Bill Blair

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve better than innuendo. Therefore, I would remind the member opposite that when legal matters are to be investigated, they are investigated independently by the RCMP. Any decision with respect to laying of charges is made independently by the director of public prosecutions. As the director of public prosecutions made crystal clear yesterday, there was no contact to any member of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in the determination of these decisions and there was no influence by the Government of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, Canada has a long and proud tradition of providing protection to those who need it most by providing refuge to the world's most vulnerable people. The suggestion that the global migration of tens of millions of people fleeing persecution is the result of a tweet is kind of silly.We have a plan. We have invested $173 million in ensuring that Canadian laws are upheld and that the security of our country is maintained. The plan is working. We have seen a significant reduction over the past several months in the number of people presenting themselves irregularly at our border—

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Laurentides—Labelle for the outstanding work he and his entire office perform with Operation Red Nose.Tragically, impaired driving remains the leading criminal cause of injury and death in Canada and yet it is very clear that not everyone has gotten the message. That is why it was particularly disappointing this week to hear the member for St. Albert—Edmonton actually defending drinking and driving.Our government is taking real action against impaired driving with the introduction of tough new measures, which have the support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. What police forces actually said was that they needed access to the resources and the training in order to do the job. Our government has responded. We have committed $274 million to ensure they have what they need to do the job.The cost of delay is continued jeopardy to our children who are using cannabis at the highest rate of any country in the world and billions of dollars more to organized crime. That is unacceptable to us; we believe it is unacceptable to all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, in 10 years of the previous government, it failed to take any action against any member who had committed terrorist acts in a foreign land. Since coming into power, our government has incarcerated four individuals.We have complete confidence in the RCMP and our national security officials to do their job to keep the country safe.

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the member opposite that our government is deeply committed to addressing HIV and AIDS in Canada, and we are proud to have reversed the former government's spending cuts in this area.For example, this year our government is investing $87 million across the country to help tackle HIV and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne diseases in Canada, and we have announced an additional $30 million over the next five years to support Canadian-based harm reduction initiatives.Our government will continue to work closely with all of our partners to make progress towards the global targets in order to eliminate AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the member opposite has given us an opportunity to talk about some of the things our government is doing to address the opioid crisis. For example, our government has provided $10 million in urgent support to our provincial partners in British Columbia and $6 million to the Province of Alberta to assist with its response. That is in addition to $22.7 million ongoing of the $100-million commitment in budget 2017 to support national measures associated with the Canadian drugs and substances strategy to respond to this terrible health crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Victoria for the opportunity to clear up his confusion.The government has been very clear and unequivocal. We have a very clear plan to legalize, regulate, and restrict the access to marijuana. Furthermore, we want to remind all Canadians that until that important work is completed, the only control that is in place is the current criminal sanction for the production and trafficking of marijuana, and those laws remain in effect.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to implementing a comprehensive and responsible regulatory framework for the effective control of the production, distribution, and consumption of marijuana. We do not believe that decriminalization is the right thing to do.In fact, the hon. member for Outremont in 2012, when asked if he would decriminalize marijuana, said, “No...that would be a mistake.” The hon. member for Outremont was right in 2012. It is still a mistake, and we are going to do the job right.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Brampton North for her strong advocacy on this issue.Protecting the safety of Canadians is a top priority for our government, and that is why we were proud to announce $86 million for front-line law enforcement to keep our communities safe. What the Conservatives have proposed is not a real plan. Experts have noted that they demonstrate either little knowledge of the criminal justice system or they are deliberately trying to mislead Canadians. The Conservative plan typically offers no new supports for law enforcement and it is hard to imagine how they are going to deal with guns and gangs when they appear afraid to utter the word “guns”.

Mr. Speaker, let me correct the misconception that the member has shared with us. First of all, let me assure everyone that the CBSA screens virtually everyone who seeks to enter Canada to determine their admissibility. This can happen to a foreign national being issued travel documents, and in the case of all people making asylum claims in Canada, additional screening takes place when they arrive.I have gone to the border. I have watched CBSA, the RCMP and IRCC conduct these examinations. They take biometrics, photographs and fingerprints. They check the available databases. They screen these individuals to make sure there is no criminality—

Mr. Speaker, our minister and our senior officials have been meeting on this file for over two years. We share a consensus in every part of this country that the current system of cannabis control is failing our kids, enriching organized crime, and putting the health of Canadians at risk.We continue to remain committed to a respectful discussion with our provincial, territorial, and municipal partners to ensure that those who have responsibilities have the resources they need to fulfill those responsibilities.

Madam Speaker, I would simply point out that there is a global migration of literally tens of millions of people, who are fleeing war and persecution around the world, and every country is being impacted by this. In addition, the suggestion that a tweet has impacted an international phenomenon is, quite frankly, absurd. I would encourage the member to perhaps become better informed of this issue around the world.

Mr. Speaker, this government recognizes the importance of keeping our communities safe. We are absolutely committed to working with the House to ensure that law enforcement agencies across this country have the tools necessary to keep our communities safe. It is an important part of the work that we will be doing in the future as we go forward to make our communities safe and to protect our kids, through the legalization and regulation of marijuana.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the member for the Bay of Quinte for the tireless work he does on behalf of his constituents, and for his strong advocacy on this important health issue.We have all seen the tragic statistics. Tobacco kills more than 45,000 Canadians each year. Numbers like these are precisely why our government is taking action by making tobacco use less appealing, especially to youth. We remain committed to introducing plain packaging and to reducing tobacco use in Canada to less than 5% by 2035. Our government will work to better protect the health and safety of all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, the decision that came down yesterday from the courts only concerns medical marijuana, and it is very important to assist the member opposite in clearing up some of the confusion her party is apparently experiencing. This ruling in no way affects the existing criminal prohibition on the possession, production, and trafficking of marijuana for non-medical purposes. The decision delivered yesterday is being reviewed by staff, and both the Minister of Health and the Minister of Justice, who will be advising this government shortly.

