House of Commons Hansard #130 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was parks.

Topics

Prayer

10:05 a.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Almighty God, we give thanks for the great blessings which have been bestowed on Canada and its citizens, including the gifts of freedom, opportunity and peace that we enjoy. We pray for our Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth, and the Governor General.

Guide us in our deliberations as members of Parliament, and strengthen us in our awareness of our duties and responsibilities as members. Grant us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to preserve the blessings of this country for the benefit of all and to make good laws and wise decisions. Amen.

We will now have a moment of silence for private reflection and meditation.

[A moment of silence observed]

[Members sang the national anthem]

Government Response to PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(b) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 62 petitions.

Corporal Nathan CirilloRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

I understand there have been consultations among the parties and there is agreement to hold a moment of silence at this time in memory of Nathan Cirillo.

[A moment of silence observed]

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:05 a.m.

Calgary Southwest Alberta

Conservative

Stephen Harper ConservativePrime Minister

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues.

I would like to begin today by recognizing and thanking the Leader of the Opposition and the hon. member for Papineau for their kind remarks and words of encouragement yesterday evening.

In our system, in our country, we are opponents but we are never enemies. We are Canadians, one and all.

We may sit across the aisle from one another, but when faced with attacks on the country we all love and the things we all stand for, I know we will always stand together.

Today more than ever before, I am quite pleased to see all of my colleagues from all parties in good health and and good form.

Let me, Mr. Speaker, through you, provide a little bit of advice to my colleagues. I think my position and growing number of grey hairs entitles me to do this once in a while, and that is to say we all here are engaged in extremely demanding and stressful jobs, but the stress that many of you faced yesterday was really beyond and above anything that any of us are really expecting to face.

While we resume our duties, and I will talk about that in a moment, I would encourage everybody here to take care of their health. Be sure that you find some time to relax in the next little while and also, because we are not all in perfect health, if any of you are experiencing any undue physical stress as a result of what occurred yesterday, please take the time to see a physician and get that checked out.

I also want to say we heard a lot of feedback from Canadians yesterday. We are all used to the feedback we get very regularly from Canadians, much of it in the form of brickbats and some of it deserved, but in this case I think we all experienced the tremendous outpouring of warmth, affection, and good wishes from people across country, and we all thank them for this.

I also want to convey all the good wishes I heard personally, not just from Canadians but from our friends outside the country. I heard from President Obama, from Prime Minister Abbott, from Prime Minister Netanyahu, and through a statement, from Prime Minister Cameron. We have heard these expressions from across the world. I think we were all, as Canadians, touched by the wonderful gesture shown last night at the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game. So thanks to our friends in the United States and around the world for their expressions of concern.

Of course, we know all too well that this is not a happy day for everybody. In particular, it is a terribly sad day for all of the family, loved ones, friends, and colleagues of both Nathan Cirillo and Patrice Vincent.

We have seen photos of these lovely men.

We have all seen the pictures of these beautiful guys, as Don Cherry would say, and our hearts really are with all of them. We are so fortunate to have people like this. In the past couple of decades, we see across the world increasing places where the planet is descending into savagery, and there are people who, every day of their lives, stand on guard for this country and for all of us. We obviously want to convey our gratitude to these two servicemen and their families, but also to all the people who undertake this extremely dangerous work on behalf of our country.

I spoke of the state of much of the world, and I think for all of us who are blessed to live in a country like this, it is hard to appreciate, understand, or fathom how we can have people who are involved in a movement that so wants violence, who so despise modernity, who so hate progress that they can desire to drive out medical workers from their community, harm them; that they can enslave women, torture children; that they can kill, want to kill anyone who looks or thinks differently from them. It is in a sense beyond our comprehension, but it is very real. In this struggle in which we are engaged, in which not only our finest values must be pushed to work, so must be and will be the highest unity and resolve. They are our ultimate and indispensable weapons, and that is what these people will face.

With regard to the events of yesterday and in recent days, a number of questions remain and will all be answered over the course of the police security investigations. However, I can tell the House this today: the objective of both of those attacks was to spread fear and panic in our country and to interrupt the business of government. Well, honourable members, as I said yesterday, Canadians will never be intimidated.

