44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 13, 2022 11:00AM
- Jun/13/22 2:13:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, I know that mental health organizations are essential to helping the people of Sherbrooke get through tough times.
Today I want to talk about Secours-Amitié Estrie, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Secours-Amitié Estrie is a local organization dedicated to the mental health of the people of Sherbrooke. It is there to listen to people and help them deal with personal issues.
In 2021, the organization received almost 12,000 calls and spent over 7,400 hours listening to people. Every year, 66 volunteers answer the phones. I would like to thank them for making a difference in the lives of those who call.
I encourage everyone who needs help or wants to become a volunteer listener to contact Secours-Amitié. Let us work together to promote wellness and make sure people with mental health issues get the help they need.
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- Jun/13/22 2:14:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Charlie Pete Tashoots was taken from his home in 1944 at the age of six years old and sent to residential school. His time there changed his life forever and it is told in the 2012 film North Boys.
I first met Charlie in 2019 when I visited the village of Lower Post, nestled on the B.C.-Yukon border. At 82 years old, he was still working full time as the village's maintenance supervisor. Last summer, I was back in Lower Post, but this time it was to witness the demolition, at long last, of the residential school there. Deputy Chief Harlan Schilling and the community are replacing it with a new, modern building, and that is wonderful to see.
I have many memories from that powerful day, but one that sticks out involves bumping into Charlie. He had woken up at 4 a.m., shot and butchered a moose and had it cooking over the fire in time for the hundreds of guests to arrive. Charlie is now 84, almost 85, and he just recently retired from full-time work with the village. I hope my colleagues will join me in wishing this remarkable man a happy retirement.
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- Jun/13/22 2:15:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my constituents would say that Lac-Saint-Jean is a great place to live. I am well aware of that. What I did not know, however, is that there is one town in the region that keeps people young. This year, not one, not two, but three residents of Normandin are celebrating their 100th birthday.
Lucien Cloutier, a former employee with Quebec's transportation and highways departments, is a tireless walker and has clearly found the secret to staying in shape.
Jeanette Baril, a talented gardener, seamstress and cook, is a dedicated mother to her family and to her community.
Last but not least is Jérémie Lévesque, who will blow out the candles for the 100th time on October 23. This farmer is still very active on the farm and is surprisingly energetic and jovial.
I cannot speak for my colleagues, but I have to think that the fountain of youth is in Normandin.
I want to wish Mr. Cloutier, Ms. Baril and Mr. Lévesque a very happy 100th birthday.
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- Jun/13/22 2:16:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to pay tribute to a wonderful community volunteer, Dr. Rachel Navaneelan, who is not only a well-respected dentist in our community, but founder of Rachel's Kids, a charity that provides supports to local children and those internationally as well.
The backyard of her Riverdale home was buzzing on the weekend with her 17th annual garden party, which is a fundraiser for the many causes that she supports. COVID has obviously been very difficult for charities, so it is great to see people bidding on auction items and raising funds for a great cause. Whether it is their small moments of joy program, helping hands program or Tech for Talk program locally, or one of their many trips to Sri Lanka helping thousands of children over the years, Dr. Rachel and her team are leading with kindness and support for our most precious resource: our children.
I ask all colleagues to join me in thanking Dr. Rachel and all the volunteers for the difference they are making in our community and around the world.
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- Jun/13/22 2:17:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today, Milton's orange crosswalk was unveiled. This important visual tribute and landmark was created to symbolize the strength and courage of residential school survivors and commemorate the victims, their families and their communities.
This is a positive step forward in the path to reconciliation in Milton. This crosswalk is an opportunity for the people of Milton to learn more about indigenous history and culture in our community.
My friends at Grandmother's Voice, Sherry Saevil and Jody Harbour, and many others, have helped bring this together. I cannot thank them enough for all the incredible work they have done to provide space, healing and knowledge, while amplifying indigenous voices in our community.
June marks National Indigenous History Month, and everyone has a role to play in dismantling the systemic racism, inequality and discrimination that indigenous people continue to face today.
I hope that this crosswalk will play a small part in the healing process.
I sincerely wish I could have been there in person today, but I am proud to know that our town of Milton is continuing along the path of reconciliation.
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- Jun/13/22 2:18:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, ministerial responsibility is a cornerstone of our political system. It means that ministers are accountable for their departments' actions. With the job comes huge responsibility.
Does this principle, which is what gives people confidence in their government, mean anything to the Prime Minister and his cabinet?
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- Jun/13/22 2:19:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the answer is yes.
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- Jun/13/22 2:19:25 p.m.
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We shall see, Mr. Speaker.
On April 28, the Minister of Public Safety said, and I quote, “the invocation of the Emergencies Act...was only put forward after police officials told us they needed this special power”.
No police service acknowledges having asked for the Emergencies Act. Are the minister and the Prime Minister both insisting that police asked the government to invoke the Emergencies Act?
