- Member of Parliament
- Liberal
- Eglinton—Lawrence
- Ontario
- Voting Attendance: 64%
- Expenses Last Quarter: $83,797.98
- Government Page
- Jun/20/23 2:36:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, what is reckless to public safety is when we have a Conservative Party of Canada that proposes to make AR-15-style firearms legal again. On this side of the House, we propose to ban them and buy them back to protect our communities. What is reckless is when one either introduces legislation that is unconstitutional or just filibusters. That is what is reckless to public safety.
On this side of the House, we put forward legislation that is there to protect Canadians. We do it in a way that is constitutional. That is my focus, and that is the focus of this government.
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Mr. Speaker, I look forward to collaborating with the hon. member and other parliamentarians on the debate of this important bill, including at committee stage. Without question, whenever the government takes decisive action to meet the threats posed in the realm of cybersecurity, there does need to be corresponding transparency and an articulation of the reasons we are taking that action.
He is quite right to underline that there would be new authorities contained in this bill. However, those new authorities we would propose to create are in direct response to the gaps that currently exist, as I outlined in my speech. We need to do both in lockstep: address the gaps posed on the landscape of national security in the context of cybersecurity but also be transparent about that.
I point out that there are independent bodies, for example NSICOP and NSIRA, so that where the government is taking steps that implicate national security, there can be accountability. This is the way we can achieve both objectives. It would ensure the confidence of all Canadians that this is an appropriate measure to seize the opportunities there, as well as to manage the risks manifested in our landscape.
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Madam Speaker, of course, I would begin by extending my sympathies and condolences to the families who lost loved ones while they were in custody or in any interaction with law enforcement. This is one of the reasons it is so important that we put this legislation forward, because, as a result, any individual who has a concern about the conduct of the RCMP or again, for the first time, the CBSA, would have a tangible, practical vehicle through which we can ensure that there would be accountability.
The mechanisms built into this bill would also require that incidents that are of a significant nature are, first of all, being carried out through internal investigations where the public complaints and review commission could have some oversight, but in addition to that, the separate processes that would be carried out by the PCRC itself. Therefore, taken together, this is about raising the bar when it comes to transparency and accountability as a means of strengthening public confidence in our institutions, which is a hallmark of our democracy.
When we consider all the challenges we face with regards to public safety, it is important, now more than ever, that we spare no effort and are exhausting all of our efforts to ensure that we have all the mechanisms in place to maintain those pillars when it comes to our democracy.
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moved that Bill C-20, An Act establishing the Public Complaints and Review Commission and amending certain Acts and statutory instruments, be read the second time and referred to a committee.
He said: Madam Speaker, I am honoured to open up the debate on second reading of Bill C-20, an act establishing the public complaints and review commission and amending certain acts and statutory instruments.
I would like to thank the members of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security for their important review of systemic racism in the enforcement of the act.
By creating a new public complaints and review commission, the bill would provide new tools to ensure transparency and accountability of the institutions Canadians rely on to keep them safe, to keep them safe in their communities through the work of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and to keep them safe by protecting our international borders through the work of the Canada Border Services Agency. Canadians depend on these public safety organizations, but, at the same time, want assurances that these organizations will use the powers that have been entrusted to them responsibly.
Canadians have a right to consistent, fair and equal treatment when interacting with RCMP and CBSA officers. If members are not acting appropriately, Canadians naturally want and deserve assurances of a thorough review of these actions and consequences for any officer who engages in misconduct.
This is a fundamental principle of our democracy.
Our democracy depends on the principle of trust and confidence in our institutions, including law enforcement institutions. Independent civilian review overseeing is an essential element to that principle. This bill underscores it by creating an independent body that will strengthen transparency and autonomy through the independent review exercises of this new body.
Independence assures that Canadians can have their concerns taken seriously. The bill also underscores that principle. That is why this is stand-alone legislation rather than simply amending either the RCMP or CBSA Acts.
Currently, under the RCMP Act, an independent review and redress process is provided for by the RCMP through the CRCC, or Civilian Review and Complaints Commission. Current cases under the CRCC will be continued under the public complaints and review commission, or the PCRC, under the bill before us. The CBSA, on the other hand, currently has no independent review and redress process.
It is subject to review by various independent boards, tribunals and courts.
Without a dedicated review body, there is no avenue for independent investigation or review of public complaints against the CBSA.
The government has tried twice previously to address this shortfall by creating a review body for the CBSA. Some colleagues will recall that in 2019, our government introduced Bill C-98 and then in 2020, Bill C-3. Those pieces of proposed legislation sought to add CBSA review to the mandate of the existing CRCC, but both died on the Order Paper.
This issue has remained a priority for our government.