We will not be intimidated. We will be vigilant, but we will not run scared. We will be prudent, but we will not panic.

As for the business of government, well, we are here, in our seats, in our chamber, in the very heart of our democracy, and our work goes on.

In all its diversity of peoples and opinions, this House personifies the spirit of Canada.

Canada will never yield to terrorism, and neither will this House of Commons—we carry on. We will attend to the country's affairs and we will be faithful to the trust that people have placed in us.

As I said earlier, and I have been saying for a long time, we live in a dangerous world. Terrorism has been here with us for a while, and dangerously close on a number of occasions. For example, I draw members' attention back to incidents such as the Toronto 18 and the VIA Rail conspiracy in 2013, and I could point to a number of others, as well as many that most will never know about.

For that reason, and with the belief that security in Canada is the government's primary responsibility, we have, over the years, passed such legislation as the Combating Terrorism Act and the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act to better protect Canadians and secure our institutions. Last week, our government proposed amendments to the legislation under which the Canadian Security Intelligence Service operates.

As members know, in recent weeks, I have been saying that our laws and police powers need to be strengthened in the area of surveillance, detention, and arrest. They need to be much strengthened. I assure members that work, which is already under way, will be expedited.

In conclusion, we are all aware and deeply troubled that both of this week's terrorist attacks were carried out by Canadian citizens, by young men born and raised in this peaceful country.

I share this concern, and I have to ask myself what sort of feeble-mindedness could lead a person to reject a nationality that so many people in so many countries would do anything to earn for their children.

However, that is a question for another day.

For now, make no mistake: even as the brave men and women of our Armed Forces are taking this fight to the terrorists on their own territory, we are equally resolved to fight it here. We live in dangerous times, yes, but the mission of our country and the work of this Parliament goes on, and so does the work throughout this city.

Let me just say one final word in recognizing all the heroes of yesterday. First, I know so many. I could certainly speak personally of my staff at 24 Sussex: M. Roger Charbonneau and the chefs, Tim and Tina, who were up all night. However, I know people who were working day and night to make things as easy as possible for all of us across the country and here in Ottawa, officials who were busy at work trying to respond to the situation, first responders and citizens who put themselves in harm's way when this incident began to unfold. However, in conclusion, I acknowledge most particularly the men and women in our security services, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Armed Forces, the City of Ottawa Police. Most particularly of course, I would be very remiss if I did not acknowledge specifically the work of the security forces here on Parliament Hill and the great work of our Sergeant-at-Arms.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:20 a.m.

Outremont Québec

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDPLeader of the Opposition

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for Catherine and me to be here today and to rise in this House. Yesterday, a crazed gunman came here intending to silence us, to silence the values that our country represents: peace, tolerance and diversity. He failed.

Yesterday's cowardly act was meant to shake this great city of Ottawa and indeed the entire country, but it has only hardened our resolve. It has only strengthened our commitment to each other and to a peaceful world. Let us not become more suspicious of our neighbours. Let us not be driven by fear because in Canada love always triumphs over hate.

For the family of Corporal Nathan Cirillo, may they please know that the thoughts and prayers of every single member of this House and of every single Canadian are with them today. Corporal Cirillo was a young man, just 24, with a beautiful son and a bright future ahead of him. Friends said he always had a smile on his face. That smile will be remembered by a nation.

I would also like to salute my friend, Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers. On behalf of us all, I would ask him to convey our sincere thanks and appreciation to each and every member of his team here on the Hill, the police forces and the Canadian Armed Forces. We do not yet know all of the names of yesterday's heroes, but I can say that we all witnessed heroic actions. We saw such actions right in our room: a member of Mr. Vickers' team threw himself against the door when the gunman was right outside and told us to get down even as he himself was standing in front of the door. The courage and professionalism they showed in the face of such brutality embody the best of what it means to be Canadian.

I thank our Canadian Armed Forces. This week, they experienced two unspeakable tragedies. Every day, our armed forces defend Canadian values, and today all Canadians stand united with them.

