- Member of Parliament
- Member of Parliament
- Conservative
- Dufferin—Caledon
- Ontario
- Voting Attendance: 64%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $136,309.03
- Government Page
- Oct/16/23 10:01:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am not going to speculate on what she is suggesting. What we do know for sure is that Hamas committed despicable war crimes, and it livestreamed them. For that, Hamas needs to be eliminated.
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- Oct/16/23 10:00:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is not my position to tell a sovereign nation when its right to defend itself ends. What I do know is that Israel is attempting to minimize any civilian casualties. However, it does have a right to defend itself. We all agree in this chamber that Hamas needs to be eliminated, and that is what Israel is trying to do. We on this side support that effort.
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- Oct/16/23 9:59:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I suspect part of the reason there is not a humanitarian corridor is Hamas. It will do everything it can to prevent such a humanitarian corridor from functioning effectively. However, it is something we are absolutely calling for. We are on the same page on that.
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- Oct/16/23 9:57:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I agree 100%. It is something we all have a responsibility to do. It is why I have conversations with my friends in the Muslim community and have conversations with my friends in the Jewish community. We all need to work together toward that.
However, there are some things the government can do. It could rapidly disburse funds to religious organizations to beef up their security, because there is a feeling of insecurity right now. As much as we would hope that would not happen here in Canada, those are some of the things I am hearing. That member can speak to her government to make sure that happens.
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- Oct/16/23 9:52:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for South Surrey—White Rock.
As most of us in this chamber and around the world did, I woke up on October 7 to look through my phone on Twitter, which is now called X, at the unspeakable horror that was going on in Israel.
It is hard to describe what happened and what transpired in Israel, with the brutality of Hamas members and how they did what they did so joyfully. They engaged in livestreaming the atrocities as they committed them, as if it were some kind of badge of honour. These are despicable, unspeakable acts, and it is unimaginable for us here in Canada that these things could even happen. When we look at the context of what is going on from the safety of being here in Canada, we actually cannot understand the horror that the people in Israel went through. The suffering is enormous. The brutality is extreme.
We always have to remember that Hamas is not a government or a military. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization with one purpose, and its members carried out that purpose in a disgusting way in Israel.
I have spoken with my friends in the Muslim community and in the Jewish community. There is deep pain right now with the suffering that has gone on in Israel and the fact that there are still close to 200 hostages being held in who knows what kind of conditions. Of course, there is suffering that is going on in Gaza right now.
We always have to remember this: Hamas is responsible for all this suffering. Its members engage in despicable tactics, where they hide in Gaza. They precipitated all this conflict.
We do, of course, have to find ways to protect civilian lives, which is something that we on the Conservative side have absolutely called for and are committed to. The lives of innocent Israelis who were taken, civilians who were deliberately targeted and innocent Palestinians have equal value. That is why we have been very clear: We have called for safe zones, a humanitarian corridor and an ability to evacuate foreign nationals. All these things should occur, because it is the responsible thing for Canada to advocate for.
We also have to make sure that none of the issues that are going on, whether in Israel or Gaza, happen here in Canada. We have to combat any hate in this country. In speaking to my friends in the Muslim community and the Jewish community, there is a lot of fear right now here in Canada, and the government has to take the lead on this. There are people who are afraid to go to their place of worship, whether it is a mosque or a temple. The government has a responsibility to ensure that Canadians feel safe in their places of worship, which is why we are calling on the government to do more to ensure that this protection takes place.
I know that I speak for all members in this chamber about the solemnity and seriousness of this situation. We also always have to remember, despite what we hear from some of our colleagues in the NDP, that Israel has the right to defend itself, and it is doing that in a way to minimize civilian casualties. On the Conservative side, we support Israel's right to defend itself.
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