Rhonda Kirkland
Oshawa, Ontario · Conservative · Canada
“I find the Liberal government's response, both in committee and in the House, to be very arrogant and dismissive of the process that we have in the House for a reason.”
“Conservatives have been clear from the beginning: We support giving police the tools they need to pursue terrorists, child predators, organized crime networks and cybercriminals. With proper judicial authorization, law enforcement should be able to obtain lawful access to necessary and relevant evidence when investigating serious crimes.”
“13, to cut off debate and ram the bill through committee and through Parliament, moved by the Liberal public safety minister and the Liberal government, is an admission that the bill is so flawed that it cannot possibly withstand debate and scrutiny. I think the Liberals are afraid to answer the questions.”
“Our amendment to the motion even is reasonable: to split the bill, pass what we can agree on and do this right. Canadians expect us to do our homework, to read the fine print and to identify problems before legislation becomes law, not after. Most of all, Canadians expect Parliament to function as more than a government approval machine.”
“Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate the work ethic of my friend and colleague who sits with me on the public safety committee and the amount that she has studied this bill. We studied it in depth, and I appreciate her being thankful for all the staff who have done this work with us as well.”
“Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Richmond Centre—Marpole . I have been a member for just over a year, 12 or 14 months, and I think I am more disappointed this week than I have been in my entire time in the House.”
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“These organizations do extraordinary work supporting survivors, advocating for safety and providing a lifeline to women, men and children in danger. I also want to thank the intimate partner violence unit of the Durham Regional Police Service, which is also based in Oshawa, for its dedicated efforts to respond to these cases with professionalism, compassion and urgency. Oshawa formally declared intimate partner violence an epidemic this past March. The Denise House, a 33-bed shelter for women and children fleeing violence, shared with me the reality behind that declaration. Last year, it supported more than 300 women but was forced to turn away more than 600 others because there was simply no space.”
“(1145) Bill C-225 would also create clear stand-alone offences for intimate partner violence, including assault, assault with a weapon, causing bodily harm, aggravated assault, criminal harassment and uttering threats. This legislation additionally would empower courts to order risk-of-reoffending assessments at any stage. It would allow judges to detain an accused person for a short period to complete a professional assessment when needed to protect victims. The bill also would modernize how seized evidence is handled, extending retention periods to ensure investigations are thorough and victims remain safe. I want to take a moment to thank Victim Services of Durham Region, Luke's Place and The Denise House, all located in my hometown of Oshawa.”
“These numbers are disturbing, and each represents a broken home, a traumatized child or a family that will never be the same. They show that the epidemic of intimate partner violence is escalating. Doing nothing is not an option. Bill C-225 , introduced by my colleague, the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola , is a serious, targeted and urgently needed response, which is why I was proud to jointly second this bill in this session. One important step that C-225 would make is that the murder of a current or former intimate partner is automatically deemed first-degree murder, whether it was planned or not. This reflects the tragic reality that intimate partner killings often follow long patterns of control, coercion and escalating violence. It would guarantee that the harshest penalties would be applied in these cases.”
“No family should ever live through that. Unfortunately, stories like Bailey's are not isolated. Intimate partner violence is significantly under-reported, with just 36%, one-third, of intimate partner violence cases reported. Victims are often caught in a cycle of fear, trauma and economic dependence. Far too often, they feel trapped, unheard and unprotected by the very system that is supposed to safeguard them. In 2024, police reported 142,724 victims of family violence, which included nearly 130,000 victims of intimate partner violence. Since 2014, there have been 1,755 family-related homicides in Canada, and nearly six in 10 of the victims were women or girls. More than 25,000 children and youth were victims of family violence last year, along with more than 7,600 seniors.”
“As a mother of two children, I think about the kind of Canada I want them to grow up in: a Canada where the justice system protects the vulnerable, where violent repeat offenders are held accountable and where no child has to witness the suffering or loss of a parent because the system failed to do its job. Canadians have not forgotten and will not forget the tragic story of Bailey McCourt, a young woman whose life was stolen just hours after the judicial system failed her. Her husband murdered her three hours after he was convicted for assault and threats. He walked out of court and carried out a fatal attack on Bailey. This is why I am proud to stand here today in support of Bailey's law. As a mother, I cannot imagine the grief her family carries. I cannot imagine the unimaginable pain of telling a child why their mother is gone.”
