44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 14, 2023 02:00PM
- Jun/14/23 2:54:29 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, for three months, the office of the Minister of Public Safety knew that Canada's most heinous criminal was being moved from maximum to medium security. Paul Bernardo is a serial killer, a serial rapist and, without a doubt, the most heinous monster of our time, yet the minister did not tell the victims' families and pretended to be shocked by the news.
Today, the Conservatives demand that the minister stand in this House, apologize, do the right thing, just say sorry and resign. If you care about these victims' families, do it.
95 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 2:55:10 p.m.
- Watch
I want to remind hon. members to place their questions through the Chair and not directly to each other, as well as the answers, for that matter.
The hon. government House leader.
32 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 2:55:25 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I would just observe that I do not think we should be casting aspersions about whether anybody in this House does not feel absolute horror and repulsion at these crimes. It is not a constructive or useful approach to accuse anyone of not caring about these families or these victims. The member obviously knows that just as she cares deeply about what happened in those crimes, so does every member of this House.
There is an opportunity to talk about how we can ensure the decision made by Correctional Services Canada does not happen again, and that is action. That is an opportunity that we have to take together.
111 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 2:56:04 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety cannot even stand in the House and answer the question I just gave him. He cannot even look into the camera and say to the victims' families that he is sorry. Instead, he wants to divert. He wants to blame everyone else. He is the minister. The buck with public safety stops with him, no one else.
It is enough. Will he resign? If he will not resign, he should tell us right now which staff member is going down for not telling him.
91 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 2:56:41 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the member and all members in this chamber that I grieve with the families of Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French. I said so when I first communicated my shock and outrage at the decision of the CSC. I said so this morning when I spoke to the representative for the families. I think all members can and should empathize with those families and with the families of all victims.
We will continue to do everything necessary to put their rights at the very centre of the decisions that are taken around the transferring of inmates. That is precisely what I have done today by signalling new instructions to the CSC.
116 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 2:57:21 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I remember sitting here five years ago when the public safety minister said he would make changes to the prison transfer program when another child killer, Terri-Lynne McClintic, was transferred to a minimum-security healing lodge.
Right now, I am struck by the fact that the Prime Minister has only ever fired one person. Therefore, I have to wonder if the minister thinks the reason the Prime Minister has not fired him, while he did fire Jody Wilson-Raybould for doing the right thing, is because of Jody's gender.
93 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 2:57:58 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, again, I have offered many times to have a constructive conversation around specifics and about how we can deal with the decision made by Correctional Services Canada. Instead, we are getting into what I would categorize as very partisan territory on an issue that is extremely sensitive. We are dealing with victims here whom we all care about.
I look across to the member and know that she cares as much about this as any other member does in the House, so let us have a constructive conversation. I would suggest that victims—
96 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 2:58:37 p.m.
- Watch
The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill.
7 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 2:58:40 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, respectfully, I would argue the government has had five years to have a constructive conversation on this. The victim's family was revictimized when Terri-Lynne McClintic was transferred to a minimum-security prison.
My colleagues have already gone down the line of the litany of failures of the minister. It is not just the Bernardo issue today. If he will not admit a gendered aspect to the firing in his cabinet, which I think is true, will he at least have the courage to name which one of his staff he is going to make fall on the sword for this issue?
105 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 2:59:17 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, all of us, unfortunately, have had our lives touched by crime. That is something that some have to live with, and in the case of these victims, it has been in the most horrific and awful way.
The only thing that is gendered about it is that women, unfortunately, are more often the victims than not. Having responsible, mature conversations about that and about how we deal with the Correctional Service of Canada, which is independent and cannot be directed by us, and how we create policies that make sure we have the right outcomes is the conversation that we need to have.
105 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 2:59:58 p.m.
- Watch
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?
102 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 3:00:38 p.m.
- Watch
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.
75 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 3:01:15 p.m.
- Watch
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?
100 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 3:01:51 p.m.
- Watch
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.
68 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 3:02:27 p.m.
- Watch
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?
86 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 3:03:04 p.m.
- Watch
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.
131 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 3:03:44 p.m.
- Watch
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?
71 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 3:04:12 p.m.
- Watch
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.
73 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 3:04:49 p.m.
- Watch
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?
114 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Jun/14/23 3:05:27 p.m.
- Watch
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.
80 words
All Topics
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
