SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 87

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 13, 2022 11:00AM
  • Jun/13/22 2:19:25 p.m.
  • Watch
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?
68 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Jun/13/22 2:36:08 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, the minister did not answer the question. Suspending civil liberties is serious. That is why the act can only be invoked when there is no law in Canada to deal with the situation. That is why a committee of Parliament and a public inquiry must be established to determine whether or not the threshold for invocation was met. For the committee and the inquiry to do its work, the government must be honest and forthright with its answers. The minister's answers are anything but. Again, I have a very simple question. The government came to office with a great deal of idealism. Does any remain?
108 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • 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!
  • star_border
  • 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!
  • star_border