Doug Shipley
Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, Ontario · Conservative · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, thankfully, summer is here, and with its arrival comes the much anticipated opening of our local farmers' markets and the start of festival season in communities across Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte. We are very fortunate to have two major local farmers' markets operating this year.”
“Finally, this weekend, the Barrie Airshow will feature the Snowbirds, providing one of the last chances for residents to see them perform for years. I encourage all residents to get out and attend one or all of these great markets and festivals, and I wish them all a happy summer.”
“Bill C‑281. Introduction and first reading moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑281, An Act to amend the Textile Labelling Act and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act . He said: Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand and introduce my private member's bill today, entitled “the made in Canada flag act”.”
“If Canadians want to buy Canadian-made flags, the choice should be obvious. The proposed legislation would require Canadian flags that meet minimum size requirements to display a country-of-origin label directly on the product as well as on its packaging.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G7 country currently in a recession. This made-in-Canada recession has caused food bank usage to surge. In my community, the Barrie Food Bank is now supporting 8,000 clients per month, up from just 1,000 at the beginning of 2020.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition today on behalf of members of the Barrie Persian Association in my riding, as well as members of the Persian community across Simcoe county, who are deeply concerned about the ongoing systemic human rights violations being committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
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“Finally, this weekend, the Barrie Airshow will feature the Snowbirds, providing one of the last chances for residents to see them perform for years. I encourage all residents to get out and attend one or all of these great markets and festivals, and I wish them all a happy summer.”
“Mr. Speaker, thankfully, summer is here, and with its arrival comes the much anticipated opening of our local farmers' markets and the start of festival season in communities across Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte. We are very fortunate to have two major local farmers' markets operating this year. The Barrie Farmers' Market is back outdoors and open every Saturday on Collier Street from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In Springwater, the Elmvale Farmers' Market kicks off its season on June 11 and will run from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Elmvale municipal parking lot. We are also fortunate to have several fantastic festivals in our region in the coming weeks, including the Troubadour Festival, Kempenfest, Boots and Hearts and many Canada Day celebrations, including those in Elmvale, Hawkstone and Barrie.”
“If Canadians want to buy Canadian-made flags, the choice should be obvious. The proposed legislation would require Canadian flags that meet minimum size requirements to display a country-of-origin label directly on the product as well as on its packaging. This act would close a loophole that allows foreign-made flags to be sold without clear origin labelling and support Canadian manufacturers facing unfair competition from mislabelled or unlabelled imports, promote transparency, inform consumer choice and protect the integrity of the Canadian flag, a national symbol central to our identity. This legislation would not ban imports or impose tariffs. It would simply ensure transparency. It is a practical measure that supports Canadian jobs and helps Canadians shop and display their national pride with confidence.”
“Bill C‑281. Introduction and first reading moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑281, An Act to amend the Textile Labelling Act and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act . He said: Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand and introduce my private member's bill today, entitled “the made in Canada flag act”. I would like to thank my friend and colleague for Saskatoon South for seconding this bill. This act would require Canadian flags sold in Canada to clearly display their country of origin. Currently, there is no requirement for Canadian flags manufactured abroad to be labelled with their country of origin. This is about honesty and fairness. Canadians deserve to know where their flags come from. If it is made in Canada, that is something to be proud of. If it is not, Canadians still have the right to make an informed choice.”
“Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G7 country currently in a recession. This made-in-Canada recession has caused food bank usage to surge. In my community, the Barrie Food Bank is now supporting 8,000 clients per month, up from just 1,000 at the beginning of 2020. According to the executive director of the Barrie Food Bank, the organization recorded more than 8,000 visits in March alone. This represents a 12% year-over-year increase, including 377 first-time visits, which is up 30% from 2025. If Canada's recession were truly driven by global energy and tariff pressures, why is no other G7—”
“Mr. Speaker, I am tabling a petition today on behalf of members of the Barrie Persian Association in my riding, as well as members of the Persian community across Simcoe county, who are deeply concerned about the ongoing systemic human rights violations being committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to intensify diplomatic pressure on the Iranian regime, support international accountability efforts, amplify voices calling for a free and democratic Iran and take concrete measures to ensure that perpetrators of human rights violations are held accountable. I am honoured to table this petition on their behalf, and I thank the members of the Persian community, in my riding and across Canada, for their courage and continued advocacy on this very important issue.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his service. I would like to mention that, in my riding of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, Base Borden is very close to me, and I have been getting the same calls that he is getting. Knowing that my colleague has served and been there, why does he feel that the Liberals have been so negligible in their attitude toward veterans, and what can we do as the opposition to try to help them out through this cause when they need it the most?”
“Mr. Speaker, Canada made international headlines this week with economists stating that our economy is on life support and the country is already on recession watch. Our per capita GDP is falling, residential construction is flat, businesses are postponing expansion, and the Liberal government's anti-development laws and taxes remain in place. Will the Prime Minister work with Conservatives and introduce a plan to remove the barriers that are preventing Canadians from building, investing and working?”
“First, he is trying to get people the help they need. There is an addictions problem and a homelessness problem, but there is also a lawlessness problem. A lot of people are afraid to mention that right now, but that is what is going on. He is trying to address that issue, and I know he is cleaning up Barrie right now. From residents, I am hearing the exact opposite of what I was hearing a few months ago. They are pleased with the direction; they are pleased that he is taking the initiative, and they are pleased that he is trying to clean it up. I support him wholeheartedly. Barrie is starting to look better and get back to what it once was.”
“Mr. Speaker, I did not know the member was going to mention it, but it is great to hear. It is unfortunate what has happened in Barrie and many cities, most cities, all cities across Canada, quite frankly. I had this discussion recently with my two young sons, who are in their twenties. I told them that what they are seeing today is not the Canada I grew up in or the Canada I remember. They do not know what it was like then. They think seeing tents on the side of the road, tent encampments in every forest and every park is a normal thing. It is not normal. I took a tour across Canada, and it has infected many cities across our country. The nice thing is that in Barrie, our strong-willed mayor, His Worship Alex Nuttall, did declare a state of emergency and is actually doing something. He is cleaning up the city.”
“Mr. Speaker, I am looking around the room right now and I see a lot of Conservatives on this side here and ready to work. The member opposite talks about work. We are here; we are ready, and we are working. Our constituents put us here to discuss things, not just to pass bills blatantly. I keep hearing that the Conservatives are filibustering. I am not filibustering; I am here doing my job. We get paid good money. We get sent here to do a job. My constituents expect me and, I am sure, all my other colleagues to do the job, and that is what we are doing.”
“The most recent Statistics Canada's September labour force survey found that youth unemployment is increasing to 14.7%, which is the highest rate since September 2010. Students trying to balance school and work are in an even more desperate position, with 17.1% unable to find a job. This follows a brutal summer for our young people as the unemployment rate for returning full-time students averaged 17.9%, the highest rate since the great recession, excluding the first year of the pandemic. I see that I am out of time. Perhaps during questions, I will be able to add the little I have left of my speech.”
“Canadians deserve an immigration system that is fair, just and sustainable, not one that hides costs and ignores security risks. Our immigration system must put Canada first, which means inviting the right people in the right numbers, which we can absorb into housing, health care and jobs. It means having a system that allows newcomers to succeed as part of the Canadian family. It also means restoring the value of citizenship so that everyone who calls this country home, regardless of where they came from, is Canadian above all else. Conservatives will continue to fight to make Canada a place where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything by working hard, following the rules and contributing. Finally, the cost of living crisis and the Liberal government's deficit spending is tragically affecting our young people.”
