Debates of June 15th, 2022

Public Safety

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister is putting the government in a very difficult position. He has said the police requested the invocation of the act. Clearly, that is not the case. None of his cabinet colleagues concur with him. Neither does his deputy minister. The minister needs to take some time to reflect on the principle of ministerial accountability and on the integrity of our parliamentary system. He needs to decide what the honourable course of action is. Will he do that?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, every step of the way we worked with police services and local authorities on ensuring that they had the tools they needed to be able to put an end to these illegal blockades and these illegal protests. When we chose to invoke the Emergencies Act, it was to deliver more tools that the police ultimately used to put an end to these illegal disruptions to so many Canadians' lives.

While Conservative politicians were busy celebrating with and encouraging these illegal protesters, we acted to keep Canadians safe.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this, today, is how ministerial accountability dies: a Prime Minister who obfuscates and will not answer, and a minister who refuses to resign. The Minister of Public Safety clearly and unequivocally did not tell the truth. Ministers in the past have resigned on principle, ministers like Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott.

Will the Prime Minister show that he has some principles and get that minister fired?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while we were focused on serving Canadians and getting them back to work, getting their lives back and getting their streets back, Conservative politicians were busy supporting and celebrating alongside these illegal protesters and barricaders.

We focused on delivering the support that police services needed to put an end to this, which ultimately led up to us choosing to invoke the Emergencies Act, which gave them the tools necessary that worked to put an end to these illegal blockades. That was what we were focused on and that is what we continue to be focused on: Canadians.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what we are witnessing here today by the Prime Minister is a poor man's master class on how to avoid accountability. We deserve accountability. Canadians deserve accountability.

The minister needs to be held to account. He has misspoken, he has misled and he has misinformed this House and the Canadian public. His position is completely untenable. The Prime Minister would not even answer a question directly on this. The Prime Minister needs to show some principles, show that his minister has some principles and get him to resign or fire him.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in February, when blockades and occupations disrupted our economy, hurt workers and endangered public safety, we invoked the Emergencies Act to help bring them to an end. We have now announced the Public Order Emergency Commission, an independent public inquiry to examine the circumstances that led to the declaration being issued and the measures taken in response, as required under the act.

We are acting in openness and transparency. We know that the members of the Conservative Party might not want light shed on these events, given their support of these blockades, but Canadians want to know the truth.

The Environment

[Monique Pauzé, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, according to The Globe and Mail, senior public servants are warning that the oil and gas industry will barely reach half of its reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions.

Why? Because the Prime Minister refuses to cap fossil fuel production and because these targets are based on inefficient carbon capture technologies. We have to admit that carbon capture is an oil unicorn.

Does the Prime Minister realize that it is irresponsible to have targets that we have no hope of reaching?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should perhaps listen to organizations such as the Canadian Climate Institute, Équiterre and Clean Prosperity, and also leading scientists who approved our plans and agree that our plan credibly outlines the contributions that every sector must make to achieve our climate targets.

We promised an ambitious and achievable plan to reduce pollution and create opportunities for Canadians, and that is exactly what we are delivering with the emissions reduction plan.

Climate Change

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

Mr. Speaker, there is a difference of 38 megatonnes between the government's 81 megatonne emissions reduction target for the oil and gas industry and the 43 megatonnes that experts estimate the industry will actually cut. That is how much wishful thinking weighs.

Yesterday, the UN Secretary-General described the discrepancy between what needs to be done to combat climate change and what politicians are actually doing as a “dangerous disconnect”.

When will the Prime Minister understand that it is completely unrealistic to think that Canada can meet its targets without cutting oil production?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, the analysis my colleague is referring to was a preliminary one that did not take into account new measures, investments and regulations that will increase our capacity to reduce emissions.

I would suggest that my colleague look to prestigious organizations, such as the Canadian Climate Institute, the Pembina Institute, the Business Council of Canada and the Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada, which have confirmed the feasibility of our plan and modelled projections consistent with those set out in our plan.

Public Safety

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has repeatedly parroted the Minister of Public Safety by saying that police called for the use of the Emergencies Act.

This false information was spread by the Minister of Public Safety, and by defending such incompetence, the Prime Minister is being played for a fool. We know this information is false because the former minister of public safety has said, “Quite frankly, this is a decision of government.”

