Debates of Dec. 6th, 2012

Violence Against Women

[Marie-Claude Morin, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today I want to honour the 14 women who lost their lives at École Polytechnique in Montreal on this day 23 years ago, simply because they were women. I also want to honour all Canadian women who are victims of gender-based violence every day.

Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte.

Let us remember them.

Tourism

[Rick Dykstra, Conservative, St. Catharines, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, Red Bull Crashed Ice was held in Niagara Falls.

Downhill ice cross is an unconventional sport but, as 45,000 people in attendance and another 128,000 watching nationwide can tell us, it is one of the most spectacular.

Niagara's tourism industry is a pillar of the Canadian economy and this event showcased why Niagara is one of the world's premiere tourism destinations.

While no decisions have been made for next year, I am sure that organizers would be hard-pressed to find another location that is as scenic or as capable of hosting world-class international events.

Events like Crashed Ice provide a platform to show Canada to the world, to show the abilities of Canadian athletes, like winners Kyle Croxall and Fannie Deforges, and to show why the Niagara region, with all of its natural beauty, is one of the greatest tourist destinations in the world.

Bert Church High School

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Bert Church High School for placing as a top three finalist in the Under Armour Finding Undeniable contest.

This national contest saw thousands of students, teachers and parents compete to show off their school spirit.

Through a series of challenges that tested the morale of entire school communities, I am proud to say that Bert Church, home of the Chargers, rose to the top, finishing second in Canada in the preliminary round. I am also proud to report the Chargers' top rival in Airdrie, the George McDougall Mustangs, also finished in the top 15 nationally.

This friendly rivalry brought out the best of both schools and reflected the true character of my home city of Airdrie and of the province of Alberta.

The final round of voting begins December 7 and I encourage all Airdronians and all Albertans to support Bert Church at findingundeniable.ca.

With school spirit like this, I can unequivocally state that the Bert Church Chargers are truly undeniable.

Violence Against Women

[Libby Davies, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, we remember the 14 women who were murdered at École Polytechnique because of their gender. We remember that, if it were not for this violent act, these women would now be in full adulthood with careers and families.

We know that as much as our society has worked to achieve gender equality and lives of equal potential, this equality has not yet been achieved while violence against women still exists.

With this knowledge, we must take action and create a society that provides support for women to immediately leave violent situations. We must solve the 500 cases of missing or murdered aboriginal women. We must create social infrastructure to prevent these situations of violence from taking place.

We owe this to the memories of those 14 women. We owe this to the thousands of Canadian women who currently suffer. And, finally, we owe this to our dream of a nation where both women and men can live equally and prosper.

New Democratic Party of Canada

[John Carmichael, Conservative, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with only 20 days left until Christmas, Canadians, myself included, are scrambling around trying to find the perfect gifts for the perfect price. Although it may be a chaotic time, in the end it is well worth it, with the promise of quality time with family and friends.

What we also know about this time of year is that it can be very costly for Canadians. Families will often have to budget strictly and smartly to ensure they have everything they need and still be able to pay the bills.

Unfortunately, the NDP members are not in tune with Canadians. They do not understand that with a $21 billion carbon tax and a 1% increase in the GST, they would raise the price on everything.

We can imagine a family, already struggling to budget for Christmas, met with the NDP tax hikes on all the gifts, ingredients and supplies they need. The NDP is out of touch with Canadians.

Violence Against Women

[Francine Raynault, NDP, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on December 6, 1989, 14 young women died tragically at École Polytechnique, in Montreal. That was 23 years ago and, on this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, I wish to honour their memory.

Marc Lépine's victims were not feminist activists. They were simply students who had chosen a profession that was once limited to men. Their personal choice was, for all women, a societal choice. I was always very active in the Association féminine d'éducation et d'action sociale. For me, minor and major acts of violence against women, wherever they take place, must be denounced because they hinder true equality between men and women, which includes equal rights, equal pay and equal representation.

For the 14 victims of the Polytechnique, and for all the silent victims across the country, let us continue to work together for a fairer world.

Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada

[Ryan Leef, Conservative, Yukon, YT]

Mr. Speaker, no matter how mad the leader of the NDP gets, it does not change the fact that his $20 billion--

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

Order, please. The hon. member for London North Centre.

Violence Against Women

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today is Canada's National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. On this day, in 1988, tragedy struck as 14 young women were killed simply because they were women. Parliament recognizes this day to remind us that gender based violence is not a thing of the past.

Our government is taking targeted action to end violence against women and girls across Canada. Recently, we issued a call for proposals to address the needs of communities where the risk of violence can be higher and we announced 21 projects nationwide to end violence against women on campus.

Since 2006, we have helped fund over 1,230 projects across the country, with over 6,000 beds under the shelter enhancement program. We have increased support for victims of crime and we have eliminated the use of house arrest for violent crimes, including sexual assault.

Today is not just a day to remember but also one to take action so that we can bring an end to such violence.

[Jean-François Fortin, Bloc, Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege for me to rise in this House to commemorate the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. On December 6, 2012, 23 years to the day after the massacre at the École Polytechnique, we would be remiss if we did not remember the 14 students who were killed solely because they were women. It is a day that gives all of us an opportunity to speak out loud and clear against all forms of violence against women.

December 6 also gives us an opportunity to measure how far we have come since then, and to consider what remains to be done. The year 2012 is particularly significant because it was the year during which the firearms registry was scrapped for ideological reasons and the year during which there was a legal battle to deprive Quebec of the information it had requested.

The Bloc Québécois will never refer to measures that contribute to the safety of women, that prevent tragedies and that save lives as a failure. The Bloc Québécois will never stop opposing violence against women.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today, Canadians remember the terrible tragedy at the École Polytechnique in Montreal.

