Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, a working-class Canadian voting Conservative would be like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders, my goodness. When I talk to people who live in rural Nova Scotia, they want simple things. They want good jobs, better health care and lower taxes, and this budget would deliver all three. Members do not have to take my word for it; they can listen to a statement from the provincial Progre…
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Mr. Speaker, let me be unequivocal: Child abusers are heinous criminals and should be treated as such by Canada’s criminal laws. We will be moving forward with legislative solutions that would give clear directions to the courts to ensure that serious crimes are met with serious penalties. If the Conservatives want not only to ask questions in the House but also to actually achieve progress on thi…
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Mr. Speaker, I see I have been missed by my friends opposite. I have good news on the subject that grounds the member's question. This is one where I think we can collaborate in a non-partisan way. The government has just tabled legislation, Bill C-14, that includes protections for first responders by adding aggravating factors to the sentences, which would result in harder penalties for those who…
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We understand that Canadians have the desire to see the criminal law keep up with the experience in their communities. We do not think it is acceptable that repeat violent offenders would be routinely released after having their bail hearings.
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moved that Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act (bail and sentencing), be read the second time and referred to a committee. Mr. Speaker, today we have the opportunity to commence debate on an important bill that would help reinforce and strengthen Canada's criminal laws and promote public safety in communities in every part of th…
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Madam Speaker, it is difficult. There are members of the opposition who are seeking to heckle and interrupt. I would very much prefer to have your assistance in keeping this debate civil on matters of such importance.
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Madam Speaker, before I address the member's question directly, I want to thank him for the conversations we have had and for his advocacy in advancing some of the specific reforms that are included in this bill. This bill was not necessarily intended to revisit the penalties associated with every offence that exists in the Criminal Code. Of course, serious offences deserve serious penalties, but …
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Madam Speaker, to the extent that we can adopt this bill quickly, we expect to see the positive implications it will have on communities more quickly. What is important, to the member's question, is that I would prefer to do that in a way that is collaborative, not just with members in the House but with different levels of the government and policing associations. The fact that this bill has attr…
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Madam Speaker, it is important that we actually make space for all parties to be heard and to have a conversation. It is essential that we take action to ensure that people who are violent, who commit serious crimes, who are dangerous and who pose a risk to public safety do not continue to find themselves released into our communities if they pose a public safety threat to Canadians. This is going…
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Madam Speaker, I first want to thank my colleague and the Bloc Québécois for their position on this bill. It is very important that we work together to implement the changes it proposes. I will continue in English in order to be more clear. My colleague has raised a very real concern about the number of people in Canada facing pretrial detention. The right answer, in my view, insists that we imple…
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Madam Speaker, before I address the question directly, I want to thank the hon. member, because I had the opportunity to work with him a number of years ago when he put forward Bill C-211 in our first Parliament, which addressed the need to better support first responders and their mental health in particular. I know he has been a champion for first responders, as I have been, from the day we were…
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Madam Speaker, my friend and colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands is right that there is a paucity of data when it comes to the administration of bail in Canada. Part of the reason is that we have different provincial systems with different challenges. We have challenges not only as to when a person may be released on bail and how often they may receive bail, but also as to the reasons behind those…
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-14, an act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act (bail and sentencing). (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his very important question. Our government is taking action to keep Canadians safe. The bill will have tougher consequences for repeat violent and sex offenders and will end house arrest for sex offenders. The bill also strengthens bail rules to ensure that detention is the default for repeat violent offenders. That would protect victims and our c…
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Mr. Speaker, there is not a less credible voice when it comes to criminal justice reform than the Leader of the Opposition. In the past few weeks, he has called the RCMP “despicable”. He has attacked Crown prosecutors, and he has suggested his political opponents should be jailed. The legislation we tabled today will make it harder to get bail for violent repeat offenders and will strengthen sente…
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Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that the federal government defend our charters, defend human rights and protect the Constitution. This case is before the Supreme Court of Canada. It is the federal government's responsibility to intervene to defend the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Constitution. There are no circumstances under which the federal government would not intervene. It i…
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Mr. Speaker, when a member chooses to misinterpret a quote for his political position, it is clear he believes his own argument is very weak. The positions that we have advanced in the Supreme Court of Canada are that the notwithstanding clause does not allow governments, federal or provincial, to permanently damage the rights of Canadians, and that it does not permit governments to silence the co…
