Jennifer O'Connell

[Public Safety, September 29th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, it is clear that the member opposite is distancing himself from the truth once again. In fact, all members of the committee came together to bring forward—

[Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, September 29th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, in my hon. colleague's speech, she spoke about how the Conservatives view tackling climate change through technology, yet they oppose the Atlantic accord, which would allow for technology development in Atlantic Canada. The member also spoke about the cost of energy in Atlantic Canada. However, once again, by blocking the Atlantic accord, Conservatives block economic development in Atlantic Canada, the ability to reduce energy prices in Atlantic Canada and good jobs for Atlantic Canadians.

Do the Conservatives even believe climate change is real? How do they plan to address it if they continue to block technological advancements? Why will they not allow Atlantic Canadians to have the good, clean jobs of the future?

[Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, September 29th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my hon. colleague a question following along the same line as the last question. What is the risk to the Canadian economy and workers if we do not put into place a clear plan, and if we are not strategic about supporting our workers as the world's economy is developing to address climate change? What risk does Canada face by burying our head in the sand and not acknowledging that the jobs of the future are also the jobs that are going to solve the climate crisis?

[Public Safety, September 28th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, it is no surprise to me that Conservatives do not understand why consultation and having these conversations is important and why working with other orders of government and working with stakeholders is crucial to implementing policy that is effective. I do not share the pessimism that the member opposite has, when it comes to consultations to ensure that our policies are effective. The impact that we want to have in this country with this program is to create safer communities and get dangerous assault rifles off our streets.

[Public Safety, September 28th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, the new Minister of Public Safety is working hard with colleagues and critics across this House to discuss his portfolio and is meeting with the Prime Minister in terms of his mandate.

However, it is important to note that when it comes to gun legislation in this country, Canadians have sent a very clear message that we expect to take off the streets those dangerous assault rifles that were meant to do maximum harm and were never meant to be in the hands of people in our communities.

With that being said, we have heard many perspectives, including those from indigenous communities and from hunters who are reasonable gun owners who use weapons for the purposes of hunting or sport shooting. Therefore, we want to make sure that in the process, when it comes to any gun legislation, we are listening and considering, making sure that our gun legislation is balanced. Let us make no mistake: Canadians have made it very clear that dangerous assault weapons and handguns have no place in our society.

The government is working on the buyback program. We are still consulting to ensure that the rollout will provide the clarity that the member opposite is requesting. However, at the end of the day what is important for Canadians is safety on our streets, ensuring that dangerous weapons are not in the hands of criminals. Our priority is keeping communities safe. The details of the buyback program will come forward and we will ensure that Canadian communities are safe.

[Justice, September 28th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, crimes such as this are truly horrific. I think it is important to remember that, in this place, it is our job and our duty to all Canadians to ensure we have a criminal justice system that is robust but not partisan, and members opposite should not use heinous crimes for partisan gain.

I welcome members opposite to work with us on the public safety committee when it comes to ensuring a victims' rights focus, but we will not play games with the public justice system. Instead, we are going to make it safe for all Canadians.

[Diversity and Inclusion, September 26th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, we too are outraged by what we have recently learned. We take the issue of hate and discrimination in all forms extremely seriously. We are going to continue to work with local communities on how best to take concrete action. Make no mistake: We as a government feel that hate has no place in this country, and we will do everything we can to ensure that communities remain safe.

[Public Safety, September 20th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, what I will say and what I will reiterate is that the offenders of these violent and heinous crimes absolutely deserve these severe consequences. I will just point out, because I think we want to take this subject incredibly seriously and as legislators we need to be responsible, that some of the information being shared is not actually correct. In fact, that member sat around the cabinet table when these same directives existed, but what we have done is change them to ensure that victims are at the forefront.

The member opposite raised fair criticisms, unfortunately they were criticisms of her government as well, but we take the matter incredibly seriously, and that is precisely why the minister ordered new directives to put families, victims and loved ones at the forefront, and to ensure that the retraumatization of these heinous crimes is not done again.

[Public Safety, September 20th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate having the opportunity to rise tonight to speak about this incredibly important issue and thank the member for Calgary Nose Hill for bringing it forward.

The discussion around the revictimization of families and loved ones who have been impacted by crime is incredibly serious and something our government takes incredibly seriously. I remember the debate of both instances the member opposite referred to. It is incredibly painful not only for the families and loved ones of the victims, but for all Canadians who saw those dark times. Those crimes have really impacted so many people across this country. That is precisely why we made changes, to ensure that the sentences for the people who commit these heinous crimes reflect that, so they are not out to commit crimes again.

The decisions to reclassify and transfer offenders, which goes specifically to the question here today, are taken independently by the Correctional Service of Canada, CSC. Its mandate is to help maintain the safety and security of our communities by managing the correctional institutions of offenders in their care. It is important to acknowledge that these operational decisions are not taken by elected officials. Our job as members of this House is to continue to push for best practices, like my colleague mentioned, and to increase transparency in our criminal justice system. That is why earlier this summer our government issued new ministerial directives to establish additional information-sharing procedures in cases involving high-profile offenders. The new directive instructs that, “Prior to transferring a high-profile offender to any reduced security level, the Commissioner of CSC or their delegate will notify the Minister of Public Safety, formally and directly.”

Additional efforts will be taken to ensure that CSC takes a trauma-informed approach that considers victims in these cases of transfers and security classifications. This can be facilitated, for example, by providing registered victims with the opportunity to share uploaded victims' statements for consideration during the security classification and transfer decision-making processes. What this means is enhanced engagement opportunities for victims to share important input throughout the offender's sentence. It means that the needs of victims and their families will be taken into account, and that CSC will place extra emphasis on the need to not retraumatize those who are most vulnerable.

While elected officials do not make the operational decisions, it is important for us as legislators and the public at large to know why these decisions are made. To that end, the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada has shown her willingness to listen to Canadians' concerns over these additional reviews of high-profile cases when needed. These reviews are undertaken by committees with external representatives. We take this incredibly seriously and want to ensure that victims are at the forefront of these decisions.

[Democratic Institutions, June 20th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, it is really disappointing to see the Conservatives back to their partisan games when it comes to foreign interference. The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs has been consulting with all parties in this place because we want to get to a place where Canadians can have trust in these institutions and where we can tone down the political rhetoric.

I am very disappointed to see the Conservatives with their personal attacks instead of rolling up their sleeves and getting to work to ensure that all Canadians have trust in their democratic institutions. That is precisely what we are focused on, and we are not going to be distracted by partisan games.