Our first thoughts must always be for the victims of this violence and their families, young women who were cut down in the prime of life with their lives before them, families and loved ones to this day remembering and grieving losses which are truly senseless. All of us need to reach out to the families whose hearts will never mend and for whom closure is never really there.

Beyond our memory and our grief must lie a determination to act, to do what we can to reduce violence and to limit its impact. We may differ in the House as to the most effective ways to achieve that goal but let us all agree at least on the objectives: to save lives and to end violence.

There are always reasons and excuses for arguments, but never for violence. The young women who were killed lost their lives because of a violent man with a semi-automatic weapon. Tragically, they were not the only ones and tragically, they will not be the last ones.

We remember and we are doing something about it.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Outremont, QC]

Mr. Speaker, 23 years ago today, 14 women were assassinated at the École Polytechnique in Montreal. They died because they were women. This tragedy left an indelible mark in the hearts of Canadians and every year we pause a moment to commemorate the memory of these innocent victims.

Tragically, violence against women continues today in many forms. In Canada, certain women are particularly at risk, including aboriginal women, immigrant women and seniors, but no woman is free from violence.

The fight to end violence against women is everybody's responsibility.

On this, the National Day of Remembrance, we must ask ourselves what we can do as individuals and as a society to bring an end to violence against women.

Today, let us renew our commitment to make Canada a place where all women can live safely and securely.

We must work together to build a country that is safe for all Canadians.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Mr. Speaker, 23 years ago today, on the evening of December 6, 1989, the country was horrified to learn that an armed man had entered the École Polytechnique in Montreal and killed 14 smart, young and promising women, simply because they were women.

Parliament designated this day to remember that gender-based violence is not a thing of the past. By commemorating this day every year, we remember that violence against women exists in our society.

While we will never be able to make sense of this tragedy, we can work together to move forward. That is why our government is committed to protecting society's most vulnerable and continuing to take a stand in combatting violence against women at home and abroad.

Today, on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, let us join the families and the friends of those lost in the Montreal massacre and honour their memory by redoubling efforts to eradicate all violence against women and girls.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I invite hon. members to rise and observe a minute of silence to commemorate the victims of the tragedy that took place 23 years ago at École Polytechnique in Montreal.

[A moment of silence observed]

Public Safety

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the Toronto Star informs us this morning that the Conservative government plans to weaken gun control laws even further.

Can the Prime Minister tell Canadians if that is indeed the case?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the story. Let me be as clear as I can be. Prohibited weapons exist as a category under the law for essential reasons of public security.

The government has absolutely no intention of weakening that category of protection.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

And yet, Mr. Speaker, the RCMP itself is worried that the Conservatives apparently want to reduce firearms control to just a few lines in the law.

The public has the right to be protected and the police need these tools to protect them. The assistant commissioner, Pierre Perron, has stated that the changes proposed by the Conservatives would limit the police force's ability to do its work.

Why does the Prime Minister now want to limit the police's ability to do its work and protect the public?

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I will be very clear.

Prohibited weapons exist as a category under the law for essential reasons of public security. Our government has no intention of changing that category.

[Thomas Mulcair, NDP, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, that is very clear for “that category”, but he does not mention the others.

On one hand, the Conservatives have, we might say, loaded the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee with lobbyists and arms dealers, leaving out the victims and women's groups.

On the other hand, they have systematically ignored recommendations from the police and closed the door on the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, for example.

The result is that firearms control in this country will soon be nothing but symbolic and the public will not be as well protected.

I implore the Prime Minister to not limit the police any further and, however he can, to stop the dismantling of firearms control in Canada.

[Stephen Harper, Conservative, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, that document does not represent the government's position.

In fact, our government has listened to the police in many ways.

For example, we have created a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for all serious crimes committed with firearms; we have eliminated house arrest for such offences; we have suppressed drive-by shootings by creating a new criminal offence; in 2010 we invested in strengthening our borders and suppressing arms dealers; and some weapons are still prohibited, as always.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the changes that Conservatives are considering to weaken gun control are dangerous. This could reduce mental health checks for those renewing gun licences.

The tragic events of December 6 teach us that public safety, not divisive politics, must be our guide when it comes to gun control.

Will the minister now reassure Canadians that he will reject these reckless and dangerous changes proposed by his firearms advisory committee?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to note that the overall incidence of firearms crime is at the lowest rate in 50 years. The homicide rate with firearms is down 30% since 2008 because of the very strong measures that this government has taken against the criminal use of firearms.

I would ask that member to start supporting us on finding ways to prevent the criminal use of firearms.

[Françoise Boivin, NDP, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's intimate club of firearms lobbyists seems to be more important than the safety of the people, particularly women.

The government's stubborn spending of public funds to fight in court for the right to destroy the data that Quebec's taxpayers paid for does nothing for public safety.

Quite the opposite, in fact: it only slows down the Quebec government's efforts in this matter. This ideological stubbornness must stop.

Will the minister drop this case against Quebec with regard to the firearms data and, for once, stand on the side of prudence and public safety?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we have made it very clear that we see no benefit to the long gun registry. It was for that reason we ended the long gun registry. However, we have indicated that we must continue to implement measures that, in fact, target the criminal use of firearms.

As the Prime Minister mentioned a moment or so ago, we have taken very strong and clear measures to prevent the criminal use of firearms. I would ask the member to start supporting those measures.

[Bob Rae, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the Prime Minister could perhaps tell us if he would now consider, in light of the recommendations that have come out of this particular committee, adding the chiefs of police to the group of people who will be on the committee, as well as those who are engaged in combatting domestic violence and those who are dealing with suicide prevention.

Would the Prime Minister agree that the perspective of those groups might be helpful in reaching a more balanced approach than the one we appear to have?