Debates of March 23rd, 2023

Maple Syrup Season

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Mr. Speaker, for Canadians, March means maple syrup, so I rise today to celebrate 40 years of Maple Madness in the Kingston region.

Last week, my team, joined by my family and I, went for our annual trip to maple madness. Bundled up on a cold yet sunny morning, we took a tractor-drawn wagon ride into the sugar bush at the Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area. We learned how making maple syrup has evolved over the years, including the ingenious techniques used by indigenous peoples for centuries. There are wonderful storytellers who guide visitors through the bush, and capable hands at work in the sugar shack. Of course, a highlight of our visit was enjoying some freshly made pancakes with warm maple syrup.

This is an annual tradition for so many community members in our area, and I want to thank all involved in making Maple Madness such a success for the past 40 years. I wish them a happy anniversary.

Dental Hygienists

[Don Davies, NDP, Vancouver Kingsway, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to welcome members of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association to Parliament, especially Donna, Cindy, Bev and Juliana, who met with me this morning to share their experience and wisdom.

Dental hygienists are essential primary health care professionals who are critical to oral health and who specialize in preventative care.

This year, National Dental Hygienists Week will run from April 4 to 10. The week's theme "Oral Health for Total Health" reminds all of us that taking care of our mouth, teeth and gums is integral to our overall health. That is why my New Democrat colleagues and I are working so diligently to bring dental care to every Canadian from coast to coast to coast.

On behalf of Canada's New Democrats, I wish to thank the over 31,000 dental hygienists across our country who help take care of our smiles every single day. Together, we can expand access, provide better dental care and improve the health of all Canadians.

Regional Novice Hockey Tournament

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the 29th Lorraine-Rosemère novice hockey tournament was held last January 25 to February 5. It is the biggest tournament in the Laurentians. Players took to the ice in a supercharged atmosphere. Congratulations to all the young people who gave us such wonderful performances.

I want to congratulate all the volunteers who contributed to the success of this event, especially the president of the tournament, Jessy Ann Hutchison, for the superb organization.

I had the pleasure of facing off with my colleague from Rivière-des-Mille-Îles. We were guest coaches at an all-star game. Unfortunately, my team was outdone by the opposing team's game plan.

I congratulate my dear colleague on his victory. There will be a rematch next year.

Democratic Institutions

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

Mr. Speaker, on November 7, the first report appeared about the PRC's interference in our elections. Since then, 19 weeks have passed. Since then, hundreds of questions have been asked in question period, in debate and in committee.

Despite these hundreds of questions, despite 19 weeks having passed, the Prime Minister has not told us much of anything. The government has responded with non-answers, denials, obfuscations, and accusations of racism and partisanship. The only reason why we know anything is because whistle-blowers have leaked to the media.

This is appalling. It is contemptuous of Parliament. By denying Parliament the most basic answers to the questions about a serious national threat, by forcing whistle-blowers to leak to the media, by going outside Parliament, the government is undermining Parliament and the very foundations of our constitutional order.

Forest Stewardship Award

[Leah Taylor Roy, Liberal, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to congratulate Dr. Isobel Ralston and Dr. Jan Oudenes for receiving the prestigious Forest Stewardship Award from Forests Ontario. This award is presented in recognition of outstanding support for forestry conservation and education.

MapleCross, founded by Isobel and Jan in 2017, invests in and protects ecologically sensitive land and areas of significant biodiversity. MapleCross has contributed to the preservation of almost 15,000 hectares of land across all 10 provinces and helped secure the preservation of more than 30 nature reserves, including the Oak Ridges Moraine in our region.

In Ontario, our greenbelt and other conservation lands are being threatened by a provincial government willing to allow development to occur on these protected lands. Our federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change acted recently, announcing a much-needed study to determine the effects of development on the Rouge National Park.

We are at a nexus where protecting our green space is even more important. Therefore, I want to thank Jan and Isobel for dedicating their time, talent and resources to MapleCross and the cause of environmental conservation. As their member of Parliament, I congratulate them on this well-deserved award.

Democratic Institutions

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, for a thousand days, the two Michaels sat, hopeless, in a windowless torture cell not knowing when they would be freed.

Yesterday, we learned from Global News that, according to two national security sources, a Liberal MP allegedly, and I quote, “privately advised a senior Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off freeing [the two Michaels]”. These members of our national security forces allegedly gave the Prime Minister that information.

When did the Prime Minister know?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, bringing back the two Michaels, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, was the top priority of the government and, I would say, of all members of the House and all Canadians.

We worked tirelessly for two years to bring these two men, who were arbitrarily detained by China, back to Canada, and all members of the House should know that.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, for 1,000 days, the two Michaels sat hopeless in a windowless cell, fed in doggy bowls that were slid under their door, going eight months without seeing consular support, yet, according to Global News, a Liberal MP allegedly contacted the Chinese consulate and encouraged it to delay the release of these two Michaels for partisan Liberal gain.

The intelligence services that came up with this information to the media would have told the Prime Minister. When did they tell him?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, let me be clear that bringing back the two Michaels, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, was the utmost priority of this government, of all members of the House, of all Canadians across the country.

For two years, we have worked tirelessly to make sure that these two Michaels, who were arbitrarily detained by China, would be coming back home safe. That is what we did and that was the only priority. Thinking otherwise is actually false.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, we have two members of our national security services who have told the media that a Liberal MP told the Chinese not to release the two Michaels.

I have now twice asked when the Prime Minister, his office or his department were informed of this startling revelation. I am going to ask a third time and I ask the minister to answer.