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak of our government's efforts to deal with the threat posed by money laundering to the security of the country and the impact it has on Canadians.Through budget 2019, we are investing over $162 million in restoring the capacity of RCMP, FINTRAC, CBSA and CRA to deal with this.That was an ironic question received from the Conservatives, who cut the budget for those units. Under their watch in 2013, all 12 integrated proceeds of crime units across Canada were eliminated because they were underfunded and understaffed.

Madam Speaker, I will tell the member what we will not do. We will not do what the Conservatives did during their tenure when 230,000 people came to this country seeking asylum. What did they do? They cut the budget of the CBSA and the budgets of those agencies and departments responsible for managing this migration. Then they went a step further. They cut health care for those same individuals, for those families and their children. It was a move that our courts described as cruel and unusual.

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to have another opportunity to clear up some of the confusion and apparently this hazy fog that has descended over members opposite.The science and the evidence is overwhelmingly clear that the best way to protect our kids, to get organized crime out of the business of selling marijuana in our communities, and to ensure a robust public health response is through strict regulation. That is what we are doing. We have a plan to consult with the provinces and territories and with scientific experts, and base our regulations on evidence and fact. We have been—

Mr. Speaker, let me assure the member and all members in the House that every individual who arrives at our border, regardless of whether they arrive at a port of entry or irregularly at our borders, is subject to rigorous background screening to ensure there is no criminality or threat to national security.What the member may be referring to is part of the process of determining eligibility. There are further screening background checks conducted by CBSA on behalf of IRCC to ensure that anyone who is admitted as an eligible asylum claimant in this country has been thoroughly vetted.

Mr. Speaker, I would simply point out to the member that, first of all, on the issue of asylum seekers, it is a totally separate system determined by an independent tribunal from the larger immigration system. I do not think I need to explain to the member opposite the enormous contributions that immigrants have made to this country. Our country has been built on the hard labour of immigrants and their contributions. For those who first come who may require some support and assistance, we are a welcoming country.

Mr. Speaker, our government committed to legalizing, strictly regulating, and restricting access to marijuana in order to keep it out of the hands of youth and to keep profits out of the hands of criminals. The government, in order to get the best advice on what a regulated regime for legal access to marijuana could look like, appointed a task force of nine eminently qualified Canadians. The task force finalized its report on November 30th. It will be released to all MPs and the public in mid-December.If I may be very clear in response to the member opposite's speculations, no member of our government has yet seen the final report. We will see it at the same time as—

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear for the member opposite. The government has met all its obligations with respect to third party records applications. All documents for the priority individuals were identified by the defence in February and were, in fact, provided to the court.It is important to understand as well that all decisions with respect to that information are made by public servants and not by the government. In this case, all decisions were overseen by the court.

Mr. Speaker, in order to protect our kids from the ravages of marijuana, to make our communities safer, and to reduce the social and health harm associated to its use, our government has committed to legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana. In order to do so, we will be establishing a federal-provincial-territorial task force to design a strict sales and distribution system with appropriate health concerns.This will be done in partnership with our provincial and territorial partners, and with stakeholders right across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to respond to this question. Budget 2018, the budget bill, contains provisions for a remediation process that allows law enforcement and prosecutors to enter into discussions with corporate members in order to get the information needed to facilitate the criminal prosecution of individuals. It is also a means by which corporations can be held to account to take remedial action to restore the harms that have been done to individual Canadians. This is a very important advancement forward that will improve the safety and protection of Canadian interests.

Mr. Speaker, let me first say how delighted I am to hear about the NDP's new-found interest in money laundering.In budget 2019 we created the action, coordination and enforcement team and a money laundering centre of expertise to strengthen financial intelligence information sharing with law enforcement. This was directly in response to conversations we were having with the Government of British Columbia.We have also provided resources, as I said, to the RCMP, FINTRAC and the CRA. We have added a new offence of recklessness in the legislation, as an offence in the Criminal Code, to facilitate prosecutions.I look forward, with the new-found interest in money laundering—

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise and advise the member that his speculations are completely without merit and absolutely false.Let me be very clear. No member of this government has yet seen the task force's final report. We will see it at the same time as every member of Parliament when it is made public in mid-December.As the member well knows, capital markets in this country are strictly regulated and the regulating authority for the Toronto Stock Exchange is the Ontario Securities Commission. It is an independent body responsible for looking into any evidence of market irregularities.

Mr. Speaker, the only controls that currently exist on the access that our kids have to marijuana are the laws that currently exist in this country. It would be irresponsible to put our kids and communities at risk by removing all controls until a new stronger, clearer regulatory regime can be put in place.

Mr. Speaker, our government has been very clear that we intend to introduce a comprehensive and responsible framework of regulation for the strict control of marijuana in its production, its distribution, and its consumption.Our intent in these regulations will be to keep it away from children, to prevent organized crime from continuing to profit from it, to make our communities safe, and to assure the health of all Canadians. To that end, we will shortly be announcing a task force, which will have expertise from the legal community, the health community, and the law enforcement community to enable the government to move forward and to ensure that—

Mr. Speaker, I quite frankly find it offensive when a member in the House rises and impugns the integrity and reputation of the RCMP and the director of public prosecutions by suggesting they would ever conduct their business in any way that was less than independent.If the member opposite perhaps did not hear, the director of public prosecutions yesterday repeated that there had been no contact or influence from outside the PPSC either in the initial decision to prosecute or in the subsequent decision to stay the charge.

