Thank you, Mr. Chair.
As a member of Parliament from the Toronto area, I have to say that I was also very saddened watching the footage of the violent protests in Toronto during the G-20 summit. Along with most Canadians and most residents of the Toronto area, I was shocked to see the violence taking place in what I consider to be a magnificent and typically peaceful city of Toronto. I join with the vast majority of Canadians in condemning these senseless acts of violence and the wanton destruction of property.
I'm also grateful that the injuries to all parties were minor. As Toronto City Council recently did, I also want to commend the outstanding work of our security forces leading up to and during the G-20 summit.
The security plan was developed by Canada's best experts in the field. The integrated security unit and its partners, such as the Toronto Police Service, had a comprehensive approach to security planning. In light of the violent mob made up of thugs, hooligans, and anarchists, this approach proved to be both necessary and essential.
The antics employed by such groups as these thugs, hooligans, and anarchists are, in my view, deplorable. These thugs, hooligans, and anarchists are obviously not representative of Canadian society, and I know that the citizens of Toronto and Canadians alike are appalled by their criminal actions.
There have been unsubstantiated allegations—and I stress that these are allegations—of problems surrounding the security at the G-8 and G-20 summits. I find it concerning that the opposition is willing to bypass the processes and bodies already in place to determine if these allegations are grounded in fact or on baseless accusations. Giving voice and prominence to groups such as these thugs, hooligans, and anarchists will circumvent the processes that are in place to determine if allegations actually have a basis in fact.
We know that the Ontario ombudsman, the Toronto police review board, the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, and the special investigative unit of Ontario are all involved in different capacities in reviewing the actions of police.
All Canadians were shocked to see the violence that was perpetrated by these thugs, and we must all consider how giving these extremists a public forum to defend their violent deeds could impact the police investigations and other independent investigations that are currently under way.
Mr. Chair, we stand up for our front-line police officers and for the safety of Canadians. We do not stand up for thugs who sought to threaten public safety and destroy property during the G-20 summit in Toronto, which was an opportunity for our country to showcase the Toronto area and our nation before the world. I think we did that. For those reasons, I think we're doing Canadians a disservice here today.
Thank you.