“By the time we sit on Wednesday, another woman will be killed by intimate partner violence, and again on Friday, and so on and so forth. It is impossible to hear “every 48 hours” and not feel the weight of what we are up against. Behind each heartbreaking news headline, real families are suffering, because Canada's broken criminal justice system is not working. The human cost of these reckless policies is devastating. According to Statistics Canada's most recent report, intimate partner violence grew by 14% between 2018 and 2024. In 2024 alone, more than one-quarter of all victims of violent crime were victimized by a current or former intimate partner. These are not just numbers; they are lives.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise this morning on behalf of my neighbours in Oshawa to speak in strong support of Bill C-225 , a bill that would protect victims, hold repeat offenders accountable and strengthen Canada's ability to respond to the growing epidemic of intimate partner violence. For 10 years, Canadians have lived under Liberal hug-a-thug policies that have made our communities less safe. Crime, chaos and disorder have become a daily reality in too many neighbourhoods, including in my own hometown of Oshawa. Intimate partner violence is nothing short of an epidemic in this country. It has been said before that, every 48 hours, a woman or girl is killed in Canada. That means, by that statistic, since the House was sitting last, a woman was killed due to intimate partner violence.”
“Mr. Speaker, I wonder if my colleague would like to take some time to elaborate on what our jobs are here, and specifically the jobs of the government and the ministers. Why do we need an extra layer of bureaucracy when they can simply keep promises?”
“Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister was asked whether he had spoken to Trump about trade, and guess what he did. He brushed off the question, saying, “Who cares?” The Prime Minister may not think it is a serious matter, but Conservatives do and so do auto workers in Oshawa and across Ontario and Quebec, who are seeing their jobs disappear. Thousands of auto jobs are leaving Canada, and workers justifiably feel that their jobs do not matter because the Prime Minister said so. If the Prime Minister will not fight for Canadian auto workers, then who is he fighting for? Is it Brookfield?”
“Mr. Speaker, I was very touched when I heard the member for Cambridge talk about her grandmother and how, when she came to Canada, her fridge was full of groceries. I thought very long and hard at that moment about the seniors and the mothers in my riding who are struggling to feed their family and to keep the lights and the heat on. I would ask if the member would take a few moments and share some stories or let us know what her constituents are saying about this budget and the fact that they need an affordable budget, not the kind that has been presented here in the House.”
“Mr. Speaker, what is clear is that instead of negotiating deals for Canadian auto workers, what the Prime Minister cares about is being more interested in negotiating deals for Brookfield. Oshawa is set to lose thousands of jobs this January, even though the Prime Minister promised to negotiate a win. This is a burning issue for Oshawa auto workers, so why is it not a burning issue for the Prime Minister ?”
“Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister was asked this weekend whether he had spoken to Trump about trade, he said, “Who cares?” Apparently, there is not a “burning issue”. Well, Conservatives care, and so do the thousands of Oshawa auto workers at the GM assembly plant who are losing their jobs because of the trade war. How can the Prime Minister look Oshawa auto workers in the eye and tell them he does not care and that their jobs do not matter?”
“Even while families struggle, Liberals hiked the industrial carbon tax, making food, farming and groceries even more expensive. How many more families will be forced to line up at food banks before the government finally admits to the dire reality Canadians are facing?”
“Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government is the most expensive in Canadian history. Food prices are rising 40% faster here than in the United States, crushing workers, families, seniors and young people. Today, Simcoe Hall Settlement House in Oshawa shared heartbreaking news. Families who have never needed help before are now walking into the food bank. Even long-time donors cannot give anymore because they are now struggling just to get by. One mother said her kids sometimes miss school because she cannot afford to pack a lunch. Instead of giving parents real relief so they can afford to feed their own families, the Liberals point to a national school food program that does nothing to fix the affordability crisis at its root.”
“The bill is ready to become law. Victims deserve information they can rely on, and they deserve a system that treats them with respect. The bill would deliver a simple and necessary change that will finally give victims transparency where there has only been disregard. I urge Parliament to finish the work that began years ago, make this protection permanent and pass the bill through all stages quickly and unanimously.”
“She simply refused to accept a system that repeatedly disregarded her. She supports other victims. She has written books; she holds workshops and vigils, and she continually pushes for transparency so that no one else will have to suffer what her family endured. Lisa's father showed courage that day when he protected someone in danger. Today, she carries that courage forward in her advocacy for victims, and the bill reflects her determination to create a better path for future victims. It will not change what she went through, but she hopes that others will be able to go through the parole process without the same harm and hurt that she did. Bill C-221 is a testament to what can be achieved when victims speak and when lawmakers listen. It shows what is possible when a community refuses to let injustice stand unchallenged.”