Mr. Speaker, I join the member opposite in expressing our compassionate thoughts for those injured in last night's horrendous attack with an improvised explosive device in Mississauga. We hope for their speedy recoveries. The Peel Regional Police are currently leading the investigation. Two men are being sought, and anyone with information is of course encouraged to contact the police. We have offered the full support of federal law enforcement resources to this investigation.I would like to advise this House that at this time there is no indication of a nexus to national security. Our tremendous thanks, of course, go to all first responders, who once again showed their tremendous professionalism and compassion as they rushed to help the victims of this terrible tragedy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for raising this important issue. This government takes very seriously the issue of sex trafficking in our country. We are working very carefully with the provinces and territories, and with law enforcement partners across the country, to address this very important issue. There is also a very significant role to play for various non-government organizations, which we are also assisting in order to respond. We are examining the issue that the member raised very carefully.

Mr. Speaker, what I can confirm is that this government takes the safety of all Canadians seriously. We work very closely with our law enforcement agencies and their partners around the world to ensure that the evidence is gathered on individuals who commit serious crimes. They will face the full consequences of the law in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, our government has introduced a comprehensive framework for the strict regulation of the production, distribution, and consumption of cannabis. We have been working collaboratively with our provincial and territorial partners. Health Canada administers a very effective system of licensing for those who meet the requirements of that regulation to ensure that what will be consumed by Canadians is of known potency and purity. Those rules are important for the health and safety of all Canadians, and we will continue to promote them.

Mr. Speaker, the question from the member opposite illustrates precisely the reason this government feels it is so necessary to change the current regime for the control of marijuana and replace it with something far more comprehensive, far more responsible, and quite frankly, far more effective.We believe that through strict regulation we will be able to restrict access to children by being able to control the manner in which marijuana is retailed and consumed in this country. We can do a far better job than the current criminal sanction.

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear that after years of chronic underfunding and understaffing, we have been restoring the capacity of the IRB to deal with those who have come to our country seeking asylum. It is also a good opportunity to remind all Canadians who these people are. They are families with children. Almost half of them are children. They are thoroughly vetted by the RCMP to ensure that they represent no risk to public safety or national security. I want to assure the member opposite that he has nothing to be afraid of.

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear that our government has been engaged in very extensive consultation with law enforcement and health and safety experts through our task force, but we have also been at the table with provinces and territories in a very respectful dialogue on the establishment of the regulatory frameworks that are necessary to protect the health of our citizens, to protect our children, and to displace organized crime. That dialogue continues. It is a respectful dialogue, and we look forward to working with our provincial and territorial partners as we roll out an orderly implementation of these new regulations to protect all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to working with our provincial and territorial partners to ensure that all Canadians have access to the prescription drugs they require in an affordable and accessible way. We will continue to work with all affected Canadians on ensuring that this system is fair for all.

Mr. Speaker, we are working very hard with the provincial governments right across the country and, in particular, in British Columbia on the issue of money laundering. I am not going to comment on any unproven allegation at this point, but what I will say is that our government has been working very diligently to address all of the sector vulnerabilities, including working with law societies from across Canada to address the concerns that are being addressed.

Mr. Speaker, I am so interested to see the new-found interest in the issue of money laundering by a government that eliminated nearly half a billion dollars from the law enforcement agencies that were tasked with keeping our financial instruments secure and maintaining the integrity of our finances. The Conservatives almost gutted the RCMP's capacity to do that.As was recently discovered in British Columbia, as a direct result of these cuts, there were no dedicated resources for money laundering. We are reversing that. We are working closely with the Province of British Columbia. We are going to make a difference.

Mr. Speaker, I would point out once again that during that Harper decade the Conservatives cut $400 million from the CBSA and made significant cuts to the government's ability to deal with asylum seekers. We are restoring that capacity to deal with asylum seekers in an effective way. We have made significant investments to work through the existing backlog. The typographical error the member referred to has already been clarified.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question and the opportunity to clarify.Yesterday, the director of public prosecutions indicated that of the 1,136 judges in Canada, one had expressed confusion and concern about the law.This matter has been very clear, and this government has been very clear. We are resolved to legalize, regulate, and restrict marijuana, and that work has begun. In the interim, the law of this land is still in effect. Therefore, I would remind the member and all Canadians that the rule of law remains in effect. The law should be obeyed. The law should be upheld.

Mr. Speaker, of course, we have great sympathy for those who have suffered this type of loss, but we remain confident in the criminal justice system to deal with the matter appropriately. We will continue to monitor it carefully to ensure that appropriate support is given.

Madam Speaker, our government recognizes that we are in a national public health crisis, and our government is deeply concerned about the tragic events happening across the country as a result of opioid deaths. We have taken very significant steps, including significant investments and additional measures, to help address the opioid crisis. We have been equally clear that our government is in the process of legalizing and strictly regulating cannabis to do a better job of protecting our children and to fight organized crime, but we are not decriminalizing or legalizing any other drug.

Mr. Speaker, our government takes very seriously the integrity of our financial sector and the threat posed to Canada's national security by money laundering and organized crime.That is why in budget 2019 we brought forward new measures to improve the transparency of beneficial ownership and add $68.9 million to the RCMP and $50 million to CRA's real estate audit teams.There are many important measures we are acting on, and it is disappointing that the NDP voted against those measures.

