- Member of Parliament
- Minister of National Defence
- Liberal
- Scarborough Southwest
- Ontario
- Voting Attendance: 65%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $115,019.32
- Government Page
- Oct/28/22 12:00:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is quite apparent that the members opposite are afraid of the truth, because it contradicts both their speculation and innuendoes.
I have been clear in this House that at no time did I ever interfere with the conduct and operations of the RCMP. This has been confirmed by sworn testimony from the RCMP commissioner. The truth is that this interference never took place. It is a principle that we have always respected and always guarded. It is a—
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- Oct/27/22 2:42:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I said, the member's assertion on this matter is completely incorrect. It is not surprising that the members opposite do not actually want to hear the facts, but here they are.
At no time did I or any member of our government attempt to interfere in police operations. To be very explicit and clear with words I hope the member might understand, I did not direct, I did not ask and I did not suggest to the RCMP commissioner to release information. When she testified under oath before the Mass Casualty Commission, she said, “I did not receive direction and I was not influenced by government—
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- Oct/25/22 2:47:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, what is very clear is that the RCMP commissioner, in her testimony before the public safety committee and in front of the Mass Casualty Commission under oath, was very clear that there was no interference, and that I did not give her direction. In fact, she did clarify for the committee that I have always been meticulously careful in not providing her with direction.
That is her testimony. My statement to the House and my testimony previously is that I did not give her any direction on any operational matter.
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- Oct/25/22 2:46:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have been clear, explicit and unequivocal that at no time did I give direction to the RCMP to interfere with operations. I will simply quote the commissioner's testimony before committee and the Mass Casualty Commission, in which she said, “I did not receive direction and I was not influenced by government officials regarding the public release of information [or] on the direction of the investigation.”
That is the commissioner's testimony, and it coincides precisely with my statement that no direction was given.
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- Jun/23/22 3:11:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would state that any criticism of Superintendent Campbell is crass political self-interest from the member opposite. There has been no criticism of Superintendent Campbell, just a simple statement of fact. The simple statement of fact is that there was no interference in this case. The commissioner has confirmed it. There was no interference, no pressure, no promise.
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Jun/23/22 2:47:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, histrionics aside, I would direct the members to the commissioner's statement from Tuesday, in which she makes it very clear that there was no interference.
However, I remind this House that Canadians, including those who were directly impacted by this tragedy, expressed very serious concerns about how and when the RCMP shared information with the public. In response to the concerns expressed by the victims and families in this terrible tragedy, our government specified in the order of reference to the Mass Casualty Commission that it examine the communications approach taken both during and after this event. That commission will hear testimony under oath, and its findings will be important in providing accurate information to the families in this terrible tragedy.
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- Jun/23/22 2:34:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. I am not in any way questioning the integrity or the honesty of the superintendent. I know former commissioner Paulson very well, and I take him very much at his word when he commends the officer for his integrity. However, I will just simply remind the House that, in this case, there was no interference in this matter and, second, that the commissioner has issued a statement in which she also says that there has been no interference in this matter. Those are simply the facts.
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- Jun/23/22 2:33:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I was referencing for this House the statement that the commissioner released on Tuesday, in which she said, “I take the principle of police independence extremely seriously, and it has been and will continue to be fully respected in all interactions.”
That is the truth, and there was no interference in this matter, as there has been no interference by this government in any police operation.
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- Jun/23/22 2:31:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member that I have already stated unequivocally that there was no interference in this matter, and I would refer the member to the commissioner's statement, in which she also stated unequivocally that there was no interference or pressure.
Canadians, including those who were directly impacted by this terrible tragedy, have expressed concerns about when and how the RCMP shared information with the public, and that is precisely why the government specified in the order of reference that the Mass Casualty Commission examine the communications approach taken both during and after this event. The work of the Mass Casualty Commission is important.
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- Jun/23/22 2:25:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have absolutely no doubt that Superintendent Campbell is an exemplary officer, and I do not question his integrity in any way. I would simply remind this House that the fact is that there was no interference in this matter and the commissioner of the RCMP herself issued a statement on Tuesday, in which she said very clearly that there was no interference and no pressure brought to bear. Those are the facts.
I would also remind the member opposite that we have initiated an independent public inquiry that is examining these very issues, and that work will be very important to the families of the victims of this tragedy.
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- Jun/22/22 2:56:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will have to repeat once again that there was no interference. We did not place any pressure on the RCMP for any reason.
Several months before, we made a promise to Canadians that we would ban assault-style rifles, and we kept that promise, but this terrible tragedy in Nova Scotia was certainly not to be used. We know that these weapons used in mass shootings are used for the purpose of killing as many people as possible, and we were highly resolved to act.
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- Jun/22/22 2:55:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have already made clear, I have never had a conversation with Mr. Campbell. The conversations between the commissioner and her subordinates are something she can speak to.
However, I would reiterate for the member opposite that the independence of law enforcement operations is a key principle of our democracy, which is respected and defended by our government. I can assure the member that at no point did our government pressure or interfere in any of the operational communication decisions of the RCMP. I would direct the member to the commissioner's statement, in which she makes it crystal clear that no such interference took place.
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- Jun/22/22 2:54:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am happy to advise the House that no one made a choice to politicize the terrible tragedy of the murder of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020.
The independence of law enforcement operations is a key principle of our democracy. It is one that our government deeply respects and one that I have always defended. At no point did our government pressure or interfere with the operational decisions of the RCMP, including their communications strategy. I direct members to the commissioner's statement from yesterday, where she makes it very clear that there was no interference.
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- Jun/22/22 2:47:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, I would advise the members that there was no interference. At no point did our government pressure or interfere in the operational decisions of the RCMP. This has been very clearly articulated in the commissioner's statements from yesterday.
Let me also add that Canadians, including those who were directly impacted by this tragedy, have expressed great concern about how and when the RCMP shared information with the public. That is precisely why we specified in the order of reference for the Mass Casualty Commission that it examine the communications approach taken both during and after the event. That is the work of the Mass Casualty Commission. That is the work we will depend upon.
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- Jun/22/22 2:46:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to take a breath.
Please let me reiterate that the decision as to how or when the police will release information lies with the police and the police alone. This was not a matter that the government in any way interfered with or extracted any promises for. I remind members of the commissioner's statement, in which she has made equally clear that there was no interference in this case. Those are the facts and that is what I have shared with the House.
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- Jun/22/22 2:29:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the independence of law enforcement operations is a key principle of our democracy and it is one that our government deeply respects and one that I have always defended. At no point did our government pressure or interfere with the operational decisions of the RCMP.
I would take the opportunity to direct the members to the commissioner's statement from yesterday in which she makes it very clear that there was no interference.
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