“We want to end the federal sales tax on new homes under $1.3 million, tie federal infrastructure dollars to homebuilding, cut building taxes by half and axe the capital gains tax on reinvestment to get the housing we need built. The Liberal government's budget also fails on the immigration file. Instead of fixing the housing crisis or controlling costs, the Liberals are making their immigration levels permanent, keeping over two million temporary residents in Canada by 2027, a 300% increase since 2015. The Liberals have no plan for the 500,000 undocumented persons or three million temporary workers whose visas are expiring. This failure erodes wages, increases unemployment and reduces access to housing, health care and child care for everyone.”
“This report highlighted the latest preconstruction home sales data, which shows that, across Canada, sales have collapsed. In the greater Toronto area, sales of preconstruction single-family apartments have collapsed by 82%. The Liberals also abandoned their promise to cut development charges, which can make up 25% of a home's cost. These fees have soared 700% in two decades, pricing countless Canadians out of the market. The Canadian Real Estate Association stated that this budget offers limited concrete measures to support Canadians aspiring to achieve affordable home ownership and risks slamming the door on home ownership for many. Conservatives have a real plan to restore the promise of home ownership for a generation that has sacrificed enough.”
“Residents with full-time jobs, seniors and young people should not have to rely on food banks to make ends meet. In response to these startling numbers, Conservatives put forward a motion calling on the Liberal government to stop taxing food by eliminating the industrial carbon tax on fertilizer and farm equipment, the inflation tax, the food packaging tax and the clean fuel standard, which adds 17¢ per litre of gas. Unfortunately, the Liberal government voted down this motion to remove grocery taxes, which continue to drive up the price at the till. Housing is no better. The Prime Minister promised that the Liberal government would build 500,000 homes. However, a report from the housing industry indicated that the Liberal government's housing plan has gone from a promise of 500,000 to a plan that will cost 100,000 jobs.”
“Just recently, Food Banks Canada released a report stating, “Employment is no longer a reliable buffer against poverty”, and Canada is becoming “a country where hunger is normalized”. In October, in my community, the Barrie Food Bank served 8,100 people, including a record number of children and seniors. That is a 16% increase from this time last year, and it is outpacing donations. Karen Shuh, the executive director of the Barrie Food Bank, stated: We’re sourcing as much food as possible at the lowest cost and recovering food that would otherwise go to waste just to keep pace, but the gap between what we can provide and what our community needs keeps widening. If someone gave $1 last year, we now need $1.16 just to keep food distribution at the same level.”
“Food inflation in Canada is nearly double the Bank of Canada's target, and food prices have been rising 48% faster in Canada than they have in the United States. The cost of strawberries rose by 25%. Beef stewing cuts rose by 20%. Ground coffee rose by 20%, and chicken drumsticks rose by 17% between March and September. (1610) Food Banks Canada gave the Liberal government an F on poverty and food insecurity after both rose nearly 40% in two years. A decade ago, individuals with full-time jobs were not relying on food banks to feed themselves and their families. Now, the high cost of groceries is exasperating food insecurity, and many Canadians are turning to food banks to make ends meet.”
“Unfortunately, the Prime Minister and his finance minister ignored our pleas for a lower deficit and lower taxes and decided to add more than $90 billion in new spending, which would keep inflation interest rates higher than Canadians can afford. That means higher taxes, higher inflation and higher food costs. The numbers do not lie. This is not fiscal responsibility. This is a budget of recklessness. Now, I will turn to how residents in my community and Canadians from coast to coast are paying the price for the government's irresponsible deficit spending. Statistics Canada's latest data show that Canadians are paying more for food, gas and rent under the Liberal government as inflation, particularly on food, continues to outpace the government's targets.”
“Fitch Ratings said that this budget's massive spending increase and debt burden weakens our credit profile and underscores the erosion of the federal government's finances. Dan Kelly, the president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, called the budget, “a missed opportunity to provide meaningful...relief to Canada’s employers.” In the spirit of collaboration, the Conservatives tabled an amendment to the budget to boost take-home pay and deliver affordable homes and food. This would have been accomplished by scrapping hidden taxes on food; cutting taxes on work, homebuilding, investment and energy; and stopping the inflation tax by keeping the deficit under $42 billion.”
