Divorce Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Mount Royal for his contributions and for this important point. Both he and the member for Ottawa—Vanier were strong, solid and consistent in their support on this important issue. This issue should not be underestimated by the House. Protect

Divorce Act  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Mount Royal. I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak to Bill C-78. I will use most of my time to address the important amendments the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights have made to this important b

Asbestos  Madam Speaker, while I appreciate the member for Saskatoon West and her comments in the House, the issue of the health of Canadians is a fundamental priority for the government, as it should be for all parliamentarians. Again, the regulatory approach we are taking to asbestos mi

Asbestos  Madam Speaker, I am happy to respond to comments made by the hon. member for Saskatoon West regarding asbestos. This is clearly an important issue, and her advocacy on this issue is important. The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the environment and safeguarding t

Justice  Madam Speaker, there are two reasons why the government must refrain from commenting on this matter. First, it is important to respect the role of the director of public prosecutions and the independent prosecutor who reports to her. Second, according to the sub judice conventio

Justice  Madam Speaker, there is a legal rule and a rule of convention called the sub judice rule, which restrains parliamentarians on statements made about ongoing legal proceedings, especially criminal cases before the courts. Members are expected to refrain from discussing matters tha

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the hon. member for Saskatoon West for raising this important motion for debate today and for her advocacy on this file. I thank the member for Essex for her advocacy in this chamber, not just on this issue but on other issues. I wil

Divorce Act  Mr. Speaker, I am humbled to rise for the first time in this new House. I truly appreciated the speech and comments from the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, as I appreciate her participation in meetings of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. She spoke at length

Indigenous Affairs  Madam Speaker, forced sterilization of any woman is absolutely unacceptable. Our government believes firmly that everyone must receive culturally safe health services, no matter where they live. The coerced sterilization of indigenous women is a serious violation of human right

Indigenous Affairs  Madam Speaker, we completely agree with the party opposite that the situation right now is completely unacceptable, not only to indigenous women, but also to all women in Canada. As I said, the existing provisions in the Criminal Code capture a broad range of criminal behaviour,

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I have two major points. First, Bill C-337, presented by Rona Ambrose in this House, was supported by members on this side of the House. We look forward to its expeditious passage in the same way that the member for Durham does. Second, the sanctimonious language t

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the contributions of the member opposite to this important debate today, particularly on December 6, the 29th anniversary of the Montreal massacre. My questions for the member opposite are twofold. First, she outlined the important issue of consent in

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments from the member opposite. I would point out that her concerns with respect to access to justice are shared on this side of the House. That is why we made important changes with respect to access to justice so that the spiral she was mentioni

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague opposite's questions and her speech. I want to outline one broad point and then ask the member opposite a specific question. The issue is not with the objective. What the Senate has proposed is clear. The issue is that it requires more stud

Criminal Code  Madam Speaker, to characterize what is in the bill as defence disclosure is inappropriate and incorrect. I refer the member opposite to the Darrach decision, paragraph 65 of the Supreme Court jurisprudence, which he is fond of quoting. The member talked at length about the situa