada. I am sure the minister recognizes that the decision we are both talking about is a decision known as Regina v. Keegstra. In Regina v. Keegstra, a leading decision on the definition of hatred from the Supreme Court of Canada, hatr…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have several responses. I want to highlight again that obtaining Attorney General consent is not a cumbersome process. There are a number of potential prosecutions and offences currently in the Criminal Code that already require Attorney General consent, so I can lay to rest the issue that it is too time-consuming and would delay a potential prosecution, because it is not reality.…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, it is the swastika. Does my friend feel that this is a glaring error on behalf of the drafters that could lead to unintended consequences and could ultimately lead to criminal charges? I would like to hear his thoughts on that.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, nothing is off the table.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am going to ask my hon. colleague to reflect on the question that was put to me by the Secretary of State for Combatting Crime, that the police services that she has spoken to welcome the removal of Attorney General consent. I would like to know, from the perspective of my colleague, what his impression is in terms of enforcement generally with respect to the existing hate legisla…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues, and I will be splitting my time with my colleague, the member for Montmorency—Charlevoix. It is always a pleasure to rise and speak on behalf of the incredible residents who put me in this incredible position to represent them in the House of Commons. Today, I rise to speak to this government bill, Bill C-9, the combatting hate act. Let me begin where I think …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I find Justin Trudeau's comments in this House and outside this House with respect to the burning down of Christian churches to be absolutely repulsive. It was a disgusting statement by the head of a G7 country, and in my view, it is emblematic of how this government has vilified Christianity in the House of Commons. Every time a church was burned, we would bring it up in the House …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as a lawyer and a former adjudicator, I would like to hear my colleague's opinion on the differing standards of proof. We have the extreme vilification versus the lower standard in Bill C-9. Knowing that our courts are overburdened with cases right now, with Jordan delays being commonplace across Canada, does she feel this confusing threshold will increase the amount of litigation in …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, last Tuesday, a video was shot in a vacant committee room. I was involved in the video, as were my colleagues from the justice committee who are from the Conservative Party. In that video, we drew attention to the fact that although this was a regular day to hold a justice committee meeting, there were no Liberals present at this particular meeting and no member from the Bloc Québéc…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the truth came out a few days ago. The minister knows the gun grab will fail. He was caught on tape admitting that it will blow the budget and that it would be better to lock up criminals committing the crimes. I am sorry, but the minister's words were not misguided; they were the truth. However, today he is blindly plowing ahead, not to protect Canadians but because the Prime Ministe…
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