“Every single hour that passes, the Prime Minister is saddling residents in my community and across Canada with another $10 million of debt. Today, the national debt stands at $1.3 trillion, and it will cost $55.6 billion just to service this debt. That is more money than the government spends on Canada health transfer payments and more than the government collects in GST revenue. It works out to be more than $3,000 per Canadian household just to pay the interest on that debt. Meanwhile, Canada's GDP growth is stuck at 1.1%, the second-lowest in the G7, and the unemployment rates will average 6.4% over the next five years. It is not just Conservatives speaking out about this Liberal disastrous deficit spending.”
“I am pleased to rise to speak today on behalf of the great people of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte about the Liberal government's latest budget, a budget that would fail Canadians on every front from affordability to jobs, housing and immigration. I would like to focus on the unfortunate state of this country's finances after 10 years of deficit budgets and how the Liberal government's inflationary policies are affecting families in my community. Let us start with some facts. Under the Prime Minister , the budget would add $321.7 billion to the federal debt over the next five years. That is more than twice what Justin Trudeau would have added in the same period, and we all know that he was not afraid to spend. That eyewatering number equals roughly $10 million every hour added to our national debt.”
“I would like to remind all my colleagues here, in case anybody is in the Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte area, as well as local residents, that we have some great parades coming up that I will be partaking in. We have one on Sunday, December 7, at Elmvale, which is always a great turnout. We have one on Saturday, December 13 in Warminster and on Sunday, December 14, in Anten Mills. I will be partaking in all those, and I am looking forward to that. It is always nice to see people there and wish them a merry Christmas, so I encourage others to come out to enjoy the parade. I see my colleague down the row here smiling. He looks like he may be just driving over from the Goderich area to join us over there, so I look forward to that. That will be nice. Let us get to business now.”
“Mr. Speaker, just before we get going, I would like to put everybody in the festive spirit. This may be the last time we speak before we leave next week, and I want to say merry Christmas, happy holidays and the best of the new year. I would like to remind people that there is a lot of great charity work going on in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte. Some of the charities are doing great work to help out the needy, and I remind people to keep supporting them and the people who are volunteering to do that. I thank them for the hard work they do. I will be working the kettle a few times over the holidays, and I look forward to it. It is always fun, but it is also rewarding because it is nice to say hello to people and to get those donations, which are much needed. The Salvation Army does fantastic work.”
“To those who need help during these challenging times, please know that these organizations in their community will be there to help support them. I thank the employees, volunteers and donors who help support the vital work of these charities. From my family to the families of all members, I wish everyone a very merry Christmas, happy holidays and happy new year. To the students who are here from Barrie today, joyeux Noël .”
“Mr. Speaker, Christmas is right around the corner, and in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, the festivities are already in full swing, with Santa Claus parades, Christmas markets and, most importantly, the spirit of giving. Year-round in my community, charities do outstanding work to help the residents of our community, especially during the holiday season. Our local charities, such as the Barrie Food Bank, the Elmvale and District Food Bank, Christmas Cheer, Senior Wish Association, the Salvation Army and Barrie Families Unite, work tirelessly to help support families in putting food on the table and gifts under the tree. As we enter this giving season, I encourage all those who are able to do so to donate to a local food bank or shelter.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have to apologize. There was a lack of my getting my translator up to my ear in time, so I will just go over some of the things that we are trying to resolve here today. I hope this helps him with some answers. I would like to highlight that, through 2015 to 2023, total violent crime was up by 49.84%. Total homicides were up 27.75%. Sexual assaults were up 74.83%. Total violent firearms offences were up 116.41%. Extortion was up 357%. Auto theft was up 45.7%. Total sexual violations against children were up 118%. These are just absolutely atrocious numbers. These are all numbers that have happened under the Liberals' watch from 2015 to 2023. We need to take a closer look at bail reform and make sure that criminals stay behind bars.”