Yesterday we awoke in a land of love, diversity and peace, and today that has not changed. Here in this place, throughout Ottawa and across the country, we will conduct the nation's business as normally as possible. As the Prime Minister said, our presence here today is proof of that.

We will hold our loved ones a little bit closer, but we will not allow hatred and violence to change who we are.

As we all know, events take place here that exemplify Canada's openness and freedom.

One of my favourite examples of how this parliamentary area in and of itself becomes a symbol of the freedom and openness of this great country of ours, Canada, is that every Wednesday at noon during good weather we can see hundreds of people, multi-coloured, doing yoga on the front lawn. It is a symbol of openness and freedom. The person who came here yesterday with violence on his mind and in his gestures did not win. We cannot allow that openness and freedom to be rolled back either. We have to continue to defend both.

Today I stand here on behalf of all New Democrats and Canadians. We say that there is great solidarity here in the House and across the country. There is solidarity with the Prime Minister. These acts were driven by hatred, but also designed to drive us to hate others. That is not going to happen. We will stand up and we will stand together. We will preserve. We will persevere. We will prevail. That is what Canadians have always done together. That is what we do best together.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. On we go, together.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:30 a.m.

Liberal

Justin Trudeau Liberal Papineau, QC

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank the Prime Minister and the leader of the official opposition for their strong, passionate remarks.

Yesterday's events were a shared national tragedy. It is fitting that we have come together in this place immediately to let the world know that Canada's values are strong, our institutions are resilient, and our people are united.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims of yesterday's tragic events. Corporal Nathan Cirillo was murdered while guarding our nation's sacred memorial to his own fallen comrades. He was unarmed.

Corporal Cirillo was a hero serving our country. He was also a father. Today we must not forget that a little boy has lost his father, suddenly and tragically. Let us all commit to honouring his memory.

Corporal Cirillo, much like Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent earlier this week, was killed in cold blood. Both of these attacks were cowardly and unforgivable

Should any other perpetrators or co-conspirators exist, they should be punished with the full force of our laws.

I also extend my deep and sincere gratitude on behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada to the brave women and men who selflessly and courageously came to our aid yesterday. Through them and their actions, we are reminded of the professionalism and dedication so often exhibited by those who protect us. I thank them.

We especially want to thank our our Sergeant-at-Arms. His heroic deeds have been widely praised, and rightly so.

I say this through you, Mr. Speaker.

Kevin, without your courage a terrible situation would have become much worse. We are in your debt. Canadians are proud of you and they thank you.

Yesterday's attack on both our military and our most cherished democratic symbols was designed to frighten us. It was meant to embed within our minds an image of terror. It was meant to make us think differently about our surroundings and fellow citizens.

This act was meant to make us forget who we are. Instead, we must always remember.

We are a proud democracy, a welcoming and peaceful nation. We are a country of open arms, open minds, and open hearts. We are a nation of fairness, justice, and the rule of law. We will not be intimidated into changing that, by anybody. These are instead the very values and ideals upon which we must rely in the days ahead. It is in our dedication to these principles that we can set an example to the world.

These principles are the pillars on which the enduring foundations of our society have been built. A continued belief in these principles will guide us correctly into the future.

Let us also remember what we are up against. The individuals who committed these awful acts are not larger than life. They are not giants. They are certainly not martyrs. That is how they would like us to see them, but it is not what they are. Seeing them that way lets the fear they try to perpetuate grow.

Seeing them that way gives them credibility, when they do not deserve any. They are criminals, and criminals will not dictate how we act as a nation, how we govern ourselves, or how we treat each other. They will not dictate our values.

They will not make the rules about this land that we share, and they will not get to change us.

We are aware of the threats we face as a nation. We know, as we have long known, that we are not immune, nor can we guard totally against danger in the future. What we can do is to not let these threats define us.

We need answers as to how and why this happened. They will be vital in preventing and helping to prevent any future attacks.

To our friends and fellow citizens in the Muslim community, Canadians know that the acts committed yesterday are criminal and not religious. They are an aberration of your faith. Continued mutual co-operation and respect will help prevent the influence of distorted ideological propaganda posing as religion.

