Public Safety Committee on March 11th, 2024

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have a couple of points about the amendment.

I can't support this amendment because, number one, I'm not sure why we would remove Paul Bernardo from the motion. We have letters submitted to the committee. One from March 9, 2024, reads:

I am writing today to request and encourage you to undertake a study of the reclassification and transfer of Luka Magnotta and other federal offenders at the emergency meeting called on Monday March 11th, 2024.

I, along with Tennille Chwalczuk and Laura Murray are willing to be witnesses and are available Wednesday thru Friday, as well as whenever needed in the future.

The other point, which I think is very bizarre for people watching at home, is why the Liberals are bringing up what happened 10 or 15 years ago. What we're talking about is right now. What we're talking about is the most sadistic killer in Canadian history. It just doesn't make any sense.

To go back to the point of this motion and the amendment put forward by the Bloc, they want to push it down to one meeting. How in the world are you going to solve how and why this happened when we know that the minister's office was notified seven times? One meeting is certainly not enough.

To Mr. Julian's point about wasting taxpayer dollars and public safety, under the coalition that he has with the Liberals, sexual assaults are up 72%. Domestic violence is an epidemic in this country. If you want to talk about public safety, we can certainly do that. It's never been worse. People have never felt more unsafe than under this Trudeau government.

In terms of taxpayer dollars, we can also delve into that if he would like and what he's done with the Liberal government. We're servicing more debt than we are giving to health transfers because of their overspending, wasteful spending and corruption.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

I have a point of order.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Also, we have a clerk and staff who work here regardless of whether we're here.

[The Chair, Liberal, Heath MacDonald]

Go ahead, Mr. Julian.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

None of this is relevant. I believe this is a filibuster. I think it's important that we get to a vote in the next half-hour, prior to the committee meeting ending.

[The Chair, Liberal, Heath MacDonald]

Thank you, Mr. Julian.

Ms. Ferreri.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Thank you to Mr. Julian for not supporting Ms. Michaud's amendment. I thank him for that because what this amendment is doing is absolutely gutting the whole point of victims' rights. I can't stress that enough. We have this opportunity here, and to call it political theatre.... For the victims watching at home, this isn't theatre. This is their lives.

To my Liberal member across the way, this is not political theatre. This is their lives.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Then stop treating it like political theatre, Ms. Ferreri.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Are you for real? You literally just said that if this was your family, you would do this.

[The Chair, Liberal, Heath MacDonald]

Excuse me, guys. Let's respect the interpreters, please.

Go ahead, Ms. Ferreri.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

I just think it's bizarre to call it this. We are literally translating what victims want. We are literally reading verbatim what they have asked us to do. That is what we were elected to do. I'm not sure how you can call that political theatre. It makes no sense.

Mr. Chair, he's smirking. If he can explain to me how that is political theatre, I would love to hear it.

In the meantime, I'll go back to how we must get this—

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Mr. Chair, on a point of order, can I respond to the question just posed by Ms. Ferreri? She asked me to respond, so I can respond if she'd like.

[The Chair, Liberal, Heath MacDonald]

Do so very quickly, Mr. Schiefke.

[An hon. member]

Point of order.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Let's go to the 291 transfers in 2012-13—

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Heath MacDonald]

Hold on, guys.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

—many of whom were murderers and rapists.

[The Chair, Liberal, Heath MacDonald]

Mr. Schiefke—

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Where was your outrage then? Where was Stephen Harper's outrage then? Where was your Conservative outrage when the two years with the largest numbers of transfers occurred? Where was your outrage?

Those are my facts, Ms. Ferreri.

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Heath MacDonald]

Mr. Caputo, go ahead, but keep it on topic.

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

There is a speaking list. My colleague Ms. Ferreri was speaking.

It is utter hypocrisy for the Liberal member across the way to say that we shouldn't engage in political theatre when he cuts off my colleague who is speaking and then demands to respond. He will have due time to respond to victims and other Canadians.

[Peter Schiefke, Liberal, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

I was given the floor, Mr. Caputo, by the chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Heath MacDonald]

Okay. That's it.

Ms. Ferreri, can you continue, please?