Madam Speaker, it was a little over a year ago when I rose in this very chamber and called on all Canadians to unite. It was earlier that week when the Prime Minister stood in this House to tell all Canadians that our security agencies had been actively pursuing allegations of a link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen. Since that time, much has taken place. I wish now to speak to all Canadians once more.
Last week the RCMP announced that it had indeed found evidence that agents of the Government of India are actively involved in a network of criminal activity here in Canada, including homicide, extortion, organized crime and interference in our democratic process, a network of crime that could even mean the involvement of some of India's highest-ranking diplomats.
In the RCMP's own words, an “extraordinary situation” compelled the RCMP to speak about an ongoing investigation. Despite law enforcement action over the past year, harm has continued to emanate from agents of the Government of India, so much so that the RCMP reached a pivotal point at which it had to confront that government and inform the public here of its very serious findings.
Let me be clear: The security of Canadians is our top priority. Our justice system will be relentless in holding accountable those persons who seek to harm any Canadian, regardless of their position or proximity to power, because the stakes could not be higher. It is clear that what occurred last year was not an isolated incident, and we continue to learn about the extent of the interference still. It is a culture of intimidation, endangering those in our communities. It is stunningly brazen interference in our democratic process, and in the worst of cases, it has manifested itself, as we have learned, in the deaths of fellow citizens.
The allegations levied against the Indian government, backed by evidence, demonstrate that we will not tolerate acts of violence. We will not tolerate efforts to retaliate against Canadians for simply exercising their constitutionally protected rights. These acts are a great example of the increased violent transnational repression that is targeting diaspora communities in Canada.
The core of the message that I seek to deliver today is the same that I delivered last September. It is our sovereignty, plain and simple, that is at stake, and defending it wholeheartedly requires all of us to set aside our differences.
Now, more than ever, is the time to stand by our law enforcement. I want to express my deep gratitude to those in the RCMP and across security agencies who have been working tirelessly to not only protect Canadians across this country but who have also been at the vanguard in the fight to defend Canadian sovereignty in doing so.
I want to be clear in the House that in this age, we condemn violence and terrorism as political tools. Canadian citizens, regardless of where they come from, must never be prevented from the free and peaceful expression of their opinions and concerns. It does not matter what those opinions and concerns are; that is freedom of expression, an idea so foundational to our democracy that it finds itself enshrined in our Constitution, not just as words on parchment but in the ideals we live by.
Any democracy can and must defend the rights of its people to gather, to speak and to protest, through peaceful means, within the laws of the land. That is the fundamental liberty of our people. I ask this of the chorus of cynics who stand ready to point fingers: If not this, then what?
In any other system, those in power would only repress those on the periphery. Those in the centre would keep those on the sidelines at the sidelines, as has happened for centuries. In the House, we must recognize the role we play as parliamentarians and as Canadians. Whether it is confronting difficult truths or challenging our long-held beliefs, defending our sovereignty deserves nothing less than our full commitment. It is unconscionable that any member of the House would willingly wear a blindfold rather than do right by Canadians. That is shameful. We, the citizens of this country, through our Constitution, have the right to hold whatever views we wish, to think what we want and to say what we think. Our fundamental liberties are the core tenets of our Canadian experience. They have guided us from the earliest days of our nation's founding, and they will guide us to brighter days ahead. I am sure of this.
A year ago, I called on all Canadians to unite, saying that, although our heritage could vary, our destiny would be common. I once again call on Canadians to close rank. Our democracy will only endure when we have set aside our differences in service of a greater purpose: to protect the sacred right to hold an opinion, to say what we want and to do it without reprisal. That is foundational to our highest creed, and we can only endure when this creed endures.