Mr. Speaker, the member is right that this is a simple question, and I will answer it this way: Everyone who enters our country is subject to security screening by CBSA, and they do this in partnership with the RCMP and immigration.As part of the process of determining their eligibility, there is an additional process of further screening that takes place, and there is a backlog, as reported by the Toronto Star. However, it is very important for all Canadians to understand that there is no security threat to Canadians, because every individual is screened for security concerns before they enter this country.

Mr. Speaker, our government remains committed to a fair refugee system that provides protection to those who need it most, protects the safety of all Canadians and keeps our border secure. On the well-established international principle of asylum primacy, we wish to encourage all those who truly need protection to seek asylum at the first possible opportunity. The measures that we are proposing are part of a broader package included in budget 2019 that is aimed at ensuring that people who genuinely need asylum receive it quickly and efficiently. I wish to assure the member that every claimant will have access—

Mr. Speaker, our government has been unequivocal from the outset that we are committed to legalizing, strictly regulating, and restricting access to marijuana to keep it out of the hands of youth and to keep profits out of the hands of criminals. We are taking a public health-based approach to establish a system, to enforce a system of strict production, distribution, and sales of marijuana. To provide the best advice on what is the best regulated regime for legal access to marijuana, the government appointed a task force in June. The task force finalized its report on November 30, and that report will be delivered to the government and made public in mid-December.

Mr. Speaker, I am very honoured to have the privilege of standing before this House on behalf of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, parliamentarians, premiers and members of our armed forces who are today in France celebrating and commemorating the sacrifice and the service of so many Canadians who gave their lives and who served in their youth to bring peace to our world. It is incumbent upon us all to always remember their service and their sacrifice, and to honour that sacrifice by committing to continue to work to maintain a better world. I join members of the opposition and all members of this House and all Canadians in taking this opportunity to say to all of those veterans that we thank them.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to advise the member opposite that we have seen tremendous success in reducing the number of people who have been presenting themselves at our border. Since April of this year, we have seen significant reductions. In fact, the number of people who crossed this summer irregularly was 70% less than what we experienced just last year. Therefore, we are making real progress.On the issue of how these individuals are treated, we can assure Canadians as well that, by Canadian law, we have to allow them to process, and provide support to the provinces and municipalities to ensure they are properly treated. That work is ongoing between ourselves and the Province of Quebec, the Province of Ontario, and the cities of Montreal and Toronto. This is a well-managed—

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring our criminal justice system keeps communities safe, protects victims, and holds offenders to account. As the court in the Cody case reiterated today, every actor in the criminal justice system has a responsibility to ensure criminal proceedings are carried out efficiently and effectively.Our minister met with her provincial and territorial counterparts in April to focus on the roles that each of our governments could play. They identified four priorities for legislative reform, including dealing with mandatory minimum penalties, bail in the administration of justice, preliminary inquiries, and reclassification of offences. We are working together to address these delays.

Madam Speaker, I will tell the member what we will not do. We will not do what the Conservatives did during their tenure when 230,000 people came to this country seeking asylum. What did they do? They cut the budget of the CBSA and the budgets of those agencies and departments responsible for managing this migration. Then they went a step further. They cut health care for those same individuals, for those families and their children. It was a move that our courts described as cruel and unusual.

Mr. Speaker, under Canadian law, all people coming into this country seeking asylum are entitled to due process. When all of those processes have been exhausted and they are deemed ineligible, they are subject to removal by the CBSA. The people that the member opposite is referring to are still engaged in that process, and when those processes are complete, the law will take effect.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Laurentides—Labelle for the outstanding work he and his entire office perform with Operation Red Nose.Tragically, impaired driving remains the leading criminal cause of injury and death in Canada and yet it is very clear that not everyone has gotten the message. That is why it was particularly disappointing this week to hear the member for St. Albert—Edmonton actually defending drinking and driving.Our government is taking real action against impaired driving with the introduction of tough new measures, which have the support of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased that the member opposite has given us an opportunity to talk about some of the things our government is doing to address the opioid crisis. For example, our government has provided $10 million in urgent support to our provincial partners in British Columbia and $6 million to the Province of Alberta to assist with its response. That is in addition to $22.7 million ongoing of the $100-million commitment in budget 2017 to support national measures associated with the Canadian drugs and substances strategy to respond to this terrible health crisis.

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about failure. For almost a decade, the police urged the Harper Conservatives to provide them with new legislative authorities, for funding for training, for access to new technologies, and they failed to provide that. When we brought those measures forward, they voted against them. Let us let members of the police talk for themselves. This afternoon, the president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police said, “The police are ready.”

Mr. Speaker, everyone who enters the country, whether irregularly or at a port of entry, is screened to determine their admissibility into the country—everyone, 100%. As part of the process of determining their eligibility for asylum under IRCC's process, there is an additional screening that takes place. We are working hard to deal with the backlog that they left to us, and we will complete that process before anyone is admitted as eligible for refugee status in our country.

Mr. Speaker, let me assure the member and all members in the House that every individual who arrives at our border, regardless of whether they arrive at a port of entry or irregularly at our borders, is subject to rigorous background screening to ensure there is no criminality or threat to national security.What the member may be referring to is part of the process of determining eligibility. There are further screening background checks conducted by CBSA on behalf of IRCC to ensure that anyone who is admitted as an eligible asylum claimant in this country has been thoroughly vetted.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, almost everything the member opposite just said is not correct. In fact, as the director of public prosecutions stated yesterday, there was no contact or influence from outside the Public Prosecution Service either in the initial decision with respect to the laying of this charge or the decision to stay the charge.The member opposite should know that all of the procedures conducted by the office of the public prosecutor and the RCMP are totally independent of the Government of Canada.

