Debates of March 8th, 2021

National Defence

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I disagree with the member's assertions. There is a lot more work that needs to be done, but the assertions that the member made are absolutely wrong. Any time information is brought forward, it is always taken to the appropriate authorities, but I agree with the member that a lot more work needs to be done to root this out. This is going to take a significant effort. It is an effort that should have started a long time ago, before our government was elected. We are going to continue that work because we believe in it. We have to get this done, and we will.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for three years, the Minister of National Defence ignored serious allegations against the former Canadian Armed Forces general.

Now another senior officer is being accused. A whistle-blower received threats. No action was taken, and the abusive behaviour was allowed to continue.

What will the minister do now to ensure that the Canadian Armed Forces are free from harassment?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with the member on where we need to take action so we can have an inclusive environment. We have done considerable work, but we have a lot more work to do. We actually passed the declaration of victims rights bill, which, by the way, died on the Order Paper with the previous government. We have currently a review of the military justice system on how we can move forward. SMRC is also moving forward. We are currently looking at what type of independence needs to be provided. We have an independent panel on systemic racism and gender bias.

I am looking forward to those recommendations so we can continue the progress that we have already started, because our women deserve to have an inclusive place in the Canadian Armed Forces.

[Leona Alleslev, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, when faced with serious allegations of sexual misconduct within the top ranks of the Canadian Forces, the Prime Minister and the defence minister failed to act. Now a whistle-blower has been threatened to secure his silence. Senior officers who may themselves be complicit remain in key positions within the chain of command.

Victims and whistle-blowers must be able to come forward without fear of reprisal. How will the defence minister protect victims and ensure that those who may stand accused will not interfere to protect themselves?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, we want survivors to come forward. We want them to be able to put forward their allegations. They will be heard. They will be protected. At no time did any staff member in my office ever speak with any of the callers. Any insinuation that any political staff ever reached out to the caller is absolutely false.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, people who have security clearances are thoroughly investigated for issues that might compromise them, like affairs, potential criminal behaviour and other actions that could open them up to external influence or blackmail.

In 2018, the ombudsman offered the defence minister evidence of sexual misconduct by his chief of the defence staff, but he refused it. Last week, he claimed he did not know it existed, but clearly it did. His own staff flagged it.

Did the minister tell the relevant security services that he knew of potentially compromising evidence against his own chief of the defence staff?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, first, I disagree with the assertions that the member has made. I disagree with the testimony that the former ombudsman has made. Any allegations brought forward were immediately taken to the appropriate authorities, in this case, because it is a Governor in Council appointment we were talking about, to the Privy Council, and immediate action was taken.

In the former ombudsman's own testimony, the Privy Council Office contacted him the very next day. That is what action is about. We will always take this very seriously because we need to create an inclusive environment. That is exactly what our government and I have been working toward in the Canadian Armed Forces from day one.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister himself is the top authority. In security clearance vetting, people are asked about their families, about their previous jobs and previous addresses. They are asked about “parallel relationships” as code for extramarital affairs. Changing circumstances reports are issued for security purposes about divorces and financial transactions. The minister knows all this, and security services need detailed information on everyone who has a clearance.

When the minister was made aware of evidence of sexual misconduct by his chief of the defence staff, did he tell the security services?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as a former police officer and a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces, absolutely, first, know exactly where to go, and that is exactly where we went. We went to the Privy Council, which is in charge of Governor in Council appointments, to take a look at any type of allegation. I could not agree more. However, we also have to realize that the former chief of the defence staff was appointed by the previous government. Those are the things that we need to get to the bottom of. We will be looking at a review to see what actually happened there.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, what is clear is that the Liberals are all just talk. They are all just total hypocrites when it comes to listening and believing women. He had all the power and all the facts. He had the tools and it was his duty to investigate. The ombudsman says that after talking with him, the minister cancelled seven meetings. His work was “gutted”, “hostile” and “toxic”. He says there was a “hit job”, “a cover-up” to get rid of him, and months later he resigned in frustration.

Why did the Liberals actually use all their tools to silence victims and force out a whistle-blower to protect their buddies?

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

Before going to the minister, I want to remind hon. members that calling other members names is not allowed. It is not parliamentary language. This is just a reminder, and I am sure it will sink in.

The hon. minister.

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, as I stated earlier, I disagree with the former ombudsman's testimony. I look forward to—in fact I welcome—an opportunity to go and speak at the next committee meeting.

When it comes to the horrible situation some of our women have been forced into, as I stated, we want our survivors to come forward and they will be protected, but we have a lot more work to do. We will continue to do that to ensure that we create an inclusive environment for everyone to be able to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Health

[Kristina Michaud, Bloc, Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC]

Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, the Prime Minister said that he was addressing the glitches with the mandatory hotel quarantine. “Glitches” is an understatement.

