Jennifer O'Connell

[Government Priorities, December 6th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, it is a shame the opposition still has not figured out how to ask a question on the administration of government business.

While I am on my feet, I might as well speak about what happened yesterday at the public safety committee, where there was pretty shocking testimony about foreign interference in the Conservative leadership race, confirming that the member for Calgary Nose Hill received an angry phone call from the Indian consulate and brought that forward to Mr. Brown's leadership campaign, where in fact his language was changed to make the Indian consulate officials happy. Why are Conservatives—

[Public Safety, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is quite shameful that on the anniversary of one of the largest mass shootings targeting women in this country, the Conservatives seem to be more concerned about keeping guns on the street that are designed for the battlefield.

We are not going after hunters or sport shooters. What we are doing is protecting our communities. In particular, we are protecting women, who are disproportionately victims of gun violence. While Conservatives work for the gun lobby, we serve Canadians in keeping them safe.

[Petitions, December 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring forward a petition about the recent RCMP reports that the Government of India has interfered in Canada's elections and have murdered, threatened and extorted Canadians on Canadian soil.

Later today, we will have Patrick Brown, the former candidate for leader of the Conservative Party, testifying before the public safety committee regarding serious allegations reported about foreign interference in the electoral process of choosing a Conservative leader. This petition is very timely given that there are serious allegations that the Leader of the Opposition could not win leadership unless someone's finger was on the scale.

I also note that in this petition the undersigned residents of Canada are calling on the leader of the Conservative Party to get his security clearance and take action to help stop foreign governments from interfering in Canada and targeting Canadians.

[Privilege, December 2nd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the member opposite spoke about corruption and the importance of whistle-blowers. I want to give the member the opportunity, right here today, to come forward before we hear testimony from the former leadership candidate he supported. In March 2022, he supported Patrick Brown for the leadership of the Conservative Party. However, by June of the same year, he switched to the current Leader of the Opposition.

Can the member come clean here today? Was he approached? Was there foreign interference that asked him to step aside? There will be testimony coming forward on this before December 10. He has the opportunity to tell the House today: Was he coerced? Was he being influenced to switch his leadership support?

[Privilege, December 2nd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, the member opposite spoke about character. I am curious as to how she feels about the CBC story breaking today, that India allegedly interfered in the leadership race and that members of her own caucus were encouraged to step down from helping any leader other than their current leader.

If we are talking about character, then how does the member opposite respond to these allegations that their official leader could not win that leadership election unless there was a finger on the scale?

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, November 29th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, talk about incompetence. How does the member, who represents a border town, talk to his constituents about the fact that the Conservatives slashed 600 RCMP employees from dealing with counterterrorism and had to pull those employees from other places, like dealing with organized crime? How does the member talk to his community about the fact that they cut over 1,000 CBSA agents during their time, which led to an increase of human trafficking, drugs and guns right in his community?

[Public Safety, November 29th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I will tell members our plan. Our plan is to invest in our border service agencies, unlike what the Conservatives did. They cut over 1,000 employees from the CBSA and have the nerve to try to lecture us about border management. They cut over 600 employees from the RCMP dealing with counterterrorism. What had to happen? Members had to be brought in from other departments within the RCMP just to make up for the mismanagement of border services and counterterrorism under the Conservatives. Our plan will be the—

[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, November 29th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, let us talk about the Conservatives' record when it comes to the border. They slashed over a thousand jobs from the CBSA even when they were warned it would increase human trafficking, drugs and guns in this country. What else did they do? They cut 600 officers from the counterterrorism unit. Eventually, some had to be pulled from other departments within the RCMP because their mismanagement was so bad. It left officers off the line of duty for things like organized crime—

[Public Safety, November 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is safe to say we do not want to know what is in the member's head. On this side of the House, we are investing in the RCMP. We work with police right across the country. As a result, we are seeing some of the largest drug and gun seizures in this country's history.

Conservatives talk a big game, but they cut the RCMP's guns and gangs program. They cut resources at CBSA and our borders. What did that do? That brought drugs and guns into our country, and Conservatives made those cuts.

[Public Safety, November 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, while Conservatives use skewed data to talk down Canada, Liberals are investing in the brave police who do this hard work every single day. As a result of those investments, we are seeing massive success in our police services.

For example, on October 31, the RCMP announced its largest, most sophisticated drug seizure of over 95 million doses of lethal meth and fentanyl. That is what investments do, while Conservatives talk down Canada.