Debates of March 11th, 2026

Public Safety

[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 raised a number of issues in his question. One is the reality that many communities are facing when it comes to violence committed against their community of faith. We are all aghast at the horrors of the shootings that have taken place against synagogues in Canada over the last number of weeks, but it is important that we take action to actually provide solace to the communities who are facing such serious public safety threats. This includes funding to help protect the institutions where people practise their faith and pray, and it also includes legislative efforts that will more severely punish hate crimes in this country, including hate crimes committed against communities of faith.

Members of the House have an opportunity to support the combatting hate act to help provide such protection to communities. I hope we can count on their support.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have known for years that senior members of the Iranian regime were living in Canada. This week, however, we learned that they expelled only one of them, even though 239 visas had been revoked. Liberal government officials also stated in committee that they could not expel members of the Iranian regime because they were eligible to claim asylum and their privacy had to be protected. Imagine that.

Where is the plan to expel these scoundrels from our country?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety has just clarified everything he is doing precisely to ensure that we deny suspected individuals the possibility of remaining in Canada. However, I encourage my colleague to support our Bill C‑9, which is currently before the House. It was part of our election platform and, unless I am mistaken, it was part of theirs as well. We are committed to protecting faith communities, temples, synagogues and mosques in Canada. The legislation is before the House.

Will the member and his colleagues vote in favour of delivering on their election promise?

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

Mr. Speaker, what the Minister of Public Safety shared today is very little compared to what needs to be done. Today, we submitted specific points to the government. Allow me to repeat what we are asking the government to do. We are asking it to urgently enforce deportation orders for Iranian regime officials, to evaluate Canada's terrorism threat level, which has remained unchanged since 2014, and to stop approving any refugee claims without an in-person interview.

The government has one week to come up with a plan. The government has seven days to show its plan to the Conservatives.

Will it?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the government has designated that segment of the Iranian community as a terrorist entity. The Minister of Public Safety is taking serious measures to respond to the current situation.

However, I want to repeat my question to my hon. colleague. He is committed—as I am, as we all are—to protecting faith communities in Canada, to protecting community centres, Jewish businesses, Muslim businesses, temples and synagogues.

Will the member and his colleagues say yes to these communities in Canada?

Rail Transportation

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Terrebonne are worried about expropriation for the high-speed rail project, and they are right to worry, because in Bill C-15, the Liberals weakened the Expropriation Act specifically to limit the rights of property owners along the rail alignment. The mayor of Terrebonne is calling for real consultations. The Lanaudière chapter of the Union des producteurs agricoles is afraid that our best farmland will be cut in half and then abandoned. Everyone is worried.

Why are the Liberals making expropriation easier and treating the people of Terrebonne like second-class citizens instead of working to earn social licence?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the high-speed rail project is inspiring Canadians, inspiring the people of Terrebonne, inspiring entire communities across Quebec and Ontario. It will be a game-changer for the people in those places, who represent 40% of the Canadian population, including the people of Terrebonne.

We will complete this project in a respectful way, in compliance with standards and with social licence. We are going to build high-speed rail in Canada.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Mr. Speaker, while the minister is working on being inspiring, Alto is doing nothing to reassure the people of Terrebonne. On the contrary, its CEO has confirmed to the media that there will be expropriations. That is not very inspiring to hear. Alto's CEO said he hopes that expropriation will not be the primary tool. In other words, people along the route in Terrebonne will get offers, and if they are not happy, well, Alto will use the tools granted by the Liberals to expropriate the land. That is not a negotiation.

Why will the Liberals not include the people of Terrebonne in the discussion rather than threatening them?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, people in Terrebonne, people across Quebec and Ontario, and even across Canada, are dreaming of this technology. We will make sure we do this right, consulting with landowners, communities, mayors, reeves and farmers. We will respect everyone, and we will end up with the most advanced technology that Canadians can only dream of for now, technology that is the envy of the world and that will be a game-changer for our communities. That is high-speed rail.

Public Safety

[Roman Baber, Conservative, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last week, three synagogues were shot at in Toronto. The war abroad is spilling onto our streets, while hundreds of Iranian agents are operating in Canada. The Conservatives are calling on the Liberals to table a plan within a week to enforce the deportation of Iranian officials, to disrupt Iranian efforts to launder money and to re-evaluate Canada's terrorism threat level.

Will the Liberals stop the Iranian regime here at home, or will Canada remain a playground for the revolutionary guard?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague, like one of the previous questioners, raised the very real challenge of communities that are facing hate crimes, including synagogues that are being shot up in this country. There are efforts to intimidate and obstruct people from practising their faith, not just at synagogues but at temples, at mosques and at our churches. We need to do more to ensure that people can live freely. That means rights that are not just written on paper but actually enjoyed in communities.

This includes adopting new laws that would criminalize certain behaviours that target people on the basis of their faith. We have an opportunity to support the combatting hate act to deliver this outcome now for Canadians. I hope the Conservative members will join us.

[Roman Baber, Conservative, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, shooting at synagogues is already illegal. Just like the Prime Minister, the justice minister is all talk and no action. Now an Iranian dissident is missing, and police fear that he has been murdered. Meanwhile, some Canadians actually recognized an Iranian official at the gym. The Conservatives are asking the Liberals to table a plan within a week to re-evaluate Canada's terrorism threat level, to identify gaps in our national security and to rid our country of the IRGC.

When will the Liberal government start protecting Canadians and finally deport those who are connected to the Iranian regime?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, our security threat levels are assessed by our law enforcement agencies, including the RCMP and CSIS. It is not politicians who assess those threats, and that is a very good thing.

