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House Hansard - 219

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 18, 2023 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 219 - Sep/18/23
Hon. Arif Virani
  • Sep/18/23 12:21:47 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-48 
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for his question and kind words. I am perfectly comfortable with this bill. I think it is fair and absolutely necessary. It is also fully compliant with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We always need to strike a balance between the need to protect communities and keep them safe and the need to always comply with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I believe that Bill C‑48 strikes that balance. I hope the hon. member opposite and all his colleagues in the Bloc Québécois will help us move this important legislation forward.
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Context: House Hansard - 219 - Sep/18/23
Mr. Francis Scarpaleggia
  • Sep/18/23 4:40:42 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-48 
Madam Speaker, that is a good question. It is something that may not be obvious to those who are watching us today. When our government took office in 2015, we reversed a previous practice. When the previous government knew that a bill might violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, it had a member introduce it as a private member's bill so that it would not be scrutinized by the legal experts at the Department of Justice. We abandoned that practice. As the member must know, every bill introduced in the House must withstand the scrutiny of the charter. Nothing is perfect. It is always possible that a judge may find that the bill is not perfect and decide to strike down a certain aspect of it. Generally speaking, these bills are very carefully scrutinized to ensure that they comply with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
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