Emergencies Act  I apologize, Madam Speaker. I would ask if my colleague respects the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which I assume all of us do in the House, and how he would respond to what it said, as follows: “This use of the Emergencies Act is unnecessary, unjustifiable and unconstitutional.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, that is a great question. I formerly worked in media, and it has been unbelievable to see how people are getting their information from information silos. I think it is one of the biggest contributing factors to the division we are seeing in this country. There is a really big discussion that needs to happen about media and the information that is being released to the public.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, I think this whole discussion is part of what I am trying to say. How did we get to a point where each person thinks they are so right and people are so divided? It comes back to the leadership at the very top. When we have a leader telling Canadians that some of the people in this country are bad people, it divides us, and that is the biggest problem we have in this country.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, I guess my answer would be exactly what I said in my entire speech: How did we get here? What are the first, second and third actions that were taken before invoking the Emergencies Act?

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, I think it goes back to a lot of what I was saying in this speech in speaking with the police and different police chiefs about meeting with these protesters. The police were obviously able to clear the blockades at the border crossings by negotiating, talking and listening.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, it is hard to believe we are here. I certainly did not expect this to be my experience when I was elected into the 44th Parliament, as I am sure many of my other colleagues did not either. The starting point for this discussion is how we even got here. How did we get to a point that the Prime Minister invoked the Emergencies Act, previously known as the War Measures Act?

Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, I think the party that has flip-flopped is the Liberals. Last week, they said they had all the tools they needed to do this, and now we have the Emergencies Act. We were told we would never need federal vaccine mandates, but that changed. Now they are saying it is just jurisdiction.

Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, yesterday, during a press conference, the Prime Minister said, “Some people will say that we moved too quickly. Other people will say no, we should have acted weeks ago. The reality is this: The Emergencies Act is not something to take lightly. It's not the first thing you turn to, nor the second, nor the third.”

Government Business No. 8—Proceedings on Bill C-10  Madam Speaker, I thank the member for such an excellent question. It is the best question I have been asked yet. For those of you who may not know, the member who asked the question is a doctor and worked on the front lines of COVID. Earlier today, I heard a member opposite question whether he thought these measures are scientifically valid, and nothing could be further from the truth.

Government Business No. 8—Proceedings on Bill C-10  Madam Speaker, the member would be really sorry if he ever met my mother, because she is definitely not in long-term care, and she would be deeply offended that he thinks she is in long-term care. I never said that. I said she went to the hospital. Absolutely, these measures are provincial, and that is what this whole motion is about: transferring money to the provinces.

Government Business No. 8—Proceedings on Bill C-10  Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her kind words on our first exchange. I heard an infectious disease doctor on the CBC this morning doing an interview and he had a great point about assessing our individual risk tolerance, learning to live with COVID and doing things that help with our personal protection.

Government Business No. 8—Proceedings on Bill C-10  Madam Speaker, I want to start by saying to everyone, my family, friends and constituents, happy Valentine's Day. Today I am standing in the House of Commons to discuss and defend the position of my party in regard to Bill C-10. For people watching who may or may not know what Bill C-10 is, I am going to read it.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Mr. Chair, my question is about diversion and its effectiveness if there is nowhere to take the patient. We absolutely do not want to criminalize addiction. It is absolutely a disease. I think we have all heard that this evening. However, if there are no resources, and there is nowhere to take someone, like a recovery centre, and no bed to take them to, how are we supposed to implement diversion tactics?

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Madam Chair, I think tonight has been so emotional and profound for so many, because we all know across this House that it is a crisis. I absolutely agree with what my colleague, the member for Foothills, said tonight: We need a strategy. We cannot have a shotgun approach. Before I came and spoke this evening, I messaged our chief of EMS in my region, who said the same thing, that we need a strategy and wraparound services.

The Opioid Crisis in Canada  Madam Chair, I wish I could respond in French. Hopefully in a couple of years I will be able to, but my French is not quite there yet. Absolutely, the national housing strategy is a key partner. This opioid crisis, as we heard tonight from many members, is a spiderweb of a multitude of factors that come into play.