Candice Bergen

[National Defence, March 12th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, well, as it turns out, the way the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence handled General Vance's allegations is basically how they handle most sexual misconduct: by doing the worst thing a leader could do when faced with harassment allegations. They say it is not a big deal and maybe she experienced it differently, then cover it up, claim it is not their job and allow it to continue.

That is what these two Liberal men did, the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Defence. There is no defence for it.

Why did they fail the men and women in uniform so badly?

[National Defence, March 12th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, I cannot believe the parliamentary secretary is standing up and defending the actions of the Prime Minister of this country and the Minister of National Defence of this country, when they not only turned a blind eye, but continue to cover up these serious allegations. Maybe she can say it was not their responsibility to investigate, but it was the Prime Minister's responsibility and the Minister of National Defence's responsibility to follow through and ensure that this was investigated, that this woman was taken seriously and that she was not disregarded. By not doing so, they shamed and hurt—

[National Defence, March 8th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, in November 2017, the Prime Minister said in an interview that when there are questions of sexual misconduct, many times Liberals know but say nothing.

It is 2021, and it is still happening. The Liberal minister of defence knew. He said nothing. Privy Council members knew. They said nothing. Liberal PMO staff knew. They apparently said nothing.

Today, on International Women's Day, it would be nice if the Prime Minister would stop defending the Liberals who knew about these allegations and said and did nothing.

Will he do that?

[National Defence, March 8th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, one is either part of the investigation or part of the cover-up. There is no middle ground.

The minister chose to turn a blind eye, and he helped cover it up. I believed the ombudsman when he said that he tried to show the minister evidence, and the minister said, “No, I don't want to see it.”

Rather than protecting the very men and women he was supposed to be serving, the minister was more concerned with optics and keeping dirty little secrets.

Does the minister of defence realize he has failed to do his job? He has lost credibility, and he has lost trust.

[National Defence, March 8th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, when allegations surfaced about Gen. Vance, the minister of defence said, multiple times, that he was shocked to learn about them.

We know this is not true, because he had known for three years and he did nothing. It is obvious the minister never intended to act on this misconduct, and instead Liberals actually threatened members of the armed forces in order to keep them quiet.

The question is, why? Why was the minister of defence more interested in protecting his battle buddy than the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces?

[Human Rights, February 26th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, he said stand up, but the Liberal government abstained. That is a disgraceful answer.

During debate, multiple Liberal members said they wanted to know what Canada could do to support a genocide declaration, but when the committee tried to offer those ideas, it was the Liberals who stonewalled, clearly under the direction of the Prime Minister. This confirms that the Prime Minister is more worried about angering his friends in Beijing than acting on the will of the House and standing up to bullies and tyrants.

Why is the Prime Minister all talk and no action when it comes to the Communist regime in China?

[Human Rights, February 26th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, when it comes to calling out genocide, the Liberals have gone from abstention to obstruction in just a few days. Last night, they filibustered to keep the committee from adopting a report on the Uighur genocide. When my colleague from Wellington—Halton Hills moved unanimous consent to get to the report, Liberal members refused.

Why would they turn a blind eye to government-coordinated rape, torture, indoctrination and forced sterilization? Why are the Liberals holding up further action to call out the Uighur genocide in China?

[Foreign Affairs, February 23rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have been locked down now for almost a year.

Mental health is at a breaking point, business is dying, there is no hope for opening up, and now new COVID variants are starting to spread across the country.

The Prime Minister's plan would only see 8% of Canadians vaccinated by April. This is the plan, so it is up to the Liberals to be clear and honest.

Could the health minister tell us if she has any idea how many Canadians need to be vaccinated before we can begin to open up, as other countries are already planning to do?

[Foreign Affairs, February 23rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the government's lack of a voice yesterday, and its lack of speaking out, spoke volumes. It was very weak and it was disappointing.

Yesterday the health committee heard that the Liberals' vaccine response is slow and a risk to national security. It is a chaotic process that has left Canadians 54th in terms of vaccinations. Other countries are planning their reopening in the next several months, while Canadians are stuck in lockdowns with no end in sight.

How in the world are 300,000 Canadians going to get vaccinated every day at this rate? Does the government know how many Canadians need to be vaccinated so the lockdowns can end?

[Foreign Affairs, February 23rd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men and women to do nothing.

Yesterday, while the Prime Minister and his cabinet did nothing, the House united under the leadership of our Conservative Party and we did something. With one voice, we said genocide is happening in China. What we do next matters. We have used Magnitsky sanctions against some others, but never against members of the Chinese government.

Will the Prime Minister admit his approach to China has failed to defend Canadian values? Will he impose sanctions against those running Uighur detention camps?