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Mr. Speaker, the federal government did not initiate these proceedings, but we are going to participate in the case before the Supreme Court of Canada. It is very important that the federal government defend the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and defend human rights. After several years, the case has made its way to the Supreme Court of Canada. It is unimaginable to think that the federal…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Hamilton Mountain for her question and for her work on the justice file. A hate crime is targeted not at an individual but at an entire community. With this bill, we are creating a specific offence for hate crimes. We are adding the Supreme Court of Canada's definition of “hatred” to the Criminal Code. Once passed, the law will help condemn hate, p…
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Mr. Speaker, obviously when such violent circumstances arise in communities across the country, it is incumbent upon members of Parliament on both sides of the aisle to condemn them unreservedly. I would remind my hon. colleague that some of the laws he points to in his many promises, including ones pertaining to self-defence, were in fact put into Canada's laws when the Conservatives last held po…
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Mr. Speaker, listening to the member's question, it is clear that there are several deficiencies with the approach that he has put forward. First, Bill C-75 actually made it harder for offenders who have been charged with intimate partner violence to be released on bail. He would make it easier for them to get out into our communities. Second, he claims to have engaged with law enforcement in the …
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Mr. Speaker, every Canadian deserves to be safe and to feel safe in their community. Over the course of the recent federal election campaign, we made several commitments to help reform Canada's bail system and to advance stronger penalties for those who commit serious offences against their fellow Canadians. We are willing to work across the aisle with other members to ensure that we put forward r…
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Mr. Speaker, with great respect to my hon. colleague, we have one point of agreement, which is that we need to take action and change Canada's laws to make it harder for violent offenders to be released into our communities. The good news is that the legislation we are putting forward will do exactly that. What I cannot accept is a half-baked idea from the Conservative Party, which seems to have t…
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Mr. Speaker, we need to change Canada's laws to strengthen the bail system. At the same time, we know that the bill before the House today has many flaws. As we go forward, we are not going to take a bill that is completely deficient and does not scratch the surface of what law enforcement, provinces and territories and experts have informed us on over the last few months. Our job is not to pander…
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Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague's argument is self-defeating. He suggests that one of the laws to blame when it comes to bail should be repealed when in fact that would make it easier for someone charged with intimate partner violence to be released on bail. If someone is going to be critical of a piece of legislation on the floor of the House of Commons, it is a good idea to read it first. We have…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking my colleague for the question. As the member knows full well, we are introducing new bills to protect communities that face hate from another community. This piece of legislation includes the criminalization of the wilful promotion of hatred using specific hate symbols. Of course, as the hon. member knows, decisions as to which groups are included are subje…
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Mr. Speaker, this bill specifically includes symbols that encourage the intentional promotion of hatred, including Nazi symbols as well as symbols of terrorist organizations. It is essential that the decisions as to which organizations are treated as terrorist organizations in this country are made independently by the national security apparatus. However, should the hon. member wish to put this t…
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Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to accept criticism from the Conservatives when it comes to issues of crime, given their completely lackadaisical approach to protecting Canadians against gun violence. When we look at their record, when they were last in government, they eroded investments at the border, making it easier to have guns illegally smuggled into this country. At every opportunity, they hav…
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moved that Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places), be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, today we begin debate on the combatting hate bill, which would offer additional protections to communities of people across this country that have been the subject of unjust actions of hate, not just tow…
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Madam Speaker, the questioner knows the affection I have for her as a friend and the respect I have for her as a parliamentary colleague. With enormous respect, my goal here is to offer protections to Canadians who do not see themselves reflected in the hate crimes included in Canada's Criminal Code today. We see too often that people are able to commit heinous acts with impunity against their fel…
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Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for the conversations we have shared not only on this matter but on a series of different areas of criminal justice reform in recent days. I think it is important to understand what we are seeking to achieve. We are not seeking to criminalize people who may dislike one another. We are not seeking to protect people from being offended or hearing someth…
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Madam Speaker, first, allow me to thank my colleague for his question and for giving me the opportunity to practise my French. During my conversations with visible minority groups, many people told me that the reforms set out in this bill need to be implemented. Some people made suggestions similar to the one the member just raised. I heard stories about religious leaders using the religious exemp…
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Madam Speaker, my position on this exemption is that there is now an obligation to demonstrate good faith. I do not think it is in good faith for someone to use the exemption to avoid responsibility for a criminal offence. I am open to that. If the majority of the committee members vote to change the exemption based on the testimony they hear, I am open to that change.