Mr. Speaker, what I can confirm is that this government takes the safety of all Canadians seriously. We work very closely with our law enforcement agencies and their partners around the world to ensure that the evidence is gathered on individuals who commit serious crimes. They will face the full consequences of the law in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, everyone who comes into this country is subject to vigorous background screening. The information in this case was not available to the IRB when it made the decision, but the man in question has been in custody since June. He is currently being held pending detention. That detention and removal will take place early in the new year.

Mr. Speaker, I quite frankly find it offensive when a member in the House rises and impugns the integrity and reputation of the RCMP and the director of public prosecutions by suggesting they would ever conduct their business in any way that was less than independent.If the member opposite perhaps did not hear, the director of public prosecutions yesterday repeated that there had been no contact or influence from outside the PPSC either in the initial decision to prosecute or in the subsequent decision to stay the charge.

Mr. Speaker, the member for Thornhill may wish to test the veracity of his speculations outside the protection of the House. However, let us talk about money laundering. Our government has demonstrated that we will take all measures available to us to stop organized crime. That includes an investment of $172 million to the RCMP for FINTRAC and CRA to establish an enforcement team, as well as making Criminal Code amendments.That is the same government that in the last four years of the Harper government took $500 million from the RCMP and closed all 12 of the—

Mr. Speaker, in 10 years of the previous government, it failed to take any action against any member who had committed terrorist acts in a foreign land. Since coming into power, our government has incarcerated four individuals.We have complete confidence in the RCMP and our national security officials to do their job to keep the country safe.

Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, it is a little offensive to hear the member opposite impugn the integrity of the RCMP in the independent conduct of its investigations and also to impugn the integrity of the Public Prosecution Service, which has made crystal clear that at no time was there any contact or influence from the government and that all decisions with respect to initiating the prosecution or staying it were made independent of the government.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this issue. During a media interview this past weekend, I created unnecessary confusion by mistakenly suggesting that the majority of asylum claimants had left. My intention was to explain how people who were deemed ineligible after exhausting all due process were in fact removed. Upon becoming aware of the confusion that I had created, I took immediate steps to clarify my remarks and to apologize. As part of our government's ongoing commitment to openness and transparency, we post information related to irregular migration online, and all statistics related to asylum claims, interceptions and processes are publicly available.

Mr. Speaker, let me begin by simply saying that the member opposite's assertion that the numbers are going up is simply wrong. We have seen a significant reduction of those numbers just over the past few weeks. In the past several months, we have seen as much as a 70% reduction over what we experienced last year. There is a firm plan in place to deal with this issue and we are monitoring the situation in other countries, including the United States, very carefully. Our senior officials are working hard. They are prepared and they are managing the situation quite ably.

Mr. Speaker, we have been working closely with our provincial and municipal partners in managing, very effectively, the issue of those who have come to our country seeking the protection of Canada. Those processes are being well managed. We are working with municipalities.I would like to take this opportunity to also acknowledge and thank the City of Toronto, under Mayor Tory's leadership, for its excellent collaboration. I have also recently worked with Mayor Plante. The municipal partnership has been exceptional and needs to be acknowledged.

Mr. Speaker, our government has introduced a comprehensive framework for the strict regulation of the production, distribution, and consumption of cannabis. We have been working collaboratively with our provincial and territorial partners. Health Canada administers a very effective system of licensing for those who meet the requirements of that regulation to ensure that what will be consumed by Canadians is of known potency and purity. Those rules are important for the health and safety of all Canadians, and we will continue to promote them.

Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to working with our provincial and territorial partners to ensure that all Canadians have access to the prescription drugs they require in an affordable and accessible way. We will continue to work with all affected Canadians on ensuring that this system is fair for all.

Mr. Speaker, the laws passed in the House remain in effect until they are repealed by the House, and that law remains in effect until tomorrow when the repeal comes into place. At that time, it will be the appropriate time for the government to deal with those records in the appropriate way.

Madam Speaker, as the member ought to know, the safe third country agreement is a bilateral agreement between ourselves and the United States. There have been ongoing discussions between our two governments with respect to improving and enhancing the existing agreement. While those discussions take place, we can maintain our commitment to ensure that the Canadian law is upheld, the security of the country is maintained and that we are working closely with the provinces that are impacted by this influx. I also want to acknowledge the excellent work done by officials of the City of Montreal and the City of Toronto.

Mr. Speaker, I would point out once again that during that Harper decade the Conservatives cut $400 million from the CBSA and made significant cuts to the government's ability to deal with asylum seekers. We are restoring that capacity to deal with asylum seekers in an effective way. We have made significant investments to work through the existing backlog. The typographical error the member referred to has already been clarified.

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak of our government's efforts to deal with the threat posed by money laundering to the security of the country and the impact it has on Canadians.Through budget 2019, we are investing over $162 million in restoring the capacity of RCMP, FINTRAC, CBSA and CRA to deal with this.That was an ironic question received from the Conservatives, who cut the budget for those units. Under their watch in 2013, all 12 integrated proceeds of crime units across Canada were eliminated because they were underfunded and understaffed.

