SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 201 - May/29/23

May/29/23 2:14:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today all Quebeckers and Canadians are mourning the loss of a great actor, a creative force, a great man. Michel Côté was the perfect blend of passion and discipline. He was a charming and extremely sensitive person. As an actor, he had great range. He could go from playing Jean-Lou in the sitcom La petite vie to playing Pierre Gauthier in Omertà, not to mention his inspired portrayal of four separate characters in Cruising Bar. On stage, he was one of the pillars of the play Broue, which was performed more than 3,000 times. He was a caring man and a family man. He actually played several father roles, including in that masterpiece of Quebec cinema, the film C.R.A.Z.Y., and in the comedy De père en flic. Michel will remain forever in our hearts.

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Mrs. Carol Hughes (Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, NDP)

May/29/23 2:15:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, a few months ago, I asked that tripartite first nations policing agreements be renewed and their core funding be increased. As of March 31, funding has stopped flowing for Treaty 3, the Anishinabek Police Service and the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service. Police services under the first nations and Inuit policing program, unlike other police services, are under threat because of contract imposition instead of fair negotiations. An expedited judicial order against the federal government has been filed just to get basic core funding back. There is deep concern about increasing crime rates, which puts the safety of first nations communities at risk. The Crown has a legal obligation to ensure first nations policing is an essential service, negotiated based on identified needs and funded at a standard comparable to non-indigenous communities. Let us not repeat the mistakes of our colonial past. Let us ensure these indigenous police services immediately have the resources and specialized training they require to better protect their communities. They need a fair contract with clear terms of reference and adequate funding now.

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Mr. Martin Champoux (Drummond, BQ)

May/29/23 2:16:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec is in mourning. Quebec is in shock. Michel Côté is no longer with us. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. We extend our deepest condolences to them. We are also thinking of those close to him, but we now realize that we were all close to him. Michel Côté was a part of our lives, and we are collectively and individually in mourning. There are great actors we admire, and there are popular actors we adore. Michel Côté was both: part Gilles Latulippe, part Jean Duceppe. He left his mark with roles in C.R.A.Z.Y., Cruising Bar, Omertà and La p'tite vie. He gave us moments of laughter, joy and pure emotion—

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The Speaker

May/29/23 2:17:20 p.m.
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I am sorry to interrupt the member. This is a serious topic, but I am hearing people chatting. I want to remind everyone that S.O. 31s reflect what is going on back home, and we all want to hear what the hon. member has to say. I would encourage everyone, if they are going to talk, to please whisper and not speak loudly. I will ask the hon. member from Drummond to start from the top.

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Mr. Martin Champoux

May/29/23 2:17:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Quebec is in mourning. Quebec is in shock. Michel Côté has left us. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. We extend our sincere condolences to them. We are obviously thinking of those close to him, but we suddenly realize that we were all close to him. Michel Côté was a part of our lives, and we are collectively and individually in mourning. There are great actors we admire, and there are popular actors we adore. Michel Côté was both: part Gilles Latulippe, part Jean Duceppe. He left his mark with roles in C.R.A.Z.Y., Cruising Bar, Omertà and La p'tite vie. He gave us moments of laughter, joy and pure emotion, for which we will be eternally grateful. It was fun having him with us. It is sad that he is no longer here. I invite everyone to watch one of his movies, one of his shows or even one of his interviews. Let us take the time to see what an amazing human being he was, what a great actor he was, and to enjoy his sense of humour, his playfulness and his humanity. Michel Côté was was one of the greats, and he was one of us. We miss him already.

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Mr. Michael Cooper (St. Albert—Edmonton, CPC)

May/29/23 2:19:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, under the Prime Minister's watch, Beijing interfered in two federal elections, set up illegal police stations and targeted the family of a sitting member of Parliament. In a blatant conflict of interest, the Prime Minister appointed a family friend and member of the Beijing-financed Trudeau Foundation to investigate Beijing's interference. From the start, the report had no credibility, because by the time the Prime Minister's fake rapporteur decided to meet with the former leader of the Conservative Party, the member for Durham, the report had already been written. The report has no credibility because its author is not independent, but rather the Prime Minister's Beijing-compromised friend. If the Prime Minister had any integrity, he would fire his fake rapporteur and call a truly independent public inquiry.

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Mr. Arif Virani (Parkdale—High Park, Lib.)

May/29/23 2:20:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, spring has returned and with it parliamentary soccer. Yes, indeed, the FC Commoners are back for another season of the beautiful game, with MPs from all parties taking the pitch against an assortment of foes. Last week, we had our annual game against the pages. This was the first match since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The pages were well prepared. Some of their players were in full uniform, and their pre-game warm-up was intimidating. To boot, they brought a cheering squad and had chants, makeup and even signage. My favourite poster said, “GET YOUR OWN WATER!”. A great time was had by all, including some post-game merriment over pizza and beverages, of course those suitable for minors. Though the final score favoured the aging squad of MPs, helped by some younger staffers, I admit, the big winners, as usual, were the pages. Their dedication on the pitch is only surpassed by their dedication to this chamber and all of us who serve in it. Three cheers for the pages. Hip hip hooray!

