Debates of Oct. 21st, 2022

Public Services and Procurement

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, CBSA is looking into this matter. It is aware of concerns with respect to the contract. I can assure the hon. member opposite that in all matters with respect to contracts, we adhere to the absolute highest standards and demand those standards in every interaction of the government.

Again, I would point out the imperative nature of the action that the ArriveCAN app was able to facilitate. We were in a situation in which the opposition was calling for the border to be closed. We wanted to make sure Canadians could travel safely. We introduced an app that facilitated that in a time of crisis and made sure that Canadians could travel.

Access to Information

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, Radio-Canada is reporting that the federal government is hunting down journalistic sources in order to punish a whistle-blower. It wants to know who disclosed that the federal government was appointing a unilingual English speaker as CEO of the Canadian Museum of History. What the government should have done was take a hard look in the mirror and ask why it continues to make unilingual English appointments. No, instead it searched the emails and phone records of 82 employees to find out who had spoken out.

Why is it that the government's problem is not the appointment of a unilingual person, but the fact that everyone knows about it?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her question.

I would point out that the president of the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec himself stated in an interview for that article that federal public servants are not supposed to use their office equipment to disclose information that is supposed to remain internal to the government. Of course, we are working to advance the cause of French. When I was heritage minister, I worked hard to ensure that we invested more than any other government to support art and culture across the country, and particularly in Quebec.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Speaker, the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec spoke out against the government's source hunting. It fears that Ottawa is discouraging whistle-blowers when it should in fact be protecting them. It is concerned, and rightly so, because Canada has the weakest whistle-blower legislation in the world. According to the International Bar Association, Canada ranks 50th out of 50.

That is why the Bloc Québécois has introduced Bill C‑290 to better protect public servants who blow the whistle.

Will the government support our bill instead of basically going on a witch hunt trying to track down sources within its own ranks?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Madam Speaker, Canada is one of the most transparent countries on the planet. Just look at the annual reports of Transparency International. We are one of the countries that gives journalists the most freedom. We have very important procedures when it comes to disclosing information, and we are extremely proud of that. We will continue to work on being one of the best in the world.

Health

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Madam Speaker, this Liberal government's lack of leadership on the health file is putting children's lives at risk. The emergency room at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Centre in Montreal is in chaos. Due to lack of space, children are waiting all alone in the hallways before being treated. Health care workers are overwhelmed. According to doctors, the quality of care is deteriorating. It is urgent that this Liberal government take action.

When will the Liberals show leadership and finally provide the health care funding needed to save lives now?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased that I am being asked this question, and I thank the member for that. Health care workers are in crisis across the country. They are exhausted, and many have quit their jobs. Many are ill and are thinking about leaving their jobs in the next few months or years.

First we must acknowledge that there is a crisis. Then, we have to work with the provinces and territories to address it. That is why, over the past few months, we have invested significant amounts to that end, and there is more to come. We look forward to working on this in collaboration with all our colleagues and health ministers across the country.

Public Safety

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

Madam Speaker, they need to start funding health care now.

Nova Scotians lost loved ones and an entire community was devastated by a mass shooting. People deserve honest answers from the government. Yesterday, in recordings released by the commission, it is clear that the former minister of public safety and the RCMP commissioner's stories do not add up.

If the Liberal government interfered with an investigation into the worst mass shooting in Canadian history for its own political gain, Canadians need to know. Who is telling the truth, the minister or the RCMP commissioner?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Madam Speaker, I want to remind the member opposite again, and I am sure he is aware of this most important principle in our democracy. Politicians do not interfere in police operations. They do not interfere in police investigations. That is a sacrosanct principle that our government will always live by. At no point ever did the minister or the government interfere in a matter of police operation or investigation; nor will it ever do so.

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

Madam Speaker, the newly released audio recordings of the RCMP commissioner confirm that the minister pressured the commissioner to release sensitive information about the ongoing investigation into the worst mass killing in our history. By requesting this information be released to further the Liberal political agenda, the minister politically interfered in the RCMP investigation, and he misled a parliamentary committee about it. For this, the minister must resign. Will he resign today?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Madam Speaker, I will restate this really important principle, because it is worth repeating. In our democratic system, politicians do not interfere in police operations or police investigations. At no point did our government instruct anyone to release any information, because we would never violate the sacrosanct principle of non-interference in a police investigation or police operation, as was the case in this circumstance.