Mr. Speaker, this government is very proud to have delivered on its promise to bring forward a strict new regulatory regime that is going to do an eminently better job of protecting our kids and keeping our communities safe. We have also said that we are prepared to address the existing records for simple possession in the appropriate way at the appropriate time. The law remains in effect until tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, our government has been unequivocal from the outset that we are committed to legalizing, strictly regulating, and restricting access to marijuana to keep it out of the hands of youth and to keep profits out of the hands of criminals. We are taking a public health-based approach to establish a system, to enforce a system of strict production, distribution, and sales of marijuana. To provide the best advice on what is the best regulated regime for legal access to marijuana, the government appointed a task force in June. The task force finalized its report on November 30, and that report will be delivered to the government and made public in mid-December.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to advise the House that the Minister of Justice has made tremendous progress, not only in developing a system which will strengthen our judiciary to ensure we maintain judicial excellence while reflecting the great diversity of the country. To date, the Minister of Justice has appointed 77 judges and 22 deputy judges across the country. We have a system in place, it is being implemented, and we are seeing significant progress.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to acknowledge the excellent partnership we have with the Province of Quebec and the City of Montreal. I wish to extend my sincere appreciation for that partnership and for their hard work.Canada has experienced an increase in people coming to this country as a result of situations going on all over the world. People are fleeing war and persecution. It is in partnership with municipalities and the provinces that Canada remains a welcoming country as we work to ensure that these individuals enjoy the full benefit of the rule of law in Canada and that at the same time, the system is operated—

Mr. Speaker, I am very honoured to have the privilege of standing before this House on behalf of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, parliamentarians, premiers and members of our armed forces who are today in France celebrating and commemorating the sacrifice and the service of so many Canadians who gave their lives and who served in their youth to bring peace to our world. It is incumbent upon us all to always remember their service and their sacrifice, and to honour that sacrifice by committing to continue to work to maintain a better world. I join members of the opposition and all members of this House and all Canadians in taking this opportunity to say to all of those veterans that we thank them.

Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to maintaining a well-functioning refugee system, and that is why we have made significant investments in budget 2019 to improve the efficiency of the IRB in holding these hearings and to bring in regulation to encourage people to use the appropriate ways of entry to immigrate to this country. We will continue to invest in that system. We have achieved a significant level of success in significantly reducing the number of people who have presented themselves irregularly at our borders while maintaining a robust and efficient system of refugee determination.

Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the safest, most affordable, and most abundant food supplies in the world. That is due in no small part to our science-based regulatory system. Our government is committed to studying the evidence and making decisions using the best available data. Health Canada scientists conduct a rigorous pre-market safety assessment of all genetically modified foods prior to allowing their sale on the Canadian market.

Mr. Speaker, our government has been working very closely with our provincial and territorial partners. There have been ongoing discussions with the provinces and territories about the appropriate taxation and price regimens to be put in place. That is part of an ongoing and important discussion. That discussion has been characterized by close co-operation and collaboration between all parties.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Lac-Saint-Jean for his important question and excellent work on this matter.Mr. Speaker, vaccination is the cornerstone of public health in Canada, as it is one of the most effective ways to battle, prevent, and in some cases eradicate infectious diseases. As my colleague has pointed out, history has shown us the profound impact that vaccination can have.That is why our government is acting on a $25-million, five-year commitment to improving immunization coverage rates in Canada. By working with our partners, our government is supporting a strong immunization system in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, our government remains unwavering in our commitment to protect the safety of Canadians and to keep our borders secure. Irregular border crossers are thoroughly screened and do not get a free ticket to remain in Canada. In fact, the budget included $173 million to support security operations at the Canada-U.S. border and to ensure we could continue to securely and effectively process asylum seekers. We are continuing to ensure that Canadian law is applied and that our international obligations are respected.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be able to advise this House that, so far this year, we have achieved a 47% reduction in the number of people crossing our border irregularly. In budget 2019—and I understand the member opposite may have missed this because of all the noise going on that day—our government has committed $443 million to increase IRCC's capacity. It includes $375 million to restore the CBSA's ability to increase its asylum system to implement border enforcement strategies, which includes better border management, security screening and enforcement operations. Our plan is working, and we are making progress.

Mr. Speaker, again, with respect to the court order to produce documents, here are the facts. The Government of Canada met all its obligations with respect to third party record applications. All documents from the priority individuals identified by the defence in February were, in fact, provided to the court. In total, over 8,000 documents on behalf of the seven government organizations were submitted to the court over the course of this process.It is important to acknowledge that on this matter both the judge and the Crown thanked departmental officials for their excellent co-operation in this process.

Mr. Speaker, I rarely get the opportunity to stand up to correct a typographical error, which was the case in this matter.However, it is rather ironic that after a $400 million cut was made to the CBSA, our government has been working diligently to restore Canada's capacity to deal with asylum seekers' claims in a timely way, including making a significant investment of some $72 million to restore CBSA's capacity to deal with removals in a timely way. We are working diligently to ensure that Canadian law is applied appropriately, as well as Canadian humanitarian principles.

Mr. Speaker, we are absolutely committed to maintaining a safe and respectful work environment for all members of the public service. We are working closely with the new interim commissioner of correctional services, who is taking significant measures to ensure a safe and healthy workplace for all corrections workers in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Victoria for his leadership and advocacy on this issue. We look forward to continuing to work closely with him on this file.Having examined the situation very closely, we firmly believe that the appropriate way to deal with these existing records is through a pardon system, to make it affordable and accessible to all Canadians who carry the burden of that record. We believe this is the right thing to do. As we have said all along, we will deal with it in the appropriate way at the appropriate time. This is the appropriate way and a pardon is the appropriate—

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to implementing a comprehensive and responsible regulatory framework for the effective control of the production, distribution, and consumption of marijuana. We do not believe that decriminalization is the right thing to do.In fact, the hon. member for Outremont in 2012, when asked if he would decriminalize marijuana, said, “No...that would be a mistake.” The hon. member for Outremont was right in 2012. It is still a mistake, and we are going to do the job right.

