Debates of June 14th, 2023

Public Safety

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely right. I stood with the families of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy, because I have great care for them, as do all Canadians. That is why I called the commissioner to express my concerns. That is why she is conducting a review of the decision. That is why I am issuing new instructions to the CSC.

The hon. colleague refers to the Emergencies Act. I will always defend the government's decision to invoke that act. While we were working around the clock to restore public safety, what were the Conservatives doing? What was the leader of the Conservative Party doing? He was serving up Timmy's. On this side of the House, we will always defend law and order.

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if he claims he does not read emails, if he claims he does not get briefed by staff, if he claims he does not get briefed by his officials, if he claims he does not tell the Prime Minister anything, what does he actually do here?

He told the families of Paul Bernardo's victims that he had no knowledge of the transfer. He pretended that he had no idea. He revictimized the families of the victims, and he does not have the trust of Canadians. His own caucus cannot even look up at him.

There is only one option for the minister. It is to resign.

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

Mr. Speaker, the events that occurred—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Order.

The hon. government House leader.

[Mark Holland, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the horrific events that were the result of the absolutely heinous crimes by Paul Bernardo are felt viscerally, I would say, by every single Canadian.

What the minister has stated is that this is a decision that was made by Correctional Services Canada, which acts independently. The minister indicated that when he became aware of it, he indicated to Correctional Services that he did not find that decision acceptable and asked for it to be reviewed.

We have also asked for it to take a victims-centred approach going forward in corrections. I want to work with the party opposite on that, because I know they care—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for Kildonan—St. Paul.

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

Mr. Speaker, this is a pattern of misleading behaviour from the minister. That is the problem here.

For example, he misled the House when he said he was not banning hunting rifles. That was false. He was banning hunting rifles. He misled hunters. He misled farmers. He misled indigenous Canadians. He was forced to back down on that as a result, but he broke the trust of hunters and firearms owners. He will never get that back.

How can the Prime Minister have a Minister of Public Safety who cannot be trusted?

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise once again, because I think we are all unified in our horror of these crimes. I think that we are all unified in our desire to make sure that the victims, not only here but in every instance, are protected. That is why I think the minister's offer to have a conversation about how we can use this to instruct a more victims-centred approach in our corrections is the right approach.

I would invite the opposition to participate in that discussion. I think the minister has been clear that the decision made by Correctional Services Canada was one that we do not support and have asked them to review.

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

Mr. Speaker, I do not think the member is listening to the exchange going on here. The minister also claimed that the illegal Beijing police stations operating in Canada were closed. That was not true either, was it?

These police stations not only violate our sovereignty, but they threaten the security of Chinese Canadians. It is issue after issue with the minister, and he continues to mislead the public. It is critical that the Minister of Public Safety, above most ministers, has the trust of Canadians. However, he has repeatedly misled Canadians on issues of public safety.

How can he be trusted to keep us safe when we cannot trust a word he says?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague across the way is not the final arbiter of trust. It is Canadians. We are working hard every single day to protect public safety.

We have introduced Bill C-21, which will take AR15-style guns out of our communities. The Conservatives want to make those types of guns legal again.

My colleague refers to the so-called police stations. The RCMP has repeatedly confirmed that it has taken disruptive action to stop foreign interference in relation to those so-called police stations.

On the matter of Paul Bernardo, there is an internal review. We are working with the families. We will always stand up for victims' rights.

Democratic Institutions

[René Villemure, Bloc, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Mr. Speaker, foreign interference continues while the government is still waffling, wondering what to do about the special rapporteur fiasco. It still cannot take the first step, which is to announce whether it intends to launch a public and independent commission of inquiry.

I am reminded of those profound words, full of wisdom, from Talleyrand, a French diplomat, who said something to the effect that there is only one way to say yes, and that is yes, and all the others mean no.

So is that a yes on an independent public inquiry?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to repeat the answers I gave to my Bloc colleague a few moments ago. As we have always said, the country, Canadians and parliamentarians will benefit from a public process that will follow up on Mr. Johnston's reports and recommendations.

