Joël Lightbound

[Max Gros-Louis, November 24th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, Thursday was the final day of funeral ceremonies in Wendake to honour Grand Chief Max Oné Onti Gros-Louis of the Huron-Wendat Nation. For three days, hundreds of people came to pay their respects and honour his memory. I know that there have been many tributes to him in the House, but I humbly wanted to add my own.

Since I come from Sainte-Foy and I represent the riding of Louis-Hébert, which is part of the Nionwentsïo, the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat Nation, it is important for me to pay one last tribute to this charismatic, rugged man who governed his nation for more than 30 years and helped unite the first nations peoples, whom he spent his whole life proudly and honourably defending both in Quebec and in Canada, as well as on the world stage.

It is a duty that he always fulfilled with wisdom and simplicity. His life was a shining example, an inspiration to guide others. He was the type of man who had a sense of history and his place in the hereafter.

Grand Chief Gros-Louis, tiawenhk.

[Infrastructure, November 16th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I will humbly tell my colleague that this statement from 2015 or 2016 was a mistake that I regret. Mea culpa.

My colleague should know that for the government and for me in particular, addressing the Quebec Bridge issue is very important. In 2015, when Stephen Harper went to Quebec City and jokingly feigned surprise that the Quebec Bridge was still standing, his colleague, the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, smiled and clapped at Mr. Harper's mockery of this infrastructure.

We would never do that. We have done everything necessary to succeed in addressing this matter. We want to make sure that during future election campaigns, no one will be wondering about the future of the Quebec Bridge, because we will have addressed it once and for all.

[Infrastructure, November 16th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis for his speech. His riding is in the greater Quebec City area.

He talked about broken promises when it comes to infrastructure. With all due respect to him, when I hear him speak, I cannot help but remember that famous photograph of him and his colleagues, all proudly wearing Nordiques jerseys and giving a thumbs up. At the time, the Conservatives promised that the Harper government would make investments in building the Vidéotron Centre. Hon. members will recall, as the people of Quebec City certainly do, that the Conservatives did not invest a single dollar, a single penny, in building the Vidéotron Centre. They had made the promise with all the theatrics that they are known for. In fact, that is what they are doing again this evening, saying things like “taking action is a must to deal with this rust”.

I have no doubt about their ability to put on a dog and pony show and their capacity for theatrics. That said, I want to reassure my colleague from Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis that in the Quebec Bridge story, the chapter on finding a lasting solution to repairing and restoring the bridge remains to be written. For a decade, the Conservatives failed to take any action and failed to find this lasting solution. That very member was around the cabinet table at the time.

We will deliver on this. We have given ourselves the means to succeed, beginning with the appointment of Yvon Charest as negotiator, for example. He has submitted his report. It is important to remember that the bridge is over 100 years old. It is an engineering marvel that allows 33,000 vehicles a day to move from one shore to the other, from the north shore to the south shore and from the south shore to the north shore of Quebec City. It is much more than a simple road link. It is a jewel of our heritage, part of the pride of Quebec City and Canada, pride that should shine all around the world.

That is why, where the Conservatives failed for 10 years, where they failed to take action for 10 years, and while they left the bridge to rust for 10 years, we have given ourselves the means to succeed by taking the politics out of this matter and brining in an extremely competent individual, Yvon Charest. His mandate was to negotiate with CN and to determine, with CN and with Quebec City, the best lasting solution for the Quebec Bridge. This included everything from transferring ownership with adequate compensation to legislation, and that is what Mr. Charest did. Infrastructure Canada is currently examining his report.

I can assure the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis that we will find a solution for the restoration and enhancement of the Quebec Bridge. We will succeed where the Conservatives failed for 10 years. One end of the bridge is in my riding. I can almost see it from my house. Of course, I would have preferred to see this matter resolved a long time ago.

We want to get this right. This matter has been mishandled too often in the past, and there is no way we are going to let it be mishandled again. We want a long-term solution that will highlight the priceless value of this heritage jewel. It is an engineering marvel, not to mention a crucial economic and transportation link for the Quebec City region.

