Debates of Oct. 7th, 2024

Foreign Affairs

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, I gave the foreign affairs minister two opportunities to condemn the increasingly common and terrifying anti-Semitic chants we hear in the streets, such as “Israel will soon be gone” and “There is only one solution! Intifada, revolution!” Twice she refused to condemn those remarks. She continues to pander to Hamas supporters and the Liberal Party as part of her leadership campaign rather than doing her job.

I will give her another chance. Will she publicly support Israel's right to retaliate against the tyrants of Tehran and the terrorists of Hezbollah and Hamas to protect itself, yes or no?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

I want to encourage all members to be consistent with rulings in the past. I will come back to this at the end of question period, but I caution all members to please be judicious in their words.

The hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, if there is a day that we should not play politics about people's lives being taken or people being killed, it is today. We all in this House, I hope, are against any form of anti-Semitism or any form of discrimination.

I really hope that my colleague in front will apologize.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Leader of the Opposition]

Mr. Speaker, if there was ever a day when we needed a government to stand up for what was right, this would be that day.

The government has sought to divide Canadians by saying one thing to one group and precisely the opposite to another group, and here in this House, it remains radio-silent on condemning anti-Semitic chants and on supporting Israel's right to truly defend itself by retaliating against terrorists and tyrants. Why will the minister not do the right thing and stand beside the Jewish people today?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, one year ago in the Middle East, peace was broken by a violent terrorist attack by Hamas. On this side of the ocean, we have to do better in how we articulate protests. They need to be peaceful. What that means is that one does not go out on the streets to target a day care, does not go out on the streets to target a community centre and does not go out on the streets to target a synagogue.

Our resolve to fight anti-Semitism is strong. It has been strong since this Parliament started, when we outlawed the wilful promotion of anti-Semitism. It is even stronger now as we are advocating for more strict penalties, which that party opposes.

Innovation, Science and Industry

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

Mr. Speaker, it was you who ruled that the NDP-Liberal government obstructed a lawful order of this House by not turning over the evidence in a $400-million corruption scandal. It has this Parliament paralyzed and unable to deal with the misery and chaos that have been created after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government.

Taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up for the cover-up of this latest corruption scandal. Will the Liberals simply provide the evidence to the police so the House can get back to its work of holding them accountable?

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the member is again being false in his statements, because what you clearly ruled was that this matter should be sent to committee for further study. It is the first time in Parliament's history that it is taking its extraordinary powers and abusing them in such an egregious way.

The issue the hon. member is discussing has been dealt with by this government, but it is up to the Conservatives to stop obstructing their own obstruction so that we can all get back to the important work of governing for Canadians.

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

Mr. Speaker, only a Liberal would get up in this place and say that the majority of members of the House, who were democratically elected and are exercising powers that are legally bestowed upon this Parliament, are somehow infringing upon the government's constitutional right to not be investigated by the RCMP for its own corruption. It is absolutely unbelievable. There were over 186 conflicts of interest and $400 million lining the pockets of well-connected Liberal insiders, while Canadians are lined up at food banks in record numbers.

We want to know if the government is expecting the NDP to bail it out and stop us from holding it to account.

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear about two things. In terms of a criminal prosecution, the way it normally unfolds is that the police seek a search warrant from a judge and the judge evaluates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the charter interests at stake in getting documents, something about which that party cares not. Second, we have a fundamental premise called police independence. We safeguard it in Canada. Who does not safeguard it? It is authoritarian regimes. I guess the Leader of the Opposition and his minions are sharing their blatant favouritism toward authoritarian tactics in this House.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, history will remember this as a government riddled with corruption.

The latest scandal on the list concerns the green fund, which became a bottomless pork barrel for the government's cronies. The Auditor General was scathing. This fund's directors gave out subsidies to their own companies 186 times. What a bunch of winners. Corruption on that scale warrants police action.

The question is clear. When will the government agree to the Speaker's order to hand over the documents to police so they can do their job?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I have tremendous respect for my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent, but only a Conservative would filibuster a Conservative motion. This Parliament has seen it all.

The work has been done. That is what the police forces are saying. We said that we would take decisive action and we did. We got to the bottom of things, that is what we did. Four independent reports have been submitted. The CEO resigned. The board of directors resigned. The entity was transferred to the National Research Council.

We are confident that we are taking the right steps for this program's governance.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I too have a great deal of respect for the minister. However, the problem is that the Auditor General herself said that the minister did not do his job properly and did not do enough to keep an eye on what was going on with his fund.

It is also important to note that it is the people here at the table who are saying that the RCMP does not have all the documents. The only way to resolve this so that the RCMP can do its job and Parliament can get back to business is for the government to hand over those documents to the police.

When will the minister stand up and do the right thing?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent, but four independent reports were produced. Not one, but four independent reports were produced.