This is an opportunity to collaborate on what kind of process will be launched, what kind of people will lead that process and what the mandate will be. I look forward to continuing to work with the opposition parties.

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

Mr. Speaker, for almost four months now, the government has been schooling us on how to stall for time on the Chinese interference issue. The four-month mark is approaching, and we are right back at square one. We have no time left. If the inquiry is to shed light on this interference before the next election, considering the upcoming summer recess, it has to get off the ground now. Time is running out.

Will the government finally announce an independent public inquiry?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I share our colleague's opinion on the need for swift action. I said it publicly and I repeat it now: Ideally, the opposition parties and the government will agree on a process by the end of next week. This work is being done in the interest of Canadians. I deeply appreciated the letter I received yesterday from the Bloc Québécois. I have had encouraging conversations with other opposition parties, even today. The work continues. I remain optimistic.

Public Safety

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Paul Bernardo is a brutal serial killer and rapist. He kidnapped, tortured, raped and murdered teenage girls. His victims and their loved ones have to live with that grief forever. He traumatized an entire generation and the whole country.

Two weeks ago, that monster was moved out of maximum security, but three months before that, the minister was told. He did nothing, and now he says he cannot do anything to keep this dangerous criminal locked up in max. His whole job is to keep Canadians safe, and he cannot or he will not.

When will he name and fire the staffer he says screwed up, or just resign?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is right in her characterization of these crimes. I think she will find no argument from anyone there.

Let me say that all of us, on this issue, need to work together to make sure that the families are served and the victims are served. The minister has suggested a conversation about a victim-centred approach in corrections to make sure this mistake, which was made independently by corrections services, does not happen again.

I hope the member opposite will take up that conversation. I know how sincere she is in her horror of those events. I know she knows I am sincere in mine.

[Shannon Stubbs, Conservative, Lakeland, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians want accountability and action. The ministers can blame everyone else all they want, but the truth is their policies endanger Canadians and it is a habit.

The Liberals are soft on sentences for kidnapping, sexual assault and rape, and let those monsters do time at home among their victims and law-abiding neighbours. Crime has skyrocketed because the Liberals give bail not jail to violent criminals.

Misleading Canadians is the minister's habit. He said law enforcement asked for the Emergencies Act. That was not true. He said all Beijing police stations in Canada were closed. That was not true. He is misleading us now, as we know, when he says he did not know about Paul Bernardo's transfer.

When will he finally be accountable, stop all this deliberate deception and resign?

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be absolutely clear again that I found out about this decision on May 30. I agree with my colleague that—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I am having a hard time hearing the answer. I am sure many other members are as well.

I just want to remind some members that they have very strong voices. Maybe they are just trying to talk to someone close to them and their voices are very loud. I want them to be very mindful of the strength of their voices.

The hon. minister.

[Marco Mendicino, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said on numerous occasions, I was personally informed on May 30, the day after an independent decision was taken by CSC to transfer Paul Bernardo. I expressed shock and outrage at the time, along with the families.

I should have been briefed immediately by my staff. I have dealt with that matter internally through corrective steps. Going forward, we have new instructions coming to CSC to put victims at the very centre of these decisions. We will ensure they are notified so that we can take a trauma-informed approach.

[Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, Paul Bernardo is a serial rapist and murderer who targeted teenagers. He deserves to stay in a maximum security prison forever, full stop.

If the minister's staff keeps secrets from him on serious issues, then the public safety minister has no control over his files. He has not fired anyone. To allow the minister to keep his job is to be anti-woman, anti-justice and anti-victim.

If the Liberals want to stand with women, tell him to resign.

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

Mr. Speaker, opposition members want what they have asked for many times. I do not know if there was ever a point at which they supported the minister, but they do not now and that is fine.

What we are talking about with the crimes they are consistently repeating are heinous traumas that were visited upon those families and, in an echoed way, upon every single Canadian. What I have heard from the minister is an offer to have a conversation about how we ensure that Correctional Services does not make a decision like that again and that we work together on that.

I look forward to constructive offers from the other side, not just—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The hon. member for South Surrey—White Rock.