44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 26, 2022 10:00AM
- Apr/26/22 2:27:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after 62 days of war, he has the gall to use the word “quickly”.
This government is unable to explain to these people how to give their biometrics and unable to collect these people's biometrics. It is telling them, “Here are some Aeroplan points”. That is not costing the government a cent. The government is not chartering flights. This is not costing Air Canada a cent, so Air Canada has simply become the publicity agent.
Will the government show some respect for Ukrainians and charter some damn flights?
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- Apr/26/22 2:27:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand that the leader of the Bloc Québécois is very fond of expressing outrage here in this place. The reality is that public servants and our partners around the world are working to fast-track the applications of Ukrainians who want to come to Canada.
The reality is that we have done a lot, and we will continue to take numerous measures to expedite the arrival of Ukrainian families here in Canada. We are doing more and will continue to do more. This is a very difficult situation for these families, and we are there to help them.
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- Apr/26/22 2:28:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, throughout this pandemic and the rising cost-of-living crisis, we see working Canadians and working class families that are hurt hard, and we see the super rich who continue to make record profits and gain more wealth and power. Another example of this is the potential merger of Rogers and Shaw. It is only going to result in massive layoffs for workers and increased costs for families.
Will the Liberals stand on the side of workers and Canadians, prevent this deal from going through and make sure we keep the prices of cellphones and cellular services low?
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- Apr/26/22 2:29:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we well know that Canadians have paid some of the highest prices for wireless and Internet in the world. That is why a number of years ago we made a pledge to decrease average cellphone bills in this country by 25%, and that actually happened. We drove down prices by working to ensure that there was both competition and quality infrastructure for Canadians. We will continue to be there to make sure that access to data is affordable and reliable everywhere across the country, including with massive historic investments in rural broadband and cellphone access.
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- Apr/26/22 2:29:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is true that cell service costs more in Canada and that this merger will make things worse.
It is clear that, if this merger goes through, the cost of cell service will go up and many jobs could be lost.
Will the Liberals stand with people and stop this merger, yes or no?
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- Apr/26/22 2:30:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have been working for years to bring the price of cell service and Internet access down for Canadians. On average, cellular phone bills are down 25%.
We know that competition, innovation and affordability are essential in Canada's telecommunications sector. That is why we are still working to improve service and lower costs, and we are making historic investments to achieve that.
Over the past five years, we have invested 10 times more than the Conservative government did during its 10 years in power to improve rural connectivity, and we will keep working on it.
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- Apr/26/22 2:30:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in response to repeated questions about what documents would be available for the inquiry into the use of the Emergencies Act, the Minister of Emergency Preparedness indicated that documents covered by privilege, such as the advice of the justice department to cabinet, would not be disclosed.
The measures used by the government represent the most significant infringement on the civil liberties of Canadians in a generation. Canadians deserve full transparency.
Will the Liberals disclose the internal analysis that showed they met the threshold for the Emergencies Act and the justice department's private opinion, or are they just going to keep hiding this information from Canadians?
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- Apr/26/22 2:31:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when the illegal blockades forced borders to close, businesses to shut and workers to be laid off, it was Canadians who paid the biggest price. It was only after we got advice from law enforcement that we invoked the Emergencies Act. It was necessary, and it worked.
We launched a full-scale independent inquiry, appointing Justice Rouleau as commissioner. He has the power to compel witnesses, documents and information, including classified information. We look forward to co-operating with the inquiry to foster transparency and accountability and to incorporating lessons learned so that this never happens again.
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- Apr/26/22 2:32:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Conservatives and Canada’s Civil Liberties Association were disturbed to see that the Liberals are attempting to control the scope of the inquiry into the Emergencies Act by directing the commissioner to focus on the actions of the protesters and not the actions of the government. The purpose of this inquiry is not to hold Canadian protesters accountable, but to hold the government accountable when using extraordinary powers.
The government has tasked the commissioner to gather evidence against the protesters, but this begs the question that, if the government does not already have this evidence, how could it have justified invoking the act in the first place?
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- Apr/26/22 2:32:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage my hon. colleague to read the order in council, which specifically says that the judge can look into the conduct of police enforcement. I encourage my hon. colleague to read the order in council. We want to shine a light on the sober events that led to the invocation of the Emergencies Act.
