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Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

Feb/17/22 6:53:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have to say, over the last couple of days, I have heard, first of all, inaccurate and complete anti-indigenous racism in the rhetoric around what is going on outside. This is not a peaceful protest. This is an illegal occupation. To be stigmatized within what is going on out there is absolutely damaging and violent to indigenous people from across this country. I want to read something to the hon. member very quickly. It was written for The Guardian by Arwa Mahdawi. She writes: There’s a lot going on in the world right now. If you’re not Canadian, then the protest in Ottawa might not be top of your list of things to worry about. But I’m afraid you should be worried. You should certainly be paying attention. What’s unfolding in Ottawa is not a grassroots protest that has spontaneously erupted out of the frustration of local lorry drivers. Rather, it’s an astroturfed movement—one that creates an impression of widespread grassroots support where little exists—funded by a global network of highly organised far-right groups and amplified by Facebook’s misinformation machine. We know that the Soldiers of Odin and the yellow jackets are involved in this. They are posing a threat to our democracy. Our democracy is under threat. I would like to caution the member when referring to indigenous people as examples when we are talking about an alt-right, white supremacist movement fuelled and funded by the white supremacist movement on the other side. Does the hon. member agree that is not a fair—

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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22

Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

Feb/17/22 8:26:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I know my hon. colleague frequently refers to indigenous peoples who are peacefully protesting on their unceded territories. I wonder, if he was in government, what he would do if a national police service refused to enforce the rule of law, as it has been doing at Wet'suwet'en. This includes what we saw with militarized police: They took an axe, a chainsaw and an attack dog to take down the door of two unarmed indigenous women on unceded territory. This is something that was affirmed in Supreme Court rulings. We are now witnessing police in Ottawa who have been dangerously lenient to these so-called “protesters”. I would refer to it as an illegal occupation. In fact, we even have photos and news broadcasts of police officers hugging blockaders. I am wondering this. What would the member do if he was in government?

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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22

Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

Feb/17/22 9:25:41 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have had to be in this House for a couple of years where the anti-indigenous racism is fierce. I understand that it is an intense moment, but we are in the process of recovering our children. We just discovered 52 children in unmarked graves. This member of Parliament used our pain as an example. I would like to ask the member if he has humanity and will apologize for his comments.

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Context: House Hansard - 33 - Feb/17/22

Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

Feb/17/22 10:27:44 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I agree. I think this conversation has been quite divisive. That is concerning. I understand why people are angry and frustrated. It has been a long two years for us all, but I am wondering if my hon. colleague would agree with me that some of the images we are seeing in terms of police involvement, some of the reports and some of the clips we have seen with police hugging people blocking borders, are concerning. A former RCMP officer is one of the organizers as is former military. Should that require a public inquiry?

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