Chandra Arya

[Privilege, October 4th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I agree with almost everything the hon. member has said. She did classify the corruption into three categories, which was very well put. I also share her thoughts on the carbon capture and storage thing that is going on. The systemic failure she mentioned is a matter of real concern.

The RCMP has written to the law clerk of the House of Commons stating that the records they would obtain through this process could not be used in the investigation. I would like to know if there is anything that prevents the RCMP from getting the same records, the same documents, through a proper legal process.

[Privilege, October 4th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I was actually looking forward to the speech by this member. In my view, he has much knowledge of the constitutional aspects and of how the House of Commons should operate. However, I was surprised to find that, while a portion of his speech was about SDTC itself, quite a large portion, the bulk of his speech, was about firestorms. I did gain some knowledge from his observation on firestorms.

The member obviously knows that, under our system of government, the legislative, the judiciary and the executive have their own responsibilities and powers. The RCMP has written to the law clerk of the House of Commons to say that it cannot use these documents for its investigations.

Does anything prevent the RCMP from getting any records on its own through a proper legal process?

[Privilege, October 3rd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I have been listening to this debate for quite some time.

Many times, members have expressed that Parliament is supreme, but according to the Canadian constitutional system of government, the executive, the legislative and the judiciary all have their own powers and responsibilities.

If Parliament is so supreme, can we go directly into the operational matters related to the executive or the judiciary? For example, can Parliament ask a judge to pass a particular sentence which this august House decides, even if it decides unanimously?

[Privilege, October 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I keep hearing that Parliament is supreme. I agree, but in the Constitution of the Canadian system of government, there is the executive branch, the legislative branch and the judiciary branch. Each has its own powers and responsibilities. That is something many of us seem to forget.

With respect to this specific debate, the RCMP wrote to the law clerk of the House of Commons in July, saying that any records obtained through the process cannot be used in its investigative work. Therefore why are we still insisting? Can the member explain to me whether there is anything that prevents the RCMP from getting whatever records and whatever documents it needs if and when there is an investigation?

[Privilege, October 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP wrote to the law clerk of the House of Commons in July, stating that it cannot use any records it obtains through this process because this would affect the charter rights of the suspect. The end goal is that anybody who has done something criminally wrong should be prosecuted. However, the process that we are debating here and that the member is asking for is not going to achieve that.

Very simply, does the hon. member think the RCMP has no other process to obtain these documents legally so that it can use them to the fullest extent in prosecuting anybody who has done anything wrong?

[Technology and Innovation, October 2nd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, for the third year, the Government of Canada and Area X.O, which is part of Invest Ottawa, hosted GCXpo, the epic smart mobility demonstration day, in my riding of Nepean.

GCXpo brought together more than 70 Canadian companies to host live technology demonstrations at Area X.O. GCXpo created an exclusive opportunity for invited guests to experience the power and impact of cutting-edge Canadian technologies, including many preparing for global markets. Throughout the day, over 1,400 participants from industry, academia, government and investment communities experienced live tech demos from 78 innovators and companies from Canada's capital and across the country, from cargo air vehicles to drones, robots, low-speed automated shuttles, the Internet of things, smart city solutions and more.

[Business of Supply, October 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, 56% of working Canadians do not have a workplace pension plan. It is possible that many of them will retire directly into poverty. To address that, we have reformed the Canadian pension plan and we have introduced programs to help people in need.

I would like to ask the hon. member to give me one logical explanation, something reasonable, for why rich Canadians who are above the age of 65 should also get this benefit, which in my view, should be targeted toward the people in need. We need to support everybody who is in need, who has a shortage of income in their retirement, but why give the same benefit to the rich seniors?

[Business of Supply, October 1st, 2024]

Madam Speaker, this is a very important subject for me. One of the three objectives with which I came into politics is a secure retirement income. Twelve million working Canadians do not have a workplace pension plan. We have already reformed CPP. I am in support of targeted benefits for seniors and other disadvantaged Canadians who are in need. I do not understand the logic of providing additional income to Canadians who have very high incomes, even seniors in retirement.

What is the reasoning for giving additional funds to, say, seniors who have a retirement income of more than $100,000? Why not target the support to the people who really need it?

[Privilege, September 27th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my hon. colleague if he does not think that what he is trying to do is counterproductive. I understand that the RCMP wrote to the law clerk of the House of Commons in July saying that it is highly unlikely that any records that they receive through this process could be used in an investigation as it would affect the suspect's Charter of Rights. Does he not understand that the process that is being undertaken now is actually counterproductive to bringing any criminals to justice?

[Privilege, September 27th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, my interest is the constitutional aspects of what is happening today. The RCMP and the Auditor General have expressed concerns about the blurring of the line in the separation of powers between the different branches of the government.

The hon. colleague is a lawyer by profession, if I am not wrong. With his legal background, can he tell us what our law enforcement agencies, like the RCMP, can do if they think they need a particular document? Is there anything that bars them from getting access to the document through a legal process?