I would encourage my colleague to recall that businesses were shut down, workers were laid off and residents were terrorized in their own homes. We embrace this inquiry. It is an important hallmark of our democracy, and we look forward to co-operating with the judge.
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- Apr/26/22 2:33:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister finally called a public inquiry to look into the reasons for invoking the Emergencies Act. The public safety minister said, “Our intent is to collaborate with [Justice Rouleau] so that he has a fulsome record, so that he can do his job”.
This is wonderful. We all want the inquiry to get to the bottom of the wrongdoing in this saga. Will the Prime Minister commit to giving the commissioner the power to compel the production of necessary documents and evidence, including those covered by cabinet confidence?
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- Apr/26/22 2:34:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me be clear: We are shedding light on the dark series of events that led to the invocation of the Emergencies Act.
I am hoping for closure for those who were laid off and for the Ottawa residents who were held hostage in their own homes, and I would remind the Conservative Party that hundreds of serious charges have been laid that involve guns and conspiracy to commit murder. We will work with the judge to encourage transparency.
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- Apr/26/22 2:34:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when we were debating the Emergencies Act, there were 13 points in the order. During that debate in this place, I demolished 12 of those points because there were many things that were not clear.
Today it was announced that Justice Rouleau has been mandated to shed some light on this. Can the minister explain why the mandate is already biased with predetermined questions?
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- Apr/26/22 2:35:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would encourage my colleague to read the orders and the legislation. The guidelines are there. The conditions that apply are there for Justice Rouleau.
We will work with the commissioner to encourage transparency, accountability and integrity. We invoked that law for many reasons, and we must be fair towards all Canadians. The process must be transparent.
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- Apr/26/22 2:35:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians need answers about the government's invocation of the Emergencies Act. The key question is whether the invocation of these extraordinary powers met the legal requirements of the act, a question Justice Rouleau and the public inquiry need to answer. In order to do that, Justice Rouleau needs access to documents covered by cabinet confidence.
Will the Prime Minister, and will the government, waive cabinet confidence?
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- Apr/26/22 2:36:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are prepared to shine a light in co-operation with the judge on the circumstances that led to the invocation of the act.
I would remind my hon. colleagues, particularly from the Conservative Party of Canada, that individuals were arrested as a result of their illegal conduct at borders which shut down businesses, required people to be laid off, and had members of this community right here in Ottawa hostage in their own homes.
We are prepared to go through all of that in co-operation with the judge so there is transparency and accountability in conjunction with this commission.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Apr/26/22 2:36:39 p.m.
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Let us have a little order, so we can hear the answers to the questions and so people visiting us can hear the answers as well.
The hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills.
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- Apr/26/22 2:36:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Emergencies Act is only supposed to be used when there is no other law in Canada able to deal with the situation. It is not clear that threshold was met. When emergency powers are used in a democracy, the question that must be answered is this: “Did the government act lawfully in the invocation of those powers?”
To answer that question, Justice Rouleau needs cabinet documents. Former prime minister Harper waived cabinet confidence in the case of retired vice-admiral Mark Norman and in the case of former senator Mike Duffy. Will the government do the same for this public inquiry?
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- Apr/26/22 2:37:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, once again, I would encourage my colleagues to read the order in council, which specifically says that the judge has the independent power to compel witnesses, information and other documents, which indeed includes classified information.
We want to shine a light on the circumstances that led to the invocation of the act. We on this side of the House and other members in this chamber are confident that it was the right thing to do, and it worked. However, in fulfillment of our obligations under the Emergencies Act, we have launched this public inquiry so there can be transparency, accountability and integrity, and so this never happens again.
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- Apr/26/22 2:38:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in his report released this morning, the Commissioner of the Environment revealed that Canada's hydrogen strategy was based on unrealistic hypotheses, which of course compromises Canada's ability to meet its climate targets.
The commissioner is urging Canada to go back to the drawing board. However, the Minister of Environment is using Canada's hydrogen strategy as part of his plan to reduce emissions by 2030. We know that when it comes to hydrogen, his plan is based on unrealistic hypotheses.
Is that the only part of the plan that is based on unrealistic hypotheses?
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