Marco Mendicino

[Public Safety, November 24th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be unequivocally clear that on this side of the House, we stand with the women in Iran who are marching for their rights. That is why we designated the entirety of the Iranian regime using a sparingly used power under IRPA. This will allow us to go after those who are the most responsible, the senior echelons and the architects of these transgressions of human rights, including the members of the IRGC, whom my hon. colleague continues to underline here. We will give police enforcement all the tools it needs to make sure Canada is never a safe haven for any support for that regime.

[Public Safety, November 24th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly why we introduced Bill C‑21. The Conservatives have been quibbling with it since day one.

We need to pass this bill, which targets members of organized crime, aims to hand down very severe punishments to criminals and gives police more tools.

We will continue to bring forward legislation that makes sense, and we will continue to make investments to help our police and our forces at the border.

[Public Safety, November 24th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, it is somewhat surprising to hear that colleague from the Conservative Party take issue with the $137 million we just invested in the CBSA to further tackle illegal smuggling, which the Conservatives voted against.

Let us stack their record against the record of those on this side of the House. It is one that will continue to equip CBSA with the tools it needs to tackle gun smuggling, one that will raise maximum sentences against hardened criminals who traffic and terrorize our communities with guns and one that will also address root causes of gun crime with $250 million for the building safer communities fund.

It is time for the Conservatives to get on the right side of this issue, and that is now.

[Democratic Institutions, November 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the government respects the parliamentary committee process and, yes, we will co-operate with the committee to look into the matter.

However, we have already conducted an independent, non-partisan process that confirmed that the results of the 2019 election were fair. We will continue to use all of the tools available to us to protect all of our democratic institutions, including elections.

[Democratic Institutions, November 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, as we heard the Prime Minister say, of course we are going to co-operate with the parliamentary committee when it comes to disclosing all the allegations that have been addressed by an independent body, which confirmed that the election in 2019 was both free and fair.

I want to assure my colleague, and all members of the House, that this is not a partisan issue, that every member in the House has to work together to safeguard all our democratic institutions, including elections, so that every Canadian can have their voice represented in this chamber. We will spare no effort in securing that objective.

[Democratic Institutions, November 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be unequivocally clear that Canadians can count on our government to remain vigilant when it comes to safeguarding free and fair elections in Canada.

As my hon. colleague knows, we had an independent body look very closely at the allegations of foreign interference and confirmed that that election was free and fair. We remain soberly aware of the threats that hostile actors pose, which is why we are cracking down on foreign funding that could influence elections, which is why we will continue to leverage every single authority at our disposal to protect free and fair elections in Canada.

[Democratic Institutions, November 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, protecting Canadian democracy is a responsibility we take very seriously. We are taking steps to combat foreign interference attempts. It starts with election officials and law enforcement and intelligence services, those who investigate and use all the tools at their disposal. Strengthening Canada's essential infrastructure and institutions is a big job. It takes legislation like Bill C‑26 to reinforce cybersecurity and give the RCMP additional resources.

[Democratic Institutions, November 21st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, safeguarding Canada's democracy is something that we take very seriously. We conducted two non-partisan, independent reviews, which confirmed that the 2019 election was free and fair. What is more, we passed Bill C‑66 to close the loopholes surrounding foreign funding. Any threat of foreign interference will be met with the most severe consequences.

[Public Safety, November 3rd, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, protecting the public from the threat of foreign interference is precisely what Canadians have mandated our government to do. I want to assure her and all members of this chamber that the RCMP are actively investigating these alleged so-called Chinese police stations. I also want to assure members that any harassment, intimidation or coercion by a foreign power will be investigated and appropriate charges will be pressed independently by police.

Finally, Canadians can rest assured that we will continue to make investments in our national security apparatus, which the Conservatives cut the last time, because we have—

[Public Complaints and Review Commission Act, November 3rd, 2022]

Madam Speaker, I have spent the better part of the last 20 minutes listening to my colleague's intervention, hoping that we would hear more about the substance of the bill itself. I will come back to my question for my colleague across the aisle.

I will be the first person to stand up in this House and defend the incredible work that is done by law enforcement every day when it comes to keeping the public safe across the community. The investments that we have put into place, the technology, the resources and, frankly, the work of the Canadian Institute of Public Safety Research and Treatment, which is a group we met with just a couple of days ago, is proof of all of the supports that we will invest in our law enforcement so that they can carry out their work.

The purpose of today's debate is Bill C-20 and I think my colleague, if she were to be candid with this chamber, would acknowledge that there were very few comments with regard to the substance of the propositions around reporting, discipline, recommendations and all of the things that will enhance civilian review so that there can be public confidence in our institutions, including the RCMP and the CBSA. Where does the member stand on the specific merits of this bill?