Debates of June 11th, 2026

Bill C-25—Time Allocation Motion

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as you know, we have a very ambitious agenda. You have been in the chair for much of it. We have a very wide-ranging series of crime bills, including the bill that my hon. friend just mentioned on protecting victims, protecting children and warning against child pornography. These are very important measures.

To go back to the question from my friend from Bow River, all this work culminates at the end of a session. Of course the government wants to move forward on things that have been debated, and in fact obstructed, in many creative ways throughout the session. That is what we are doing currently. To have the opposition vote, three hours later, against its very solemn vote to prolong the hours of the House so we could work harder and get more done for Canadians was intriguing, to say the least.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my Conservative colleagues and I have zero issue with putting in the work and putting in the hours. We will work on weekends. We will work during the summer. We will do whatever we can to support Canadians.

The problem we have is that the bill is about elections. All 343 members of the chamber would be affected. All the millions of people whom we collectively represent would be affected. It is a bill about the nature of democracy. The Liberals have allowed, I believe, two members to speak to the bill about the most fundamental institution in a democratic country, and now they are trying to shut down debate. They are trying to silence members of Parliament who may have a lot of things to offer about this. This is perhaps not surprising, given the way the Prime Minister has decided to try to circumvent Parliament, circumvent the House of Commons and not rise during question period.

Is the member the House leader because he shares the Prime Minister's contempt for Parliament?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the member is perhaps unaware of the very constructive, long hours, and Canadians should know that in this place, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes. Sometimes parties do not find it to their interest to let on that they are co-operating with other parties. I would put to the member that in the case of Bill C-25, we have worked very hard, the Bloc Québécois and the Conservatives. I want to commend once again his colleague from St. Albert—Sturgeon River for his very hard work on this and for his very constructive suggestions.

The bill has been the subject of much co-operation and of long committee meetings. Indeed, we will come to, I suspect, a very strong majority of parliamentarians voting for the bill. I think it is very important that Canadians see, at the very minimum, that parliamentarians, the House of Commons, can agree on the rules of the game.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a follow-up question for my colleague. I really enjoyed his answer, and we read the same Supreme Court decision.

My question is this: Is he ready to consider increasing the number of federal ridings to ensure that they retain their human scale?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, we voted during the last Parliament to protect the number of seats in Quebec and keep the number of Quebec electoral ridings at 78. Parliament has therefore taken concrete measures to ensure Quebec's representation. Unless I am mistaken, the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act contains a formula that provides for increasing the number of seats after each census and after each redistribution.

Obviously, we will need a day to debate whether a sufficient number of parliamentarians has been reached. Seats will then have to be redistributed, but that raises a good question and it will certainly have to be debated.

[William Stevenson, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member brought up riding size as an issue. He said that his riding is about 20,000 square kilometres. Mine is 83,600 square kilometres, so I feel that it is an even worse situation.

The hon. member said he wanted all the votes to be equal. Would he endeavour to have the review a little more often? I know that in Alberta, we each represent 115,000 people on average, far more than members in some of the other provinces do. Would the Liberals consider shortening the time for the review rather than having it every 10 years?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as the member may know, there is a law in place that establishes the number of seats, how they are distributed and so on. I think he said there are about 115,000 people in his riding, which is about the same number as in my own riding of Gatineau.

For the most part, I think that with respect to ridings, other than the constitutional obligations we have at the founding of the country, we have achieved a very good balance and a very good way of dividing constituencies. That, of course, means that Yellowhead is a very large riding because of its vast, beautiful spaces, with people distributed all around the territory. That is, of course, a challenge for anyone who seeks to represent that incredible part of our country, but it is one we need to continue to address by following the Supreme Court's guidance that, while we should deviate a little bit, one vote in one place should equal what one vote in another place is worth.

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

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to note that the Bloc Québécois members share all the sentiments that have been expressed today regarding the police officers who lost their lives in Ontario. I think that is important.

I also want to acknowledge my dear friend Normand Branchaud, who is celebrating 60 years as a musician this weekend. He is an extraordinary individual who bought his first harmonica with three and a half dollars that he earned by running errands. I congratulate him.

