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Wednesday, June 14, 2023 · sitting No. 213

House advances national child care bill at third reading

The House spent the largest share of the sitting on third reading of Bill C-35, the Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act. Minister Karina Gould said the legislation would lock in the federal commitment to affordable child care and that every province and territory had now signed agreements. Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri questioned the minister on projected reductions in wait-lists.

Question period was dominated by exchanges over the transfer of Paul Bernardo to a medium-security institution. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino had known of the move for months and called on him to resign. Mendicino replied that he had been informed on May 30 and had ordered an immediate review.

Other oral questions addressed Chinese interference, grocery prices and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Decided that day

  • Failed second reading of Bill C-311 on violence against pregnant women
  • Adopted seventh report of the government operations committee
  • Passed private member's motion M-63 on anti-Asian racism
  • Gave third reading to Bill C-294 on copyright interoperability
  • Introduced Bill C-342

From the Hansard record of the sitting. Full Hansard

Question Period – June 14, 2023. Video from CPAC. Watch on YouTube

Who held the floor · 2023-06-14

Government (Liberal)OppositionOver the day: government 37%, opposition 63% of the words spokenQuestion PeriodGovernment business▲ Government side held the floor▼ Opposition held the floorOpened 14:0015:0016:0017:0018:0019:0020:0021:0022:00Last speech 23:35Time of day, Ottawa · the House sat 9 h 35 min · each dot is a stretch of debate, placed at the minute it began
67Bills advanced while answers wanderedThe House passed several measures including a copyright bill and an anti-racism motion, yet Question Period produced mostly deflected replies and seventeen points of order interrupted proceedings. Substantive debate occupied most of the day but yielded uneven results.AI-rated Score out of 100; the verdict and the answer ratings behind it are a model’s reading. How the AI rates this

AI-rated The sitting score and the rating of each answer come from a language model reading Hansard. How the AI rates this

Other moments

Democratic Institutions

Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien pressed the government to announce a public inquiry before the summer recess. Minister Dominic LeBlanc said a public process remained under consideration but must protect classified information.

Read the exchange

Grocery Industry

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the government must force greater transparency on grocery chains. Minister Randy Boissonnault said the budget had raised corporate taxes on banks and introduced a luxury tax.

Read the exchange

Carbon Tax

Conservative MP Clifford Small said Atlantic premiers had called the federal carbon tax insulting. He noted that heating fuel would rise by 20 cents a litre on July 1.

Read the exchange

Public Safety

Conservative MP Kevin Vuong said the government must move from talk to action against Chinese operatives. Parliamentary Secretary Marie-France Lalonde said foreign interference was a non-partisan threat to democratic institutions.

Read the exchange

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month in Canada

Liberal MP Francis Drouin marked ALS Awareness Month and noted that two to three Canadians are diagnosed daily. He called for continued research and support for patients and caregivers.

Read the exchange

Question Period, exchange by exchange

AI-rated Each answer’s rating (answered, partly answered, deflected, answered something else) is a model’s reading of the exchange. How the AI rates this