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

Madam Speaker, the former minister of public safety misled a parliamentary committee, on the record. He said he was not aware that the commissioner would release sensitive information, and he said he never asked her to reveal that information, but both claims are now proving to be completely misleading with the new audio recording. Worse yet, the minister knew the release of this information would jeopardize the investigation into the worst mass killing in Canadian history. This was all for Liberal political gain. He must resign today. Will he resign?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Madam Speaker, at no point did our government attempt to direct or otherwise interfere in the police operation that was taking place after that tragic incident that took place in Nova Scotia.

Let me quote again what the commissioner said in a parliamentary committee on July 25. She stated, “Let me be clear. I did not interfere in the investigation, I did not receive direction and I was not influenced by government officials regarding the public release of information and, more importantly, on the direction of the investigation. I ensured that operational independence—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The hon. member for Thornhill.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, Commissioner Lucki told the Nova Scotia RCMP that she wanted the details of the makes and models of the weapons used in Canada's most deadly mass shooting released. Why? It was because the minister pressured her to do so. We know they spoke about it. He knew it would jeopardize the investigation, but the minister had legislation coming and this was part of a communications exercise for him. It was not about the investigation, the victims or public safety. He played politics with a mass-shooting investigation. At what time today will he resign?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Madam Speaker, the independence of police operations is a key principle in our democracy and one that our government deeply respects. At no time did our government attempt to interfere in police operations. That has never taken place. It is a sacrosanct principle of our democracy and we will always live by it.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Madam Speaker, in an accountable democracy, a recording of an RCMP commissioner working with a minister to cover up the politicization of the biggest mass killing in Canadian history would result in immediate resignation. Not only did the minister mislead the House about knowing what we have all heard on tape, but he was advised that releasing this information would jeopardize the investigation and he asked for it to be done anyway. He put politics above the safety of Canadians and then covered it up, so at what time today will he resign?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Madam Speaker, what happened in Nova Scotia by way of the mass shooting is an absolute tragedy. Innocent people lost their lives. Our focus has been to ensure that through this inquiry—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Can we listen to the answers the same way we listen to the questions, please?

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre, ON]

Our focus, Madam Speaker, through the inquiry, has been to make sure we learn the lessons on how to prevent such mass shootings ever taking place in any part of Canada. That investigation was led by the RCMP. The government did not interfere in that investigation, because that is a fundamental principle of our democracy. Politicians do not interfere with police operations.

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

Madam Speaker, this is a very serious issue. The government has always said that it never interfered in the judicial process regarding the tragic murder of 22 people in Halifax. That is completely false.

Yesterday, a recording was made public of a meeting that took place a few days after the tragedy. It clearly shows that the government was in up to its neck in the judicial process.

At that meeting, the commissioner said, and I quote: “I flew it up the flagpole because it was a request that I got from the minister's office. And I shared with the minister that in fact it was going to be in the news releases, and it wasn't.”

When will the minister resign?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Madam Speaker, the independence of police operations is a key principle in our democracy and one that our government deeply respects.

At no time did our government attempt to interfere in police operations.

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

Madam Speaker, I want to repeat the testimony that was made public yesterday: “I flew it up the flagpole because it was a request that I got from the minister's office. And I shared with the minister that in fact it was going to be in the news releases, and it wasn't.”

She told the minister. Moreover, we later learn that the RCMP commissioner was waiting for the Prime Minister to call her so she could apologize. This makes no sense in a self-respecting democracy.

When will the minister resign?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Madam Speaker, I agree with the member. In our democracy, politicians do not interfere in police operations or police investigations, and they did not do so in this matter. We did not interfere in a police operation or a police investigation. That was confirmed by the commissioner herself when she testified before a parliamentary committee in July of this year. She clearly said she was not asked to direct the investigation and she worked hard to maintain the independence of that investigation.

[Gabriel Ste-Marie, Bloc, Joliette, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the truckers' occupation of Ottawa dragged on because the federal government blocked any possibility of intervention for three weeks.

We know that when the City of Ottawa asked for reinforcements of 1,800 police officers, the federal government did not grant the request. However, we also learned from the commission that the mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, repeatedly asked the federal government to appoint a mediator. This request was also refused. For three weeks, there was no police reinforcement, no mediation, no progress.

Why did the federal government block any possibility of intervention for three weeks, while residents were being held hostage?