Debates of Sept. 23rd, 2026

Justice

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

Mr. Speaker, in June, a 19-year-old woman in Sainte-Foy was shot after being mistaken for someone else. Two suspects were arrested and released on a promise to appear. They were recently rearrested, and a third suspect was apprehended earlier today.

Will the Prime Minister tighten bail rules and keep people accused of violent crimes in jail when the safety of Canadians is at risk?

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

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is well aware that we introduced a bill to combat serious crime in our communities and to make the criminal justice system tougher on those who commit offences.

We have not only put forward laws that are going to do more to keep violent offenders behind bars. We have also included stronger supports for participants and families when it comes to their role, when it comes to understanding the impact on those families and victims at parole hearings and transfers between different levels of security systems.

We will work with victims to understand their concerns, and we will advance policies on the advice of experts and police to help keep communities safe.

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

Talk, talk and more talk, Mr. Speaker. Before 2015, public safety in Canada was fine. Since 2015, the Liberals have made a complete mess of the criminal justice system. Since 2015, they have been saying that they are going to fix it, but absolutely nothing has been done. Conservatives have introduced a number of private members' bills to address public safety issues in Canada. The Liberals always say no.

When will the Liberals stop wasting time on empty talk and start taking real action to protect public safety?

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

Mr. Speaker, the member cannot be serious.

The member had the opportunity not just to take action but even to offer his thoughts when it came to the bills that we put forward to help protect communities. What did he actually do? He voted against the measures to strengthen security in this country, and his entire caucus sought to delay the implementation of the very bills they have been calling for for years.

We need some honesty in this House. We need some integrity in this House. We need words to match actions. On this side of the House, we will not only tell the story of how we are going to protect victims, but we will adopt the laws that will do so. If the Conservatives want to talk a big game on crime, the least they can do is vote for the measures to protect—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Drummond.

Canadian Identity and Culture

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Broadcasting Act is among the many laws that the Prime Minister intends to break.

It was the Liberals themselves who legislated for the CRTC to impose levies on American online streaming platforms. However, they are breaking their own law by asking the CRTC to disregard it and cancel the levies. That is unbelievable. That is a complete sellout of Quebec culture in favour of the world's wealthiest.

Is it too much to ask the government to comply with its own law and allow the CRTC to impose levies?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm to the House that we never said we would amend the Broadcasting Act.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the government has said that it is dropping the levy and that it will make up for it with public funds. Where is it going to get that money? Directly from the pockets of taxpayers is where.

The problem is that, instead of taking money out of the pockets of multinational Internet companies, the federal government is sticking citizens with the bill while giving them no say in the matter. On top of being grossly unfair, this approach replaces sustainable, legally protected funding for culture with a one-time amount that any government can cut at any time.

Will the minister finally reconsider and choose the side of francophone and Quebec culture?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to be able to rise in the House, on our side of the House, to represent members, including about 50 from Quebec, who rise time and time again to vote for culture in Quebec and Canada, with historic investments that no other government has ever made in the history of Canada.

Justice

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, Toronto police constable Todd Baylis was just 25 years old when he was murdered in the line of duty. His family has relived that tragic loss at parole hearings in 2019, 2021 and 2024, and will again in just a few months.

For 14 years, victims' advocate Lisa Freeman from Oshawa has repeatedly been forced to face the axe murderer who bludgeoned her father to death.

Liberal parole has caused this problem, and victims' families are demanding change.

Why do the Liberals keep making victims constantly relive their worst day? People get a chance at parole every time.

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

Mr. Speaker, although I respect the sentiment, this is not Liberal parole. We have not made changes under this government.

People do not get parole every single time. For instance, in this case, the assailant has not gotten parole. Therefore, I think a lot of what is being said by the Conservatives is not factual. They are trying to politicize this matter.

As I have said before, we are open to amendments that are appropriate.

[Rhonda Kirkland, Conservative, Oshawa, ON]

Mr. Speaker, clearly the Liberals are missing the point. It is the Conservative mission to keep Canadians safe. Conservatives have already given the Liberal government opportunity to fix its failed Liberal parole. Yes, it is Liberal parole, because Bill C-243 would have increased time between parole hearings for convicted murderers so families would not have to repeatedly go through the traumatizing ordeal. The Liberals voted it down. Now police associations and victims are calling for action.