I have a question for my colleague. Is music a big part of his life?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to invite Mr. Branchaud to come to Gatineau to entertain us at one of our many festivals this summer, including the hot air balloon festival. I want to wish Mr. Branchaud a happy anniversary. I would love to hear him play someday.

Music is an essential part of my life. Whether we are talking about Québécois music, francophone music or music in general, I am a big fan of music, and I would be happy to talk about it with the Bloc Québécois whip at some point.

[Dominique O'Rourke, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the strongest democracies in the world, but we can never take that for granted. We need to protect the independence of our judiciary. We need a strong parliamentary system, and we need strong journalism. Obviously we can never take our democracy for granted. We need to strengthen those institutions.

I know that one of the measures that struck me as being particularly important in this legislation is reviewing the ways people can make political donations, including the use of crypto. I wonder if the minister wants to speak to the importance of knowing where the money that fuels our democracy comes from.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians need to know that we have one of the most successful and most rigorously managed election contribution systems in the world. It is completely transparent and strictly limited with respect to donation amounts, and it is one that does not permit corporations, unions or others to participate directly in the financing of political parties or of candidates.

Cryptocurrency, and its rise, has obviously presented, in the context of those very efficient and well-run systems, as in other areas such as money laundering and the like, ways of getting around the laws. We have taken measures in the bill to make sure that cryptocurrency would play no part in the funding of our political process or of candidates.

[Blaine Calkins, Conservative, Ponoka—Didsbury, AB]

Mr. Speaker, let us expand on what the government House leader just said. Given the fact that the proposed changes in Bill C-25 would do nothing for the inter-writ period as far as election financing is concerned, and given that the government has complained so much about other pieces of legislation dealing with economic and crime issues, I find it kind of odd, since the ill-gotten majority the Liberals have means that the next election, in theory, is not going to be for another three years. Why would they use the extended hours at the end of the session to discuss an election bill, when it would not do anything in the inter-writ period?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, after every election, the Chief Electoral Officer, the commissioner of Canada elections and, in this instance, the inquiry into foreign interference all presented recommendations, as our election officials do after every election. They present their views. Because of the last Parliament's minority status, we are actually catching up on the recommendations from the prior election.

We are very happy to have worked with our friends across the aisle on those very recommendations to find a consensus on making the fixes, doing the tweaks and making the reforms necessary to make sure our elections administration stays as it currently is: among the finest, most reputed and reputable in the world.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my question is very simple.

I would like to know if my colleague opposite, the government leader, has seen or read the remarks by the National Assembly's cybersecurity lead, Stéphane Le Bouyonnec, and if he noticed any red flags. In committee, Mr. Le Bouyonnec talked about the risks associated with insufficient digital sovereignty.

In the case before us, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs held 70 meetings before finally securing an independent public inquiry that confirmed there has been interference in our elections.

If Quebec says it is not sufficiently equipped, how can we think we have nothing to worry about here when 85% of the infrastructure is owned by south-of-the-border interests?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is a great question, and I am not claiming we have solved everything, but I can say one thing. We held a public inquiry into foreign interference, and although some instances of interference were identified and named, the commissioner concluded that, on the whole, Canadian democracy is in good shape and that it is Canadians who determine the outcomes of elections.

That said, when it comes to digital sovereignty, it is true that we must protect our institutions. This bill contains specific provisions on security and cybersecurity, and we will continue to implement them. Elections Canada has become very effective in this area.

I would be happy to continue this discussion with my colleague. We are always ready to explore ways to protect our sovereignty and our institutions through various measures, including legislative ones.

[Harb Gill, Conservative, Windsor West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, after a decade of Liberal government scandals, foreign interference concerns and loss of public trust, the government wants Parliament to rush through the bill and change the rules governing federal elections. This process deprives Canadians of a fulsome debate. Why is the government focused on rewriting election laws instead of rebuilding the trust that Canadians have lost? They need trust brought back to democratic institutions.