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the House that the government remains absolutely committed to undertaking all measures that are effective in keeping Canadians safe. As I believe every member of the House would agree, there is no greater responsibility for any order of government than the safety of its citizens and the protection of its kids, and we are prepared to consider whatever measures would be effective in this regard.

Mr. Speaker, our government released a discussion document after discussions with the first ministers of all of the provinces and territories, as well as the finance ministers of those jurisdictions. That discussion document has garnered input from municipalities, stakeholders, and industry from across the country. That feedback will inform discussions that are scheduled to take place this weekend between the finance ministers of all of the provinces and territories to resolve this important issue. I want to assure the member that the interests of all who have cause in making the system work are under consideration in those discussions.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise this House that we have actually made very substantial progress in reducing the number of people who are entering the country irregularly over the last few months. In addition, I have very good news to share with this House. Of the 464 individuals who were temporarily housed in the city of Toronto at the beginning of June, only 35 of those people remain in a temporary shelter and the rest, through the excellent work of the City of Toronto and COSTI, have found more permanent housing.The system is working.

Mr. Speaker, our government remains committed to a fair refugee system that provides protection to those who need it most, protects the safety of all Canadians and keeps our border secure. On the well-established international principle of asylum primacy, we wish to encourage all those who truly need protection to seek asylum at the first possible opportunity. The measures that we are proposing are part of a broader package included in budget 2019 that is aimed at ensuring that people who genuinely need asylum receive it quickly and efficiently. I wish to assure the member that every claimant will have access—

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Nickel Belt for his question and for his work on seniors' health.Our government is strongly committed to improving the lives of Canadians with dementia and to providing support for their families and caregivers. The Minister of Health was pleased to announce at last week's national dementia conference the members who will serve on the advisory council. These include people living with dementia, caregivers, researchers, and health care practitioners. Together we will work to create a national dementia strategy for Canada, which will be supported by the over $20 million in investments in dementia care in budget 2018.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Brossard—Saint-Lambert for her question and her efforts in supporting this cause.We are proud to have introduced Bill C-46, which will make Canada a world leader in the fight against alcohol- and drug-impaired driving. The proposed legislation will reform the entire impaired-driving regime in the Criminal Code. It will strengthen existing drug- and alcohol-impaired driving laws by creating new offences and by making the law more efficient to enforce, simpler, and more coherent for all Canadians.For this year's national safe driving week, I encourage all members of this House to work with our government—

Madam Speaker, our government is committed to improving the health and well-being of all Canadians. Health Canada's proposed revisions to the Canada food guide are based on the latest scientific evidence on diet and health. We are consulting with stakeholders, experts, and the general public on our proposed recommendations and will use that feedback to finalize our recommendations to ensure that the new guidance and supporting resources are relevant and useful to all Canadians. The goal of Health Canada's healthy eating strategy is to make the healthy choice the easy choice for all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, we absolutely do not believe that impaired drivers should be able to drive on our roadways without a reasonable prospect of getting caught. They have to know there are consequences for their actions. The legislation we have introduced provides for strong consequences, and when the evidence warrants it, appropriate sentences will be afforded to those offenders.

Mr. Speaker, our government will always support a woman's right to choose, and we believe that a woman should have access to reproductive health options, no matter where she lives in this country. We recognize that access to these services varies across the country. We have made Mifegymiso less restricted and more available on the Canadian market, and many provinces and territories are now, in fact, reimbursing for that drug. We commit to continue to examine ways to improve access to reproductive services for all Canadian women.

Mr. Speaker, Canada and the United States have the most secure and efficient border in the world. The safe third country agreement remains an important tool for us to continue to work together on the orderly processing of asylum claims made in both our countries. We know that this agreement can be improved, and I have personally met with members of the U.S. Congress, border protection agencies and the Department of Homeland Security, because we believe that there are opportunities to improve this agreement to the mutual benefit of both countries and our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, later on today I will have the opportunity to meet with Amnesty International and provide it with assurances that our government remains committed to a fair and compassionate refugee system that will provide protection to those who need it most. I can also assure it that no person will be turned away if deemed to be at risk, and no one will be removed without an opportunity to be heard.

Mr. Speaker, of course, we have great sympathy for those who have suffered this type of loss, but we remain confident in the criminal justice system to deal with the matter appropriately. We will continue to monitor it carefully to ensure that appropriate support is given.

Mr. Speaker, this government recognizes the importance of keeping our communities safe. We are absolutely committed to working with the House to ensure that law enforcement agencies across this country have the tools necessary to keep our communities safe. It is an important part of the work that we will be doing in the future as we go forward to make our communities safe and to protect our kids, through the legalization and regulation of marijuana.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to direct the member opposite to take a look at budget 2019, where our government has made significant new investments in increasing law enforcement capacity and brought forward new regulatory changes in the budget implementation act, which I urge them to support.These new regulations will provide for greater transparency for federal organizations in determining beneficial ownership. They also create a new offence of recklessness, which will facilitate both investigations and successful prosecutions. As well, we are making significant investments in enhancing the capability of FINTRAC and the RCMP to work collaboratively with our provincial and territorial partners.