“The consensus was clear across political lines, across both chambers and among those who work directly with victims every day. Today, with Bill C-221 , we have the chance to complete that work. We have a chance to take a bill that has already earned national agreement and turn it into real protection for victims and their families. The bill before us would not fix every problem with our parole system; much more needs to be done to ensure that victims' rights are upheld and that their participation is respected at every stage. However, it is a significant step. It is targeted and reasonable. It addresses a specific gap that has caused hardship and fear for too many Canadians. Above all, it would ensure that the experiences faced by Lisa and her family are not repeated. Lisa never sought recognition or public attention.”
“The bill recognizes that victims are not observers on the sidelines; they are people deeply affected by each step of the parole process, and they deserve to be treated with dignity. What is also important is the overwhelming support the bill has earned. The previous version, Bill C-320 , passed unanimously in the House. It passed unanimously at committee. Every party in the House supported it. Independent senators supported it. Victims' rights organizations across Canada also voiced their support because they recognized that transparency in the parole process is essential to restoring trust. The bill was as close to becoming law as possible before the government prorogued Parliament so that the Liberals could hold a leadership race. However, it made it all the way to third reading in the Senate.”
“This bill would strengthen the Corrections and Conditional Release Act by requiring, by law, that when the Parole Board provides information about eligibility dates or review dates for temporary absences, releases or parole, it must include an explanation of how those dates were determined. (1810) Victims would no longer receive information without context. They would no longer be forced to interpret a system that feels deliberately opaque. They would receive clear reasoning so they can understand what is happening, prepare for what is coming and participate meaningfully in the process as they wish. For victims, this is not symbolic; it is practical and essential. It would provide predictability where there has been stress and uncertainty.”
“There are multiple forms of conditional release, multiple review stages and multiple opportunities for offenders to return to the community, sometimes years earlier than the public expects or the sentence implies. When victims are not given the information they need, this complexity becomes overwhelming and damaging, and it forces families to relive trauma again and again. This is what Bill C-221 addresses. The current mandate under the Parole Board of Canada is that it is able to provide certain information to registered victims, but this practice is inconsistent today. Victims do not always receive timely or adequate information. They are left with vague dates, incomplete updates and no understanding of how decisions were made. This is not a minor administrative issue. It is a systematic failure that has caused real harm.”
“She has spent most of her adult life navigating the parole process, not by choice but because every decision made about the offender directly affects her sense of safety and her family's well-being. However, time and time again, she was left without the information she needed. Major decisions were made without her knowledge. Transfers happened without notice. Security levels changed with no explanation. Hearing dates shifted unpredictably. Too often, the reasons behind these decisions were never provided at all. At times, she was shut out of the process completely, except Lisa refused to stay silent. Many Canadians believe that, when a judge hands down a life sentence with no parole for 25 years, the meaning is clear, but for victims and their families, the reality is far more complicated.”
“Roland was a caretaker at a rooming house. He was a navy veteran and a father of four daughters. He was murdered while trying to protect a woman fleeing domestic violence. The axe murderer who killed him had gone looking for his estranged girlfriend, and Roland refused to reveal where she was living. He did what any decent person would do. He put someone else's safety first, and for that courageous act, he lost his life. What our community later learned was even harder to process. The man who murdered Roland Slingerland was on parole at the time for previous offences. He had already been released back into the community. The system that was supposed to safeguard the public did not do so. It failed Roland and his family, and the impact of that failure has lasted more than three decades. For Lisa, that impact did not end with the trial.”
“Bill C-221 is rooted in real stories and responds directly to real failures that have left victims without clear information, timely notice or the transparency they deserve. I want to thank my colleague, the member for Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies , for reintroducing this crucial legislation and providing me the honour of seconding it. To understand why this bill matters, we have to understand its origin. More than 30 years ago, my community of Oshawa was shaken by the murder of Roland Slingerland. I remember that time. I was a young teenager, and the shock of his death spread quickly through the city. People talked about it in school, in the neighbourhood and around the dinner table. It was one of those moments that made the entire community stop and confront the reality of violence in our midst.”