  1. deflected
    Public SafetyPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.Answer explains timeline and victim rights but avoids addressing resignation request.I was shocked because I was informed about it on May 30, the day after Mr. Bernardo was transferred to a medium-security institution.
  2. deflected
    Public SafetyPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.Answer repeats timeline and actions taken but does not address the resignation demand.As I said earlier, I was informed on May 30, the day after Paul Bernardo was physically transferred to a medium security institution.
  3. misdirected
    Public SafetyPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.Answer challenges the asker to repeat allegation outside instead of addressing the question.I invite the leader of the Conservative Party to repeat that allegation outside of the House.
  4. misdirected
    Public SafetyPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.Answer pivots to criticizing Conservatives and political interference rather than responding to the query.the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada lays out a prescription for political interference, which foreshadows what Canadians would get with a Conservative government.
  5. deflected
    Public SafetyPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.Answer discusses new directions and past Conservative cuts instead of addressing resignation or directive issuance.What did they get with Conservatives the last time they were in government? They got cuts to the Correctional Service of Canada in the amount of $300 million in their last year of government.
  6. partly answered
    Democratic InstitutionsMr. Alain Therrien (Bloc) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). substantive question.Answer acknowledges interest in inquiry and notes it has not been ruled out but discusses process concerns without committing.a public inquiry has never been ruled out.
  7. partly answered
    Democratic InstitutionsMr. Alain Therrien (Bloc) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). substantive question.Answer states public inquiry is an option under consideration but focuses on defining process details without a yes/no commitment.it is an option the government is considering.
  8. answered
    Public SafetyMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.Answer directly addresses notification timeline, corrective steps, and future instructions on victim rights.I was notified on May 30, the day after Paul Bernardo was transferred to a medium-security institution.
  9. deflected
    Public SafetyMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Bill Blair (Liberal). loaded question.The answer explains notification protocols without addressing the sarcastic claim about reading emails.Mr. Vigneault did not send his note to me, nor did he notify me that the information had been sent.
  10. deflected
    Public SafetyMrs. Dominique Vien (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.The answer addresses the date of notification but avoids the demand to resign.I was informed of that decision on May 30.
  11. deflected
    Public SafetyMrs. Dominique Vien (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.The answer repeats the notification date and new directives but ignores the resignation demand.I was informed of the transfer on May 30, as I have said many times.
  12. misdirected
    Public SafetyMs. Melissa Lantsman (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.The answer shifts to attacking the Conservatives instead of addressing which staff member was fired.While we were working around the clock to restore public safety, what were the Conservatives doing?
  13. deflected
    Public SafetyMs. Melissa Lantsman (Conservative) asked Mark Holland (Liberal). loaded question.The answer begins by acknowledging horror at the crimes but does not engage the resignation demand.
  14. deflected
    Public SafetyMs. Raquel Dancho (Conservative) asked Mark Holland (Liberal). loaded question.The answer pivots to a general call for victims-centred discussion without addressing trust or misleading claims.I would invite the opposition to participate in that discussion.
  15. deflected
    Public SafetyMs. Raquel Dancho (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.The answer defends actions on guns and police stations but sidesteps the pattern of misleading and trust question.The RCMP has repeatedly confirmed that it has taken disruptive action to stop foreign interference in relation to those so-called police stations.
  16. partly answered
    Democratic InstitutionsMr. René Villemure (Bloc) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). substantive question.The answer acknowledges the need for a public process but does not commit to an independent public inquiry.As we have always said, the country, Canadians and parliamentarians will benefit from a public process that will follow up on Mr. Johnston's reports and recommendations.
  17. partly answered
    Democratic InstitutionsMs. Marie-Hélène Gaudreau (Bloc) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). substantive question.The answer addresses the urgency by stating work toward agreement by next week but avoids confirming an immediate inquiry announcement.Ideally, the opposition parties and the government will agree on a process by the end of next week.
  18. deflected
    Public SafetyMrs. Shannon Stubbs (Conservative) asked Mark Holland (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids addressing resignation or firing anyone and instead pivots to a proposed conversation on victim-centred approaches.The minister has suggested a conversation about a victim-centred approach in corrections to make sure this mistake, which was made independently by corrections services, does not happen again.
  19. partly answered
    Public SafetyMrs. Shannon Stubbs (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.The answer directly states when the minister learned of the transfer but does not address the broader accusations of deception or calls to resign.I want to be absolutely clear again that I found out about this decision on May 30.
  20. deflected
    Public SafetyKerry-Lynne Findlay (Conservative) asked Mark Holland (Liberal). loaded question.The answer sidesteps the resignation demand and instead criticizes the opposition for lacking support while offering a conversation.What I have heard from the minister is an offer to have a conversation about how we ensure that Correctional Services does not make a decision like that again and that we work together on that.