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that we have been working diligently to uphold Canadian law for everyone who comes to our border, regardless of how people come to this country seeking asylum, to ensure that our laws are applied.We also take very strict measures to ensure that the safety and security of Canadians is maintained, and that work continues. We have achieved tremendous success. We have seen a significant reduction. We did not see the surge that occurred last year, and this is a direct result of very effective measures taken by the government to discourage irregular migration.

Mr. Speaker, for all the rhetoric and hysteria that is now emerging about irregular migration, it is important to understand who these people are. For example, nearly 40% of the people who have presented themselves at our borders seeking asylum are children. Canada's response is to uphold the rule of law to ensure that our processes are fast, fair and final, as well as efficient, and we deal with those individuals to ensure they have adequate housing and shelter and are treated with the humanity that Canadians expect of us.

Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear that people who come to Canada seeking our protection are overwhelmingly families and children. When they enter the country, regardless of how they enter, if they make a claim for asylum, they are entitled under Canadian law to a fair hearing, due process and our protection until a determination of their eligibility is made. We have been working very closely with our counterparts in the United States to ensure that the bilateral agreement that exists between us operates fairly and efficiently to encourage people to cross at regular points of entry to maintain the security and the integrity of our borders. We will continue with that important work.

Mr. Speaker, everyone who comes to this country and crosses the border irregularly is thoroughly screened before they move forward into the process of determining their eligibility, so the answer to that question is yes. There is an additional concern, because as people move through that process of determining their eligibility, CBSA, working with IRCC, does additional security screening. That process is backlogged, and we are addressing that backlog by making significant new investments in making those processes more efficient. Let me be clear. This is not a security issue.

Mr. Speaker, in order to protect our kids from the ravages of marijuana, to make our communities safer, and to reduce the social and health harm associated to its use, our government has committed to legalize, regulate, and restrict access to marijuana. In order to do so, we will be establishing a federal-provincial-territorial task force to design a strict sales and distribution system with appropriate health concerns.This will be done in partnership with our provincial and territorial partners, and with stakeholders right across the country.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to strengthening Canada's health care system, including enhancing the affordability, accessibility, and appropriate use of prescription drugs. We look forward to reviewing the parliamentary budget officer's analysis of the cost of a universal national health care program.Let me make it clear. We need to make sure that Canada's existing prescription drug system is more efficient and responsive before we can begin to discuss universal drug coverage.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my colleague from Dartmouth—Cole Harbour for his leadership on this file.Our government is committed to supporting Canadians living with autism spectrum disorder.I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the compelling advocacy of the member for Edmonton—Wetaskiwin on this important issue as well. That is why, quite frankly, I was disheartened that the Conservatives' recent motion went against our 2018 investment of $20 million in new funding to support people with autism spectrum disorder and their families.On World Autism Awareness Day 2018, I would encourage all members of this House and all Canadians to learn more about autism and how each of us can work together to make a difference.

Mr. Speaker, from the outset, we have been very clear that our government is committed to a fair and compassionate system which does, in fact, provide protection to those who need it while ensuring the safety all Canadians. We have achieved an extraordinary reduction in the number of people who have been crossing our borders irregularly as a direct result of our work with the United States and our other partners right across Canada and around the world. We will continue to work hard for Canadians to ensure our system remains fair and safe.

Mr. Speaker, as we have said many times, our government is legalizing, strictly regulating, and restricting access to cannabis with very clear policy goals in mind to do a better job of protecting our kids and keeping the profits of this illicit business out of the hands of criminals.We have been working very extensively with community partners across Canada and around the world. We have been working with the provinces and territories in developing regulatory frameworks to help us achieve these important public purposes.We now have a bill before the Senate and we are looking forward to its passage and royal assent so that we can begin the important work of an orderly implementation of a new regulatory regime that will help us protect our kids, protect our communities, and—

Mr. Speaker, let me correct the misconception that the member has shared with us. First of all, let me assure everyone that the CBSA screens virtually everyone who seeks to enter Canada to determine their admissibility. This can happen to a foreign national being issued travel documents, and in the case of all people making asylum claims in Canada, additional screening takes place when they arrive.I have gone to the border. I have watched CBSA, the RCMP and IRCC conduct these examinations. They take biometrics, photographs and fingerprints. They check the available databases. They screen these individuals to make sure there is no criminality—

Mr. Speaker, our minister and our senior officials have been meeting on this file for over two years. We share a consensus in every part of this country that the current system of cannabis control is failing our kids, enriching organized crime, and putting the health of Canadians at risk.We continue to remain committed to a respectful discussion with our provincial, territorial, and municipal partners to ensure that those who have responsibilities have the resources they need to fulfill those responsibilities.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to advise the member opposite that we have seen tremendous success in reducing the number of people who have been presenting themselves at our border. Since April of this year, we have seen significant reductions. In fact, the number of people who crossed this summer irregularly was 70% less than what we experienced just last year. Therefore, we are making real progress.On the issue of how these individuals are treated, we can assure Canadians as well that, by Canadian law, we have to allow them to process, and provide support to the provinces and municipalities to ensure they are properly treated. That work is ongoing between ourselves and the Province of Quebec, the Province of Ontario, and the cities of Montreal and Toronto. This is a well-managed—

Mr. Speaker, protecting the health and safety of Canadians is a top priority for our government. Our proposed approach would provide provinces, territories, and municipalities with the flexibility to impose reasonable restrictions on personal cultivation should they wish to do so. However, as our minister has clearly said, there are limits to the extent to which provinces and territories can adapt rules to their circumstances. Our government remains committed to ongoing discussions with provinces to ensure a smooth implementation of federal, provincial, and territorial cannabis legislation and regulatory frameworks.