Rick Perkins

[Privilege, December 6th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, if I am not interrupted again, I can conclude my privilege intervention on how I was prevented from doing my duties as a member of Parliament by the illegal protest that happened.

When an ambassador from a foreign country cannot come into the building because of concerns for their safety, that is a major issue in the administration of our democratic duties and my ability to do my job. The fact is that the protesters were allowed to simply walk into the building with such ease, prevent business and target specifically, from media reports, anyone coming in to do business with members of Parliament. In fact, preventing members of Parliament from getting into their own offices is a breach of our privilege.

I would ask you to consider all the experiences of members of Parliament who were subjected to the breach in the Confederation Building on Tuesday morning. I would also ask that you consider the NDP's role in preventing members of Parliament from doing their duties.

[Privilege, December 6th, 2024]

Yes.

[Privilege, December 6th, 2024]

And I suffer, and you take away my right to speak to the point of privilege as a result?

[Privilege, December 6th, 2024]

It's outrageous.

[Privilege, December 6th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP member suggested that my intervention and how I was prevented from doing my job are frivolous. It is a point—

[Privilege, December 6th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it does not surprise me that the member for New Westminster—Burnaby is trying to prevent a question of privilege with regard to a meeting with the ambassador of Israel to Canada about the conflict in the Middle East. It does not surprise me that the NDP would be supportive in helping to organize the prevention of a member of Parliament from doing their duties with a protest that happened out of—

[Privilege, December 6th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is new information because it is about my experience this past Tuesday, which is new and additional information. This is in spite of the member for New Westminster—Burnaby, who chooses to take his orders from the Liberals. He wants to shut down the evidence that his party was complicit in preventing members of Parliament, who have their offices in the Confederation Building, from doing their work.

As I was saying, I had scheduled meetings that day, including a very important meeting with Israel's ambassador to Canada. I would think members of Parliament would be concerned when a member of Parliament cannot have a meeting with the representative of another government because of an illegal protest that breached my ability to do my job. Now—

[Privilege, December 6th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker. I rise on the question of privilege raised by the member for Thornhill. The office that Canadians have elected me to occupy is also in the Confederation building. On Tuesday, with the illegal protest that happened, which was assisted by three members of the NDP, the Confederation building was targeted because its ease of access outside the fences of West Block and Centre Block made it an easy target. Therefore, the NDP was complicit. I was unable to do my duties as a member of Parliament. I had a meeting scheduled that day with the ambassador from Israel in my office to discuss issues going on in the Middle East, and the ambassador cancelled the meeting because his security team felt threatened by this.

[Points of Order, December 6th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I would add, as my colleague stated, that the lead-up to the question is an important part of the set-up for the question in question period. The NDP members suggest that the Speaker should start censoring and stopping a question before the member gets to ask it, based on the fact that they do not like or are offended by the opening sentence. Frankly, that is a breach of a member's privilege with respect to their ability to speak on behalf of their constituents in the House.

[Business of Supply, December 6th, 2024]

He just did it again, twice. He said, “Sit down.” He is not the Speaker. If he wants to run for Speaker, he should do it.