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

May/29/23 2:21:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after Beijing interfered in two elections to help the Prime Minister, after Beijing threatened several members of Parliament, after Beijing paid $140,000 to the Trudeau Foundation to influence the Prime Minister, he finally appointed a rapporteur to investigate. However, that rapporteur is himself a member of the Trudeau Foundation and a friend of the Prime Minister, who is now trying to hide the truth. Will he finally fire the rapporteur and call a public inquiry?

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Hon. Dominic LeBlanc (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities, Lib.)

May/29/23 2:22:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the only person here who is trying to hide the truth seems to be the Leader of the Opposition himself. The Privy Council Office offered him access to the most sensitive documents that the special rapporteur reviewed in order to reach the conclusions that were made public last week. The Leader of the Opposition refused, because he would rather play petty politics on an issue that affects Canadian democracy. It should be in the interest of all members of the House of Commons to support measures that will strengthen our democratic institutions.

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

May/29/23 2:22:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, no, what I refused is to be silenced. The government will not pull me into a room, stamp public documents “secret” and then tell me I cannot speak, because we need to speak about the fact that Beijing interfered to help the Prime Minister in two successive elections, that Beijing threatened members of Parliament to try to win influence and that Beijing gave $140,000 to the Trudeau Foundation to buy the favour of the Prime Minister. Then he named a former member of the Trudeau Foundation and a ski buddy to look into the matter, who has now only tried to cover it up. Will he fire this fake rapporteur and call a public inquiry now?

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Hon. Marco Mendicino (Minister of Public Safety, Lib.)

May/29/23 2:23:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada who is silencing himself by refusing to take the briefings. It is the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada who is covering his own eyes from the same information that Mr. Johnston had access to, which other non-partisan professional public servants had access to. It leaves Canadians wondering why. Is it because he would rather play partisan games than do the hard work? I think we know the answer to that question and it is yes.

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

May/29/23 2:24:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, one does not need a fake briefing or a “secret” stamp to know what the documents say. They have already been quoted verbatim in the media because of leaks by a seriously distressed security agency that is trying to expose what has gone on behind the scenes. We now know what is surreal. There are at least two police stations run by Beijing, a foreign dictatorship, in Canada. The minister said they were closed. We have now found out that not only are they open, but they got tax dollars from the government. Will they shut the police stations and call a public inquiry now?

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Hon. Marco Mendicino (Minister of Public Safety, Lib.)

May/29/23 2:24:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada is sinking in the quicksand of his own logic when calling the briefings fake. What does he think the public servants who work in the security establishment have been doing, other than advising the government on how we can protect the people who defend our democracy every day? If he is seriously about it, he will take the briefings, roll up his sleeves, sit at the table and help us defend our democracy from foreign interference.

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

May/29/23 2:25:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what do I think the public servants at CSIS have been doing? I know what they have been doing. They have been picking up the phone and calling the media to blow the whistle on the cover-up on that side of the House of Commons. They have proved that there are at least two police stations that are still open and that got tax dollars from the government. These are police stations run by Beijing, not Canada. Will the government finally shut down these police stations and call a public inquiry?

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Hon. Marco Mendicino (Minister of Public Safety, Lib.)

May/29/23 2:25:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader is the one who wants to cover his eyes from the information. We have insisted that we are prepared to work with the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada to make sure that he has access to the same classified information that Mr. Johnston had, that the two panels who verified the integrity of the 2019 and 2021 elections had, that NSICOP will have and that NSIRA will have. It is he and he alone who refuses to take this issue seriously because he refuses to take the briefing.

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

May/29/23 2:26:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I refuse to be silenced, unlike members of the government. Given that the tradition in this place is that opposition members can pose questions to any member of the government, my question is for the leader of the NDP. He has said that he wants a public inquiry. Now is the time for him to prove it. Will the member leading the NDP state clearly now that either the government calls a public inquiry or he will break off his coalition?

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Hon. Mark Holland (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

May/29/23 2:27:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have watched as a party that once recognized David Johnston as one of the most outstanding—

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The Speaker

May/29/23 2:27:18 p.m.
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I am going to interrupt and ask that the hon. member start over. It just got noisy all of a sudden. I am not sure exactly what happened. I will ask everyone to take a deep breath. Please restart.

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Hon. Mark Holland

May/29/23 2:27:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what we have seen is that members of the party opposite, which once recognized David Johnston not only as an outstanding Canadian but also as somebody worthy of being the Governor General of this country, appointed under Stephen Harper, now, because his report does not conform to the party's politics and does not conform to its political interests, are attacking and maligning his character. This is part of a pattern of the party opposite. It is more interested in politics. It is more interested in making partisan points than it is in the facts on the ground. There is not a member of the House who does not stand strongly and firmly in support of democracy and against those—

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The Speaker

May/29/23 2:28:12 p.m.
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The hon. member for La Prairie.

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Prairie