The situation is getting chaotic, even dangerous. The government is incapable of ensuring the safety of the people it is responsible for. Things are so bad that people are saying they would rather pay a fine and suffer the consequences than stay in a hotel under these conditions.

Can the Prime Minister tell us how many people chose to pay a fine instead of quarantining in a hotel?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has some of the strongest protective measures at the border to prevent the importation of COVID-19. We continue to work to add layers of protection to ensure that we understand who is carrying the virus, how infections are entering the country and, as we see the rise of variants of concern, how the virus is shifting and shaping. We will continue to ensure that travellers are safe when they enter Canada and that Canadians are safe as well.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here is another example of the government's mismanagement of the hotel quarantine process.

The rules apply to travellers arriving by plane, but not to those arriving by land. The upshot is that people are flying to Burlington and then taking a bus across the border to avoid the mandatory hotel quarantine. These measures are supposed to limit non-essential travel by all means of transportation.

Why are non-essential travellers not all subject to the same rules? It would make sense for them to be, would it not?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from the Bloc Québécois knows full well that we have some of the strictest measures in the world. There are measures designed for air travel, of course, but there are also additional measures for people travelling by land.

Would the Bloc Québécois prefer that we not have any measures and stop screening travellers at our air and land borders? Is that what she is saying?

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I do not understand, because soon we are going to hear that tourists are skipping quarantine by crossing the border at Roxham Road.

The whole saga around hotel quarantines is pathetic. What we wanted the government to do was to manage the return of travellers at Christmas in order to prevent the COVID-19 variants from entering Canada. That was at Christmas. It took until February for the government to act, and by then, the variants were already in our schools. Two weeks later, everyone had already figured out how to skirt the rules by crossing the border any way except by air.

Why is the federal government always dropping the ball?

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Bloc Québécois members are quite happy that they were asking so many questions at Christmas. They probably asked questions before, and they will probably ask more questions after. That is their job.

Meanwhile, we are taking action. We have taken some of the toughest measures in the world at our border for air and land crossings to guard against COVID-19 and protect all Canadians.

I understand from their criticisms that perhaps the Bloc members would prefer not to have such strict measures, but we are committed to those measures.

National Defence

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the public has just learned that in February a senior naval officer in the Canadian Armed Forces alerted the Liberal defence minister's office to an allegation of sexual misconduct against the chief of the defence staff, Art McDonald. In response, it is alleged that he was told to report his concern elsewhere. Since then, the senior naval officer has received anonymous phone calls threatening his military career.

Is the government investigating this shocking report of intimidation, and why is the defence minister failing to protect whistle-blowers and victims of sexual harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces? Is that not his duty?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, any allegations that were brought forward were immediately reported to the appropriate authorities. In this case, a complaint of misconduct was received by the switchboard and immediately relayed to an official in the Department of National Defence. At no time did any staff in my office speak with the caller. Any insinuation that any political staff ever reached out to this caller is false.

We want people to come forward. They will be sent to the appropriate authorities so that any allegations can be investigated.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, in the last Parliament, the status of women committee studied the treatment of women in the Canadian Armed Forces. Witnesses said that their concerns were ignored and that after reporting sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces, they faced retaliation from their superiors. Women were passed over for promotions, and some even saw the reports being handled by those who were accused of misconduct in the first place. The government knew about issues occurring.

Where was the action, and what has the government done to deal with these concerns?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I could not agree with the member more. More needs to be done in the Canadian Armed Forces, and that is exactly what our government started doing. More importantly, we actually got the declaration of victim rights bill passed. This was very important, because it actually died on the Order Paper with the previous government. We are also currently reviewing the military justice system with Justice Fish, so we can look at changes to be even more responsive. We want to ensure we give survivors the opportunity to come forward so they can be heard, so that allegations can be investigated, ensuring that no retributions can ever come on them as well.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the status of women recommended in 2019 that the government implement all 10 recommendations of the 2015 Deschamps report, “External Review into Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces”. The chief of the defence staff responded by launching Operation Honour, but, as we have seen, even the top ranks of our military remain plagued by sexual misconduct.

How could Operation Honour be effective if the Minister of National Defence ignores reports about sexual misconduct at the highest levels of the armed forces?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I completely disagree with the member's assertions, as I stated. I look forward to going to committee and welcome my opportunity to speak there.

We take every allegation seriously. There is a lot more work that needs to be done. Great work has been done by Dr. Preston within the SMRC, where military justice is being currently reviewed as well. More importantly, we actually have an independent panel made up of former serving members this is going to review systemic racism, including gender bias.

A lot more work is going to happen and we have a lot more work to do. Everything is currently on the table so that we can actually make changes. This is the progress we have started. We are not going to stop until we have—

[The Speaker, Anthony Rota]

The member for London—Fanshawe.