44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 21, 2022 07:00AM
- Feb/21/22 2:23:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Emergency Measures Act provides for essential measures that can be used to put an end to these illegal blockades and to prevent another occupation.
Chiefs of police, security experts and municipal and provincial leaders told us that this act was essential for the operations being conducted by police.
I clearly indicated that these measures will only be applied if deemed necessary. These tools are being added to local resources. We will cancel these measures as soon as they are no longer necessary. That is the responsible way to manage the situation.
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- Feb/21/22 2:24:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that was a lot of words, a lot of words and then a lot of words.
I listened carefully to the Prime Minister. It is not enough to tell Canadians to talk to each other. The Prime Minister needs to set an example.
When has he made an effort to listen to Canadians who do not think like him? Has he taken the time to call the member for Louis-Hébert? Is he forcing his members to vote in favour of these emergency measures? Will he call up and apologize to every single person he has insulted in recent weeks?
The Prime Minister needs to lead by example.
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- Feb/21/22 2:24:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this government and almost all Canadians have been there for each other from the very beginning of this pandemic. We have supported each other through tough times and we have been there for our small businesses, for our seniors and for our frontline workers. That is the story of the pandemic. That is not the story of those who are blockading the streets and preventing other Canadians from going to work or living in peace. This is the story of those who have been there for one another. These are the people we will continue focusing on. We will be working for the future on their behalf.
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- Feb/21/22 2:25:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, more than two weeks ago, the City of Ottawa requested 1,800 RCMP officers to ensure an adequate police response to the crisis. The events of last weekend proved that was indeed the solution. I would hope the Prime Minister was not even contemplating invoking the Emergencies Act two weeks ago.
He will not invoke the act every time there is a protest—I hope he will resist that temptation—so is he now prepared to revoke the Emergencies Act?
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- Feb/21/22 2:26:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the fact is that the situation remains precarious across the country. We are very pleased with the work our police forces did this weekend in Ottawa and Gatineau to keep the people of the region and the national capital safe. We also saw interventions across the country to prevent more convoys from going to places where barricades could form. We must continue to be vigilant, but of course we all want to announce the end of these emergency measures as soon as we can. We will assess the feasibility of doing so on a daily basis.
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- Feb/21/22 2:26:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I challenge the Prime Minister to name a single place in Canada or in Quebec where this law is warranted at this time. He spoke about tow trucks; that is about money. He spoke about freezing bank accounts. We should not be doing that for just two weeks. We should pass legislation and consider a permanent way to deal with criminal activities funded with the proceeds of crime.
Given that the Prime Minister himself has confirmed that this is a vote of confidence because he is afraid of his own caucus, should he not admit that this is the wrong way to go about it?
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- Feb/21/22 2:27:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to say that I greatly appreciate the commitment of the Leader of the Bloc Québécois to coming up with additional measures that we could debate in Parliament once the emergency has passed in order to ensure that our police forces and authorities all have the responsible and legitimate tools to address illegal occupations or crimes such as these. For the time being, we are still in a state of emergency, but I know that, like all Canadians, we want to see the end of these emergency measures as soon as possible. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
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- Feb/21/22 2:28:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the occupation in Ottawa and the blockades of bridges and borders across Canada have had a severe impact on workers. We know that workers in Windsor, auto sector workers and workers in the downtown core of Ottawa, like those at the Rideau Centre and others, were severely impacted. They lost days and in some cases weeks of wages, which has made it even harder for them to put food on the table.
The government has announced a plan to support small businesses, but not a plan for workers. Where is the plan to support the workers who have been impacted by the occupation and the blockades?
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- Feb/21/22 2:28:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. leader of the NDP for his support for workers. I agree with him on that.
We have continued every step of the way through the difficult past two years we have had to be there for small businesses, for seniors, for young people, for workers, and we will continue to do that. We recognize that, on top of the pandemic context, this occupation and the blockades have been extremely difficult on businesses and workers. We are moving forward with measures to support them. This is something I think we can all agree on in this House, to be there for Canadians.
