SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 218 - Jun/22/23

Jun/22/23 12:18:03 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Just as I conclude this late show, I will remind the member that the meeting was in PMO.The PS thinks that his response is a zing,That those at the meeting don't remember a thing.On a serious subject we can be a bit funny,It's clear the government's ways are anything but sunny.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Jun/22/23 12:18:28 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yes, a meeting happened in the PMO, but for some reason the opposition, and this member particularly, assume that just because a meeting happened in a building that is the Prime Minister's Office, he was there. It is a wild assumption to jump to the conclusion that the Prime Minister must have been there himself. It goes without saying, and I think all members know this, that we are really beating a dead horse, so I will leave that one.

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Mr. Michael Kram (Regina—Wascana, CPC)

Jun/22/23 12:19:03 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity tonight to voice my opposition to the proposal to close down the RCMP training depot in Regina, Saskatchewan, as was recommended in the Mass Casualty Commission report. Thousands of Canadians die every year from medical malpractice, but when someone dies because the doctor in the emergency room made an incorrect split-second decision, we do not shut down the medical school where the doctor studied 20 years ago. Why would we do that with a police academy? That is the analogy an RCMP trainer made when I visited and toured Depot last month. One could say that it does not make sense to throw the baby out with the bathwater or reinvent the wheel. Whatever expression we choose, the conclusion remains the same: The RCMP training depot in Regina, Saskatchewan, is a world-class police training facility and should not be made a scapegoat for the events that transpired in Nova Scotia three years ago. To be clear, the Mass Casualty Commission has done a lot of good work and made some very reasonable recommendations. It makes sense that people should not be able to buy an RCMP cruiser at auction, that people should not be able to buy an RCMP officer’s uniform on eBay and that a public alert system should be activated whenever there is an active shooter situation in progress. Last month, I was pleased to see that the Public Safety Minister had appointed a chair of the committee responsible for implementing the recommendations of the Mass Casualty Commission. However, when asked by reporters about Depot, I was concerned when the Public Safety Minister answered that he was keeping an open mind about which recommendations would and would not be implemented. I had hoped that the minister would use that opportunity to clarify that the RCMP training depot in Regina would not be shut down. Regrettably, he did not do so. What I disagree with very strongly is the idea that the physical location of Depot in Regina, Saskatchewan, is somehow a problem that needs to be corrected. When I visited Depot last month, I had the opportunity to visit with the management, the staff and the cadets. Despite my best efforts, I could not find a single person who was ever consulted by the Mass Casualty Commission about cadet training. That is why the recommendation to close Depot came as such a shock to everyone. If there are improvements that need to be made to the training of RCMP cadets, those improvements can and should be made at the existing location in Regina. It is not just me who is saying that; this same position has been articulated by the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle and the member for Regina—Lewvan. Similar statements have been made by the mayor of Regina, Sandra Masters; the premier of Saskatchewan, Scott Moe; and Saskatchewan’s NDP official opposition leader, Carla Beck. The Regina community is united in wanting to keep this 150-year-old institution at its current location. I ask the Prime Minister, the Minister of Public Safety or the parliamentary secretary to put people’s minds at ease and commit to not shutting down the RCMP training depot in Regina, Saskatchewan.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Senate), Lib.)

