Debates of June 17th, 2025

Justice

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Mr. Speaker, what the minister failed to mention is that thanks to 10 years of Liberal inaction on crime, half of those 18 individuals were out on bail when they were arrested. Thanks to the good work of the Peel Regional Police, half of them were charged with violent crimes like arson and extortion. Incredibly, half of those individuals are already out on the street today. It used to be that in Canada, if someone was charged with extortion, fraud, drive-by shootings or arson, they would go to jail, but thanks to the Liberals' soft-on-crime Bill C-5 and easy bail laws—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The secretary of state for combatting crime.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, I will agree with the member that yesterday was a big day. Project Outsource was a big win for Canada. It was a big win for Peel region. I want to thank the officers of Peel Regional Police, Halton, York, the RCMP and everyone who was involved in this investigation.

When it comes to bail, the law says people who are a risk to public safety or of flight should not be given bail. It is important that the provinces, which administer justice, also make sure the criminal courts under the provincial jurisdiction function as they should.

[Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian bars and restaurants are grappling with a wave of extortion. The Montreal and Laval regions are no exception. In the past year, there have been dozens of these offences. Bars and restaurants have been burned down and have been the target of gunfire.

Over the past 10 years, the justice system has collapsed. Gang leaders use illegal cell phones to give orders to their underlings from prison. Gang members commit crimes with total impunity.

Can the Minister of Public Safety ask the justice minister to change the laws so that order is restored in Canada?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague raises extortion with a firearm. When repeat violent criminals commit offences of this nature, they face a mandatory minimum of seven years and a maximum of life imprisonment. When we see this kind of behaviour, we need not only to reform criminal laws to punish wrongdoers on the back end of such conduct, but to invest in our frontline officers who are keeping communities safe.

As part of the recent election campaign, Canadians elected a new Liberal government to make these precise investments, and I look forward to implementing them. I only hope Conservative members will join us.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a so-called safe injection site, backed by the Liberal government, became the scene of a broad daylight drug shootout. A mother walking by was killed, yet the staff member at the site who helped the shooters escape, shockingly, will not serve a single day behind bars. This was not about harm reduction. It was chaos, violence and death in a residential neighbourhood.

Will the Liberal government finally accept responsibility for these sites becoming crime magnets, and end the dangerous policies putting Canadians at risk?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the drug crisis across Canada and North America has impacted many communities, and there is not a community that we represent that has not gone through challenges. With respect to the matter in question, it is something that was made by an independent adjudicator, and I will not be able to comment on that.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant South—Six Nations, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after a decade of the Liberal government, serious violent crime has soared, but so has leniency. A mother is dead, and the so-called harm reduction worker who helped the accused killer gets to serve her sentence from home and enjoy her gym membership.

What kind of justice system does the Prime Minister believe in, one that protects victims or one that rewards criminals?

To correct what the crime minister had to say, there is no mandatory minimum for extortion, because she and her government voted in favour of Bill C-5.

Will the Liberals finally take responsibility for their soft-on-crime agenda?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, this new government was given a strong mandate from Canadians to keep our communities safe, and we will do exactly that.

We are committed to hiring 1,000 new CBSA officers and 1,000 more RCMP personnel to secure our borders and to keep our streets safe. We will make it tougher for violent criminals to get bail and impose stricter sentences for repeat violent offenders. This government is acting quickly. We brought in Bill C-2 immediately, to provide police with the tools necessary to catch criminals.

[Michael Guglielmin, Conservative, Vaughan—Woodbridge, ON]

Mr. Speaker, extortion is up 357% across Canada. In the GTA, 18 suspects were arrested in a major extortion bust. Firearms, ammunition and $4.2 million in assets were seized. Get this: half of the suspects were already released on bail. Just last week, the York Regional Police chief called for urgent bail reform. The Liberals voted against a Conservative bill to crack down on extortion and reintroduce mandatory minimums.

Will the Prime Minister stop siding with criminals and support our plan to keep violent criminals in jail?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, once again, yesterday was a good day. Project Outsource was a big bust. It is why our government is committed to introducing new legislation that would toughen bail rules for serious offences and ensure sentences match the severity of crimes.

We are working hard to make sure law enforcement has the tools it needs to investigate, to catch, to prosecute and to put criminals behind bars.

[Roman Baber, Conservative, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after a decade of the Liberal government, crime in Toronto is out of control. Last night in North York, what began as an armed carjacking at the Shops of Don Mills turned into a police pursuit and a man jumping off the Gardiner Expressway.

The Liberals have turned Toronto into Grand Theft Auto, real-life edition. Liberal Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 let criminals out on bail instead of locking them up and keeping us safe.

When will the Liberals repeal their soft-on-bail regime and start protecting Canadians from violent criminals?

