This Week in Parliament

Plus Bill C-11 passes the Senate, new revelations about the Trudeau Foundation, and more

This Week in Parliament: Video Edition

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Bill C-11 Passes the Senate

The Liberal government now have the power to control what Canadians can see or watch online. Despite strong public opposition, Bill C-11 passed the Senate and will soon become law. The manner in which the Liberal government rammed this bill through Parliament and the Senate is nothing short of a gross disservice to Canadians. They shut down and limited debate where possible, rushed through oversight in parliamentary committees and steadfastly refused to consider good faith amendments. Canadians across the country were concerned about the impact on their online freedoms and what appeared to be “creeping totalitarianism”, in the words of Canadian author Margaret Atwood. Conservatives fought Bill C-11 since November 23 2020, the day it was introduced. We proposed amendments to fully exempt the content Canadians post on social media from these draconian rules. The Liberal-NDP coalition rejected these changes. Conservatives will continue this fight against Liberal censorship. A Conservative government led by Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre will repeal Bill C-11 and protect the individual rights and freedoms of Canadians.

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Former head of Trudeau Foundation says past leadership misled the country on donations

In testimony today before the parliamentary ethics committee, former Trudeau Foundation president Pascale Fournier told MPs that the organization’s past leadership misled the country in characterizing a donation from wealthy Beijing billionaires as a Canadian donation. This comes after she resigned along with several members of the board when news reports broke of a $200,000 cheque written to the Foundation that came from the People’s Republic of China and the true donor could not be determined. In her testimony, she revealed that a tax receipt was sent to an address in Beijing, identified as a PRC-backed industry association, and the past president had mislead Canadians in saying it was paid by a Canadian entity. When she sought an independent forensic audit into the donation, she received pushback from board members, prompting her resignation. Further, she noted that she, along with the chief operating officer of the Foundation, were unable to understand why Alexandre Trudeau, the Prime Minister’s brother, had provided the sign-off for the $200,000 donation from Beijing, given there was no existing authority that allowed it. This raises fresh questions about the extent of influence and interference exerted by the People’s Republic of China in Canada and was the Prime Minister aware of and was affected by it. Canadians deserve answers to why they were lied to. The Ethics Committee is continuing its investigation into this matter and I will be following it closely. I want to personally thank Ms. Pascale Fournier for her honesty and diligence in her testimony.

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Firearm Confiscation Program Announced

This week, the public safety minister announced the details of the so-called “gun buyback” program that the Liberal government proposed. Let’s be clear: it is not a “buyback”, it is a confiscation of legally acquired firearms from law-abiding firearms retailers in Canada. Conservatives do not support confiscating the firearms of law-abiding farmers, hunters, and Indigenous peoples. The Ottawa Liberals are forcing this policy instead of solving the problem of gun smuggling, a catch-and-release bail system, and other policies that allow violent offenders back on the street. The millions wasted on establishing a business inventory or compensation regime that does not target illegal guns is money that could be invested into securing our border and in police efforts to combat violent crime. Reducing violent crime has been done in the past. Under the previous Conservative government, violent crime was down 20%. However, since 2015, violent crime is up 32% and gang-related serious crime is up 98%, much of which can be attributed to the Liberal government’s policies. A Conservative government led by Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre will replace bail with jail for violent criminals as well as crack down on border smuggling and stop the flow of illegal guns to criminals and gangs in Canada. We will bring home real policies to keep repeat violent offenders in jail and keep Canadians safe.