Jun/22/23 12:22:58 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, following the release of the Mass Casualty Commission report, which examined the tragic events that occurred in Nova Scotia in 2020, the hon. member opposite has asked whether the government would commit to keeping open the RCMP training facility in Regina, also known as Depot. The hon. member for Regina—Wascana has asked the question based on recommendation 56 of the report, which called for changes to the RCMP training standards, including reimagining the RCMP’s Depot training model. This would include the creation of a new training regime centred around a three-year degree-based model of police education that is more responsive to the needs of under-represented groups, research-based and accessible in different regions of Canada. Any new training approaches or initiatives could take months or years to implement and would require multi-level government involvement agreements, consultation and direction prior to implementation. A collaborative approach between the federal, provincial, territorial partners and indigenous stakeholders will be vital to complete this work. With these points in mind, please allow me to speak further about the recent and ongoing advances in the Depot's training approaches. It is important to acknowledge that the RCMP training academy has been on Treaty 4 land since 1885. The training academy is funded to train 40 troops per year and graduates approximately 1,000 police officers per year in preparation for servicing communities from coast to coast to coast. Many of the recommendations from the Mass Casualty Commission report that the specific training is consistent with the work that is already under way to modernize and enhance RCMP professionalization to meet expectations for accountability, transparency and excellence in policing. Over the past three years, ongoing reviews have resulted in improvements to the Depot training curriculum in areas linked to anti-racism, intercultural competence, unconscious bias awareness, leadership conflict management and de-escalation skills. In 2019, the RCMP management advisory board was engaged to provide advice and guidance on a variety of matters related to the RCMP. This was a critical step in continuing to support its modernization efforts. In 2020, the RCMP welcomed the management advisory board's recommendations related to cadet training at the Depot. As a result, steps are currently being taken to diversify Depot's instructor cadre and to modernize the content of the training program to ensure it is relevant and effective. The Depot training program is also informed by long-standing partnerships with several prominent learning and research institutions across Canada and abroad. It leverages these relationships in an ongoing search for the best modern police training approaches, with a view to improving police responses to people in mental health crises, adding new reconciliation-based training and enhancing cultural competencies for police officers. The government is seriously and carefully reviewing the final report of the Mass Casualty Commission and its wide-ranging recommendations, including recommendation 56 to modernize the RCMP training and research. The government is committed to improving the safety and well-being of Canadians by working with all partners to make necessary changes to the RCMP training approaches and standards. As we do this, the RCMP will continue its work to keep Canadians and communities safe.

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Mr. Michael Kram

Jun/22/23 12:26:40 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that no one from the Liberal government will clear the air and make a firm commitment to keep Depot open as the RCMP training centre in Regina. I am sure there are a lot of people in Regina who would sleep easier tonight if the Liberal government would just make that commitment. As I mentioned earlier, no one from Depot was asked to testify at the Mass Casualty Commission about police training. If the commission had actually visited Depot, talked with the instructors and reviewed the training programs, I am confident that the recommendation to close Depot never would have made it into the final report. If no one from the Liberal government will commit to keeping Depot open, will the minister or the parliamentary secretary at least commit to visiting Depot before making a final decision to close it?

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Jun/22/23 12:27:35 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me say once again that the government fully recognizes the importance of Depot to the RCMP as Canada's national police service, the province of Saskatchewan and the local community. The evolution of the RCMP Depot training program in Regina reflects the impressive history of the RCMP's policing in Canada. From its early days as a training camp to its current status as a world-class training centre, the government has always been committed to providing RCMP members with the skills and knowledge they need to serve and protect Canadian communities with professionalism and integrity. The RCMP will continue to modernize its police training services, as it has done for the past 150 years. This government is committed and will continue to ensure our national police force remains relevant and is consistently evolving in order to meet the current and future demands in the Canadian public. Let me assure members that thanks to the continuous evolution of this strengthened RCMP police training regime, officers will be suitably trained throughout this process.

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The Speaker

Jun/22/23 12:28:35 a.m.
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The motion that the House do now adjourn is deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, pursuant to order made earlier today, this House stands adjourned until Monday, September 18, at 11 a.m., pursuant to Standing Orders 28(2) and 24(1). (The House adjourned at 12:28 a.m.)

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Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, CPC)

Jun/21/23 4:58:04 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-350

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-350, An Act to amend the State Immunity Act, the Criminal Code and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. He said: Madam Speaker, since the House voted five years ago to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity and shut down its operations in Canada, Conservatives have been pushing the Liberal government to actually list the IRGC, but it has not acted. It is time to bring it home and protect Iranian Canadians and all Canadians from threats and violence from this vile regime. Today, I am tabling a bill that will list the IRGC as a terrorist organization, and goes further to support victims of terrorism, torture and extrajudicial killing. In addition to listing the IRGC as a terrorist entity, this bill would allow victims of torture and extrajudicial killing by Iran and other designated state sponsors of terror to seek damages. States' involvement in terrorism as well as torture and extrajudicial killing should not be protected from accountability for these actions by the State Immunity Act and, thus, will not be protected if my bill passes. I know this bill will be welcomed not only by the Iranian community, but also by many other victims of crime. It requires the government to respond within 40 days to a request from a parliamentary committee to list a new entity as a terrorist organization or to list a new state as a state sponsor of terrorism. The Liberals have had five years. They have failed to stand with victims of crime and with the Iranian community. A Conservative government will bring it home. I hope this bill, the combatting torture and terrorism act, will become law as soon as possible.

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