House of Commons Hansard #20 of the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was wet'suwet'en.
Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC
Mr. Speaker, the hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en nation requested a meeting with the Prime Minister over a month ago. According to reports, the hereditary chiefs asked for a meeting with the Prime Minister again today.
The hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en have made it very clear that they want to meet with the Prime Minister specifically.
My question is very simple. Will the Prime Minister meet the chiefs of the hereditary region of Wet'suwet'en?
Marc Miller LiberalMinister of Indigenous Services
Mr. Speaker, I think we can all be heartened by the development that has happened in B.C. that the RCMP has extended to hereditary chiefs. It is an opportunity to sit down and continue that dialogue. This is a positive development.
The move of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs in Tyendinaga is a positive development. I think everyone in this House is dedicated to a peaceful resolution to this.
There are clear steps to de-escalation. The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and I stand ready to engage with the leadership in Tyendinaga. As early as tonight we will go and meet them and discuss this peaceful resolution.
Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC
Mr. Speaker, that is not what I asked, and more importantly, that is not what the hereditary chiefs of Wet'suwet'en have asked for. They have asked to speak with the Prime Minister directly; not the ministers, not another delegate, but the Prime Minister directly.
What has the Prime Minister done? Has he responded to the invitation? Has he picked up a phone and called? Here is an opportunity for the government to commit today in this House that the Prime Minister will meet with the hereditary chiefs of Wet'suwet'en.
Today, we have an opportunity.
Will the Prime Minister commit to meeting with the hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suwet'en nation?
Marc Miller LiberalMinister of Indigenous Services
Mr. Speaker, everyone pretends to know what the requests are. We cannot know what those requests are unless we actually ask the people. Is it not a question of looking at the banners on the street. It is actually talking to the leadership in question and that is precisely what we have done.
The entire cabinet is seized of this incredibly urgent issue. It is a situation that evolves minute by minute. Myself and the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, as well as other ministers, stand ready to engage on a moment's notice and that is precisely what we will do.
Leona Alleslev Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's weak leadership is holding the Canadian economy hostage. These illegal blockades are just another example of Canada signalling to the world that we are closed for business. We failed to deliver big nation-building projects because of a handful of radical protesters backed by American money.
When will the Prime Minister stop giving these activists permission to shut down our country?
Bill Blair LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I think it is very important to provide this House with some clarity. The RCMP Act and federal authorities do not extend to provincial police services. The demonstrations and blockades taking place across the country are actually in provincial jurisdictions. That is the responsibility of the police of local jurisdictions under their provincial police acts.
Our government's role is to try to mediate and reconcile the issues that gave rise to this dispute in the first place. That is the work that we are doing in assistance to a peaceful resolution to these disputes.
Leona Alleslev Conservative Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's weak response to this national crisis shows his unwillingness to do what is in the best interest of all Canadians. Canadians have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of protest, but they do not have the right to break the law, completely shut down Canada's economy and prevent other Canadians from going to work.
What is the Prime Minister's action plan? When is he going to own this and put an end to these illegal blockades?
Bill Blair LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I think it is important for everyone to understand that decisions made by the police, whether by the RCMP in their jurisdiction or by provincial police services across the country, are based on their professional experience, understanding of the law and interpretation of the circumstances on the ground. They will continue to do that work without any political interference from this government.
We are supporting their work. We trust them to do their job, but we are not in any way interfering or impeding their ability to do their work.
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
Before I go on to the next member who has a question, and I am sure we all want to hear it, we all want to hear the answers to questions too. I just want to remind members that shouting does not really help anything.
I just want to remind hon. members that when talking about someone, refer to them by their title or riding. Shouting their name could be breaking laws and we do not want anyone to break the rules in here.
The hon. member for Barrie—Innisfil.
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
Order. That applies to both sides.
The hon. member for Barrie—Innisfil.
John Brassard Conservative Barrie—Innisfil, ON
Mr. Speaker, it is great that you get it.
Gary Naziel, a Wet'suwet'en community member and hereditary chief said in a recent interview that he has to provide for his family. He said he worked in the mines for five years in B.C. and Alberta and left that to work at CGL in his own territory. He said his ancestors, including his grandparents, would have been proud of him for working on his own territory.
Instead of emboldening the anti-government, anti-reason, anti-everything activist, why will the weak Prime Minister not stand strong with the Wet'suwet'en community, stand up for our laws, get the illegal blockades removed and get our economy moving again?
Bill Blair LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, we understand and fully support the urgency of our work to resolve this as peacefully as possible.
