Debates of April 22nd, 2026

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

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

Mr. Speaker, the two-tier justice system exists not in spite of the Liberals. It exists because of the Liberals. In one case, a non-citizen criminal who was twice found guilty of groping a young woman's genitals avoided real prison time and instead received house arrest in order to help him avoid deportation. This loophole tells victims that the Liberal system cares more about protecting convicted foreign nationals from deportation than protecting Canadians. Justice should be blind.

How much longer is the Liberal government going to defend an ideological two-tier justice system and finally start standing with Canadians instead of siding with convicted foreign criminals?

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

Mr. Speaker, it is completely disingenuous for any member of this House to suggest that members of another party care more about criminals than they do about public safety. The Conservatives have tried that before, and Canadians saw them out of office as a result.

We take crime very seriously. The kinds of very serious crimes that have been committed will be subjected to harsher sentences as a result of the legislation we are moving forward in Parliament.

The member is a new member. He may not be aware that in 2013, the Supreme Court of Canada made a decision indicating that this could be the case. For two years, the Conservatives remained in power and chose to do nothing about this issue.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have been here a hot minute, and the minister should try telling that to the victim of a non-citizen who broke into their house in Canada, stole from them and then violently assaulted them. What did the judge do? They gave the criminal house arrest so he would not be deported.

Here is the reality. The former immigration minister broke the immigration system. He brought too many people in too fast. Our ERs are overflowing, and we have a housing and jobs crisis. Now he is breaking the justice system.

Why did the former immigration minister vote against my bill to stop this disgusting practice?

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

Mr. Speaker, being accused of breaking the justice system for advancing more serious penalties for serious crimes is something that clearly defies logic.

The member is correct about one thing. She has been here for a minute. I have great respect for my colleagues, but during her time here, she sat in cabinet for a full two years after the Supreme Court of Canada demonstrated that courts may consider immigration consequences to ensure that there is a fit penalty. Despite sitting at the cabinet table, she took precisely zero action to address this problem. She only raises it now.

We believe that serious and violent criminals should face serious penalties. We will not just say that on the floor of the House of Commons. We will advance legislation to make it so.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, there are women who have been sexually assaulted in Canada by non-citizens, and then the non-citizens have been given leniency in order to stay here and avoid deportation.

The minister talks about what I did. I tabled a bill to stop this practice, and every single person on that side, including him, who would have given the recommendation on my bill voted against it. That is disgusting.

Why?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think it is disingenuous to call into question the commitment of any member of any party when it comes to dealing with heinous crimes such as sexual assault. For my part, we have advanced legislation that advances stiffer penalties—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I am sorry. I know it is an emotional issue, but I am having trouble hearing.

Not from the top, but the hon. minister may continue.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Mr. Speaker, if anyone would question the government's commitment to gender-based violence, I would invite them to read the text of Bill C-16, the largest suite of reforms to advance more serious penalties to combat gender-based violence, which is matched with an announcement today to put $50 million more in the hands of organizations that are working to combat gender-based violence in our communities.

As I continue to be heckled talking about an issue such as gender-based violence, I will not be distracted. I will do the work.

Public Safety

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

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister stood in the House and promised to keep violent repeat offenders off our street, but it turns out that was just another speech, just another illusion. Violent crime is up 55%, and Canadians are watching violent offenders walk free with judicial discounts instead of real consequences.

Speech after speech, the Liberals talk tough but deliver nothing. How many more empty speeches will it take before these Liberals stop the illusions and finally deliver justice for victims?

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

Mr. Speaker, the question is shocking. We have delivered more public safety and justice legislation than any government prior. Seven different pieces of legislation in the House, and what have the Conservatives done all along? They have delayed. They have not supported them.

On Bill C-22, lawful access, I am glad to see that they were able to pass it on division to committee the other day. I hope that, at the committee process, the Conservatives will support the bill and give law enforcement the tools they need to catch criminals.

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

Mr. Speaker, here she goes again, talking tough and delivering nothing.

The Liberals had the chance to protect victims and restore public safety, but voted against our jail not bail act, the consecutive sentences act and the one law for all to finally jail criminals.

Liberal soft-on-crime laws continue to let violent repeat offenders roam free, handing out judicial discounts while Canadians pay the price. These Liberals keep recycling the same empty promises and the same illusions.

How many more Canadians have to suffer before these Liberals admit their failure and stop giving criminals a judicial discount?