“Madam Speaker, it is a privilege to rise in support of this bill. It holds deep meaning for victims of violent crime and for me, personally, as a resident and the newest member of Parliament for Oshawa. Bill C-221 builds upon years of advocacy for greater transparency and fairness in Canada's parole system. It also continues the work of my predecessor, the former member of Parliament for Oshawa, Dr. Colin Carrie, who introduced this initiative as Bill C-320 in the 44th Parliament. It is inspired by the strength and determination of Oshawa resident, and my good friend, Lisa Freeman. I had the privilege of working with Dr. Carrie during the time when he was advancing this bill. We listened to victims and pushed for a justice system that acknowledges their needs. I saw how deeply Lisa's experiences and advocacy shaped this legislation.”
“Conservatives want a hopeful future. For our young people, we want homes, jobs and hope. For our seniors, we want affordability. We want to bring back the promise of Canada.”
“Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Prime Minister spends comes directly out of Canadians' pockets. The Liberal government's 10th budget delivers the largest deficit outside of the COVID years at $78 billion. It will add more fuel to the inflation fire, and Canadians will continue to struggle to afford groceries. Poverty and food insecurity have risen nearly 40% in just two years, yet the Liberals keep gaslighting Canadians by insisting their hidden taxes on food and fuel are imaginary. Conservatives have put forward real solutions to make life affordable, such as cutting the industrial carbon tax, the food-packaging tax and the fuel standards tax. Instead, the Liberals chose to give tax breaks to elites purchasing private jets and yachts. My neighbours in Oshawa are clear. They do not want a costly election. They wanted an affordable budget.”
“Mr. Speaker, every dollar the Liberals spend comes straight out of the pockets of Canadians through higher taxes and the skyrocketing cost of living. The Liberals can gaslight and call the fuel regulations tax imaginary all they want, but my neighbours in Oshawa will feel the hit of up to 17¢ per litre more for gas. Will the Prime Minister stop trying to engineer a costly election with a costly budget and finally scrap the fuel regulations tax?”
“Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the member would comment on what he would say to young people in my riding of Oshawa about this. We recently put a post on social media about two fast-food restaurants that had applied for temporary foreign workers, and I simply asked whether it was possible that young people in my riding did not want the jobs. Many folks wrote that it was not true; they had applied and, for some reason, could not get a job. I wonder how the member would respond to those young people.”
“Madam Speaker, let us get back to the truth, which is that the Liberals have no credible jobs plan for young Canadians. My son happens to be with me this week. He is a fourth-year economics student at the University of Western Ontario. This past summer it took him until August to find a summer job, and now he is unemployed again and looking for something else. What does the member have to say to my son? Let me add that we do not blame immigrants; we blame the Liberal government for failed immigration policies.”
“Madam Speaker, I will ask my colleague a similar question to that I asked a colleague previously. It has to do with the statistics from 2019 to 2023, which state that 1,074 murders were committed by criminals who were out on bail. We do not have the numbers for 2024 and 2025 yet. The member opposite continues to ask if the Conservatives will pass the bill quickly, and he says we should pass the bill quickly because all the organizations and police associations are saying we should do it. To my colleague, why did members opposite vote against the Conservative motion to pass Bill C-242 quickly when the same associations asked the House to do so?”
“Madam Speaker, I wonder if my colleague could comment on a couple of things. I very quickly looked at a few numbers. Since Bill C-75 passed, there were 182 murders committed by people out on bail in 2019, 198 in 2020, 171 in 2021, 256 in 2022 and 267 in 2023. We do not have numbers for 2024 and 2025. This does not include intimate partner violence abuse and child abuse by criminals who were out on bail. A member opposite said that we have all these organizations supporting this bill and asked why we cannot support it. Why does my colleague think the members opposite did not support our motion to quickly pass Bill C-242 , the bail not jail bill, when all of those same organizations urged them to support it?”
“Mr. Speaker, I think my speech was super clear on this. The problem, in the first place, started with Bill C-75 in 2019 and continued with Bill C-5 and the reduction of mandatory minimum sentences. Canadians have been feeling so completely unsafe in their communities for six years. Police associations have been begging us to change this for years. The comments made by folks in Whitby, under a Facebook post by the member for Whitby , made it clear. The revolving door the Liberals are trying to destroy was created by them, built by them and made to work by them so that serious violent offenders could continue to be released on our streets to murder, abuse and harm Canadians on a daily basis.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is a legitimate question. Yes, we had Bill C-242 , which is still on the Order Paper. However, the measures in Bill C-242 go far beyond what Bill C-14 would do. Of course, if we can see some marked improvement with Bill C-14, a small step is better than no step at all. We will certainly put the public safety of Canadians first, as always.”
