Charlie Angus

[Committees of the House, November 25th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I want to follow up with my colleague because when it comes to not caring about our borders and keeping people safe, Stephen Harper and the former Conservative government that cut 1,100 jobs from border services should step forward. Stephen Harper cut the sniffer dog program. What do we need sniffer dogs for? Well, to smell out the drugs that are coming across the border. Stephen Harper did not care. He cut the undercover teams that were going in to deal with the international criminal gangs who were using our borders. Now that we are living with the results, with massive levels of gun violence and fentanyl gangs coming into our country, the Conservatives are lighting their hair on fire.

I would like to ask my hon. colleague what he thinks of this quote from Jean-Pierre Fortin, the national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, who stated that as a result of the Conservative plan, “More child pornography entering the country, more weapons, illegal drugs, will pass through our borders, not to mention terrorists and sexual predators and hardened criminals.”

Why does my colleague think Stephen Harper wanted to subject the Canadian people to that just to save a few bucks?

[Committees of the House, November 25th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is now two months that Parliament has done nothing but debate the same thing over and over again. I feel like we are immature children in a sandbox as a tsunami is coming.

We are facing president-elect Trump. We have to deal, as a nation, with serious issues, from what he is going to do with Putin, to trade wars. If he moves forward with deporting 12 million people with bayonets and soldiers, it will have a massive impact on the border. There is also Robert Kennedy, a kook who believes there is no such thing as safe vaccines. I know many in the Conservative caucus probably agree with that, but this disinformation will have serious impacts on our nation and our ability to keep people safe.

Why are we sitting around going in circles with the lazy Liberals and toxic Conservatives when we need a plan in place to show that this democracy can work to address what is going to be coming after January 20?

[Privilege, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that the member for Abbotsford, who I do not often agree with, has lots of experience. If he is concerned someone might go to jail, I think we should let him continue to speak.

[Privilege, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Far be it for me to have to stand up and defend former members, but I do believe that Mr. Mulcair did have security clearance.

[Privilege, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I listened closely, and I agree with the issues of transparency, accountability and trust, which is why there is a deep concern with respect to the member who lives in a giant house in Stornoway. The Liberals have said that he will not get a security clearance. I wonder if he can get a security clearance. We saw three times when the Conservatives voted against Ukraine. Now there are serious allegations about Modi.

I would refer to the member for Wellington—Halton Hills, who I have enormous respect for, who explained why the member will not get a security clearance. He said, “security clearances involve a rigorous process that includes...checks on family members, credit and criminal checks and...questions about one's sexual partners or whether they ever used drugs.” That is the Conservative member we trust the most who said that that was the reason the member living in Stornoway will not get it.

Every other leader who has ever served this country was not afraid to get it, so would the member tell us what is being hidden in that closet in Stornoway? Will he explain why that member cannot get it? Is it him, or is it his family members? There is something that stinks to high heaven. Even the member for Wellington—Halton Hills calls in the family on this. I think we need to know. Why can he not get a security clearance? Is it because we are looking at the Modi Conservatives?

[Privilege, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member is brand spanking new, and we are looking forward to the NDP government, but that will be in 2025. It is not an NDP government. He needs to correct the record because he—

[Committees of the House, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I have such enormous respect for the work of the mobile youth services team in Victoria, like I have enormous respect for the Mushkegowuk Fire Keeper Patrol. We have asked the government to stop the blah blah and support the people who are keeping people alive. This is a no-brainer. Time and again, we hear the talk, but the government refuses to support those who do the work on the ground. We need to have that support. This is what keeps people alive and communities safe.

[Committees of the House, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague represents the great city of Hamilton. My hometown is Cobalt, with just over 1,200 people. We see it in the microcosm.

I can name the young people who have died from violence or died from the violence of addictions. We just lost a beautiful young man who had been in my youth group. From day one, it felt like there was a black mark, because there were no supports. There were no supports for his family. There were no supports for him to get into proper training to raise his kids. These are the people who end up being victimized by predators. Any smart society would support them so that we could keep them safe. Once we keep them safe, we can keep the predators out.

[Committees of the House, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, that is a good question. Clearly, we need to protect our border. There are problems with street gangs, with illegal drugs. However, in light of Trump's election, it is critical that we protect our border and put a plan in place to protect Canadian values from the impacts of Mr. Trump and his negative approach.

[Committees of the House, November 21st, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I do not take the personal attacks personally because I know the truth hurts. If one is a Conservative and faces the truth, it must be a shocking thing. If the goddess of truth came down painted purple and danced all over the desks of the backbench of the Conservatives for three straight weeks, none of them would notice, because they would not know what truth looks like.

Here is the issue: $50 million and Tony Clement for his Muskoka steak knives, for his gazebos. That was border security money. Those were facts, and did Tony get demoted? No, but I am not going to go into what brought down Tony Clement, just like I am not going to go into what brought down Vic Toews. Dean Del Mastro went to jail. He was the then prime minister's parliamentary secretary. They all thought it was great to cut money from keeping people safe in order to raise sunken boats in Muskoka and create fake lakes in one of the most beautiful, not as beautiful as Timmins—James Bay, places of lakes in Canada.