Yvonne Jones

[Sisters in Spirit, October 4th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, today, here on Parliament Hill and all across the country, vigils are being held in memory of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. I invite all Canadians to observe a moment of silence today on the occasion of Sisters in Spirit vigils, which have been taking place since 2006. A vigil can take many forms, from a walk to a rally to a shared meal; it is a moment to reflect and a moment to remember. Let us honour our Sisters in Spirit by participating in a vigil today. Let us demonstrate our shared commitment to end the national tragedy of violence experienced by indigenous girls and women in Canada.

As Sisters in Spirit Vigil founder, Kukdooka Terri Brown, says, “Grandmother, lighten our path in the dark. Creator, keep our sisters safe from harm."

Today, we remember all of them and work toward a safer country.

[Ethics, September 21st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the members opposite, who stand today with these questions, about their time in government. I want to remind them about a member of their caucus who was taken out in leg irons. The former parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Harper actually served time in prison for violating the Elections Act, and they stand today and give us lessons in ethics?

[Ethics, September 21st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, what a lecture that was. If we want to talk about being guilty, let me remind the members opposite of their time in government when they featured members in their own caucus in leg irons because of corruption. What about the former—

[Ethics, September 21st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I have to reiterate that, first of all, we have all looked at this report thoroughly because as hon. members of the House, we always want to do what is right. We always want to make the right decision.

The commissioner has looked in detail into this particular situation and the report is very clear that no preferential treatment was given in this particular case. I want to make sure that the member understands that fully and that the process undertaken by the Ethics Commissioner was a full and thorough one.

[Ethics, September 21st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I think my hon. colleague already knows that the commissioner's report said that no benefit or preferential treatment was given.

We will definitely not take lessons on ethics from the Conservatives opposite. We all remember the issues around Dean Del Mastro and the situation in that regard. However, I want my colleagues to take a good look at the Conservatives' former minister of public works who was found guilty of giving preferential treatment when he was in a cabinet position to advance his own friend's private sector business. We do not need to take lessons in ethics from anyone across the way.

[Indigenous Peoples Day, June 19th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize June 21 as Indigenous Peoples Day. National Indigenous Peoples Day is a day to celebrate and recognize the ongoing contributions of first nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples throughout Canada. This year, Canadians across the country will celebrate and acknowledge the rich culture, heritage, and contributions of indigenous peoples, and what they have contributed to our country, Canada.

On June 21, from coast to coast to coast, Canadians are invited to participate in events such as powwows, sport competitions, and musical performances, all that will highlight the rich and distinct heritage of indigenous peoples in this country. It is a day and an opportunity for all of us, both indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians, to learn about our rich history, traditions, and cultures of indigenous peoples. It is a critical step for all of on the journey of reconciliation.

I wish all a wonderful Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada.

[Mining Industry, June 12th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, history was made in my riding as nickel producer Vale announced the first underground mine for Labrador. The company started the open-pit mine 16 years ago and has two successful impact benefit agreements with the Innu Nation and the Nunatsiavut Government. They employ over 60% indigenous people and through the IBAs a tremendous amount of procurement is done with Newfoundland and Labrador-based businesses.

Construction will begin this summer and will peak at 4,800 jobs by 2020. The company is investing over $2 billion in the underground mine and direct employment, including the Long Harbour processing facility in Newfoundland, will see 1,700 new jobs created in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is a historic day for us and the success is linked to the IBAs with indigenous groups and a strong working relationship between the company and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. This is reconciliation and resource development going hand in hand with environment and conservation. This—

[National Security Act, 2017, June 7th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, maybe I can best speak to this by quoting the experts from the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto, who said that this is the biggest reform of Canadian national security law since 1984 and the creation of CSIS. We have needed this for a while. They said that there “are solid gains—measured both from a rule of law and civil liberties perspective—and come at no credible cost to security.”

The bill is supported by Amnesty International, civil liberties groups, and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. These are the people who are standing up to support this to ensure that there is a balance between the safety and security of Canadians and our right to democratically act in a way that we feel is important.

[National Security Act, 2017, June 7th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, what I said was that much of the legislation we were dealing with was written in the 1980s. If we go back through the previous legislation, members will see that many of those things were on the books as they related to national security and intelligence in the landscape of Canada. What this bill is doing is bringing us into a different era.

It will ensure that our agencies can keep pace with evolving threats to keep us safe and that our laws would also keep pace to protect Canadians' rights and freedoms in a digital world. Bill C-59 speaks to those intricate pieces.

[National Security Act, 2017, June 7th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague from Winnipeg Centre for his question and for his remarks on this bill, which were very comprehensive.

It goes without saying that this bill is our way of keeping our promise to Canadians to fix Bill C-51, which was brought forward by the Harper government and has been problematic in many ways.

A lot of people would say that this is taking a giant leap forward in terms of accountability for our national security and intelligence agencies. That is what we should be doing in the 21st century: modernizing this legislation. What the bill is also doing is protecting our democratic freedoms and our ability to have peaceful protests, to stand up for what we believe in this country without fear of prosecution.