“Mr. Speaker, the only response I can give to that is, what took so long? We have had 10 years of Liberal failure and, for six years, we have seen the devastating effects of Bill C-75 and Bill C-5 . There is so much that needs to be done. What about all the people lost in all that time for whom we have been advocating? We have been speaking to the police associations. In six years, how many deaths were there? How many assaults on how many women were there? That is my answer.”
“Bill C-246 would amend the Criminal Code to ensure that sentences for sexual offences are served consecutively rather than concurrently. Bill S-233 , which was recently passed in the Senate and tabled here in the House, and which I was proud to second, would amend the Criminal Code to make it an explicit aggravating factor when assaults involve first responders and health care workers. (1340) Conservatives have been listening. Bill C-14 might sound right, but sound bites do not stop bullies. After all, it took the Liberals six years, multiple ministers and countless victims to finally admit what the Conservatives have been saying since 2019, which is that catch-and-release does not work. We must protect Canadians and finally scrap Liberal bail for good.”
“As always, the devil is in the details and Conservatives will make sure, through amendments, that the bill is as strong as possible. Conservatives believe public safety must be the overriding test in bail decisions. While the government plays catch-up, Conservatives have already been leading. We have introduced and supported legislation to strengthen our justice system, protect first responders and stand with victims. Bill C-225 , a Conservative private member's bill, would strengthen protections for victims of intimate partner violence. Bill C-221 , inspired by Oshawa resident Lisa Freeman, would amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to guarantee that victims of crime receive full disclosure.”
“I want to thank Durham Regional Police's intimate partner violence unit, based in Oshawa, for the critical work it does every day. The officers and advocates, some of them close friends, stand on the front lines of some of the most dangerous and emotionally devastating situations. I thank each and every one of them from the bottom of my heart. I thank them for the incredible work they do, day in and day out, to serve Oshawa. When our justice system releases violent abusers back into the same communities where their victims live, it fails those victims completely. Bill C-14 must ensure that repeat domestic violence offenders face real consequences and that public safety, especially for women and children, comes first. After years of Conservative advocacy and Liberal denial, the government now claims it wants to act.”
“One of the most heartbreaking and pervasive forms of violence in this country is intimate partner violence. It is nothing short of an epidemic. Every 48 hours in Canada, a woman or girl is killed. Recently, I spoke with Cait Alexander from End Violence Everywhere, who survived an attack by her ex-partner when he was out on bail. Her advocacy is giving survivors a voice and exposing the gaps in our justice system. As she has said, Canada has become a graveyard of preventable deaths, with innocent women and children paying the ultimate price while begging for reform and safety. In Oshawa, I have also heard from Victim Services of Durham Region, The Denise House and Luke's Place. They provide life-saving resources, including shelter, counselling and legal support for women and children fleeing abuse.”
“We see recidivists being at the core of these very, very serious criminal offences..., people we had the opportunity to [detain, to protect victims] and future victims, and that has not occurred. Chief Moreira was right. Police leaders across the country have been warning that Liberal policies are putting Canadians in danger. It should not have taken years of tragedy for the Liberals to admit they were wrong. Bill C-14 represents a rare Liberal admission that their justice reforms have failed. It attempts to patch the damage caused by Bill C-75 and Bill C-5 but still clings to the same failed framework. This shift is not driven by principle but by politics, yet it is a clear vindication of what Conservatives have said for six long years: Catch-and-release has put Canadians in danger.”
“These are the men and women on the front lines, and they have been sounding the alarm for a long time, long before the government finally decided to have half a listen. At the Victims and Survivors Symposium in Mississauga last month, the Durham Regional Police Service chief, Chief Peter Moreira, put it bluntly. He said, “C-75, introduced in 2019...fundamentally changed bail in this country”. He went on to say: You can see the problems with C-75. It has...created this imbalance.... One of the driving principles behind C-75 was to impose the least onerous conditions possible.... That sounds great in concept, but...it needs to be balanced against...the safety of victims [and the community].”
