Jennifer O'Connell

[Women's Rights in Afghanistan, June 6th, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, Simin Barakzai is a former member of Parliament for Afghanistan, but when the Taliban took over, she was removed from office and came to Canada for safety. Her voice will not be silenced, and I would like to share a message that Simin would like us to hear.

She writes:

“Today, I write with a heavy heart, burdened by the unimaginable suffering endured by the women and girls of Afghanistan.

“Where dreams once blossomed and aspirations soared, the shadows of tyranny have cast a suffocating veil upon its courageous women and innocent girls. Their voices, once vibrant and filled with hope, have been silenced by a regime that seeks to strip them of their rights, dreams, and very essence.

“We are witnessing significant changes in Afghanistan, and it is our duty to pay attention and take appropriate actions. With Canada being a prominent leader in advocating for women's rights, I hope we continue to pursue these powerful goals and raise our voices for Afghanistan. The Afghan people need our support, and we cannot leave them alone in this struggle.”

Simin's bravery and determination to never stop fighting for the rights of Afghan women and girls is truly inspiring.

[Democratic Institutions, June 2nd, 2023]

Madam Speaker, the issue of foreign interference is extremely serious. It is not new, and it is certainly not unique to Canada. However, it is precisely why, from 2015, we implemented a number of measures to deal with attempted foreign interference in our democracy. We will never accept it. We are going to continue to strengthen our democratic institutions, as well as our national security community, to ensure that information is properly shared with those who need it.

While the Conservatives do nothing and just play politics, we take this seriously.

[Democratic Institutions, June 2nd, 2023]

Madam Speaker, we will never tolerate foreign-state actors attempting to intimidate members of this House, members of diaspora communities or any Canadians. We take this matter extremely seriously.

David Johnston's report has indicated areas that need improvement in policy and communication. We take that work extremely seriously.

Prior to the release of the report, the Prime Minister said we would implement those recommendations. We are looking at that very closely. The Minister of Public Safety is going to make sure that these gaps are closed.

[Democratic Institutions, June 2nd, 2023]

Madam Speaker, how could we take lessons from the party opposite when the members will not even take the basic minimum national security briefing on this very matter? The Conservatives would rather operate under a veil of ignorance. We expect all members of this House to come forward. Opposition parties may criticize our government, but Canadians expect them to at least do so with information and the facts.

While Conservatives ignore briefings on national security, we cannot take them very seriously.

[Democratic Institutions, June 2nd, 2023]

Madam Speaker, when it comes to matters of national security, Canadians can see that the Conservatives are just not fit to lead. They are immature when it comes to these matters. Rather than talking about the actual measures and recommendations in the Right Hon. David Johnston's report, instead, when listening to that member's question, it was nothing but personal political attacks. It was not about the interests of Canadians or protecting our democratic institutions. It was about partisan games for the Conservatives.

On this side of the House, we are going to focus on protecting Canadian democracy.

[Democratic Institutions, June 2nd, 2023]

Madam Speaker, foreign-state actors are trying to undermine our democracy. However, the members of the Conservative Party are actually assisting in this. They stand there and make personal attacks on those who are serving our country to bring forward reports on how we can move forward with better measures to improve our democratic institutions.

The member opposite talked about facts. If they care about facts, their leader should get the briefing and learn the facts about the foreign interference in this country.

[Democratic Institutions, June 1st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, I am really happy to see the Bloc so interested in this issue, but what Mr. Johnston's report actually said was that he included an annex with all of the confidential information he reviewed. He provided it to party leaders and asked them to receive their security clearance to review it and determine if his recommendations from it were appropriate. However, what has the leader of the Bloc chosen to do? He has closed his eyes under a veil of ignorance and ignored the actual facts of the matter.

[Democratic Institutions, June 1st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, while foreign state actors try to undermine our democracy, what do we see from the Conservatives? We see nothing more than political attacks. Every single member of this House and every Canadian should take the issue of foreign interference seriously, but the Conservatives do not offer solutions. They do not offer recommendations. All they do is take cheap political and personal shots. Canadians expect more maturity from the official opposition.

We are going to work hard to ensure that our democratic institutions are protected for all Canadians, because it is not a partisan issue.

[Democratic Institutions, June 1st, 2023]

Mr. Speaker, the only thing fake in this place is the Conservative outrage.

All Canadians expect opposition parties to work hard to criticize government, but what Canadians also expect is that they do so with information and that they are informed. By refusing to receive the confidential information that was the basis of the Right Hon. David Johnston's report, the Conservatives are living under a veil of ignorance. However, Canadians expect that, on issues of national security, there are reasonable, responsible members in this House serving their—

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2023]

Madam Speaker, they can heckle me all they want. It will not silence the fact that they are hypocrites who only turned on David Johnston because he was no longer just a Conservative, but he also wanted to serve his country regardless of political leadership.