Debates of Nov. 2nd, 2020

Attack in Old Quebec

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we were all horrified to learn of the tragic events that unfolded in Quebec City on Saturday night. On behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I offer my condolences to the loved ones of Suzanne Clermont and François Duchesne, and I wish a speedy recovery to the five people who were injured. I thank the first responders and the port of Quebec guard, whose vigilance and action saved lives. My thoughts go out to Quebec City, which is in shock today.

It is even more appalling when we consider that these acts seem to have been committed for no reason by someone who was unwell. Mental health problems can affect everyone and are exacerbated by the stress brought on by the pandemic. I urge anyone who needs help to reach out by using the resources or organizations that are available, or by dialing 811 in Quebec. Take care.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Quebec City are still in shock after the horrible tragedy that happened on Halloween night this past Saturday. Seven innocent people were attacked with a sword by a man dressed in a medieval outfit.

Two of the victims died. François Duchesne was 56 years old and worked as the director of communications and marketing at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. According to friends, he enjoyed jogging and was a positive man who was active in the community. Suzanne Clermont was 61 years old and worked as a hairdresser. Her friends all described her as a ray of sunshine. These people were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Barbaric acts are unpredictable and can happen anywhere: They are not restricted by city, border, language or belief.

I want to commend first responders for their excellent response: the Quebec City police force, security officers at the Port of Quebec, paramedics and every other medical professional. Quebec City remains one of the safest cities.

Today and always, our thoughts are with the victims, their families and their loved ones. We offer them our sincerest condolences.

[Joël Lightbound, Liberal, Louis-Hébert, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and a deep sadness that I rise in the House today. Tragedy has once again struck my city, which awoke on Sunday following one of its saddest nights ever.

On behalf of myself, my friend, the member for Quebec City, and our government, I wish to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of François Duchesne and Suzanne Clermont. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

To the five wounded, I wish you a full and speedy recovery. Countless Quebeckers send you their best wishes and countless Canadians are thinking of you.

To the police officers, medical staff, neighbours and good Samaritans, I thank you for your protection, your care and your compassion. You do us proud.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Following discussions among representatives of all parties in the House, I understand there is agreement to observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of Saturday evening's attack in Old Quebec. I invite hon. members to rise.

[A moment of silence observed]

Terrorism

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, freedom of speech is one of the best and most important cardinal rules of our great country, Canada. The Prime Minister should be one of the strongest defenders of this value.

Unfortunately, the Prime Minister believes that free speech should be limited. The Prime Minister suggested Friday that speech he finds disrespectful will not be protected, even as the Liberal party claims day after day that it is the great defender of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Could the Prime Minister tell us why he finds it so easy to put conditions on those freedoms?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we were all deeply horrified by the recent attack in France. Not only are members of Parliament horrified; I would say all Canadians are. We stand in solidarity with our French colleagues. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims.

As my colleagues around the world have said, we need to fight together against terror and intolerance. Canada is a strong defender of the liberty of expression around the world, and we will continue to advocate for freedom of expression around the world.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, freedom of speech is one of our country's core values. It is even protected by the Constitution. More than that, the Prime Minister should be this value's greatest defender.

Unfortunately, on Friday, the Prime Minister expressed reservations about and put conditions on freedom of speech. The Prime Minister should be defending freedom of speech but instead he is putting conditions on it.

Why does the Prime Minister want to put conditions on freedom of speech?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

We should avoid politicizing this issue. All Canadians were horrified by the recent attacks in France. Obviously, we stand in solidarity with our French colleagues. Our thoughts are with the victims' families.

Together we need to fight against terror and intolerance around the world. Canada is one of the greatest defenders of freedom of speech around the world and we will continue to defend that right.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, freedom of speech does not exist only when it suits us. It must exist when it does not suit us. The Prime Minister needs to respect that freedom of speech. Unfortunately, on Friday the Prime Minister set some conditions on what he does and does not consider to be free speech and on when that freedom is limited. That is unacceptable.

Is this why the Prime Minister took 12 days to condemn Mr. Paty's murder?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. I have a great deal of respect for him, and he knows that.

The member's statement that we were late to react is false. The day after the attack, I expressed our solidarity with the French people on behalf of the Government of Canada. I said that we needed to combat intolerance around the world and that Canada would remain one of the greatest defenders of freedom of speech.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, despite the mutual respect I have for my colleague, he is not prime minister yet.

The Prime Minister of Canada was slow to offer condolences and share his thoughts and reaction to the murder of Mr. Paty. It is in times of crisis that real leaders emerge. The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, did not hesitate to categorically and unconditionally defend freedom of speech, and rightly so.

The President of France is a friend and ally and close to the Prime Minister. Why did the Prime Minister of Canada not follow President Macron's lead instead of distancing himself from him?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question.

On this side of the House, when we tweet or issue a statement it is on behalf of the Government of Canada, on behalf of all Canadians. The day after the attack I shared my reaction.

