Arif Virani

[Public Safety, November 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, our position as members of the Liberal Party and my position as a Toronto MP is simple: Let us keep the citizens of our cities safe. How do we do that? By ensuring that we have less gun violence on our streets. How do we do that? By shoring up our borders to prevent guns from crossing the border, the specific border services that the Conservative party cut when it was in power prior to 2015.

We also recognize the important impact on domestic violence that gunfire has. When we keep guns out of the homes of people in cities in Canada, we are ensuring that domestic violence does not have a pernicious impact on women. That is how we keep Canadians safe.

[Public Safety, November 4th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, let us listen to police officers. Here is the deputy police chief of York Region: “There’s just simply not enough court space to hold contested bail hearings.” Let us listen to the National Police Federation, which pointed out that, news flash, when we have JPs with no legal training, sometimes there may be some issues with their rendering of decisions and keeping our communities safe. Where do we train JPs legally before we appoint them? It is in Nova Scotia. Maybe that is a lesson Doug Ford could take. If the member needs it in a four-word slogan, here it is: Talk to the premier.

[Public Safety, November 4th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the member talks a big game, but when it comes to GTA politics, let us assess what police officers are saying. The deputy chief of police in York Region has said that if we want to get tough on bail, we need to support the courts and the Crown and fix detention centres. Guess who has jurisdiction over all of that. The member for Thornhill should know that it is the province. If the Conservatives want to get tough on dealing with bail, let us have the province support criminal justice in this country and keep our communities safe.

[Justice, November 4th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Carol Todd for her courage. Carol's daughter Amanda tragically died by suicide 12 years ago after being victimized online. Now Carol is calling on every parliamentarian to take action and pass the online harms act. Carol said, “The filibuster that is happening right now and holding everything up, it's so frustrating. It's just wasting time.... I've waited 12 years for this”.

The Conservatives have shown they will not prioritize children or protect them. I put it to the Bloc and the NDP that they have the power right now to stop this filibuster, protect kids and pass this bill. Will they?

[Democratic Institutions, October 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague pointed out, foreign interference poses a real threat to Canada's national security. Foreign actors want to create uncertainty in our institutions. It is time for all of us to take foreign interference seriously and stop the spread of that uncertainty. This includes the Conservative leader.

Once again, I have a simple message for the leader of the Conservative Party, in three-word phrases that he is sure to understand. It is time to get the clearance, take the briefing and protect the country.

[Carbon Pricing, October 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is getting a little difficult to take seriously anything that comes from that side of the House. If there was a volition to address child poverty, maybe the Conservatives would not have sent checks to millionaires and then taxed that money back. If there was a volition to address child food security, maybe they would get behind the national school food program.

All they knows is cuts. What does that mean? That means cuts to taxes for the rich and cuts to services for those who have less. That is not what we stand for on this side of the House. We will continue to fight for Canadians.

[Justice, October 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question and I appreciate the Bloc member and his hard work on this file.

I want to emphasize what was said by the Minister of Health. We are well aware of what the Government of Quebec wants. We are also well aware that we need to consult all of the other provinces to come to a national consensus on this issue. That is the prudent thing to do.

That is the approach we have taken to date, and we will continue with that approach.

[Democratic Institutions, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader continues to ignore national security. Instead of protecting Canadians, he prioritizes his partisan interests. That is not serious leadership.

I will explain it in three-word slogans just so the Conservative leader gets it: It is time to get the clearance, take the briefing and protect the country. It is that simple.

[Public Safety, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, if the member expects us to apologize for taking assault-style weapons off of the streets, he is not going to get that apology. If the member thinks we are going to apologize for keeping women safe from domestic violence by implementing a handgun freeze, he is not going to get that apology. If the member thinks we are not going to take seriously the mental health impacts of suicides that are related to guns being in homes, he is not going to get that apology.

What he should do is actually think about what the police are asking for. They are asking for help with keeping Canadians safe. That is what we do every day on this side of the House.

[Public Safety, October 24th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that I listen to the police all the time.

They tell me that when guns are taken out of circulation, it helps keep things like gender-based violence and domestic violence from occurring. Women are getting killed because guns are in homes. When we pass a bill like Bill C-21, we disable that from happening and ensure that we are keeping women in this country safe. That is a priority or should be a priority for the entire Parliament. It is just really shocking that that member does not get it.