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- Jun/13/22 2:19:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we invoked the Emergencies Act to keep Canadians safe. It was the right thing to do. Commissioner Lucki herself testified that the Emergencies Act gave them the tools they needed to get the job done fast.
Let us be clear. The government decided to invoke the Emergencies Act. That decision was informed by advice we got. We consulted police forces on various issues, including, as Commissioner Lucki said, on the powers in the Emergencies Act that were necessary.
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- Jun/13/22 2:20:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is what Commissioner Lucki said after the act was invoked, not before.
However, on April 28, the Minister of Public Safety stated, “It was on the advice of [the police] that we invoked the Emergencies Act”. The whole story told by the Prime Minister to justify invoking the Emergencies Act was farfetched, and all the police forces have denied asking the federal government to invoke it. The minister's remarks were clear and unequivocal. He cannot deny having said them.
Was it the Prime Minister himself or someone in his cabinet who asked the Minister of Public Safety to use the police to justify invoking the Emergencies Act?
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- Jun/13/22 2:21:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the House fully understand what is needed to protect the health and safety of Canadians, which is precisely why we invoked the Emergencies Act.
I want to know when the Conservatives are going to offer to cover the expenses for all the disruption that encouraged the illegal blockade during the protests. It was terrible.
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- Jun/13/22 2:21:37 p.m.
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I want to remind the hon. members that when they shout out words that cannot be said while questioning or answering questions, they are just as guilty, and if the words get picked up, individual members could get in trouble. Even if they are wearing a mask, I can tell who they are.
The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman
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- Jun/13/22 2:21:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it sounds like the public safety minister has been studying Vladimir Putin's theory of revisionist history.
The public safety minister is misleading Canadians about why he took the unprecedented step of using the Emergencies Act to implement martial law. To quote the minister, he said, “we invoked the Emergencies Act on advice from the police.” Well, it turns out the Ottawa city police said they did not ask for it, the RCMP said they did not ask for it and the OPP said they did not ask for it.
Did the minister invent these facts to support his Liberal power grab?
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- Jun/13/22 2:22:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am going to come to that, but before I do, I want to call out the hon. member for using Mr. Putin in this chamber regarding the decision to invoke the Emergencies Act. It debases this place, it debases what is going on in Ukraine and it is absolutely wrong. He should be admonished for it. He should take back that comment. That is not what this chamber stands for.
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- Jun/13/22 2:23:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the minister has to stand here and continue to deny that he is revising the history of the Emergencies Act, then he has to wear it.
The minister is refusing to answer a simple question. Either the police asked for the Emergencies Act or they did not. Again, I will quote the minister's own words back to him: “At the recommendation of police, we invoked the Emergencies Act”. The minister is refusing to repeat his own words in this chamber because he knows he misled the country, and Canadians do not trust him.
What is the new, unbelievable excuse the minister will be using today?
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- Jun/13/22 2:23:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to be absolutely clear that we invoked the Emergencies Act because it was necessary to protect the health and safety of Canadians. As we heard from Commissioner Lucki herself during her testimony before the committee, the Emergencies Act was necessary.
I wonder when the Conservatives are going to finally offer their sincere apologies to the residents of Ottawa, who, during the protest, were encouraged to stay by the interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. It was wrong, wrong, wrong.
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Mr. Speaker, the Quebec Liberal lieutenant was right on Friday when he told journalists that “there is only one endangered [official] language in North America and that's French”.
That could not be any clearer and that is why we are calling out Bill C‑13 on official languages for not protecting French in Quebec, even though it is the only endangered official language.
Will the government finally understand that the threat to French in Quebec is English and that Bill C‑13 in Quebec protects English, not the endangered language, French? It makes no sense.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.
We agree that French is in decline in North America and, indeed, in Canada. We also agree that the French language is the only minority language in the country. That is why we are moving forward with an ambitious bill to do everything we can to protect and promote our two beautiful languages.
I hope that the Bloc Québécois and the opposition members will work with us to ensure that this bill is passed as soon as possible. It is urgent.
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Mr. Speaker, once it becomes clear that French is the only official language that is in jeopardy, then the next logical step is to let Quebec manage its French language itself. Instead, the federal government is giving priority to Bill C-13 to promote an institutional bilingualism that makes French optional.
This is a direct attack on the only official language in jeopardy: French. That is why the Government of Quebec proposed amendments to Bill C-13 to protect French in Quebec, as Quebeckers are calling for.
Will the government amend Bill C-13 so that Quebeckers can finally manage their own affairs and protect their language where they live?
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Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. We are the first government to recognize that French is in decline in Canada. That is why we are moving forward with an ambitious bill that will actually resolve this situation.
Once again, I would really like it if the Bloc Québécois and all the opposition members would work with us and stop playing games. This is a very important bill for all Canadians. I hope that it will be given royal assent as soon as possible.
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