When did the Prime Minister become aware of these allegations?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, September 24, 2021 was a great day for Canada and it was the day when the two Michaels, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, came back safely home to Canada. I think it was a day when the government, all members of the House and all Canadians were proud of what we did, because, indeed, the two Michaels were arbitrarily detained for too long in China.

This will always be our priority as a government. We will always stand up against any form of arbitrary detention in state-to-state relations.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, this non-answer is extremely troubling. We have revelations from Canada's top security forces, who told the media that a Liberal MP asked the Chinese consulate to keep two Canadians in torture, in a windowless cell.

I asked already, three times, when did the Prime Minister become aware of these revelations. I ask again, when?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all the members of the House who were involved in making sure we could raise the case of the two Michaels for two years, because we worked with friends and allies, different states around the world, to make sure that we could advocate their case and that, on September 24, 2021, they would be coming back here to Canada.

In that sense, we will stand up against any form of arbitrary detention. This is part of our priority in terms of foreign policy.

In April, in Toronto, we will be hosting an arbitrary detention summit, because the world needs to know that what happened to the two Michaels was unacceptable.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, the importance of this question cannot be overstated.

The Prime Minister knew that a member of his Liberal caucus was working to keep two Canadian citizens arbitrarily and illegally incarcerated in windowless cells, potentially being tortured. He knew that and did nothing. That would be a devastating scandal against our national interest.

I am simply asking for the government to clarify. On what date did the Prime Minister find out the revelations that one of his MPs may have helped keep our people in jail?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister knew very well what was happening to the two Michaels and made sure that his government would be standing up against China in the context of their arbitrary detention.

In that sense, we will never accept any form of premise that this government and Canadians did not work enough to bring them back home. It was our priority, and members can be convinced that it will always be our priority, when it comes to any form of consular cases or any form of arbitrarily detained Canadians in the world.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers were already concerned about Chinese interference in our electoral system, but another line was crossed yesterday when very serious allegations were levelled against a Liberal MP. It is no longer just our electoral system at stake, it is the people's confidence in their elected representatives in this Parliament.

The Prime Minister should not be appointing his friend to reflect on whether or not a commission of inquiry should perhaps be launched at some point. Now is the time to act.

When will the Prime Minister finally set up a public and independent commission of inquiry? It is urgent.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we fully understand the concerns of Canadians about allegations of foreign interference in our democratic institutions.

Those concerns are shared and they should be shared by all MPs in the House of Commons. They are certainly shared by our government. We have put in place robust measures to counter foreign interference, and we have strengthened those measures in recent years.

The appointment of the Right Hon. David Johnston builds on those efforts to make them even more robust.

[Alain Therrien, Bloc, La Prairie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, delay can be fatal.

First, we learned that China was interfering in elections. Yesterday, we learned that a Liberal member had allegedly advised a Chinese diplomat to take action that was not in the interest of Canadian citizens. This is serious. I am not making this up.

As we learn about this and more and more incidents are reported by the media, we note that there is still no commission of inquiry and that the government has appointed an old friend to determine whether or not there will be a commission of inquiry, when in fact, one should be launched right now. There should be an independent commission of public inquiry. It is urgent.

When will it be launched?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I must reassure the House and, of course, my dear colleague that bringing the two Michaels, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, back to Canada was always a priority for this government.

I believe it was also a priority for all members of the House and certainly for all Canadians. September 24, 2021, was a great day because they finally came home.

Protecting Canadians around the world, no matter who they are, will always be our priority. We will never again allow any form of arbitrary detention.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. Every day, new allegations come forward about political interference that erode the public's trust in our democracy. It is becoming more and more clear to the public that the Prime Minister must have known about these allegations. Communities are at risk of being stigmatized. We need to clear the air.

Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and allow his MPs to vote in favour of our motion today for a transparent independent public inquiry?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, we obviously share the leader of the NDP's concern about the importance of not stigmatizing communities in Canada.

I think all members of the House know that our government wants to have a respectful non-partisan, fact-based conversation around these allegations and around how we can work together to further reinforce our democratic institutions to ensure that foreign interference is something that is always countered by the government. It is something we have done since we formed the government and it is something we will continue to do to ensure Canadians can have confidence in our democracy.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the way we do everything the minister just said is by launching a public inquiry.

The allegations published yesterday are shocking and disturbing. It is clear that a public inquiry is needed. These allegations are eroding people's confidence in our democracy.

We have an opportunity today. Is the Prime Minister prepared to allow his MPs to vote in favour of our motion calling for a public inquiry?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, as I just said a moment ago, we share the concerns of the NDP leader and of all Canadians. As for the need to have a discussion on these issues, a non-partisan, fact-based discussion, we have institutions already in place that are doing important work.

We have asked the Right Hon. David Johnston to go even further, to review the institutions that are already in place and to advise us on what additional steps we can take. We look forward to the results of Mr. Johnston's analysis in that regard.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday Global News printed very serious allegations about a member who sits in the House. The allegations, according to two separate national security sources, state that he privately advised a senior Chinese diplomat in February 2021 that Beijing should hold off freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.

For the sixth time today, on what date did the Prime Minister first learn of these allegations from security officials?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, we take the allegations of foreign interference very seriously, which is why we have ensured that our national security agencies have all of the powers and authorities, but with the corresponding transparency required to reinforce the confidence of Canadians in our institutions

At every stage, Canadians can be confident we are protecting our institutions. Canadians can be confident we are protecting our elections.

Above all, Canadians can be assured of the fact that this government worked 24-7 to ensure the return of the two Michaels to Canada. That is something we did.