“As I had mentioned, the perpetrator had been arrested, just within the past two years prior to this, 17 different times and released on bail. They had over 100 interactions. Today, we are talking about reforming the bail act. It is amazing. We are reforming something that has been done over and over under the Liberals, but we are not getting it straight. We need to get this right. We need to make sure that the public is safe. We need to make sure that police officers are safe. We need to make sure that criminals, especially ones who have had 17 different arrests and convictions in two years, stay behind bars.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for dropping by Barrie in the summer. I welcome all of my colleagues from all sides to get off Highway 400 and come into Barrie. It is a great city. We are always welcoming everybody there, and we will give them a little tour around. We are doing a great job right now. Our mayor is currently cleaning up under a state of emergency, cleaning up what has been left behind and trying to clean up encampments. It is looking quite good. Come by and look at the fine work that Barrie, the Barrie Police and the mayor are doing there. I thank the member for those words about my city. Yes, I am glad that the hon. member mentioned the tragic incident of the Barrie police officer who was stabbed while on duty at a local fast-food restaurant. He was just trying to enjoy himself but got caught in a situation there.”
“Mr. Speaker, I have to be honest. I thank the member for not yelling at me as you were all morning at everybody else. I appreciate that. I will mention, when say you want action, that the type of action I am hearing from the Liberal Party across is action such as that of your member for Victoria , who is on record calling for defunding the police, for disarming most police and for promoting drug decriminalization. That is on record. The Conservative Party does not stand for any of those motions. The type of action that we would be going for is putting criminals away under a tighter bail system.”
“Conservatives will work collaboratively to ensure that the legislation is strengthened and genuinely achieves the goal of keeping our communities safe. We hope that all parties will come together during the committee process to pass reasonable amendments. Unless these changes are made, serious and dangerous offenders will continue to walk free, communities will remain at risk and families will continue to live in fear. Canadians deserve better. They deserve a government that puts their safety first. They deserve a justice system that protects victims, not criminals. That is why we are calling on the Liberal government to work with us to end the scourge of crime, chaos and disorder in our streets. It is time to restore safety, accountability and justice for all Canadians.”
“Commissioner Thomas Carrique of the OPP noted that a significant number of youth are participating in organized auto theft rings, many of them armed. Deputy Chief Robert Johnson of the Toronto Police Service told the committee that one-third of individuals arrested for carjacking in Toronto were young offenders. Beyond auto theft, Clayton Campbell, president of the Toronto Police Association, recently informed the justice committee that in Toronto alone, more than a dozen youth were charged with murder in the past year and 102 illegal firearms were seized from youth in the city. This underscores the urgent need to update our justice and bail laws to reflect the changing landscape of offender profiles in Canada.”
“Conservatives believe that we must restore mandatory minimum sentences for serious violent offences, including firearms, kidnapping, human trafficking, robbery, extortion with a firearm, arson and others. The repeal of these sentences under Bill C-5 was wrong and has led to crime and chaos in our communities. Another point that we hope to see improvements on is what offences would be eligible for house arrest. We are very concerned that individuals charged with robbery, drug trafficking and firearms offences would still be eligible for house arrest under the legislation. That being said, it is promising to see changes proposed to the youth criminal justice system. Last session, while studying the auto theft crisis in Canada, we learned about the startling prevalence of young people involved in violent crimes.”
“While we welcome any constructive efforts to try to fix our broken bail system and bring safety back to our communities, Conservatives believe that the legislation does not go far enough. The most significant example of the legislation missing the mark is on the principle of restraint. Bill C-14 now confirms that restraint does not require release. However, it still provides a pathway to release and retains the directive to apply the least onerous conditions on an offender. Conservatives believe that the principle of restraint clause should be replaced entirely by a clause that prioritizes public and community safety as the governing principle. We also believe that the bill does not reform sentencing in a truly meaningful way.”