As I said earlier, the time has come for the barricades to come down. We have been working diligently to address the circumstances that led to those blockades. As a result of a very responsive and responsible decision made by the RCMP, I believe the conditions have now been met to allow for a more amenable and peaceful resolution.
We will continue to work on a speedy resolution of this dispute and get Canadians back to work.
Pierre Paul-Hus Conservative Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC
Mr. Speaker, I fully understand that the minister does not have authority over E Division of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as it comes under B.C. jurisdiction. However, can the minister tell us what RCMP resources he does have control over?
There are resources available to the minister, and section 5 of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act authorizes him to issue orders and directives. Can the minister respond to that?
Bill Blair LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court of Canada has said police independence underpins the rule of law. That independence is absolutely crucial to maintaining public trust.
All directions to the RCMP are prescribed by three conditions: they cannot require the force to disregard its lawful duties; I cannot infringe upon the independence of the RCMP; and, I cannot ask it to reach beyond federal jurisdiction. That means we do not direct the RCMP in its operational decisions in the day-to-day policing of the communities that it is responsible for.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, the blockades are not about Coastal GasLink. The project is not even controversial. The 20 elected authorities along the path of the pipeline support it. Even an NDP government supports it. It will reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. It is about lawbreakers trying to get concessions, but if we reward law-breaking with concessions, we will get more law-breaking. Imagine the damage they will do when an actual controversial project comes along.
What concessions is the government contemplating for the lawbreakers and how much more law-breaking does the government plan to encourage?
Bill Blair LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, at no time have we ever countenanced law-breaking.
At the same time, we on this side of the House understand that reconciliation remains a priority not just for our government, but for all Canadians.
We have been working hard to support law enforcement efforts in their respective jurisdictions to resolve the circumstances that have led to these blockades. That is our responsibility. We have been working hard to address the conditions and the concerns that gave rise to these blockades.
The responsibility for upholding the law and maintaining public safety is in fact the responsibility of the police of those respective jurisdictions.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Speaker, this is just a warm-up act. There are other projects ahead of us. The government is spending $17 billion on a pipeline that it cannot even build. When that construction actually gets under way, imagine the law-breaking that is going to be unleashed by the incentives that the Liberal government is giving to this group of lawbreakers.
Everyone is watching.
Is the government going to reward law-breaking on this project and promote much more of it on projects to come?
Bill Blair LiberalMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member opposite and all members of the House of some of our experiences with previous disruptions of service and blockades. Perhaps we should remember the outcome of Ipperwash, of Caledonia, of previous blockades. We could also reflect that when that has resulted in overwhelming police action, it can result in additional blockades.
The best path forward to protect Canadians' interests is a peaceful resolution of this dispute. We are working hard to achieve that peaceful resolution.
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I am not sure what is going on. Thursday afternoons usually are quieter than this. Yesterday was relatively quiet. I want to remind hon. members to keep it down so we can hear the questions and the answers.
The hon. member for Shefford.
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Mr. Speaker, people in our communities have run out of patience. Thousands of workers risk being laid off because of the rail blockade. In my own riding, for instance, Bow Plumbing Group is no longer getting the raw materials it needs to manufacture its products. Fifty people will be out of work by the end of the week if the government does not solve this crisis. Note that the end of the week is tomorrow. This is just one of many examples.
Does the government realize the magnitude of the crisis and how urgently it needs to be resolved for workers across Quebec?
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we are fully aware of the magnitude of this issue. We completely understand the difficulties Canadians are facing because of these blockades.
We know we need to find a solution as quickly as possible. We also know that this solution can only be found through dialogue, which will allow us to reach a long-term, lasting, peaceful solution.
Stéphane Bergeron Bloc Montarville, QC
Mr. Speaker, the entire south shore of Montreal is being held hostage by the rail blockades.
In my riding, two stations on the commuter rail line that links Mont-Saint-Hilaire to Montreal, namely the Saint-Basile-le-Grand and Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville stations, are closed until further notice. For many of my constituents, just getting to and from work is a real challenge.
Two weeks into the crisis, the blockades have not been removed, and their number is growing.
Is the government going to wait until all rail lines around Montreal are closed before it takes action?
Marc Garneau LiberalMinister of Transport
Mr. Speaker, we understand how disruptive the blockades can be for travellers in Canada. In this case, we are referring to VIA Rail and Exo, as well as CN freight service. We understand that finding a long-term solution requires dialogue, and that is the approach we are taking.
We are working very hard to put an end to these blockades and to get the trains running again as quickly as possible. We are working with our provincial partners. The Prime Minister will be speaking with his counterparts later today.