The 2020 Speech from the Throne included it in our agenda. The creation of a review body for the CBSA was of top priority and a component of the mandate that the Prime Minister gave to me when I took on this role in December of 2021.
It is time to give Canadians the accountability they deserve.
In the bill before us, the CRCC would be replaced by the new public complaints and review commission, which would continue to review the RCMP and would also become the independent review body for complaints concerning the CBSA.
The bill contains several mechanisms that would strengthen accountability beyond what has been available under the current CRCC for the RCMP. After engaging and listening to Canadians across the country, we have made significant reforms to the regimes proposed under Bill C-98 and Bill C-3 previously. We listened and we acted.
Therefore, in addition to creating a stand-alone law, other changes have been made.
This would subject the RCMP and CBSA to codified timelines. We heard complaints from Canadians regarding the RCMP's, at times, delayed response to reports from the CRCC. This time around, we are getting it right. The RCMP and the CBSA will have six months to respond to the PCRC's interim reports. They must also respond to certain reviews and recommendations of the PCRC within 60 days.
Second, the RCMP and the CBSA will be required to report annually to this office, the Minister of Public Safety, on their progress in implementing PCRC recommendations.
The third major change responds to a mandate the Prime Minister gave to me to combat systemic racism and discrimination in the criminal justice system, and advancing reconciliation with indigenous peoples. This is a critically important priority, especially at this time in our history.
Over the past number of years, in Canada and around the world, we have had necessary conversations about the presence and existence of systemic racism in law enforcement about the disproportionate mistreatment of Black, racialized and indigenous peoples across the country. It is high time that we act.
It is vitally important that this review system shed light on how to address these issues more fully.
Under the bill before us, the PCRC would collect and publish desegregated, race-based data on complainants in consultation with the RCMP and the CBSA.
I want to thank the chairperson of the CRCC, Michelaine Lahaie, and her colleagues for their advice and their vision on how the review process can become an essential tool to help not only understand systemic racism, but to eradicate it once and for all.
The fourth major change introduced in the bill would provide the PCRC with a public education and information mandate. The PCRC would implement programs to increase public knowledge and awareness of the PCRC's mandate and the right to redress.
Finally, the bill would address a gap in the current accountability and transparency regime involving how the CBSA responds to incidents of a serious nature.
These incidents can result in death or serious injury or violations of federal or provincial law.
The CBSA currently conducts its own internal reviews of such matters, but the bill before us would amend the CBSA Act so that the CBSA would be obligated to conduct such reviews. It would also need to notify both the PCRC and the police of appropriate jurisdiction.
The CBSA would also be required to provide the PCRC with reports and other information of serious incidents. The PCRC would have the authority to send an observer to assess the impartiality of these internal investigations. As part of its annual report to this office, the PCRC would also include the number, types and outcomes of serious incident allegations.
Taken together, these five changes represent a major step forward in the accountability and transparency mechanisms governing both the RCMP and the CBSA. The PCRC will be given the tools that it needs to help balance Canada's public safety and security priorities, as well as respect for the rights of the individuals with which they intersect.
To support the establishment of the commission, the government is investing $112.3 million over six years and $19.4 million ongoing. By creating an enhanced independent review body, the public complaints and review commission will help assure Canadians that they can continue to expect consistent, fair and equal treatment under the law when receiving services from the RCMP and the CBSA.
I urge all hon. members of the House to join me in supporting this important bill.
This is so Canada can assuage Canadians' concerns by creating greater transparency, oversight, and trust and confidence in our law institutions.
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- Nov/1/22 3:11:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to work with my hon. colleague on the private member's bill he put forward this morning.
In the meantime, I want to update the chamber and say that my mandate calls for strengthened standards when it comes to the use of force, strengthening the role of the management advisory board, and finally Bill C-20, which will ensure there is an opportunity for Canadians who have concerns regarding the quality of service they are getting from the RCMP and the CBSA, for the first time. This is legislation that I hope we will pass with great haste so that we can raise the bar on transparency and accountability and ensure the confidence of Canadians in their law enforcement institutions.
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- Oct/28/22 11:42:24 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, throughout the pandemic, the government put in place the measures necessary to protect the health and safety of Canadians. We made sure that we introduced CERB, wage subsidies and rent subsidies to keep businesses alive to make sure we could protect workers.
At the border, we also put in place the measures that were necessary to facilitate travel to keep our economy going, and that included ArriveCAN to protect the health and safety of those travellers who were coming into Canada. We will always use evidence, science and medicine as the bedrock of our decisions while Conservatives fight a war against it every day.
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- Oct/24/22 2:52:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, CBSA is conducting a full review and we will provide all the details to the House as soon as they are available.
In the meantime, I want to remind the House that the ArriveCAN app was an essential tool during the pandemic that protected the health and safety of Canadians.