“They are a result of dangerous offenders' being released on bail, time and time again, because of the Liberal government's catch-and-release bail laws. While the Liberal government was denying that there were any issues with our bail system, Conservatives were fighting for solutions. In just this session, Conservatives have introduced several pieces of legislation to address skyrocketing crime rates, including Bill C-242 , the jail not bail act, to extend reverse onus for major crimes and protect first responders, and Bill C-246 , which proposes to make a consecutive sentence mandatory for such crimes as sexual assault. The Liberal government has ignored or voted against both pieces of legislation.”
“He stated: When these perpetrators are brought before the courts, and when they are released and the officers can clearly see an elevated risk—they're released into communities, and they further victimize innocent, law-abiding Canadians, including police officers in the lawful execution of their duties—it is very demoralizing for our officers. Police services are facing serious recruitment and retention challenges because of the extraordinary risks officers face when trying to apprehend these individuals. This is not just a public safety crisis, but it is a mental health crisis for those on the front lines. Officers are exhausted and demoralized; they are leaving the profession in record numbers. Who suffers? It is every Canadian who depends on them for safety. These tragedies are not isolated and did not happen in a vacuum.”
“Recently, Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association, appeared before the justice committee. I asked him how incidents like these are affecting the mental health of officers on the front lines. He told the committee that officers are being assaulted every day by repeat offenders. He shared a horrifying story from April, when an offender attempted to set a police officer on fire by pouring a flammable liquid on him during an arrest attempt. (1515) Thomas Carrique, who is the OPP commissioner and president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, told the justice committee something similar.”
“We witnessed a string of violent incidents over the summer, including the tragic murder of Bailey McCourt by her ex-husband just hours after he was released on bail following an assault conviction. In my own community, OPP Constable Greg Pierzchala, a Barrie resident, was ambushed and murdered by a violent repeat offender who was out on bail and under a lifetime firearms ban. Just last year, Constable Jim Peters, a Barrie police officer, was stabbed while on duty by a repeat violent offender who was on probation at the time of the stabbing. Thankfully, Jim has recovered. In the two years leading up to this incident, the individual responsible had been arrested and released 17 times and had over 100 interactions with the Barrie Police Service.”
“In 2023, the Liberal government tabled Bill C-48 , which expanded reverse onus provisions but did not make it more difficult to get bail and did nothing to make it harder for repeat violent offenders to get bail. I have talked to police services across the country and have been on ride-alongs in several cities from coast to coast, and I hear the same thing time and time again, which is that a very small number of people are responsible for the majority of crimes. These are offenders who are arrested and released the same day and go on to commit crimes while on release. These individuals are placing a strain on our courts, our communities and our first responders.”
“These troubling statistics represent shattered lives, broken families and communities living in fear. How did we get here? The Liberal government introduced soft-on-crime legislation like Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 , which gave high priority to releasing repeat violent offenders and took away mandatory jail time for certain violent crimes, unleashing a crime wave across the country. Specifically, Bill C-75 enshrined the principles of restraint in law, which direct the courts to release offenders at the earliest reasonable opportunity and under the least onerous conditions. Bill C-5 abolished most mandatory minimum sentences and made house arrest a possibility for serious, heinous crimes like sexual assault and drug trafficking.”
“Communities that were once peaceful and welcoming are now plagued by crime. The downtown core of almost every major city in Canada is overwhelmed by drug use, break-ins and public disorder. The numbers do not lie. Since 2015, violent crime is up 55%, firearms crime has surged by 130%, extortion has skyrocketed by 330%, sexual assaults are up 76% and homicides have risen by 29%. The Macdonald-Laurier Institute recently released the “Urban Violent Crime Report”, which studied the crime rates in 20 of Canada's largest census metropolitan areas. The results are shocking. Over the past decade, the violent crime rate and sexual assault rate increased in all 20 census metropolitan areas. Notably, the violent crime severity index is up by 71% in Kitchener, 63% in Quebec City and 61% in St. Catharines. These are not just numbers.”
