SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 165

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 7, 2023 10:00AM
  • Mar/7/23 2:26:32 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we have reassured Canadians quite a bit about the importance of countering foreign interference in elections. That is something my colleague cannot say. He talked about a 10-year period. However, 13 years ago, intelligence agencies raised the importance of countering foreign interference in elections. At that time, my colleague was the minister responsible for democratic institutions and he did nothing. That is the opposite of our government's record, and we will continue to do the right thing.
85 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Mar/7/23 2:35:06 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was very clear yesterday. Since taking office, we have implemented robust, concrete measures to counter foreign interference in our elections. We also asked a special rapporteur to go over all these issues and, transparently, give the government recommendations for next steps. We will keep doing what needs to be done to reassure Canadians that our elections are free and democratic and that all members of Parliament were 100% elected by Canadians.
76 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Mar/7/23 2:35:47 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, what the Liberals do not understand is that this is not about opposing the government. This is not about one party against another. It is about public trust in the electoral system. It is about ensuring a level playing field from the start. If we cannot address the issue of the integrity of our elections in a transparent manner, frankly, we are in trouble. We will start to look like a banana republic, with all due respect to bananas. When will the Prime Minister create an independent public commission?
91 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Mar/7/23 2:49:04 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, the government will choose a special rapporteur who possesses the necessary skills and expertise to examine all the options and put forward a recommendation based on the best advice they can offer the government. That is how we will uphold transparency and protect our democratic institutions and our elections.
51 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Mar/7/23 3:06:36 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, in a democracy, candidates are not guaranteed to win an election, but they must be assured that the election is conducted by the book, without cheating, without money received on the sly, without people being bullied into voting, and without foreign interference. That is democracy. These conditions make it possible to accept the results of elections. If the public loses confidence in the electoral system, democracy is weakened. That is why we need an independent public inquiry. Why is the Prime Minister stubbornly refusing this inquiry?
89 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
  • Mar/7/23 3:07:19 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, I share my hon. colleague's concerns. That is why we created two independent panels that verified that the 2019 and 2021 elections were free and fair. Now, we will follow a process managed by a special rapporteur. The rapporteur will table recommendations that the government will follow. Yes, this is very important. We will continue to protect our democratic institutions.
64 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border