I can also assure the member that our government will take action for the long term. Until then, the owner, Canadian National, and Quebec's ministry of transportation, the MTQ, will ensure the safety and stability of the bridge. As for enhancement, that is what we promised in 2015, and we will keep that promise.

[Questions on the Order Paper, November 16th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the government remains committed to introducing a buyback program that offers fair compensation to affected owners and businesses, while making sure implementation and management costs of such a program are well priced and sustainable. To assist in meeting this dual objective, Public Safety is seeking to obtain professional services through a competitive process for the provision of advice on options and approaches to further inform ongoing efforts to develop a buyback program. Specifically, this advice would focus on firearms pricing models, as well as on the design, implementation and management of a buyback program for recently prohibited firearms.

As such, the costs associated with implementing and managing a buyback program have not been finalized yet and will be further refined in the coming months as program design development work progresses. Public Safety, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, and its partners are looking at a range of options, and will work with the provinces and territories to get this right for law-abiding gun owners and businesses.

[Questions on the Order Paper, November 16th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, on May 1, 2020, the Government of Canada announced the immediate prohibition of over 1,500 models of assault-style firearms that are specifically designed for soldiers to shoot other soldiers. The prohibition limits access to the most dangerous firearms and removes them from the Canadian market.

For decades, police chiefs had been advocating for such a measure. In 1986, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, CACP, declared there was a “worldwide surplus” of accessible firearms that were designed for warfare and for the federal government to “take the steps necessary to end this increase in available weapons.” In 1994, the CACP declared that “military assault rifles” were produced for the “sole purpose of killing people in large numbers” and urged the Minister of Justice to enact legislation to “ban all military assault rifles except for law enforcement and military purposes.” Last September, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police declared their support for a prohibition on all military-designed assault rifles. In their view, “these weapons have no place in our communities and should be reserved for use by Canada’s military and law enforcement.” Additionally, the current chief of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has declared that this prohibition “finds balance” as it “ensures the safety of our members” while not limiting “those that recreationally participate in hunting or those that actually live off the land.”

Between October 2018 and February 2019, the government held extensive public engagement on the issue of banning handguns and assault-style firearms with the provinces and territories, municipalities, indigenous groups, law enforcement, community organizations and industry to help inform policy, regulations and legislation to reduce violent crime involving firearms. While the engagement was framed by the examination of a potential ban, the discussion explored several potential measures to reduce violent crime including enhanced enforcement capacity for law enforcement and border services, investments to support initiatives that reduce violence, and strengthening safe firearms storage requirements to help prevent theft. Many participants expressed that a ban on assault-style firearms was needed in order to protect public safety.

We put in place an amnesty to give existing owners time to come into compliance with the law. The amnesty order also provides a temporary exception for indigenous persons exercising section 35 constitutional rights to hunt and for sustenance hunters to allow for continued use of newly prohibited firearms, if previously non-restricted, until a suitable replacement can be found. The government remains committed to introducing a buyback program during the amnesty period. However, the costs associated with implementing a buyback program have not yet been finalized.

While the prohibition was a crucial initiative, it was only the first step in the government’s gun control agenda. The government also intends to bring forward targeted measures to further address the criminal use of firearms. We will strengthen firearms storage requirements to deter theft. Following hundreds of millions of dollars cut by the previous Conservative government, we will continue to make the necessary investments to enhance our tracing capacity and reduce the number of guns being smuggled across the border. We will continue to also work with our partners from other levels of government to develop an approach to address handguns.

The government also intends to build on previous investments in youth and community measures, because we know that better social conditions lead to a reduction in crime and violence.

These initiatives were identified as a priority by our government, both in the throne speech and in the Prime Minister’s mandate letter to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and we are committed to addressing these important issues as soon as possible.

[Public Safety, November 6th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

Our border services officers work very hard to enforce the rules and to assess every situation on a case-by-case basis, in the best interests of Canada and its citizens.

[Public Safety, November 6th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, every Canadian, regardless of their race, background or religion, needs to feel safe where they live, where they work, and where they gather to pray.