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- Feb/21/22 2:29:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the occupation of Ottawa and the blockades at the border hit workers hard. It is getting more and more difficult for them to make ends meet. The Liberal government announced a plan to help the small businesses and the businesses affected by the blockades and the occupation, but not a plan for the workers.
Where is the plan to help the workers affected by the occupation of Ottawa and the blockades across the country?
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- Feb/21/22 2:29:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader of the NDP for his commitment to our workers.
We share that concern. That is why for the past two years we have taken historic measures to support the workers, small businesses, seniors and families that are struggling because of this pandemic, and that is why we are committed to being there for the people who need it in the wake of the occupation of Ottawa.
Yes, we brought in a program for the businesses, but we will continue to look out for the workers as well.
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- Feb/21/22 2:30:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberal member for Beaches—East York said today in the House, “I am not convinced that the emergency measures should [extend] beyond today. I would vote accordingly, but...it is now a confidence vote”.
It would seem that the Prime Minister is strong-arming his back bench and the NDP to vote in his favour by threatening an election. Is that not true?
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- Feb/21/22 2:31:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think that we all breathed a sigh of relief at the phenomenal work that was done by law enforcement to bring order and peace outside these doors.
I look forward to the vote that is going to be taking place in just a few hours to have this House affirm the powers that were needed to ensure that peace and stability, and to make sure on a preventative basis that we do not see a return to that level of disorder.
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- Feb/21/22 2:31:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the blockades have ended. Downtown Ottawa has been cleared. If there was ever a national emergency, which remains in doubt, it is over. There is no need for the Emergencies Act vote tonight. It would seem then that this vote tonight is about far more than the blockades and the protesters in downtown Ottawa. It would seem it is only about power, about the government having the power and setting the precedent for the bank accounts of political dissidents to be frozen.
Is that not right?
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- Feb/21/22 2:32:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to just highlight how instrumental the Emergencies Act has been in allowing us to address, very effectively but in a manner that is consistent with the charter, the illegal blockades. I too want to take a moment to express my profound gratitude. I hope all members in the chamber will give thanks to the RCMP and all members of law enforcement who, in a very professional, measured and restrained manner, have restored order to the streets of Ottawa and have ensured we made progress at our borders.
We will only use the powers of the Emergencies Act as long as necessary.
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- Feb/21/22 2:32:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it became clear this weekend that Canada did not need emergency measures to resolve the situation in Ottawa. Thousands of police officers from across Canada joined forces to resolve a specific situation. This is not the first time that has happened.
Nevertheless, this government still wants to impose the Emergencies Act, which has no place in this context, in our view. The border crossings were cleared without this legislation. The Ambassador Bridge was cleared without this legislation.
Why does the government stubbornly insist on implementing a law that Canadians do not want?
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- Feb/21/22 2:33:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have seen significant progress in Ottawa over the past few days. Our borders and downtown Ottawa are free of blockades, and our borders are now open.
I want to thank the RCMP and all law enforcement agencies for their professional and measured response. The Emergencies Act was instrumental in making this possible, but we want to be done with it as soon as possible.
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- Feb/21/22 2:33:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, back home in Quebec City we had protests over two weekends. We did not need the Emergencies Act. Instead, we saw the government and the police show leadership, the kind of leadership that has been sorely lacking in Ottawa in recent weeks.
Seven Canadian premiers, including the Premier of Quebec, want nothing to do with this act, but the government still wants to impose this extreme piece of legislation, which has never been used before this weekend.
Why is the government so insistent on doing this, given that the provincial premiers do not want it and neither do Canadians?
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- Feb/21/22 2:34:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I assure my colleague and all members in this House that any measures taken under the Emergencies Act have been taken in concert with all provincial and municipal authorities.
We will continue to work closely with the provinces and territories. Law enforcement is telling us that the act is a necessary tool, but we will withdraw these measures as soon as possible.
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- Feb/21/22 2:34:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, has the government received a legal opinion from either the Attorney General or the Department of Justice as to whether the emergency powers granted under the Emergencies Act, particularly the power to freeze financial accounts, are consistent with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms? If so, will the government release the legal opinion to the House before this evening's vote?
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