Kevin Lamoureux

[Government Response to Petitions, December 10th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to eight petitions.

[Criminal Code, December 10th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member's comments, but I disagree with the member regarding the government's overall approach to legislation. Since the last election, we have seen a government that understands the importance of having safe communities in all regions of our country. Therefore, the government has developed pieces of legislation that ensure our communities are going to be safer, that there are actions against offenders, and that there is a sense we are moving forward with a comprehensive approach to make changes to the Criminal Code as necessary.

Would my colleague recognize that the many different pieces of legislation when put together and passed in a timely fashion are actually significant changes overall which will be for the betterment of public safety here in Canada?

[Criminal Code, December 10th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, could my colleague expand on what took place at committee? It is worth noting that a number of amendments were brought forward. My friend made reference to the religious freedom amendment, which is a very important one. Could he provide further comment on the amendments moved at committee?

[Criminal Code, December 10th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, one of the things we need to emphasize is that in preparation for bringing forward Bill C-51 and previous legislation, there has been a great deal of background work with many stakeholders in different jurisdictions. I wonder if the minister could provide her thoughts on the importance of having done a lot of the preliminary work and give us a sense of some of the background work leading to the introduction of the legislation itself. Not only has there been a thorough debate, with questions and answers, in committee and in debates inside the chamber, there was also a great deal of consultation prior to the legislation even being introduced.

[Points of Order, December 10th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I rise on that point of order. You can reflect on the comments mentioned by the member if you like, but I believe that the House was actually suspended, so if anything, that point of order should be stricken from the record.

[Expungement of Certain Cannabis-related Convictions Act, December 7th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I will keep my remarks relatively brief. At first blush it is quite understandable why my colleague has brought forward Bill C-415. When he talked about the difficulties of some being able to express themselves on a pardon as opposed to an expungement, I was intrigued. In principle, there are many different sorts of criminal activities that take place where a pardon has been issued. I suspect that the same challenges in principle would be there for those other individuals who have a pardon that is already in place.

If one wanted to be somewhat consistent, one could ultimately argue what would be the value of having pardons. I believe there is value to pardons. The minister has talked about issues such as pardons being quick and free with no waiting times. This is a commitment the government has made with respect to pardons. Pardons are, for all intents and purposes, packaged away, put in a box, never again to be reopened unless there is another criminal activity that takes place by the individual in question. At least that is my understanding of the situation.

That is why I was somewhat intrigued by his comments when he talked about the individuals who would find it difficult and he used the example of an application for a job. I am very sympathetic to that argument, unfortunately there were not enough questions and answers. I would have liked the member to provide an answer to me on that point. It is more the principle of the matter.

We have gone a long way in recognizing how far we have come in the last number of years. We have a Prime Minister who saw a significant social issue that affected millions of Canadians. In a very responsible fashion, working through the ministers and most members of the House, we were able to bring forward the legalization of cannabis. Since it has been legalized, I have not had one issue or concern from my constituents related to this.

Given the very nature and the magnitude of the change that has been put into place, I see that as an example of how well the government is working with many other stakeholders, because it is not just the Government of Canada. We have to recognize that there are other jurisdictions, in particular our provinces and territories, and there was a great deal of effort with first responders and many other stakeholders to ensure that the launching of a responsible social policy was done in the fashion that it was. As a society, we have benefited by the legalization of cannabis.

There is a lot more that I would like to say, but I understand there is a member across the way who was hoping to speak, so I will end my remarks.

[Customs Act, December 7th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, it is somewhat concerning. The Liberal Party brought in the charter. We are a party of the charter. We understand the rights and freedoms and how important those are. We also understand the economic and social impacts of the long border between Canada and the United States. There is some responsibility to monitor the flow.

I was surprised by the degree to which the NDP have opposed pre-clearance and some of the things we have done on pre-clearance. For many individuals, and the Winnipeg airport is a good example, a great benefit is derived from pre-clearance procedures. We need to work with different stakeholders.

When I look at the legislation, it would help facilitate travel and trade in the future, both which are of critical importance to virtually every Canadian.

Why do the NDP members not recognize the importance of trade, commerce and travel between Canada and the U.S.? Why do they not believe it is necessary to change with the time? Time causes and dictates a need for change.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, December 7th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, December 7th, 2018]

Furthermore, Madam Speaker, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 2005 and 2007 to 2009 could be made Orders for Returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[Questions on the Order Paper, December 7th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 2004, 2006 and 2010.