“May both women rest in peace as we continue this fight in their names and in the names of countless others. I saw the frustration first-hand this summer in Oshawa when I met with Andrew Tummonds and Tim Morrison from the Durham Regional Police Association. They told me what police officers and civilian members have been saying for years: Our justice system has tied their hands. They arrest the same violent offenders again and again, only to see them released the next day, sometimes within hours. (1335) These officers and civilian members need stronger bail laws and the resources to enforce them, monitor offenders, support victims and keep dangerous individuals off our streets.”
“In 2022, Bill C-5 eliminated mandatory jail time for serious crimes, such as robbery with a firearm, drug trafficking and sexual assault. The results have been devastating. Since 2015, violent crime is up 55%, firearm offences are up 130%, extortion has risen by over 300%, sexual assaults are up 76% and homicides are up 29% across Canada. These are not abstract numbers. I know I mention them often in the House, but this is because there is a victim behind each statistic, a family shattered and a community left reeling. This summer saw the heartbreaking murder of Bailey McCourt, who was killed by her ex-husband just hours after he was released on bail. Just this month, Savannah Kulla, a 29-year-old mother of four, was shot and killed in Brampton. Her accused killer was also out on bail.”
“Looks a bit like Bill C-242, but that's okay, right, elbows up?” Scott said, “You guys installed the revolving door.” Derek said, “You know you could have also gotten rid of the bail reform...but instead we got a cut down version of what the [Liberals] voted down last month”. James said, “Look at us! We're slapping a bandaid on the problem we created!” Steve said, “Let's break it, then glue some pieces back together. We can say we are the ‘New Government’ [and] they will never know!” Kent said, “Look at us taking years to realize conservatives were right the whole time.” In 2019, Bill C-75 enshrined the principle of restraint, directing judges to release offenders at the earliest opportunity, even those with violent histories.”
“I would like to mention a post by one of the Durham Region Liberal MPs, the member for Whitby , who wrote, “Justice is no longer a revolving door. With the Minister of Justice...unveiling the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, our new government is closing the loopholes that once allowed repeat and violent offenders to slip through the cracks.” I thought it would be prudent to repeat some of the comments made on this post by constituents of mine, as well as others in the Durham Region. John said, “‘Slip through the cracks’? How did it take you ten years to claim to fix a problem that you created with reduced bail and lenient sentences[?]” Darren said, “Thank you...for doing the Conservative thing. Pierre and team are proud.”
“This is a direct consequence of the Liberal government's soft-on-crime agenda through bills like Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 , which stripped away mandatory jail time and created a culture of catch-and-release. After years of pressure from Conservatives, pressure the Liberals once dismissed as fearmongering, they have finally admitted what every Canadian already knows, which is that their so-called justice reforms were a disaster. We are now debating Bill C-14 , the bail and sentencing reform act, which is a bill the Liberals claim would fix the very problems they, of course, created. Let us be clear: Conservatives will work to make sure the bill actually scraps Liberal bail and does not just rebrand it.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola . As always, it is a privilege to rise on behalf of the wonderful folks of Oshawa. I also want to wish all families in Oshawa a happy Halloween tomorrow and remind everyone that on the last Friday in October, we mark poppy day, when Canadians begin wearing the poppy in remembrance of those who have served and continue to serve our country. A lot of Canadians are living in a country they no longer recognize. Repeat violent offenders are terrorizing our streets. Law-abiding families are locking their doors in fear and are being encouraged to follow a 9 p.m. shutter routine; meanwhile, the same criminals are released over and over again, free to reoffend within hours.”
“Mr. Speaker, I will make this quick. There is an old proverb saying that a wicked man flees when no one is pursuing him, but the righteous are bold as a lion. Basically, that means if someone has done nothing wrong, what is the reason for holding up this motion? If there is nothing to hide, why are they running? Let us just deal with it.”
“Mr. Speaker, it was refreshing to hear a speech in this House that was brought down to everyone's understanding and simplified. We understand that very simple amendments were made at committee. We have the committee process for a reason. I am wondering if the member would give his opinion on why the Liberal government is against simple amendments that would protect the safety of Canadians and the value of Canadian citizenship.”
“Mr. Speaker, police and law enforcement throughout the country know that Conservatives stand behind them. We always have. We always will. We support our police officers. We will never do what some Liberals across the way have done and call for the defunding of police. I find it despicable that they would accuse us of things that make no sense.”
“Mr. Speaker, do members know what I think is despicable? I think the member's comment, after I shared my nephew's death due to a fentanyl overdose, was uncalled for, uncaring and despicable. That is what I have to say to him.”