Pam Damoff

[Public Services and Procurement, October 20th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I wish the party opposite would go back in time to when it was calling on us to close borders. We brought in the ArriveCAN app to keep Canadians safe, and it worked. It is no longer mandatory. As I said—

[Public Services and Procurement, October 20th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, throughout the pandemic, keeping Canadians safe has always been our top priority. That is why we used the ArriveCAN app. CBSA is aware of concerns surrounding contracts and it is looking into the matter further.

[Justice, October 20th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, we have been serious about protecting Canadians since we got elected. Our number one priority is to keep Canadians safe, and that is why we have introduced common sense firearms legislation, such Bill C-71 and Bill C-21, which is at committee right now. These would keep Canadians safe. These measures are supported by Canadians, and we hope that the hon. members across the way will support us in this legislation.

[Public Safety, October 20th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I think the hon. member has forgotten what it was like during that time and what the federal government was doing. We were working with the provinces, including the province of Quebec, as well as working with the Ottawa Police Service and police services across the country.

Even the premier of Ontario, the Conservative premier, has said that he was standing shoulder to shoulder with the Prime Minister. We invoked the Emergencies Act to keep Canadians safe, and it worked.

[Public Safety, October 20th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, during the illegal occupation last winter, people across the country were hurting, not just in Ottawa but across the entire country. Canadians' freedom to feel safe in their homes was threatened. That is why we invoked the Emergencies Act. It was the right thing to do, and it worked to end this illegal occupation in Ottawa and across the country.

[Health, October 17th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister of Public Safety and his U.S. counterpart have been in discussions to get NEXUS back in Canada. I will reiterate that when our American counterparts are ready to deploy their officers to Canada, we will be ready to facilitate it.

Canadians want to get back to their lives and put the pandemic behind them, and I assure the hon. member that we continue to work with the United States to ensure that our American counterparts can deploy their officers in Canada again.

[Health, October 17th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, my understanding of this was that hon. members would ask for information to elaborate on a question they had asked in the House. The hon. member has greatly expanded on what he had asked. I will focus on a couple of things, but in particular NEXUS, as he had asked about it. He did not mention that tonight, but I will deal with it.

The ArriveCAN app is something we brought in to keep Canadians safe. We will always make the health and safety of Canadians our number one priority. I recall that at the time, hon. members from the other side of the aisle were calling for us to close the borders and stop letting people into Canada. The ArriveCAN app was a useful tool that we brought in during the pandemic, and it is no longer mandatory, as the hon. member knows.

I would like to talk a bit about NEXUS, which is what the hon. member had asked in his question of the Minister of Health.

We know NEXUS is extremely important for travellers. We also know that Canadians are travelling again. That is why we are working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to restore NEXUS enrolment services in Canada. I hear from my own constituents about concerns with being able to get a NEXUS appointment.

It is a joint program managed by both Canada and the United States. When our American counterparts are ready to deploy officers to Canada again, we will be ready to immediately facilitate it. Canada and the U.S. are in discussions right now about the timing of the reopening of Canadian enrolment centres. However, until that time, enrolment centres in Canada will continue to be closed.

Canadians can now travel to the U.S. to complete their interviews and applications. We are also allowing existing NEXUS members who renew their memberships before the expiry date of their card to retain their membership privileges for an additional 24 months from the date of expiry.

The hon. member talked at length about our Charter of Rights, and I just want to assure the hon. member, as well as all Canadians, that on this side of the House we will always stand up for Canadians' charter rights. We always have and we always will.

[Public Safety, October 17th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, let us take a step back and remember what it was like here in Ottawa last winter. While the hon. member and many of her colleagues were playing footsies with the illegal blockade, many Canadians were suffering. Many Canadian businesses were suffering. They were being held hostage by these illegal blockades. People did not feel safe going about their lives in their own communities.

I am pleased to share with the hon. member a quote from the interim chief of the Ottawa Police Service, who told the following to members at the public safety committee: “I...want to thank the federal government for invoking the federal Emergencies Act.” He went on to say, “From a policing perspective, the legislation provided the OPS with the ability to prevent people from participating in this unlawful protest”. He referred to the invocation of the act as a “critical piece” of their efforts.

[Public Safety, October 17th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, holy smokes, the rhetoric and misinformation coming from the other side of the House is a bit hard to respond to, but I am going to do my best.

Last winter, safety concerns from illegal blockades had shut down businesses, prevented citizens from moving about in several Canadian cities and cut off supply chains, hampering the ability of small business owners to contribute to the well-being of their families and communities.

We had a large blockade in the city of Ottawa and other communities were also impacted. Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, Quebec and cities within these provinces all faced illegal blockades that threatened people's safety and livelihoods. The situation was so critical that the Province of Ontario, City of Windsor and City of Ottawa all declared states of emergency.

The Government of Canada knew that a safe resolution to these illegal blockades would require the collaboration of all partners. That is why we engaged closely with law enforcement and provincial, territorial and municipal officials to share situational updates and intelligence and explore the ways we could support one another. These discussions were ongoing throughout the crisis.

The decision to invoke the Emergencies Act was informed by these discussions and consultations. The ultimate goal was always to bring an end to the blockades peacefully. In full transparency, we have made public a document that provides the reasons for issuing the declaration of a public order emergency. This fulfills the requirement in subsection 58(1) of the Emergencies Act, and the Government of Canada is pleased to provide this public information.

In addition, the Government of Canada has provided a public document describing the consultations we undertook before invoking the act. This document clearly demonstrates that we were closely engaged with all key partners in order to bring all expertise to the table to solve this public order crisis.

I would encourage my colleagues to review these public documents. They would make clear that, for several weeks last winter, illegal blockades were growing, strengthening and threatening law and order in numerous communities. Provinces, territories, municipalities and law enforcement all clearly communicated their views and concerns to the Government of Canada. Crucially, these partners asked the Government of Canada to lend support to the police of jurisdiction to counter the illegal activities.

We explored all other possible strategies to counter and to bring a peaceful conclusion to the many illegal blockades in Canadian communities at the time. It was at this time, and following extensive and ongoing discussions, that the decision to invoke the Emergencies Act was made. This was not an easy decision and we took the path with an appropriate sense of gravitas.

Importantly, invoking the act provided law enforcement with additional tools that allowed them to bring an end to the blockades. I must reinforce that this peaceful resolution was achieved, in large part, because of our close and ongoing consultation with provinces, territories, municipalities and law enforcement.

The Government of Canada did not keep the Emergencies Act in place any longer than necessary. We revoked it as soon as possible once it had achieved its intended purpose and law enforcement no longer needed the additional tools.

[Public Safety, October 17th, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, it is difficult for me to answer a question on RCMP operational details, but I think, as the hon. member knows, right now, the Alberta government is talking about getting out of contract policing and instituting its own police service.

I think, certainly, the hon. member has heard what I am saying, in that it requires consultation with the provincial or municipal partners before we can move forward. As he knows, the cost of this policing is split between the federal and provincial governments. If the hon. member had a private company that wanted to donate AEDs to all RCMP vehicles, I would be happy to work with him on that.