Through the communities at risk: security infrastructure program, our government is supporting vulnerable communities by helping them feel safe in their local centres, their schools, and their places of worship.

This program has given the community in my riding a greater sense of safety by helping it improve its security infrastructure so that there are places where community members feel safe.

In order to leave enough time to submit an application, and given the real tensions that various organizations are experiencing because of COVID-19—

[Attack in Old Quebec, November 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and a deep sadness that I rise in the House today. Tragedy has once again struck my city, which awoke on Sunday following one of its saddest nights ever.

On behalf of myself, my friend, the member for Quebec City, and our government, I wish to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of François Duchesne and Suzanne Clermont. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

To the five wounded, I wish you a full and speedy recovery. Countless Quebeckers send you their best wishes and countless Canadians are thinking of you.

To the police officers, medical staff, neighbours and good Samaritans, I thank you for your protection, your care and your compassion. You do us proud.

[Public Safety, October 29th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, one minute is not very much time to talk about the serious issues raised by the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.

At the request of the Nova Scotia government, the RCMP was sent to help protect people and maintain law and order. That is what everyone should expect here. We need to de-escalate the situation. That is vital. The RCMP will play a role in that.

[Public Safety, October 29th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to see you even through the use of technology. I also want to thank the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands whom I am pleased to see again.

As usual, she is raising very important questions. I very much appreciated the information she provided on the injunctions and the disproportionate share that is granted to the corporations. It is an interesting element that I will look into. It is true that systemic racism is not limited to the actions of the RCMP. It is much more widespread than that. It is institutional. We acknowledge it, we condemn it and we are working to resolve it.

I also want to thank her for allowing me to say a few words about the situation in Nova Scotia. This situation happened in the wake of the implementation of livelihood fishing by the Sipekne'katik nation. I will begin by saying a few words about the criminal acts that were committed during the dispute between the first nation and the commercial fishers.

Our government clearly condemns the racism, violence and crimes committed during this conflict. We implore all those involved to support constructive efforts for peaceful de-escalation and dialogue. Moreover, all of this is taking place while we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Our government remains committed to reconciliation and the development of a new and improved relationship with indigenous peoples, one based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and collaboration.

While the RCMP has faced complex issues this year, it continues to work to build meaningful, lasting relationships with indigenous peoples. It would be a shame to let the criminal acts committed in this conflict undermine these efforts. Any lasting resolution to this dispute must be based on the recognition of the legitimate Mi'kmaq treaty rights.

This means that the threats, racism, violence and intimidation must stop. The primary role of any police force is to protect the public and enforce the laws, including the Criminal Code of Canada. All Canadians enjoy the fundamental freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and demonstration. They should be able to exercise those freedoms safely.

However, resorting to violence and putting lives in danger to protest a situation is totally unacceptable. The people responsible for these crimes must be held to account. The RCMP takes its role of ensuring public safety very seriously and has been on site since the start of the conflict. At the same time, the governments, namely the federal government and the government of Nova Scotia, are trying to make the parties reach a lasting solution based on the recognition of the legitimate rights of the Mi'kmaq and the treaties.

Charges have been laid and multiple investigations are under way into crimes against persons, in particular the violent assault of Chief Michael Sack. The police is also investigating crimes against property, such as the fire at the lobster pound on October 19. This is a sad episode in our collective history.

To further increase the capacity of the RCMP, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness approved a request put forward by the Attorney General of Nova Scotia to increase, as needed, the number of RCMP members under contract present in Nova Scotia so they can keep the peace as is their duty. To say that the RCMP police presence in the region is unusually high would be an understatement. It will continue to be high as long as necessary. The increased and enhanced presence of the RCMP includes officers in uniform ensuring greater visibility of law enforcement and carrying out random patrols in communities.

In addition to officers in uniform there are more strategic tactical operations officers from several authorities. Furthermore, RCMP officers patrol the waters in the region depending on the needs and the RCMP emergency response team has a vessel for immediate deployment if necessary.