Will the Liberals admit they got this wrong and scrap Liberal parole for the rights of victims? These need to come before the rights of killers.

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

Mr. Speaker, that is completely incorrect. It has not been the Conservatives' role in the current Parliament to keep Canadians safe. That is the job of the government, and that is the job we have been doing. All they have done all along is delay. They delayed lawful access. They voted against Bill C-16, the protecting victims' rights bill. They also voted against strengthening hate crime laws in this country. They are not for public safety. They are for letting criminals go free.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, heinous serial killers should not get to plead their case and have a chance at parole every couple of years. This is precisely why Conservatives brought forward the Conservative bill Brian's bill: to respect victims' families.

Paul Bernardo is a convicted serial rapist and killer, yet he will get his fourth chance at parole, while the victims' families suffer. Trial lawyer Tim Danson said, “It's just pure entertainment for him. He has no remorse.”

Why do the Liberals keep making the families of victims relive the worst days of their lives?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let me take a moment to honour the lives of Leslie Mahaffy, Kristen French and Tammy Homolka.

As the House may know, this individual who has been in jail for a long period of time went to the University of Toronto Scarborough campus and petrified my community of Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park. The impact that this individual has had on our society is unprecedented, and I know that many people continue to struggle with the impact this individual has had. I can assure the House that we will continue to work with the Toronto police—

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are allowing families to be retraumatized. The Conservatives gave you guys an opportunity to fix this. Bill C-243 would have increased the time between parole hearings for convicted murderers so families would not have to go through this ordeal every couple of years. You voted it down. The Liberals voted it down.

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

I just want to remind members to go through the Chair.

The member may continue.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Toronto Police Association is demanding that the government, the Liberals, stop forcing families to repeatedly face the killers of their loved ones.

Will the Liberals admit they were wrong and change the law so victims' rights come before the rights of convicted murderers?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let us just go back over the last six months and see the record of the Conservative Party of Canada. On Bill C-8, the party opposite dragged its feet and opposed the bill initially. Regarding Bill C-9, on protecting and combatting hate, the Conservatives fought tooth and nail right until the end and blocked this legislation that is going to help vulnerable communities. On Bill C-14, which is strengthening bail and sentencing, as well as Bill C-16, on the victims' rights, again, the Conservatives dragged their feet. That is the—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for North York.

[Roman Baber, Conservative, York Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, serial rapist and killer Paul Bernardo will have a fourth chance at parole this January. The lawyer for the families of Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French said, “It's just pure entertainment for [Bernardo].” Sadistic murderers should not have a parole hearing every two years. They traumatize their victims' families again and again. Conservatives put forward a bill to end this practice, but the Liberals voted it down.

I would like a clear answer from the public safety minister. Will the Liberals finally protect these families by scrapping Liberal parole?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, let me just underscore that the issues around public safety, issues around parole and issues around bail should never be politicized. These are very important issues that we need to collaborate on and work together on. That is why I find it rather difficult when these issues are politicized.

We will always stand with victims. We will always stand with people who are impacted. We also need to recognize that we have the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which balances the interests of both.

The Economy

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the global landscape is changing quickly. I am constantly reminded by my constituents in Pickering—Brooklin to act quickly to secure our country's economic sovereignty. That is why, on the first day of this fall sitting, our government introduced the building Canada strong bill.

Can the Minister of Transport please explain how this legislation will help us respond to the challenges we are facing today and deliver our government's mandate to build Canada strong?

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for her work and for her incredible advocacy for continuing to build our country.

We are indeed building at the speed the moment requires and at the pace Canadians expect. This means being ambitious. It means moving quickly and getting big projects built while continuing to talk to Canadians and to stakeholders. That is why we brought forward the building Canada strong bill on our first day back. It would give us the tools to build bigger, for Canada to have ambition, for our young people to look forward to employment for the decades to come and for our country to be—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Beauce.