Public Safety Committee on Feb. 15th, 2022

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Thanks.

I think the chair is back now, but I'd be—

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

Go ahead, Mr. MacGregor.

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Thank you, Chair. It's good to see you back.

I appreciate Ms. Damoff's amendment. I am leaning to being against it, and I'll state my reasons.

I very much understand that the Emergencies Act was brought into force yesterday. However, I am not interested so much in our security and law enforcement services' tasks under the Emergencies Act but rather the last two weeks. We, as a committee, have a legitimate questions about how things fell apart so quickly, and I'm really interested in having a deep dive on how we got to where we're at over the last two weeks. That's why I'm interested in maybe not voting in favour of the amendment but keeping the original motion as is.

I know from talking with my Conservative colleagues off-line that there might be some interest in adding the Ontario Provincial Police. I'm definitely in favour of that amendment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

Mr. McKinnon, I see that your hand is up.

[Ron McKinnon, Liberal, Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you, Chair. I want to speak in support of Ms. Damoff's amendment.

It is incredibly important that we hear from the people Mr. MacGregor mentioned, as well as potentially the Ontario Provincial Police.

The problem is that we are in the throes of this at this time, and while we might want to talk about what has gone on, the people involved are not going to speak about ongoing operational measures. They just can't. They also need to be heads-down working on the problem.

I would be happy to support the amendment, but without the amendment, I'm not going to be able to support Mr. MacGregor's motion. It's an excellent idea, but I can't support it at this time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

Mr. Lloyd, I see that your hand up, or is that from before?

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Chair, if I may, Mr. Noormohamed's hand has been raised for some time, as well as Mr. Van Popta's.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

No, my hand is up.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Mr. Chair, do I have the floor?

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

Well, I was away. Whose hand was up first?

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

These hands came up after you came—

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Noormohamed is the one who raised his hand.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

Okay, I'll take the [Technical difficulty—Editor] from the—

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I very much think that where Mr. MacGregor is headed is important. I would want to see us really think about—whether it's the OPP or the Ottawa Police Service—who else would need to be added.

Speaking from my time in the department, the one thing I will tell you is that it is unlikely that we are going to get answers to any of the questions we would have because, even though the Emergencies Act has been invoked, many of these things are still going to be considered ongoing operations. Whether or not we're going to get the answers, I think Ms. Damoff's amendment helps us get to where we want to go. I think it would be deeply disappointing if we got everybody together during this process and what we got a lot of was, “I can't tell you that right now because it's an ongoing operation.”

I do think this is an important thing for us to consider with that amendment. I would be supportive, and I do think we may want to consider through the next little while what else we may want to add to that to make sure that it does give us, in the fullness of time, what we need and, Mr. MacGregor, what I think you're trying to get at, which I think is very important.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

Go ahead, Mr. Lloyd.

[Dane Lloyd, Conservative, Sturgeon River—Parkland, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm inclined to agree with Mr. MacGregor. I don't support this amendment from our Liberal colleague. I think this is an important study. There is an ongoing operation, as they said. Mr. MacGregor is asking a very reasonable thing of this committee, to explore what's been going on for weeks in this country.

Yes, I'm aware there's a parliamentary review committee that will be struck because of this legislation, but we've seen committees, even as of last week and this week, studying similar things, so I will not be supporting the Liberal motion. I think it's a positive motion for us to look for, and I'll be supporting Mr. MacGregor's original motion with a proposed amendment to add the OPP. I won't move that now. I'll just indicate that's where I stand.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

Okay, colleagues.

Clerk, we're ready I believe to—

[The Clerk]

Mr. Chair, we still have a few hands up.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

Oh, I don't see any hands up. Who's got their hands up?

[The Clerk]

We have—

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

I can't see the room. The room is a postage stamp, so you'll have to tell me whose hands are up.

[The Clerk]

We have Mr. Van Popta, Mr. Shipley and Madam Michaud.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

Let's go in that order.

You call them, because I can't see them.

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

I believe I'm next, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Jim Carr]

Yes.