Our Canadian values can be put to the test, but we must not forget how strong they are. We will walk forward together, not apart.

Those who carried out these attacks wanted to leave us with an image of fear and chaos. Let us remember one of strength and of hope. The image in our collective minds and shared in our hearts is one of Canadians helping and protecting Canadians, of passersby trying to save the life of a young man who gave it in service to his country.

That is who we truly are. That is who we will continue to be.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:40 a.m.

Bloc

Louis Plamondon Bloc Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC

Mr. Speaker, as dean of the House and on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I would also like to pay tribute to the dedication and courage demonstrated by the police officers, the members of the military, the security team and all the staff of the House, all the parties, as well as our dedicated Sergeant-at-Arms.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:40 a.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Does the hon. member for Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour have the unanimous consent of the House to speak?

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:40 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:40 a.m.

Bloc

Louis Plamondon Bloc Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank my colleagues.

Our thoughts, of course, are with the family of Corporal Cirillo, who unfortunately passed away. We extend our sincere condolences to his family.

Although it is difficult for us to return to work today, we must never forget that, yes, we represent the people, but we also represent democracy. We have a duty to protect this democracy and to pursue our fight so that it continues to exist and to grow.

Today, more than ever, we must continue to debate openly and transparently here in Parliament.

However, we also need to show solidarity in how we respond to terrorism, how we shape our international policy, what we do with our armed forces and how we implement security measures.

We believe in democracy and we remain vigilant. Let us act responsibly and not allow panic to prevail over good judgment.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:40 a.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Does the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands have the unanimous consent of the House to speak?

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:40 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:40 a.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I thank all my colleagues for giving me this opportunity to speak on this very serious and grave day. We had a horrible day yesterday. I especially want to thank the Prime Minister for his words today, as well as the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the Liberal Party.

We are together now and always.

It is rare in the House to be united as we are now. We experience shared grief occasionally, such as the day we gathered to honour our colleague Jim Flaherty, but this day we have shared something far different.

All of us in different ways yesterday experienced the fear of being locked down somewhere, not knowing quite what was going on. All of us, and some of my colleagues far more than I, experienced the real terror that comes from thinking someone with a gun is on the other side of a door and they are at risk.

I know these moments are important and we should underline that there is no partisanship in the House when we are all together. In the same way, I guess that there are no atheists in fox holes, there are no political party leaders when we share a common experience of such basic fear and concern for our loved ones and for our well-being. All of us together are family. We need to feel it and say it more often. We are together in this place and our constituents need to know. We are not at war with each other, as the Prime Minister said.

Together, we work together for our country. Whatever our views are about the future of the country, whatever course we want the country to take, at a very basic level we are nothing more than human beings who at a very fundamental level care for each other. All of the people in this place are my colleagues. My colleagues must know how much I care for all of them and love them, and this is something our constituents need to know.

I cannot add anything to the eloquence of what was said, but it does need to be said again. This country lost two wonderful men this week through cold-blooded murder.

I am talking about the cold-blooded murders of Nathan Cirillo and Patrice Vincent.

These are crimes that cut to the heart of all of us. We get to know something of their lives, and we get to realize with every passing day and revealed detail of their personal lives how much we all lose as a nation when two such fine men are so senselessly and brutally killed.

We know, as I think we always knew, that our Sergeant-at-Arms is a consummate professional. He is more than a ceremonial figure. The finest thing that we could do for him right now would be to let him leave this place and go fly-fishing on the Miramichi.

In closing, I want to wish all of my colleagues and all Canadians well. I pray for one thing: that we hang on to the sense of a common, shared purpose, that we remain calm, and that we wait for answers from the police before we make any assumptions about motivations, connections or the extent of what we face.

If I were a betting person, and it is good for my bank account that I am not, I would put money on these being the acts of isolated, disturbed and deeply troubled men who were drawn to something crazy. I do not believe that it was a vast network or that the country is more at risk today than it was last week. However, that is my opinion. I can be wrong. I have been wrong before and I may be wrong again. I am undoubtedly going to be wrong again, but what I would like to suggest is that we wait for answers from the police before we make assumptions and that we speak calmly, truthfully and openly to all Canadians.