  21. misdirected
    Public SafetyKerry-Lynne Findlay (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.The answer attacks the opposition with accusations of filibustering and budget delays instead of addressing the minister's knowledge or resignation.On the opposite side, what are we getting? We are getting dilatory tactics, delays, filibustering and no support for the budget.
  22. deflected
    Grocery IndustryMr. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). substantive question.The answer lists tax measures but does not address grocery price transparency or standing up to billionaires as asked.We have permanently raised the corporate income tax by 1.5% on the largest banks and insurance companies.
  23. partly answered
    Electoral ReformMs. Lisa Marie Barron (NDP) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). substantive question.The answer discusses collaborative work on voting accessibility but does not commit to a citizens' assembly on electoral reform.The member's colleague and I have had a number of meetings to talk about how we can implement the agreements in the supply and confidence agreement to make voting more accessible
  24. deflected
    Public SafetyMs. Michelle Ferreri (Conservative) asked Mark Holland (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids apology or resignation and instead criticizes the question for casting aspersions while offering future action.It is not a constructive or useful approach to accuse anyone of not caring about these families or these victims.
  25. deflected
    Public SafetyMs. Michelle Ferreri (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.The answer avoids the direct demand for resignation or naming a staff member by shifting to empathy and new instructions.I want to assure the member and all members in this chamber that I grieve with the families of Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French.
  26. deflected
    Public SafetyMichelle Rempel Garner (Conservative) asked Mark Holland (Liberal). loaded question.The answer sidesteps the question about firing and gender by calling for a constructive conversation instead of addressing the claim.Instead, we are getting into what I would categorize as very partisan territory on an issue that is extremely sensitive.
  27. deflected
    Public SafetyMichelle Rempel Garner (Conservative) asked Mark Holland (Liberal). loaded question.The answer ignores the demand to name a staff member and pivots to general remarks on victims and policy without engaging the specific accusation.The only thing that is gendered about it is that women, unfortunately, are more often the victims than not.
  28. partly answered
    Public SafetyMs. Kristina Michaud (Bloc) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). substantive question.The answer addresses the CSIS memo issue by noting new instructions but only partially covers the Bernardo transfer question.That is why I gave new instructions to ensure that elected representatives on the government side will now be briefed by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service when there are incidents involving foreign interference.
  29. answered
    Democratic InstitutionsMs. Kristina Michaud (Bloc) asked Dominic LeBlanc (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly explains the rectification of the information-sharing problem raised in the question.The Minister of Public Safety has given instructions that, from now on, this kind of information and intelligence must be shared not only with the minister responsible but also with the parliamentarian concerned.
  30. partly answered
    Public SafetyMr. Tony Baldinelli (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). substantive question.The answer agrees on notification timing and new directives but does not address the call for resignation.I agree with one aspect of the question from the member opposite, and it is that I do agree that victims' families should be notified ahead of these transfer decisions.
  31. partly answered
    Public SafetyMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). substantive question.The answer admits mistakes in the office and announces new directives but does not name or fire any staff member as asked.I addressed today the mistakes made by my office.
  32. misdirected
    Public SafetyMr. Pierre Paul-Hus (Conservative) asked Marco Mendicino (Liberal). loaded question.The answer ignores the resignation demand and staff firings entirely, instead pivoting to praise a different minister's border agreement.my colleague, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship , has a new agreement with the United States to accomplish two goals.
  33. partly answered
    Financial InstitutionsPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). substantive question.The answer announces a halt and review but does not address retrieving the specific funds.The review announced today is to be undertaken expeditiously. No outcome is being ruled out following its completion.
  34. partly answered
    Financial InstitutionsPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). substantive question.The answer announces a halt and review but does not address retrieving the specific funds.The review announced today is to be undertaken expeditiously. No outcome is being ruled out following its completion.
  35. partly answered
    Financial InstitutionsPierre Poilievre (Conservative) asked Randy Boissonnault (Liberal). substantive question.The answer announces a halt and review but does not address retrieving the specific funds.Our government has instructed the Department of Finance to lead an immediate review of the allegations to end Canada's involvement at the AIIB.
  36. answered
    Emergency PreparednessMr. Gord Johns (NDP) asked Bill Blair (Liberal). substantive question.The answer directly assures coordination and supports for the impacted communities.We will work with him and those communities to ensure that the people who are impacted by those wildfires receive the supports that they require.
  37. deflected
    Climate ChangeMr. Mike Morrice (Green) asked Jonathan Wilkinson (Liberal). substantive question.The answer challenges the premise and emphasizes broad consultation rather than addressing the outsourcing claim.The development of thoughtful policy requires gathering input broadly, including environmental organizations, indigenous peoples, civil society and industry.