Will the Prime Minister accept personal responsibility for this misinformation and fire his minister?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I have been very clear over the past weeks, and indeed through all the questions asked during this question period, that throughout the crisis in February, we were working closely with police services and with provincial and municipal authorities who were asking for more tools, which we continually delivered, whether it was more police officers, more concrete resources or ultimately in choosing to invoke the Emergencies Act, which gave proportionate and responsible tools that allowed the police services to put an end to these illegal blockades that the Conservatives were busy supporting.

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

Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister has continued to tell the country that law enforcement told him to invoke the Emergencies Act, but that is just not true.

Yesterday the emergency preparedness minister said:

I do not believe that would have been an appropriate thing for law enforcement to ask, and they did not ask.

Cabinet is clearly isolating the minister. We gave him the chance to resign honourably and he refused. Will the Prime Minister fire that minister?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, what we see today is a Conservative Party desperate to try to prevent Canadians from remembering that Conservative politicians stood side by side with these barricaders, blockaders and illegal protesters while they were trying to disrupt Canadians' lives, while they were harming our economy, while they were hurting factories and workers across the country with their illegal protests.

We worked with police services and authorities to give them the tools they needed to put an end to these barricades, including deciding, ultimately, to invoke the Emergencies Act in a proportional and responsible way.

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

Mr. Speaker, well, birds of a feather, I guess, because to fire someone in his cabinet for dishonourable conduct, the Prime Minister would have to look himself in the mirror.

The public safety minister uttered a barefaced falsehood at committee, and he continues to shamelessly mislead Canadians. He is no longer fit for the Queen's Privy Council. Will the Prime Minister fire him today?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while Canadians were struggling through the impacts of these illegal blockades and these illegal protests, while Conservatives were standing with them and encouraging them, we were working with police services and authorities across the country to bring an end to the disruption faced by so many ordinary Canadians in their lives.

That is why we delivered more and more tools throughout the three-week process and ultimately why we decided to invoke the Emergencies Act in a proportional and responsible way.

International Development

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the unjust war in Ukraine is having a tremendous impact on countries all around the world.

This war has led to a global food shortage. The conflict, combined with the effects of climate change and the pandemic, is threatening to push tens of millions of people into food insecurity, hunger and famine, especially in Africa.

Could the hon. Prime Minister tell the House what Canada is doing to help the people facing this kind of crisis?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle for her question and for her hard work.

Russia's aggression has had significant and immediate consequences on global food security and nutrition for the most vulnerable people in the world. This is why we have announced that Canada would contribute $100 million to the African Development Bank to support the growth of small and medium-sized agri-food enterprises.

This funding will help increase food security across the continent while supporting inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Public Safety

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this culture of deception, deflection, not being accountable, blaming others, entitlement and division has been a culture created by the Prime Minister. He has set the example for others in his cabinet to follow, so it is no surprise to anyone to see the public safety minister using the tactics of his Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister did not hesitate to force out Jody Wilson-Raybould or Jane Philpott for speaking the truth to his power. Will the Prime Minister for once do the right thing, do the honourable thing, and fire the Minister of Public Safety?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives continue to focus on me, I will continue to focus on Canadians alongside all of the extraordinary members of our team. We are focused on fighting against inflation, on supporting Canadians with the cost of living, including such things as cutting child care fees in half and increasing the Canada child benefit with the cost of inflation, as will happen in the coming weeks.

We will continue as well to make sure that the Conservative politicians who stood with illegal protesters and blockaders, fostering division in this country, are remembered by Canadians, because we chose to invoke the Emergencies Act to put an end—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before we go to the next question, I just want to remind the hon. members that we are starting to hear some more rumble and talking. Maybe just whispering a little bit more lightly would be better.

The hon. member for Carleton

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, not once, not twice, but 13 times did this public safety minister claim that the police told him to suspend people's civil liberties with the Emergencies Act. Not only did the cops say that this is not true, but yesterday two of his fellow ministers, including the Deputy Prime Minister, said that it is not true. Today, the Prime Minister refused to say that his public safety minister had acted honourably.

If his fellow ministers do not think he is honourable and truthful, why is he still in cabinet?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, while the member opposite supposedly concerns himself with the freedom of Canadians to protest illegally, we are going to continue to stand with Canadians who had their lives disrupted by the illegal blockades and the protesters who went to such lengths to shut down our economy over the month of February.

We continue to work with police officers, with services, with local authorities to give them the tools needed, and ultimately we chose to invoke the Emergencies Act to keep Canadians safe and put an end to these barricades.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, he referred to disrupting people's lives. This is from the guy who took away the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people because of an unscientific mandate that robbed them of their individual freedom.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!