Let us be the place that exemplifies the words of our founding documents. Let us exemplify peace, order and good government.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:45 a.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Does the hon. member for Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia have the same unanimous consent to answer?

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:45 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:45 a.m.

Forces et Démocratie

Jean-François Fortin Forces et Démocratie Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to speak today in this chamber where democracy is upheld.

I would like to dedicate my opening words to the memory of Nathan Frank Cirillo, who gave his life simply for representing values that Quebeckers and Canadians share, those of democracy, safety, respect and honour. I would like to express my condolences to his family and loved ones, as well as to all those who are committed to defending our ideals of peace, safety and democracy.

I would also like to commend the courage of the men and women who, from the very moment this horrible tragedy began to unfold, took action to protect the individuals and elected officials who were on Parliament Hill and in the adjacent buildings.

More specifically, I would like to recognize the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House for his heroic action. I thank him and I thank everyone who risked his or her life dealing with a killer who was prepared to do anything to take the lives of innocent people and who was specifically targeting people in uniform.

Right now, we still do not have all of the information about the investigation and we still do not know what led two men to attack soldiers and a symbol as powerful as Parliament.

What they did can only be described as madness. A desire to instil fear by bringing such abject violence into the heart of institutions that guarantee freedom, democracy and respect for the law is about as low as you can get. I cannot condemn this senseless attack strongly enough.

While it may be too early today to take stock of the tragic events of October 22 and think about what measures to take, it is not too early to state loud and clear that we believe in peace, liberty and democracy and that we will not give in to threats or terror.

I see that we are all prepared to deal with this situation together, above and beyond our political allegiances. Let us focus on our strengths. Let us focus on democracy.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:45 a.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Does the hon. member for Ahuntsic have the unanimous consent of the House to speak?

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:45 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Events of October 22, 2014, in OttawaMinisterial StatementsRoutine Proceedings

10:50 a.m.

Independent

Maria Mourani Independent Ahuntsic, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking all my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to speak for a few minutes.

One may not reach the dawn save by the path of the night. Those are the words of poet Kahlil Gibran. Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Corporal Nathan Cirillo were murdered, and let us not forget that a third soldier was wounded. They embody one of our institutions dedicated to defending our freedom and democracy. Our thoughts are with their families. They will not be forgotten.

Our eternal gratitude also goes out to the women and men who kept everyone in the House of Commons safe. A man tasked with providing that security told me one day that his role was to protect us all even at the risk of his own life. Yesterday, Mr. Vickers, you and your team were true to your word. Thank you.

Evil is striking our country and its vulnerable youth, whose minds are being poisoned daily by jihadist ideologues who blithely prey on our young people on the Internet. This type of terrorism assails the conscience of vulnerable youth that have lost their way. We must combat this with love and prevention and by defending the right to freedom, democracy, and individual rights. We must not lose our way and attack individual freedoms out of fear and turning inward.

Today, I see that we can rise above our challenges when we want to. Let us all work together with this same solidarity and love that I am feeling in the House today. Let us work together to help these young people resist the pull of these groups, to help our youth and our country.

Canadian HeritageCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Gord Brown Conservative Leeds—Grenville, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the sixth report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in relation to Bill S-213, an act respecting Lincoln Alexander Day.

The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report the bill back to the House without amendment.

Yukon and Nunavut Regulatory Improvement ActRoutine Proceedings

October 23rd, 2014 / 10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Bernard Valcourt Conservative Madawaska—Restigouche, NB

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:50 a.m.

Vancouver Island North B.C.

Conservative

John Duncan ConservativeMinister of State and Chief Government Whip

Mr. Speaker, I think if you seek it you shall find unanimous consent for the following:

That, notwithstanding any standing order or usual practice of the House, for the purposes of Standing Order 28, the House shall be deemed to have sat on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, and that any recorded division deferred to that day be further deferred to Wednesday, October 29, 2014.

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:55 a.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Does the government whip have the unanimous consent of the House to propose this motion?

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:55 a.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Business of the HouseRoutine Proceedings

10:55 a.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

The House has heard the terms of the motion, is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?