“Finally, it would add new aggravating factors, mandate certain consecutive sentences, restrict house arrest for sexual offenders and strengthen youth custody and disclosure powers. Conservatives have been pushing for meaningful changes to fix our broken bail system for years, and I am pleased to see that steps are being taken to ensure safety in our communities after decades of decline under the Liberal government. In fact, this piece of legislation is a rare admission from the Liberal government that its approach to the criminal justice system has failed. By tabling this legislation, it is acknowledging the 41% increase in the violent crime severity index in the past decade and the increases in homicide, sexual assault and extortion offences, which happened under its watch. Residents in my community and across Canada are living in fear.”
“Mr. Speaker, perhaps I should take a minute or two to thank the great people of Barrie who attended the Barrie Santa Claus parade this past weekend, even in the rain. It was great to see everybody out there. It was nice, a good parade. I thank the Greater Barrie Chamber of Commerce for putting it on. Let us get into the fun stuff. I am pleased to rise today to speak on behalf of the great people of Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte about Bill C-14 . Bill C-14 seeks to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act to clarify that the principle of restraint introduced by the Liberal government does not require release. It also proposes to expand reverse onus offences and would direct courts to weigh the number and gravity of outstanding charges when determining bail.”
“Mr. Speaker, the question is for my great colleague from the beautiful town of Moose Jaw, which I had the pleasure of visiting this past summer, and I met with some of the police, the law enforcement officers there. The member was unavailable to meet me as he was out of town when I got there. There has been a huge rise in crime in Barrie, my city. In fact, one police officer in our town was stabbed by a gentleman who had been arrested and released on bail 17 times in two years. Are you hearing the same things in your area?”
“Mr. Speaker, just quickly, I have been here this morning for a couple of hours, and I have heard the members opposite from the Liberal government talking about bail reform. Maybe the member on our side, the Conservative side, could answer this since she has been here for over 10 years. Who has been in power for the last two years? What do the words “bail reform” mean, and why are we sitting here talking about bail reform after someone has been in charge for 10 years?”
“Maybe the member on this side could make clear what is going on in Canada and why it is important today to try to pass the bill to put people in jail and stop bail.”
“Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to the words of my colleague. In Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte, we have a terrible crime issue. The mayor has actually ordered a state of emergency to be put in place to help deal with some of the lawlessness going on. I was surprised to hear from the Liberal member opposite that the crime rates are going down. I have in my hand numbers from Stats Canada, saying that total violent crime is up 49.84%, homicides are up 27.75%, sexual assaults are up 74%, total firearms offences are up 116%, extortion is up 357% and auto theft is up 45%. I could keep going, but they are all up. The residents in my riding are definitely concerned that they are going up.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her words this morning. I would like some clarification. Last year in Barrie, a police officer was stabbed while on duty. The person who stabbed him had been arrested and released over 17 times in the two years prior to that altercation. I wonder if the member opposite could speak to this motion and if she will support it. Then I could go back to this officer and tell him that we in the House of Commons are actually doing something to try and help him and his team and support the residents of Barrie.”
“Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to the words that were presented this morning. We know this is an issue right across Canada, but specifically, I would like to mention a couple of statistics coming out of Barrie. Right now, there are over 500 households using the Barrie Food Bank each day, and 38% of those clients are now children. Those are heartbreaking statistics. Will the member opposite support our common-sense Conservative motion today to help lower pricing on groceries?”
“Mr. Speaker, recently in Barrie, there was a Barrie police officer, Constable Jim Peters, who was stabbed while on duty. He was stabbed by an accused individual who had been arrested and released 17 times two years prior to that incident and had had over 100 interactions with Barrie Police Service. This type of rampant crime and chaos must end. What would this motion today do to help officers like this?”