Arif Virani

[Public Safety, September 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, parents across Canada are worried about their children's safety online. As a parent, I share their fear. That is why it is crucial that we implement laws dedicated to keeping our kids safe. That is why I introduced the online harms act. Bill C-63 introduces the first-ever safety standards for online platforms. It couples duties to protect kids with significant penalties for platforms that do not comply.

We have rigorous safety laws to protect our kids from harm in the physical world; they need to be safe online as well. We are creating a safer online world for our kids. It is really unfortunate that Conservatives cannot get onside with this important legislation.

[Justice, September 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be absolutely clear. When a decision is made about bail, it is made by someone appointed by the Quebec provincial government. When there is a decision to appeal, that decision must be made by a lawyer appointed by the Quebec government. When there is a decision to be made about whether there is enough space in the prisons to care for or accommodate a person who has not been granted bail, that decision is made by the Quebec government.

In other words, they should talk to Mr. Legault.

[Justice, September 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to bail, what we did was change the rules. We changed the rules with the support of all parties in the House. We also toughened sentences for certain crimes, for example, auto theft.

The decision about bail provisions falls to the judges or justices of the peace appointed by the provincial government. The decision to appeal a ruling regarding bail provisions is made by the Crown attorney involved.

[Online Harms Act, September 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite talked extensively about crime, but we cannot cherry-pick which victims we would support in this place.

Second, he talked about listening to law enforcement, walking with law enforcement. I have done exactly that. What law enforcement officers have told me is that they need increased tools, including a tool to take down the images that are so harmful to adolescents and children.

Third, they have cited to me the statistics, that four out of 10 Canadians are exposed to online hate. That number doubles if a person is racialized, is a person with a disability or one who identifies as 2SLGBTQ+. We thankfully have not had an incident like this in Canada, but in Orlando, in 2016, 49 people were killed and 53 were wounded by a person who was radicalized online, who shot people at a queer bar.

For the member opposite, if we can prevent that kind of incident from happening in Canada, is this bill worth supporting?

[Online Harms Act, September 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the important concerns pointed out by the member from the NDP, I think they are really important suggestions to get to the floor of the committee. With respect to the ideas about dividing the bill, I think what is really important is that after four years of consultation, we understand online harms to be a continuum. They affect not just children; they also affect adolescents and adults.

I appreciate the member opposite's work tremendously as well. She has been an outspoken advocate for women, including women who are facing violence and things like coercive control. A very key measure in the bill deals with not just adult women but also younger women. It deals with the phenomenon of revenge porn, the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. We know that has had tragic consequences for young Canadian women in this country, such as Rehtaeh Parsons and Amanda Todd. Under Bill C‑63, that kind of material would have to come down within 24 hours.

Could the member comment as to whether that would help keep Canadian young women and adult women safe?

[Online Harms Act, September 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I would just simply point out that freedom of expression is everyone's concern in the chamber. Hate speech is not constitutionally protected. It is not protected in the physical world, and it should not be in the online world. It is that simple. What I point out for her is that people, including members of the official opposition, have raised a lot of concerns about the free-standing hate crimes offence. There are 47 jurisdictions out of 50 in the United States that have a free-standing hate crimes offence. The last time I checked, the United States and their protections on freedom of expression were not being eroded.

Would the member care to comment on the importance of having a free-standing hate crimes offence in the code?

[Online Harms Act, September 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, as a former Crown prosecutor, the member opposite would know full well that what is contemplated in this law is taking the current jurisprudence that applies in the physical world and applying it in the online world. Some of that jurisprudence is the Keegstra and Whatcott definition of hatred that my colleague would be familiar with.

He talked about the potential for disproportionate penalties. I would point him to the very Criminal Code that he used to apply as a Crown prosecutor, which talks about all sentences needing to be fit to the gravity of the person's responsibility and to the nature of the offence. That is section 718.1.

We have heard tremendous support for this legislation from all sectors of society, including CIJA, which has called for more strict penalties for hate propaganda, prompting it to get behind this bill. When law enforcement and victims' families are talking to me and our government about the fact that they cannot get a handle on this issue, because even when their children take their own lives, the victimization of the family continues after death, they ask for one thing and one thing only, which is that the images be taken down. That is what this bill would do. It would take down the images and reduce those who abuse children from circulating that online.

Does the member opposite agree that simple proposition is answering the calls from Carol Todd, Amanda Todd's mother?

[Carbon Pricing, September 19th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, let us review the facts about the carbon price for a moment. The carbon price reduces pollution and puts money back into the pockets of Canadians. In fact, eight out of 10 families receive more money back than they pay with an increasing price on pollution. It is the single best market mechanism known to reduce carbon footprints. We used to have a lot of parties in this chamber supporting that price. Unfortunately, we have seen a flip by virtue of the leader of the NDP's position. What that does is it signals voter cynicism. However, it also signals to progressives, including those in my riding of Parkdale—High Park, that if we want a party that is going to fight against climate change, our only choice is the Liberal Party of Canada.

[Public Safety, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, we take community safety extremely seriously. It is my top priority. Since I have taken office, we have increased the penalties on people who target individuals, including people who target people's automobiles. We have funded police to the tune of $161 million to assist them in their important work. I can advise the member opposite on three important things. The people who are making decisions on bail are provincially appointed justices of the peace or provincial judges. The people who decide to appeal decisions on bail are provincial crown attorneys. As for the people who decide whether offenders have a place to go when they are denied bail, those are provincial correctional facilities. The member should talk to the provinces.

[Public Safety, September 17th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, in the first six months of this year, vehicle theft in Quebec decreased by 36% compared to last year.

This improvement came after we increased penalties, introduced new offences and allocated funds for border and police forces.

After the last Conservative government's budget cuts for ports, we are pleased that things are getting back to normal. We will continue to work for Quebeckers and for everyone in Canada.