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Madam Speaker, I want to share a reflection about the parliamentary work of my colleague. She has been an inspiration to me for many years. I remember what she was subjected to when she had the courage to move forward with what was then Motion No. 103 to deal with Islamophobia in this country. Though I was proud to support it, I was so disappointed with the reaction from some corners of society to…
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Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague has raised two questions. With respect to the first, by way of summary, we engaged directly with law enforcement who asked for simple definitions that would offer clarity to them and help them in enforcing the criminal law when it comes to hate crimes in this country. On the second issue, which engages the topic of the requirement that exists today that the Attorne…
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Mr. Speaker, we cannot be serious about public safety if we are not serious about gun crime. My hon. colleague on the other side of the House raises concerns about the illegal flow of guns across the border. When he was in government, he made cuts that made it easier for illegal guns to come across the border. We are going to be adding 1,000 officers at the border. He has also campaigned on a comm…
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Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we do not want to change the Constitution. We want to give the Supreme Court the opportunity to clarify the Constitution. It is very important for the federal government to defend our Constitution. Now, the case is before the Supreme Court of Canada. That is the appropriate forum for presenting arguments, not the House of Commons.
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to public safety in this country, we agree that there is work to do when it comes to bail reform and to tightened sentencing, which is why we will be introducing legislation that makes the criminal justice system treat serious crime with more serious consequences going forward. A point of disagreement between the government and the opposition is the role of assault-style…
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Mr. Speaker, with respect to the commitment to hire 1,000 officers at the border, I would point my hon. colleague opposite to the election campaign platform that Canadians across the country, including in the riding of Carleton, supported to make sure that we would defend our border against the flow of illegal guns and drugs coming into Canada. For years, I have watched Conservatives brush away gu…
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Mr. Speaker, it should not have been a surprise. We have held the same position for years. When the case reached the Supreme Court of Canada, we filed an intervention. It is very important for the federal government to defend the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and defend the rights of people across the country. As the member knows full well, the case ended up at the Supreme Court of Canad…
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Mr. Speaker, if the member is concerned about advancing legislation that is actually going to keep Canadians safe, he would work across the aisle with us as we seek to table legislation during this legislative sitting to ensure that violent repeat offenders are kept behind bars and make sure the most serious offenders are facing stiffer penalties. It is hard to accept criticism, when it comes to k…
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Mr. Speaker, I have news for my friend on the other side of the House of Commons. If he believes that I have not moved forward with legislative efforts this sitting when it comes to criminal justice reform, I would have invited him to show up for work on Friday last week, when we did that very thing. The member should look forward in this fall sitting to seeing two additional pieces of criminal le…
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Mr. Speaker, this case deals with issues of national interest. It is very important for the federal government to intervene to protect the Constitution. As the member is well aware, this case is before the Supreme Court of Canada, which is the appropriate forum for making such arguments.
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Mr. Speaker, we agree that we need to take action to ensure that violent repeat offenders are not left on our streets. However, it is curious, the strategy that the Conservatives have chosen. The law they are putting forward now has been shown to be a failure in every jurisdiction in which it has been tried. It is a theory that has come directly out of the United States. I do not know if the oppos…
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear that this case raises issues that are of national interest. It is appropriate and essential for the federal government to defend our charter. As the member is aware, this matter is now before the Supreme Court of Canada. That is the appropriate forum for making arguments.
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Mr. Speaker, I have immense respect for my colleague's service and that of his colleagues. However, I disagree with a number of the points he made. He referred to policies of the Liberal government, but he may not appreciate that the very policies he criticizes made it harder for people charged with intimate partner violence to get bail and made it harder for people to avoid sentencing when it cam…
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Mr. Speaker, with respect to my hon. colleague, I am sure she knows that we are moving forward with bail reform legislation that will be tabled in the House this fall. I had the opportunity yesterday to connect with a number of my critics, including the Conservative critic, to discuss items of mutual concern. Our belief on this side of the House is that we need to strengthen our bail laws and our …
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Mr. Speaker, the circumstances my hon. colleague raises clearly engage heinous crimes that need to be taken absolutely seriously. I spent a number of the last few months meeting with law enforcement, meeting with people who work within the criminal justice system and meeting with people who have dedicated their lives and careers to improving public safety in this country. Not one of them has come …
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moved for leave to introduce Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places). (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
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Mr. Speaker, dangerous people who commit serious crimes should not be walking freely in our streets if they pose a public safety threat to Canadians. I have good news—
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