House of Commons Hansard #358 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was documents.
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, once again, I am deeply disappointed in the questionable conflations being made in these matters by my esteemed colleague.
The first important thing for everyone in the House to keep in mind, including the people listening to us, is that respect for the dignity and safety of children is everyone's responsibility. As far as jurisdiction over education is concerned, it is the Government of Quebec's responsibility.
Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up. Violent gun crime is up 116% in Canada in just nine years.
Following the Prime Minister's out-of-touch comments, the Vancouver Police Union stated that the Prime Minister is “not aware of the ongoing gang war here in B.C. which is putting both our members and public at risk on a daily basis.”
Will the NDP-Liberals listen to police and finally admit that their soft-on-crime policies are leading to the crime wave in Canada?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, one thing that is definitely up is slogans in the House of Commons.
We have said clearly that we will support law enforcement both at the RCMP and in terms of their partners in policing, including municipal police in British Columbia. That is why we renewed the guns and gangs program that precisely puts money in the hands of these brave women and men who serve in municipal and provincial police forces, so they can do the exact work that my colleague pretends she wants them to be able to do.
Tracy Gray Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is the police themselves who are saying that the policies of the Liberal government are a failure. Conservatives are listening to police who know the facts about gun violence, public safety and the real impact in our communities.
Following the Prime Minister's out-of-touch comments, the Surrey Police Union stated, “The federal handgun freeze fails to address the real issue: the surge of illegal firearms coming across our borders and ending up in the hands of violent criminals.”
Eighty-five per cent of seized firearms are traced back to the United States, so why does the Prime Minister not listen to our law enforcement agents by starting to crack down on smuggled guns from the U.S.?
Dominic LeBlanc LiberalMinister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, our government did precisely that. It listened to law enforcement professionals who asked us to reverse the cuts of the previous Harper government to the women and men who serve in our Border Services Agency and who do that excellent work at border crossings across the country. We also invested in the RCMP, which has responsibility between border crossings and works with American partners on organized crime.
We are doing the very work that our colleague on the other side pretends that she thinks is important. Why does she not support our government in removing assault-style firearms from the streets of Canada?
Don Stewart Conservative Toronto—St. Paul's, ON
Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up. The Prime Minister wants to pat himself on the back, but the data and the Toronto Police Association say he is out of touch.
Last year in Toronto, there was a 45% increase in shootings and a 62% increase in gun-related homicides. In St. Paul's, two people were murdered in Oakwood, a police officer was shot near Yonge and Eglinton, and armed home invasions happen every day. The Liberals make life easy for career criminals with their catch-and-release bail policies.
When will the government finally come up with a plan to stop the crime and bring home safe streets?
Arif Virani LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, if the member expects us to apologize for taking assault-style weapons off of the streets, he is not going to get that apology. If the member thinks we are going to apologize for keeping women safe from domestic violence by implementing a handgun freeze, he is not going to get that apology. If the member thinks we are not going to take seriously the mental health impacts of suicides that are related to guns being in homes, he is not going to get that apology.
What he should do is actually think about what the police are asking for. They are asking for help with keeping Canadians safe. That is what we do every day on this side of the House.
Francis Scarpaleggia Liberal Lac-Saint-Louis, QC
Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Conservatives has continued his party's tradition of inaction and negligence by refusing to get a security clearance. He chooses to play political games instead of working for Canadians to combat foreign interference. That is not common sense; that is nonsense.
Can the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada tell Canadians how our government has taken historic action on foreign interference?
Arif Virani LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader continues to ignore national security. Instead of protecting Canadians, he prioritizes his partisan interests. That is not serious leadership.
I will explain it in three-word slogans just so the Conservative leader gets it: It is time to get the clearance, take the briefing and protect the country. It is that simple.
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up, time is up and now corruption is up. GC Strategies, a two-person company working from a basement, started scooping up government contracts like candy just weeks after the Prime Minister took office: $20 million for doing nothing on the failed arrive scam and $100 million in total in government contracts. If that does not scream corruption, I do not know what does.
Will the Liberals get our money back?
Public Services and ProcurementOral Questions
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, you also could have said it in French, because I am going to say something in French that my colleague has already heard several times in English.
