44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 13, 2022 11:00AM
- Jun/13/22 2:43:39 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, let us continue with the history lesson. On May 2, the Minister of Public Safety said that the government invoked the Emergencies Act on the recommendation of the police. I congratulate him.
During the parliamentary committee hearings, he said that it was the RCMP that requested it because they needed that tool to do their job. The minister has repeated this many times in recent months.
Now, to add insult to injury, he has the audacity to say that the whole thing is a simple misunderstanding. When will the Minister of Public Safety admit the truth?
99 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/13/22 2:48:47 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals insist the police asked them to invoke the Emergencies Act. Police forces say they never asked. The Liberals insist the Act was needed in order to tow the trucks away, which is not the case, as all border blockades were resolved beforehand and it was the province that leveraged the licences of tow truck owners to get their co-operation. The allegations about Russian and foreign funding were false, and the accusations of arson were also false.
Will the Prime Minister admit that invoking the Emergencies Act was just to punish those who do not agree with him?
102 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/13/22 2:49:23 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, my colleague's question allows me to highlight again that Commissioner Lucki testified before committee that there was a problem procuring tow trucks in the midst of the illegal occupation, which is one of the reasons why we included that power in the Emergencies Act. We sought that advice prior to its invocation. We took the decision informed by our consultations, and we did it because it was necessary. We will never apologize for doing what is necessary to protect the health and safety of all Canadians.
89 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/13/22 2:50:02 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety has repeatedly stated that the Emergencies Act was invoked at the recommendation of police. However, police officials have testified that they, in fact, did not ask for the invocation, and the minister has not been able to identify any police agency that specifically asked for the Act's invocation, as he states. Canadians do not know what to believe any more and do not trust this misunderstood minister and the government.
Will the minister do the right thing and just admit he made it up, or will he continue to double down and lose what little credibility he has left?
107 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/13/22 2:50:42 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, as my colleague well knows, and as I have said on a number of occasions, we invoked the Emergencies Act because it was necessary. We consulted with law enforcement. We sought their advice prior to its invocation, and that advice obviously informed the decision to invoke. We did it because Canadians were hurting and because, as they were trying to get to work and trying to go about their daily lives, Conservatives were encouraging them to stay. That was wrong.
Just once, it would be nice to hear Conservatives stand up and apologize for their improper, reckless role in extending the illegal blockades. While they were undermining public safety, we were defending it.
115 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/13/22 2:51:26 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the public safety minister said nine times that he invoked the freeze and seize Emergencies Act at the request of the police. The RCMP denied this, the acting Ottawa police chief denied this and even the former Ottawa police chief denied this.
How can Canadians trust the minister or his government?
53 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/13/22 2:51:55 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Canadians will trust a government that will do what is necessary to protect their health and safety. Members can contrast what we did, which was to invoke the Emergencies Act only after it was clear that existing authorities were ineffective at restoring public safety, with the role of the Conservatives, who encouraged and egged the protesters on, who were taking selfies with them, who were doing whatever it took to make it a political problem for the Prime Minister. That was wrong. They should know better.
Canadians will never forget the role that Conservatives played during the illegal blockades, but they will remember what we did, which was to protect them.
113 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
Madam Speaker, the member has mixed in the Emergencies Act with this. The Emergencies Act did not suspend the Charter of Rights. This is another falsehood that is being peddled by the opposition.
I do not think one should take charter statements lightly. The member has essentially impugned the professional integrity of the lawyers at the Department of Justice, who are not just parroting government lines; they analyze a bill based on their own professional expertise and knowledge and they produce a charter statement that they feel is accurate. I do not think we should take charter statements lightly.
In terms of Bill C-7, the government was responding to court decisions. I think they are a very credible form of input.
122 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