The Ambassador of France to Canada even commended Canada's comments in which we stated that we stand with her fellow French citizens. We will always do so, as I was saying. Every country recognizes Canada as one of the greatestest defenders of freedom of speech in the world.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. On Friday, when the Prime Minister was directly questioned about freedom of speech, he gave the following example about how freedom of speech is not without conditions and limits. He said, and I quote, “We do not have the right...to shout fire in a movie theatre crowded with people”.

Is that the Prime Minister's explanation as to why freedom of expression should be limited? Seriously, what he said does not make any sense and is embarrassing for Canada. Once again, the Prime Minister is embarrassing us on the world stage. In fact, people in France are not very happy today.

Is the Prime Minister able to clearly defend freedom of speech without limitations?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question.

As I said, I think that we need to avoid politicizing this issue in the House. We clearly expressed that we stand in solidarity with our French colleagues. Our message was well received by them. The French people understand that Canada is one of the greatest defenders of freedom of speech in the world.

We will continue to defend freedom of speech. We will continue to fight throughout the world to defend the values and principles that Canadians hold dear.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it took the Prime Minister 11 days to condemn the murder of Samuel Paty, a teacher, by an Islamic fundamentalist. Then, on Friday, he made some dangerous statements. In reference to a terrorist who killed a man for showing caricatures, the Prime Minister stated that freedom of speech is not without limits.

Let's be clear: Under no circumstances does the expression of ideas justify murder. When fundamentalists kill people to shut them up, we need to tackle fundamentalism, not attack freedom of speech.

What is the Deputy Prime Minister waiting for to condemn these abhorrent acts?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot speak on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister, but I can certainly speak on behalf of the government.

Telling Quebeckers that we were slow to react is not accurate. The very next day, we responded to our international counterparts, condemning what happened, expressing our steadfast solidarity with the French people, stating that we must work together to fight intolerance and terror and reiterating Canada's commitment to being one of the great defenders of freedom of speech.

[Stéphane Bergeron, Bloc, Montarville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that freedom of speech already has limits. For instance, hate speech and defamatory statements are prohibited.

What the Prime Minister is suggesting is that any opinion likely to upset someone should be censored, and that violence would be an acceptable response to comments one does not like.

While France is fighting tooth and nail for freedom of speech, all the French newspapers are pointing out that the Prime Minister is not behaving like an ally.

Does the government realize that the Prime Minister is not only trivializing Islamist terrorism but also harming the special relationship Quebec has with France?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I think all parliamentarians have been clear that nothing justifies violence. Members on all sides of the House—I do not wish to politicize this issue—all stand in solidarity with our French friends.

I would remind my hon. colleague that the French embassy welcomed the comments made by the Government of Canada in solidarity with the French people.

On the contrary, I think our allies see Canada as one of the great defenders of freedom of speech in the world, and we will continue to defend it.

Health

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, first I would like to express my condolences to the families of the victims of the attack that took place in Quebec City.

Many people have raised the issue of mental health services. There are not enough mental health services, especially in this pandemic.

Will the Prime Minister increase funding for mental health services?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, our government has been investing in mental health services for a number of years, with over $5 billion going to provinces and territories over the years to improve services to Canadians no matter where they live.

Our hearts are with all the people of Quebec and with the people of Quebec City. I would like to remind everyone that we have additional free resources for all Canadians at wellnesstogether.ca. I encourage all Canadians who are struggling, worried and afraid to reach out.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, from the beginning of this pandemic, we knew that small businesses would be struggling to pay their rent. As necessary lockdowns happened, small businesses were worried about how they were going to pay their commercial rent. Instead of putting in place a program to help these small businesses, the Liberal government put in place a program that helped Liberal insiders instead.

Moving forward, will the Prime Minister commit that any small business program, and relief program, will actually be focused on helping small businesses and not Liberal insiders?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to field the question.

From the beginning of this pandemic, we heard loud and clear that businesses needed support, and they needed it quickly. That is why we moved ahead with programs like the Canada emergency wage subsidy, which is helping to keep three million workers on the payroll; it is why we moved ahead with the Canada emergency business account, which is helping over 700,000 small businesses in Canada keep the doors open; and, yes, that is why we advanced support programs to help with commercial rent.

I am pleased to share with the hon. member that soon, in the House of Commons, we will be debating a new application-based system to provide direct commercial rent support to tenants across Canada so that more businesses will be here on the back end of—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.

Justice

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Mr. Speaker, time and again we hear the Liberal justice minister use his tired lines about the totally non-partisan nature of judicial appointments under the Liberal government, but we know that is just not true. In fact, the opposite is true: judicial appointments are a very partisan process with the government.

Can the minister tell Canadians why a judge's score on the Liberalist is the determining factor in their career path?

[David Lametti, Liberal, Minister of Justice]

Mr. Speaker, I dispute the presumptions behind that question. We have put into place a process that is transparent. It focuses on quality and diversity. The only people on whom consultations are undertaken are people who have passed through the judicial appointment committee, which is non-partisan and has no access to partisan political information. They go on to the next stage only if they are highly recommended in most cases and occasionally recommended.

We have put into place an outstanding process and I ask Canadians to look at the results, both in terms of quality and diversity.