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- Oct/24/22 2:51:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have already indicated on a number of occasions, CBSA is conducting a full review and will share details as it has them, to be transparent. I also want to remind my colleague that the ArriveCAN app did ensure that we were protecting the health and safety of Canadians. It ensured that we could keep the economy going. It ensured that we could provide food, fuel and, most essentially, health care treatment to Canadians.
Going forward, we will provide details when CBSA has them.
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- Oct/24/22 2:50:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am afraid my hon. colleague across the aisle may be getting a bit ahead of his skis on this one. Let us let CBSA do the full review. We will be entirely transparent with regard to those details. In the meantime, I want to remind him and all members that ArriveCAN was an essential tool that helped to save Canadians' lives and helped to protect the health and safety of all Canadians during the height of the pandemic. We based that decision on evidence, science and medicine, which, of course, the Conservatives continue to wage war on every day.
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- Oct/24/22 2:49:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, at the height of the pandemic, the ArriveCAN app was an essential tool to protect the health and safety of Canadians. It did so by screening all those who wished to enter on their vaccination status.
I understand that the hon. member has brought forward a question. I can assure him that the CBSA is conducting a full review and we will provide updates to that once we have them.
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- Jun/21/22 2:53:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you for creating some pause in this chamber as I express, I hope on behalf of all members, our condolences and our sympathies to the families of the victims, some of whom I have had an opportunity to meet. This continues to be a very difficult moment for them.
In the interim, we know the public commission is doing its important work independently of government. There needs to be due process; there needs to be a trauma-informed process to this, and at the end of the day, we will do whatever we can to support that process, so that there can be justice for the families. They deserve it.
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- Jun/21/22 2:52:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I want to express on behalf of the government and, I hope, all members of this chamber, our sympathies and our condolences to the families of the victims. I had the—
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- May/16/22 2:46:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have already mentioned a few times, the commissioner said during her testimony that there were provisions in the Emergencies Act that acted as motivators and as deterrents for people to return.
What I can say is that the Emergencies Act gave us the tools we needed to get the job done quickly. Today, Monday, May 16, the Conservatives finally recognized that.
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- May/16/22 2:45:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am just finally glad that on Monday, May 16, my hon. colleague from the Conservative Party admitted that the RCMP commissioner's testimony was that the Emergencies Act was necessary in his own words. It finally happened. We have been waiting months for that admission. We invoked the Emergencies Act to protect Canadians. We invoked it and we will continue to participate now in the review exercise in a way that is transparent.
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- May/16/22 2:44:08 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me clarify again for my hon. colleague what the commissioner said. She said:
...what I can say is that the Emergencies Act did give us the tools that we needed...to get the job done quickly.
She said:
I can tell you from an RCMP perspective, for example, that we were in the midst of trying to enforce at Coutts and we could not enforce, because we couldn't access any tow trucks.
Those are just two very clear statements from the RCMP commissioner who explained how the Emergencies Act helped to restore public safety.
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- May/12/22 2:57:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the commissioner said in her testimony that the Emergencies Act has discouraged the return of illegal protests in the community.
These were illegal protests. The events were very clear. Only the Conservatives do not understand the gravity of the situation. We invoked the Emergencies Act to protect Canadians.
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- May/12/22 2:56:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I have already said several times, the commissioner testified that invoking the Emergencies Act helped restore public safety. It gave police forces new powers and new authority to protect Canadians' health and safety. That is why we invoked the Emergencies Act.
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- May/12/22 2:54:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will tell this chamber who is misleading Canadians. It is that hon. colleague over there who continues to paraphrase, very recklessly and inaccurately, the actual testimony of the commissioner, who said that she used the Emergencies Act to restore public safety.
We will continue to be transparent with all members of this chamber and all Canadians about why it is that we invoked that act. It was to protect Canadians.
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- May/12/22 2:53:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let me take the opportunity to refresh my hon. colleague's memory about what Commissioner Lucki actually said at the committee. She said that the Emergencies Act allowed police to “maintain a secure perimeter” and “refuse entry of individuals travelling to the illegal protest with the intent of participating”. She said it gave police “the enforcement authority to arrest individuals who continued to supply fuel, food and other materials”. She said it gave police “new powers to compel individuals to provide essential goods and/or services for removal”. That is what the commissioner said, not the paraphrasing of my hon. colleague.
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- May/9/22 2:23:44 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with respect, it continues to be astounding how the hon. leader for the opposition continues to deflect her responsibility for her conduct during the Emergencies Act and for the posture of the Conservative Party, which continued to encourage illegal blockaders to stay. If they do not want to take it from the government, they can listen to what the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, which said that the Emergencies Act “is critical to assisting law enforcement in addressing the mass national and international organization of the [so-called] Freedom Convoy”. These are the words of law enforcement, non-partisan, professional law enforcement.
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