44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 14, 2023 02:00PM
- Jun/14/23 2:59:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service confirmed that he warned the Minister of Emergency Preparedness in a memo that a member of Parliament was being threatened by China. However, it was reportedly lost in limbo because the minister was never informed.
Yesterday, we also learned that the same bad luck befell his colleague at Public Safety. His office had known for three months that Paul Bernardo would be transferred from prison, but he was never informed either.
Why is it that, when it comes to safety, everyone knows about the hot issues except the ministers responsible?
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- Jun/14/23 3:00:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the former public safety minister clarified that he was not informed by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. That is why I gave new instructions to ensure that elected representatives on the government side will now be briefed by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service when there are incidents involving foreign interference.
That is why I am in the process of issuing new instructions to the Correctional Service of Canada to protect victims' rights.
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- Jun/14/23 3:01:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that takes us right back to Chinese interference.
The Prime Minister does not have much luck either with memos getting lost in limbo. He, too, was never warned of the threats against the member for Wellington—Halton Hills, even though the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had produced the memo and it briefs the Prime Minister every week. The information got lost along the way, as it did for his two ministers of public safety.
Are all their offices dysfunctional or is it the ministers who make sure they know only what it suits them to know?
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- Jun/14/23 3:01:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the issue of sharing information when a member of Parliament is being threatened as part of foreign interference, we acknowledged the problem and rectified it.
The Minister of Public Safety has given instructions that, from now on, this kind of information and intelligence must be shared not only with the minister responsible but also with the parliamentarian concerned. We have made a positive change.
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- Jun/14/23 3:02:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that the families of the victims of Paul Bernardo were only informed of his prison transfer after it had taken place. They have every right to be shocked and outraged, but the Minister of Public Safety has absolutely zero excuses, especially when he and his staff knew of this transfer for three months.
Paul Bernardo should be in a maximum security prison. When will the minister do the right thing? Canadians deserve better. Victims' families deserve better. Will the minister resign?
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- Jun/14/23 3:03:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I agree with one aspect of the question from the member opposite, and it is that I do agree that victims' families should be notified ahead of these transfer decisions.
That is precisely what we are in the course of doing. We are issuing new instructions to the Correctional Service of Canada so that we can prevent a situation like that from occurring again. We will continue to put victims' rights forward and front and centre when it comes to these decisions.
I agree to work with my colleague opposite, who represents the Niagara region, and the colleagues on this side of this House, some of whom have been personally and profoundly impacted, along with victims' families, so that we can prevent a tragedy like this from occurring again.
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- Jun/14/23 3:03:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, CBC is reporting that the Minister of Public Safety's staff found out Paul Bernardo was going to be transferred to a medium-security institution three months before it happened.
However, neither the deputy minister nor senior officials knew about it. No one other than the minister's staff knew about it.
Can the minister tell us which staff member made the mistake and whether they have been fired?
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- Jun/14/23 3:04:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will be clear. I addressed today the mistakes made by my office. It is very important that, now, we focus on victims' rights.
Today, I am issuing new directives to the Correctional Service of Canada that will put victims' rights at the heart of our approach to decisions about transferring offenders. These directives will ensure that I, as Minister of Public Safety, will be briefed about such decisions going forward.
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- Jun/14/23 3:04:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the minister admits that there has been a series of mistakes in his office.
We saw the same thing in January, when the minister said that the safe third country agreement was working very well at Roxham Road. Meanwhile, hundreds of illegal migrants were entering Canada.
Suddenly, two months later, President Biden and the Prime Minister announced that an agreement had been reached and that the road would finally be officially closed, even though the minister had said that closing the road would be impossible.
This points to a series of mistakes and incompetence in the minister's office. Will he do the right thing, fire these people and resign as minister?
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- Jun/14/23 3:05:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, has a new agreement with the United States to accomplish two goals.
First, we want to protect the rights of refugees. This is very important. Second, we want to strengthen the integrity of our borders. That is exactly what we are doing with a new $450‑million investment in the CBSA.