He knows perfectly well that the Auditor General is independent, that the RCMP is also independent, that both of those organizations are doing their job, and that we will always be there to help them do it.
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is in English, but I digress.
Liberal corruption is on rinse and repeat. The Auditor General is investigating $100 million in contracts awarded to GC Strategies, a two-person IT company that did no IT work—
Public Services and ProcurementOral Questions
The Speaker Greg Fergus
Order.
It is a very important and basic fact here that questions can be asked in English or in French and that questions can be answered in English or in French.
I am going to ask the hon. member to start from the top.
Larry Brock Conservative Brantford—Brant, ON
Mr. Speaker, Liberal corruption is on rinse and repeat. The Auditor General is investigating $100 million in contracts awarded to GC Strategies, a two-person IT company that did no IT work on the failed arrive scam app. The RCMP has already raided the home of GC Strategies founder Kristian Firth as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Will the Liberals cut the corruption and, again, get taxpayers their money back?
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, what we just heard is an insult to all francophone members of the House, including the Conservative members opposite. If he wants to tell me that I do not have the right to answer a question in French in the House, he should rise and say it again.
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals continue to obstruct Parliament by refusing to hand over the unredacted documents, they have also been caught red-handed awarding a $20-million contract to GC Strategies to develop the ArriveCAN app. That company has only two employees. That is quite the hourly rate.
At a time when two million people are lining up at food banks, how many Liberal friends have lined their pockets by emptying the pockets of Canadian families?
Jean-Yves Duclos LiberalMinister of Public Services and Procurement
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague on asking his question in French. He could have asked it in English because in the House we are free to speak either of the two official languages. I would like to invite his colleague to apologize for asking me to answer his question in English.
Lena Metlege Diab Liberal Halifax West, NS
Mr. Speaker, foreign interference is an issue that is detrimental to our national security and to the safety of Canadians. We now know that agents of the Government of India have targeted Sikh and South Asian Canadians.
National security experts, including two former directors of CSIS, have emphasized how important it is for all party leaders to get the security clearance to view and act on intelligence.
Could the government House leader explain how crucial it is for party leaders to get the clearance to protect Canada's democratic institutions?
Democratic InstitutionsOral Questions
The Speaker Greg Fergus
I am going to ask the hon. member for Niagara Falls to not take the floor unless he is being recognized by the Speaker.
The hon. government House leader.
Karina Gould LiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, it is a question that is on the mind of many Canadians. Why will the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada not get his security clearance?
It is interesting to note that his Conservative members of Parliament would rather put our national security, our allies, our intelligence allyships and, quite frankly, the lives of Canadians at risk rather than have their leader get his security clearance. The question is, why? What is he hiding and what is he trying to protect?
Lisa Marie Barron NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Mr. Speaker, this week, the Liberals are de-staffing two lighthouses along the coast of Vancouver Island without consultation. This jeopardizes emergency response, search and rescue, navigation and more.
Instead of supporting lightkeepers and the safety of our communities, the Liberals are choosing automated navigation systems. These cannot replace skilled people and surely do not hear distress cries. This move is dangerous.
Will the Liberals halt this decision immediately and stop putting our coasts at risk?
Diane Lebouthillier LiberalMinister of Fisheries
Mr. Speaker, we are aware of the cultural and historical significance of the Carmanah Point and Pachena Point lighthouses along the West Coast Trail.
After a technical investigation and assessment, the Canadian Coast Guard determined that the lighthouses were no longer suitable for its personnel to operate safely. The safety and well-being of Canadian Coast Guard personnel is our top priority, and I want to assure my colleagues that the navigational aids in these areas remain functional to continue to protect mariners and coastal communities.
Kevin Vuong Independent Spadina—Fort York, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Immigration who intervened to stop a deportation order issued by his own department and upheld by a federal court to protect a five-time criminally convicted foreign national. Is it his latest scheme to protect the IRGC is by allowing them to falsely claim they are refugees?
Global News reported that refugee privacy is being exploited to hide behind closed-door proceedings. Why is the government continuing to make a mockery of Canada's legal and immigration systems? Is he the Minister of IRCC or the minister for the IRGC?