Even the commissioner of the RCMP openly stated in a letter that he had access to all the documents. In the interest of Canadians, in the interest of democracy, in the interest of the work of parliamentarians, we ask the Conservatives to stop obstructing the Conservatives and let us get back to work in the interest of all Canadians.

International Trade

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us come back to Bill C‑282, which protects supply management.

We were wondering why two senators, Peter Boehm and Peter Harder, were blocking the bill in the Senate. Now we know, thanks to Stephen Harper's former adviser, Dimitri Soudas, who said about these two senators, and I quote, “two former deputy ministers who tried countless times to convince Harper to abandon supply management....I was there”.

Two senators appointed by the Liberals are trying to overrule the vote of the House. Do the Liberals think that is acceptable?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the House that all of the Liberals here are in favour of supply management, just as our Bloc Québécois colleagues are.

The same cannot be said for the Conservatives. I can assure the House that we are having conversations with the senators, just as my Bloc colleague is.

The Senate is independent. The senators he is talking about are independent. They have to do their job. We expect them to do it diligently.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, what is going on in the Senate is extremely serious. Not only are these two unelected members attacking our farmers, but they are also striking at the heart of democracy.

This chamber is where we vote on legislation. If Peter Boehm and Peter Harder do not agree with the laws and want to pass other ones, they should have the courage to resign from the Senate and be elected by the people. This is the seat of democracy. We represent the people. We supported Bill C‑282.

Will the government ensure that these two senators respect democracy?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, my answer is the same as the one that was just given. My colleague gave a great answer when she said not only that that we value supply management, but that it was a Liberal government and the Liberal Party that put it in place decades ago.

We have always held the same positions, unlike some other members in the House. We defended supply management, including against President Trump, who wanted to dismantle it when the Conservatives were asking us to give in.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

Before I recognize the member for Berthier—Maskinongé, I would like to invite the members for Mirabel and Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier to hold their tongues until they are recognized by the Speaker.

The hon. member for Berthier—Maskinongé.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, passing Bill C‑282 will be crucial for dairy, poultry and egg farmers. Canada's dairy, egg, chicken, turkey and hatching egg producers have said as much in their open letter.

This is proof that when the Bloc Québécois stands up for what is good for Quebeckers, sometimes it is so good that Canada even wants a piece of the pie. There is a consensus among producers in Quebec and Canada: This is good for everyone.

Will the parties ask the Senate to stop blocking this consensus and pass Bill C-282?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more with my Bloc Québécois colleague. We are in favour of the supply management system. We want to preserve it. It is very important for protecting the use of our land.

The bill is in the Senate right now. We expect it to be dealt with diligently.

Innovation, Science and Industry

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberals are not worth the cost, crime or corruption. You, Mr. Speaker, ruled that the NDP-Liberal government must hand over documents relating to what the Auditor General found was a $400-million fraud with 186 conflicts of interest. This is at a time when Canadians are having trouble heating, eating and housing themselves.

When will the Liberal government end the cover-up and provide those documents to the RCMP as it should?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, I am going to appeal to the member. As a former Crown prosecutor, he knows something about the independence of our institutions.

When the police take action, they do so without political direction or manipulation. The police make decisions. They then go to a court and ask for a search warrant. It is judicially authorized because it has charter protections.

That is something with which the member used to be familiar. I just wish he would educate some of his colleagues about the importance of these safeguards and why they exist in democracies.

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Mr. Speaker, in listening to the Attorney General, people would almost think the Liberals believe they have a charter right to line the pockets of Liberal insiders. This is at a time when Canadians are lining up at food banks, when people cannot afford their mortgages and when they cannot find a house, yet Liberals line pockets of Liberal insiders. This is so on-brand for Liberals. It is like they are entitled to their entitlements.

When will the Liberal government end the entitlement for Liberal insiders and hand over the documents unredacted so that Canadians and the police can know the truth?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, there is a qualitative difference between providing documents for the purposes of Parliament and providing documents for the purposes of prosecution. The second we cross that line, we need to impose the protections that the charter provides. That is what that document represents. Most Canadians get behind that document, save for my Conservative colleagues.

The reason why the safeguards are important is because they protect things like privacy and our freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, again, fundamental precepts that the member knows full well because he used to practise in this area. I just wish he could educate his colleagues about why we need to safeguard important charter rights.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Mr. Speaker, after nine years of NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up. The green slush fund is more proof that the NDP-Liberals are not worth the cost, crime or corruption. They have violated a House order to cover up for their friends. This $400-million Liberal scandal has paralyzed Parliament, making it impossible to address the Prime Minister's agenda of crime and chaos.

Will the NDP-Liberals end the cover-up and give proof to the police, so Parliament can get working for Canadians?