We will always protect the rights of refugees. That is what this new agreement is all about.
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- Jun/14/23 3:06:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservative Party would have us believe that the abortion debate is closed, but it is taking every opportunity to reopen it.
The member for Yorkton—Melville introduced a bill to limit a woman's right to reproductive health services. We cannot take that right for granted.
Can the minister tell us what our government is doing to protect the right to choose?
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- Jun/14/23 3:06:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sudbury for her advocacy on this important issue.
I want to reassure my colleague and all Canadians that we will not allow the Conservatives to do through the back door what they cannot do openly, in other words, chip away at a woman's right to choose.
The Conservative leader is trying to win votes by attempting to reopen the abortion debate. In Canada, in 2023, it is shameful and unacceptable. A Liberal government will always stand up for women's rights.
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- Jun/14/23 3:07:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at a time when Canadians are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table, the Prime Minister gave $200 million to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, or AIIB.
Now, after resigning, the bank's communications director has revealed that the AIIB is controlled by Beijing, which intends to expand the Chinese empire worldwide using Canadian taxpayers' money.
Will the Prime Minister take back the money that he gave the AIIB and return it to Canadians?
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- Jun/14/23 3:07:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Deputy Prime Minister said earlier today in answer to this question, the Government of Canada will immediately halt all government-led activity at the bank.
Furthermore, she has instructed the Department of Finance to lead an immediate review of the allegations raised and of Canada's involvement in the AIIB. The Canadian government will also be discussing this issue with its allies and partners who are members of the bank.
The review announced today is to be undertaken expeditiously. No outcome is being ruled out following its completion.
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- Jun/14/23 3:08:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, four years ago, Conservatives told the Prime Minister that he had no business sending over 200 million tax dollars to the Beijing-controlled Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to fund pipelines and roads and bridges over there while Canadians could not pay for groceries. Now we have been proven right by the head of communications for that very bank, who has resigned, saying that it is dominated by the Communist Party and is being used to build Beijing's empire around the world.
The government says it is going to cease operations now, but the question is this: Where is the $200 million of Canadians' money that he gave that bank?
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- Jun/14/23 3:09:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister said earlier today in response to this matter, the Government of Canada will immediately halt all government-led activity at the bank. The minister has instructed the Department of Finance to lead an immediate review of the allegations raised and of Canada's involvement at the AIIB.
The Canadian government will also be discussing this issue with allies and partners who are members of the bank. The review announced today is to be undertaken expeditiously. No outcome is being ruled out following its completion.
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- Jun/14/23 3:09:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that was not the question. Conservatives agreed with Japan and the United States, which refused to give money to the Beijing-controlled Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. We pleaded with the Prime Minister not to throw our money away on this enterprise, which was designed to expand Beijing's empire around the world by building infrastructure in other countries.
However, 200 million Canadian tax dollars have gone into this bank, so I will ask for a third time: Where is our money and how will we get it back?
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- Jun/14/23 3:10:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am happy to repeat that the Government of Canada has halted all government-led activities at the AIIB. Our government has instructed the Department of Finance to lead an immediate review of the allegations to end Canada's involvement at the AIIB. This review is to be done expeditiously, and no outcome has been taken off the table.
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- Jun/14/23 3:10:35 p.m.
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- Re: Bill S-5
Mr. Speaker, Bill S‑5, the bill modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, which had not had a major overhaul in more than 20 years, received royal assent yesterday.
More than 50 hours were spent on this bill in parliamentary committee. The newly strengthened legislation includes major advances in protecting the environment and human health.
Can the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change tell the House about the next steps in implementing the framework for ensuring the right to a healthy environment?
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- Jun/14/23 3:11:13 p.m.
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- Re: Bill S-5
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for all his work as chair of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, as well as all the members of the committee.
I would also like to thank the Senate, since Bill S‑5 was passed last night. For the first time ever in Canadian law, we have enshrined in law the right to a healthy environment for all Canadians. This is a first for our country.
We will be working hard over the coming months to determine how this right will be implemented in Canadian law.
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