Let me also say that the Canada Border Services Agency is making every effort to remove those who are inadmissible to Canada, who are members of the IRGC. There are 28 of them who are now going through the process. We will ensure the safety and security of Canadians, and we will ensure that those who are inadmissible to Canada are removed.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, never have foreign conflicts spilled onto our streets the way they have under the Liberal government. Three separate synagogues were shot at in a week in the GTA. An Iranian dissident in B.C. has gone missing, and police are investigating it as a homicide. An Iranian dissident in Thornhill had his boxing gym shot up 17 times the day after organizing a rally in Richmond Hill. Canadians are watching violence and intimidation spread in their own communities, while the Liberals sit back and do nothing.

Will the Liberal government table a plan to take action against the Iranian regime operating here at home so that Canadians can feel safe on their own streets?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I have had the opportunity to visit two of the synagogues that were attacked last week. It is deeply heartbreaking to see that their sense of security has been breached.

As a government, we are taking decisive action, including $10 million that was just announced to ensure the coordination of security efforts in places of worship as well as other community centres within the Jewish community. However, that is not enough. We also have legislation in front of the House, Bill C-9, which the Jewish community has been asking for us to pass. I urge the party opposite to pass it forthwith.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians do not need more photo ops. They need results. This week, we learned the Liberals have only removed one IRGC official after nearly four years. At the House immigration committee, Liberal officials said they could not deport them because there were no flights to Iran and because they needed to protect their privacy. Conservatives are calling for the enforcement of deportation orders for Iranian regime officials, the closing of loopholes that allow human rights abusers to be admitted and a crackdown on regime money laundering in Canada.

I am going to ask again. When will the Liberal government implement the foreign influence registry, stop rubber-stamping refugee claims without in-person interviews and finally deport the regime agents who are terrorizing our communities?

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

Mr. Speaker, as has been litigated during the debate in this chamber already today. The IRGC has been listed, and that carries with it certain consequences about the inadmissibility of certain individuals. Their files are reviewed and the people who are not allowed to remain in Canada will in fact be removed.

The concern underlying the questions in the House of Commons today have to do with the safety of Canadians, including the safety of Jewish Canadians to practise their faith freely in a context where synagogues are being shot up. There is a piece of legislation, the combatting hate act, Bill C-9, that has been before the House. We have an opportunity to offer the protection communities are asking for. It is a shame that the party opposite will not listen to Jewish Canadians and do what they are asking.

[Harb Gill, Conservative, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's sovereignty is not negotiable, but foreign conflicts are spilling onto our streets. Three synagogues have been shot up this past week. An Iranian dissident has disappeared, and the police think he may have been killed. However, the Liberals are patting themselves on the back because they removed one Iranian official linked to the IRGC. There are hundreds more on our streets. The number one job of any government is to protect its citizens. They are not doing that.

Will the Liberal government table a plan within one week to deal with the Iranian agents in our country and on our streets? It is about time it did that.

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

Mr. Speaker, we do have a plan. That is why we listed the IRGC as a terrorist entity. This provides our law enforcement and the CBSA with the tools to hold people inadmissible in our country and then remove them. The CBSA is working through the files and is removing those with links to the IRGC. This is the plan.

Along with that, we are protecting our institutions. We just made an announcement for an extra $10 million today to make sure that our religious communities are safe.

Northern Affairs

[Lori Idlout, Liberal, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, I am proud to join a team that will take the larger picture of meeting the current political environment and that is set on meeting the immediate needs of the north. Northerners know that food security is about more than getting food on the shelves. It is about addressing the cost of living, local capacity and true food sovereignty.

Can my colleague, the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs, tell the House how our government is moving beyond food subsidies and creating a food economy for those who call the north home?

[Rebecca Chartrand, Liberal, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency]

Mr. Speaker, let me start by welcoming the member for Nunavut to this side of the House. I also want to acknowledge her strong advocacy for the north.

We know that a subsidy alone will not solve the food insecurity issue in the north. That is why we are looking at moving from a food subsidy to a food economy in the north. This year alone, we have $200 million supporting the evolution of nutrition north. We are concluding regional engagements at the end of the month with a food sovereignty summit. I look forward to working with my colleague to—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Newmarket—Aurora.

The Economy

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I have had countless seniors in Newmarket—Aurora come up and tell me that they have had to leave retirement and find jobs because they are struggling to eat, heat and afford a roof over their heads. This reality is backed up by data. A new survey from the National Institute on Ageing revealed that one in five Canadians over the age of 50 are living near the poverty line and cannot even cover a $500 emergency.

When will the Prime Minister stop punishing seniors and scrap the inflationary Liberal taxes that are making life so unaffordable?

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, this is what Canadians understand. There is a major international war raging. Canadians understand that our allies' supply of energy and their national security are being threatened. Canadians also understand that our actions are limiting those shortages and reducing the impact on prices. Oil production is at an all-time high. Natural gas pipelines are full. Exports on the TMX pipeline are up 100% in the last year. Our LNG facility, the second-largest in the world, is now shipping at capacity. We are doing what we need to do.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the member, during all my studies and over 15 years working in finance, there is one basic economic truth that always held. When costs go up, prices go up and when competition is fierce, prices come down, yet during this food affordability crisis, the Liberals are inhibiting competition all while piling taxes and regulations on those who grow, ship and sell our food.

When will the Prime Minister finally apply this basic economic fundamental and cut taxes and regulations so Canadians can get real relief in the grocery aisle?