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Secretary of State (Combatting Crime)]

Mr. Speaker, this new government is committed to working collaboratively with the provinces to ensure that our bail system works.

Bail is administered by the provinces through provincial judges and provincial courts and by Crown provincial prosecutors. They, too, should be given the resources and the tools that are needed, and they should have the space that is necessary to hold these criminals accountable.

Canadian Identity and Culture

[Bienvenu-Olivier Ntumba, Liberal, Mont-Saint-Bruno—L’Acadie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, one of the main reasons why I got into politics is that I enjoy meeting people, regardless of their background or where they come from. The great diversity in Quebec and in my riding of Mont-Saint-Bruno—L'Acadie reminds me every day that our differences are what make Canada stronger. I look forward to participating in the life of my community this summer.

Can the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages tell us what major national events will be taking place this summer? How will these events bring Canadians together?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Mont-Saint-Bruno—L'Acadie for his commitment to his community.

Our government's celebrate Canada program supports more than 1,500 events across the country to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, Saint‑Jean‑Baptiste Day, Canadian Multiculturalism Day, Canada Day and National Acadian Day. Concerts, cultural festivals and community gatherings are all opportunities to celebrate our diversity and to strengthen the social fabric that unites us from coast to coast to coast.

Housing

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a new report confirms what Canadians already knew: The Liberal housing crisis is not just locking generations out of home ownership; it is dragging down our whole economy. Teachers are commuting hours just to afford rent; tradespeople are building homes they are priced out of owning; and permitting in London is taking over six months, even for a small renovation. Now the Liberals' own data shows collapsing housing starts: down 72% in London.

After nearly a decade in power, how does the government defend doubling housing costs and tanking our economy?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians elected this new government to double construction and to make it more affordable across the country, and that is what we are going to deliver. We are focused on delivering tax breaks on GST and income tax. We are focused on lowering development costs. We are focused on delivering for Canadians with respect to affordability across housing, and we expect the members opposite to support that.

[Lianne Rood, Conservative, Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians cannot live in press releases and recycled talking points. They need homes.

London received $74 million from the Liberals' housing accelerator fund, and what did we get? We got a staggering 72% drop in housing starts, and zero transparency. Meanwhile, the government is under fire for funnelling public dollars to insiders and mismanaging every major project.

When will the Liberals admit their signature housing plan is a flop, and stop using taxpayer money to cover up their failure with photo ops?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the good news is that housing starts across Canada are up this year to almost record levels. We are seeing challenges in Ontario, and we are working with our partners in Ontario to turn that around. Across Canada, we are building, and we are going to build more.

[Chak Au, Conservative, Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' housing agency's May report confirms that housing starts in Vancouver dropped 10.4% from last year, despite the city receiving $115 million from the housing accelerator fund. In Richmond, housing projects are stalled, and families are facing record-high prices.

When will the Liberal government admit its housing plan is failing and that Canadians are paying the cost for its incompetence?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr Speaker, Canadians made a very clear choice in April to elect a government that is focused on delivering housing, and we will do that. The housing accelerator fund has been extraordinarily well supported by over 200 communities across Canada. If the members opposite do not believe in the program, they can talk to their mayors and councillors and continue to throw them under the bus. This government is going to work in that partnership, and we are going to deliver housing with communities across Canada.

Foreign Affairs

[Wade Chang, Liberal, Burnaby Central, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today, leaders from around the world are meeting at the G7 summit in Alberta to tackle some of the most complex challenges. I understand that the Prime Minister met with President Zelenskyy today, to understand what Ukraine needs to secure its victory.

Can the Minister of National Defence please update this House on the discussion Canada is having regarding Ukraine at the G7 summit today?

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Burnaby Central for his dedication.

Canada's support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's illegal and unjustified war remains steadfast. Earlier today at the G7 summit, the Prime Minister announced $2 billion in new military support to aid Ukraine in its time of need. This includes funding for drones, for ammunition and for armoured vehicles. We are also providing over $2.3 billion to help Ukraine rebuild its infrastructure and its public systems. Make no mistake: Canada will stand with Ukraine until victory.

Housing

[Ned Kuruc, Conservative, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' own May 2025 housing data is in and it is atrocious. The Liberal housing accelerator fund was put in place to accelerate housing. It has done the opposite. For example, the housing accelerator fund gave $93.5 million to Hamilton, but housing starts are down by 50.7%.

Why would this so-called new Liberal government continue its old failed programs?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, as the member states, there are challenges in Ontario, and we are working with our partners in Ontario to turn that around.

Across Canada, housing starts are up this year. Housing starts are at near record levels. Having almost 280,000 starts this year is the trajectory we are on. We need to build on that. We are shooting for 500,000 units, and we are going to work with our partners provincially and locally to deliver that.