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

Mr. Speaker, I think the member is confused.

We are the party that has delivered the jail not bail bill. The bill is currently in the Senate. It is our bail reform and sentencing bill. It makes it more difficult for repeat violent offenders to get bail, and it makes sentences longer for criminals—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I cannot hear.

The member may continue if she desires.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North—Caledon, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are doing the work needed to make sure that criminals are kept behind bars, but we are also doing preventative measures. We just today announced supports for victims. We have also announced programming to make sure that we prevent children from getting into a life of violence. We are working on all fronts to make sure that Canadians are safer in Canada.

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

Mr. Speaker, in Canada, those serving two years or more are typically released at two-thirds of their sentence.

As a former parole officer, I am aware that Corrections Canada can apply to have people detained for the last third of their sentence. It does not look like Corrections Canada did this, and as a result, an ISIS terrorist, who was a recruiter for ISIS, was released into the community.

Before the public safety minister starts talking about independence for Corrections Canada, he should answer this: Did the Liberal government do everything it could to keep a dangerous ISIS terrorist behind bars for as long as possible, yes or no?

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

Mr. Speaker, Correctional Service Canada is able to apply conditions on any offender being released. It can apply any conditions that it feels are fit. I hope that in this case, conditions will be applied that are appropriate to make sure that Canadians are kept safe.

[Tamara Kronis, Conservative, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

Mr. Speaker, this weekend, a young disabled man was assaulted for the fourth time by a gang in downtown Nanaimo. He was badly hurt but so traumatized that it took his mom a day to get him to hospital while his attackers remain perpetually out on bail.

Nothing the Liberals have proposed repeals the principle of restraint, which releases the accused at the earliest opportunity on the least restrictive conditions. The only person whose liberty is restricted here is the victim, who is afraid to go out, lest he be assaulted a fifth time.

When will the Liberals recognize that their soft-on-crime policies hurt vulnerable people and repeal Liberal bail?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let me just acknowledge the heinous act that the member opposite talked about. I would say that, since taking office, we have brought forward the most comprehensive criminal justice reform in a generation. Bill C-14 speaks to that. It would ensure that repeat violent offenders are off our streets and will get stiffer sentences during the sentencing period. We have Bill C-16 now going through the committee process. Again, it would protect victims.

What we need is co-operation to ensure that—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Pays-d'en-Haut.

The Environment

[Tim Watchorn, Liberal, Les Pays-d'en-Haut, QC]

Mr. Speaker, today is Earth Day, a day when we celebrate the beauty of Canada's natural heritage and our shared responsibility to protect it for future generations. To deliver on this commitment, our government has launched “A Force of Nature: Canada's Strategy to Protect Nature”, backed by a $3.8-billion investment to conserve our rich biodiversity and protect our ecosystems.

Can the Secretary of State for Nature tell Canadians how this strategy will produce meaningful results, benefit communities and maintain Canada's position as a conservation leader?

[Nathalie Provost, Liberal, Secretary of State (Nature)]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Les Pays-d'en-Haut for asking this question on Earth Day. I would also like to thank him for all the work he does for nature in Les Pays‑d'en‑Haut with his colleague from a riding a little further south.

All Canadians from coast to coast to coast appreciate nature. It is our number one value. It brings all of us together, and it is something members of all stripes agree on. That is why I am very proud today to talk about the “Force of Nature” strategy. We are going to better protect nature. We are going to build Canada strong, and on top of that, we are going to make sure that we mobilize capital for nature.

International Trade

[Adam Chambers, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Mexico and the United States have been having ongoing formal discussions, and it looks like they are having additional discussions scheduled in May. Once again, it appears, just like it was in 2019, Mexico is much further ahead in its negotiations with the United States. We can discuss and resolve our trade irritants and disputes at the table, but we have to be at the table.

On behalf of the millions of Canadians who rely on trade with the U.S., when can they expect formal negotiations to begin?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade]

Mr. Speaker, our colleague knows very well that we have been engaged with the Americans on a whole series of issues, including the unfair and unjustified section 232 tariffs, which are doing considerable damage to the economy of the United States and causing challenges for Canadian workers and Canadian businesses.

The good news is, unlike the Conservatives, we are prepared to support Canadian workers and Canadian businesses while we stand firm with the United States and, unlike the advice of the Leader of the Opposition, we are not prepared to sign any deal that is not in the interest of Canada.