James Bezan

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, September 29th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, fall is upon us, and in my rural Manitoba riding, farmers are wrapping up harvest with most crops safely in the bin. The fall calf run has started with roundup under way on our ranches. Commercial fishers are busy landing their catch on Lake Winnipeg.

This should be a time of Thanksgiving, but sadly, Canadian farm, ranch and commercial fishing families are being overtaxed and over-regulated by the NDP-Liberal government. This costly coalition is quadrupling the carbon tax, making it more expensive every time hard-working families fuel up their tractors, combines, trucks and boats.

These misinformed Liberals have unilaterally implemented draconian trucking and fertilizer regulations, which will lower farm productivity and increase food insecurity. When we tax the people who grow the food and tax the people who truck the food, it costs us more to buy the food.

After eight long years, Canadians cannot afford this Liberal mismanagement anymore, but better times are ahead. Soon there will be great Thanksgiving and celebration across the land when we get rid of these out-of-touch Liberals and replace them with a common sense Conservative government, which would put Canadians first.

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has a duty of care to protect President Zelenskyy when he is here in Canada. The Parliamentary Protective Service, the RCMP, the Privy Council Office and the protocol office all report to the Prime Minister.

Because of his failure to fulfill his personal responsibilities, the Prime Minister has harmed Canada's reputation on the world stage. He broke trust with Jewish and Ukrainian communities. He has undermined Ukraine in this war, and he has provided fuel for Putin's propaganda machine.

Will the Prime Minister admit that he was negligent, and apologize to President Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian people and, indeed, all Canadians?

[Foreign Affairs, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, it is the Prime Minister who is responsible for visiting heads of state. President Zelenskyy came here expecting a warm welcome and a successful visit, but, due to the Prime Minister's haphazard management of this visit, he instead turned it into a diplomatic nightmare.

This has played straight into Russia's disinformation campaign against Ukraine. The Prime Minister must accept full responsibility. Will he publicly apologize to President Zelenskyy today for his failure?

[Guests in the House of Commons, September 27th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, last week, President Zelenskyy came to Canada looking for more support to defeat the Russian invaders. He should have left here reassured that his visit was a huge success, but instead the Liberals created a diplomatic nightmare that completely overshadowed President Zelenskyy’s visit.

The Prime Minister’s negligence has fuelled the Russian propaganda machine. The hurt this caused to Ukrainian and Jewish communities is unimaginable. Ukraine has already survived multiple genocides: the Holocaust, the Holodomor and the Sürgünlik of the Crimean Tatars. This incident is deeply personal. President Zelenskyy himself is Jewish and lost family in the Holocaust. His defence minister, Rustem Umerov, is a Muslim Crimean Tatar born in the gulag.

It is time for the Prime Minister to stand in his place and publicly apologize to President Zelenskyy, the people of Ukraine and, indeed, all Canadians.

[Guests in the House of Commons, September 26th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have embarrassed Canada, insulted the Jewish community, undermined our Ukrainian allies and disrespected our veterans, and the Prime Minister refuses to accept any responsibility. He has either willfully or ignorantly discarded his duty to protect President Zelenskyy from this international disaster. Because of his negligence, the Liberals have helped fuel Russia's propaganda machine against Ukraine.

Will the Prime Minister finally accept responsibility, stand in the House and apologize to all Canadians and to our Ukrainian allies?

[Guests in the House of Commons, September 25th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, this is more than an embarrassment. It is disgusting. Zelenskyy is Jewish and lost family in the Holocaust. The Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov is a Muslim Crimean Tatar who was born in the gulags.

I am angry that this Liberal incompetence is playing right into the hands of Russian disinformation. Due to the Liberals' negligence, the government is eroding support for Ukraine against Russia's illegal invasion.

Will the Prime Minister accept responsibility for embarrassing Canada and undermining Ukraine on the world stage?

[Guests in the House of Commons, September 25th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, Ukraine has survived multiple genocides at the hands of both the Soviets and the Nazis: the Holodomor, the Holocaust and the Sürgünlik of Crimean Tatars, so it is shocking that a self-professed Nazi was allowed into the chamber by the Liberals and officially recognized by the Speaker during the state visit of the president of Ukraine. The Liberals abdicated their duty-of-care responsibilities to President Zelenskyy during his state visit.

Will the Prime Minister officially apologize to President Zelenskyy for his incompetence and, indeed, apologize to all the people of Ukraine?

[Criminal Code, September 18th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his great intervention on bail reform.

With the Liberal's Bill C-75, which was soft on crime, they allowed so many criminals back on the street. They went back so far in time that they actually reversed a lot of the bail requirements for things such as committing a crime with a firearm, which started under Pierre Elliott Trudeau. They even undid things that were done on mandatory minimums going back to the Liberal era of the seventies and eighties.

I would ask my colleague if he really believes that, because of Liberal ideology in Bill C-75, the hug-a-thug approach, it has ultimately resulted in what we have today with an increase in violent crime of over 32%. The city of Winnipeg, where I come from, is now one of the most dangerous cities in all of North America. It all has to do with the bail reform, and how the Liberals have always stood up for the criminal and never stood up for the victim. It is time for jail and not bail.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 18th, 2023]

With regard to the Royal Canadian Navy's Victoria-class submarines: what was the number of sea days each submarine has had for each of the last 48 months, broken down by month and by ship?

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 18th, 2023]

With regard to media reports that Canadian soldiers in Latvia have had to purchase their own modern ballistic helmets equipped with built-in hearing protection: (a) why was such equipment not provided by the government to all Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) soldiers serving in Latvia; (b) will the soldiers who had to purchase these helmets with their own funds be reimbursed; and (c) what is the timeline for when these helmets, or ones of a similar quality, will be provided to all CAF soldiers participating in theatre or live fire exercises?