That is not what the Liberals are doing. They have spent years undermining that trust. Why do they not work on affordability, crime prevention and economic growth so Canadians can once again trust what their government is doing?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we are working. In fact, we are trying, in the face of Conservative obstruction, to pass a very sweeping set of criminal justice measures and affordability measures. The Conservatives are filibustering two of them right now, the spring economic statement bill and the lawful access bill, that we are very much hoping to accomplish for Canadians.

I do want to suggest that the member's question might be a little off tone. I have worked very closely with his colleague from St. Albert—Sturgeon River and parliamentarians from all sides of this House so that we can do just that: ensure trust in our democratic institutions.

Elections Canada is the pride of this country. It runs efficient and fair elections. No one ever questions its methods. It suggests many ways, after elections, that we can reform, tweak or change some of the rules. We do that together with all parties, and we agree on the rules of the game. That is the very basis of achieving trust in our democracy.

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

Mr. Speaker, this time I will ask my colleague a question that relates to the topic at hand. That said, I really liked his previous answer, which I am sure will be greatly appreciated.

My colleague referred earlier to the vote we took during the previous Parliament to maintain Quebec's political representation at 78 ridings. We know that the demographic weight of the Quebec nation will continue to decline in the federal Parliament. There are groups currently putting pressure on the government to introduce some form of proportional representation in the electoral process. There is the issue of multiple candidates. Bill C-25 directly addresses the issue.

Does my colleague think that, because the Constitution cannot be amended in Canada, it would be realistic at some point to embark on a process to introduce an element of proportionality into our voting system? That would certainly reassure our constituents.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question, but first I want to come back to my colleague's previous question about music. I want to recommend that he listen to Le Diable à Cinq, a group that has done La Petite Nation proud. This band just released a new album and I would invite my colleague to get a copy and listen to it all summer long.

As for the issue of proportional representation or democratic reform, we tried to bring about democratic reform here and it became quite clear that there was a lack of consensus, both among parliamentarians and among Canadians. We have a great democracy. In my opinion, we have one of the best democratic systems in the world. It is not perfect, but that is why we are making a few changes today. We can be proud of our democracy.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, Elections Canada as an organization is recognized virtually around the world as a first-class institution that does a great service for Canadians in terms of its conduct and the manner in which it administers national elections. It is something that we can all be proud of.

The member for St. Albert—Sturgeon River provided his comments on Bill C-25, and in listening to him, I got the sense that, yes, there may be some changes in the future, but the legislation as we see it today has been achieved through consensus, whether through committee discussions or by listening to all the stakeholders, who have ultimately helped put in changes. Some of these changes are going to have impacts that will occur between elections.

I am wondering if my colleague could provide his thoughts on that.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, it is very satisfying to work on ensuring trust in our democratic institutions. We need to remain vigilant. I need not explain all of the reasons why and how society, social media and other things have influenced and impacted our democracy.

As many stakeholder groups have pointed out, we need to be watching and on guard for things like misinformation, disinformation and deepfakes, and need to continue to be vigilant so that Canadians can always make an informed choice based on truth and facts. That is our goal. I am sure that is the goal of all members of the House.

We are going to continue working through Elections Canada to make sure that fair elections are a defining characteristic of our country.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Airdrie—Cochrane, AB]

Mr. Speaker, by moving this motion, the government is shutting down debate about the very underpinnings of our democracy: our elections. There are a number of concerns that I could have raised. There are some positive things in here. For example, when it comes to foreign influence, there are some positive steps, but it still remains open in terms of so-called third parties being able to bring in foreign influence to engage in partisan activity.

Does the member find it ironic that the government is shutting down debate on the very underpinnings of our democracy in an anti-democratic way like this?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps my hon. friend did not hear my earlier answer to his colleague when I spoke of the great collaboration.

I want to end where I began, by thanking colleagues from all corners of the House of Commons for coming together on this very important bill, which I am sure will get a very important number of votes as we go through third reading.

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings at this time and put forthwith the question on the motion now before the House.

The question is on the motion.

If a member participating in person wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or if a member of a recognized party participating in person wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, we would request a recorded vote, please.