House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2019, with 50% of the vote.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship June 14th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear: the Liberals are slashing border funding.
Since 2015, they have cut $302 million, particularly with respect to criminal investigations. Since the Prime Minister’s Twitter blunder, our border services officers have been reduced to tour guides, and Roxham Road is a sieve.
My question is not about transportation or public safety; it is for the Minister of Immigration. What is his plan to finally stop this wave of illegal immigration?
Petitions June 14th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I wish to present a petition regarding Bill C-350, which was introduced by my colleague from Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan and is supported by the members of the House. The purpose of the bill is to tackle human organ trafficking.
I am happy to see that this bill has the support of the members of the House.
Employment June 13th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, if that is the case, how come the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is giving funds to the organization that just last weekend called for the eradication of Israelis? Last weekend, Sheik Shafiq Hudda of the Islamic Humanitarian Service made statements that were criminal.
When is the Prime Minister going to take action? Above all, does this pass the Liberal test, or is it illegal? Is he going to take concrete steps to make sure this never happens again?
Business of Supply June 12th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, during question period, the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour invited me to provide her with data concerning irregularities in the Canada summer jobs program. I have here the documents to show that several organizations linked to anti-Semitism, homophobia and terrorism have received Canada summer jobs program funding. I seek unanimous consent to table these documents that have been requested by the minister.
Employment June 12th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, this past weekend in Toronto, Sheikh Shafiq Hudda, preacher from the Islamic Humanitarian Service, said some horrific, crazy things. He said that he wanted to see Israelis in body bags and that he was praying for a day when Israel would be eradicated. These hateful statements are illegal and completely unacceptable.
Why does the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons approve funding for this organization?
When will the Prime Minister unequivocally condemn these comments, which have no place in Canada or anywhere in the world?
Business of Supply June 11th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague appears to have a short memory. We must remember that the Iranian regime has threatened the lives of diplomats. Canada played a pivotal role at that time.
Our top priority is to protect our own diplomats and Canadians. That is the government's number one responsibility. It is also extremely important not to sanction regimes that endorse brutality and terrorize their own people.
I would advise my colleague to put the safety of our diplomats first. When we send our people to another country, we must ensure they are safe and that the country in question respects human rights.
Business of Supply June 11th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his thoughtful comments and for standing up for human rights. Canada must not ignore Iran's abuses, but unfortunately, the Liberal government seems to be numb to these abuses. We saw this during question period.
It is completely unacceptable for the organizations involved in yesterday's protests to promote hatred against the state of Israel to receive subsidies from the Liberal government. There is a real disconnect between their speech and reality.
I hope that members will support this motion, denounce terrorism, and walk the talk. Canadians must no longer indirectly finance organizations that promote terrorism here or abroad.
Business of Supply June 11th, 2018
Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to finish my presentation on today's motion, which seeks to strongly condemn the current regime in Iran and more specifically a terrorist state.
It is often said that you have to turn on to politics, or politics will turn on you. The same can be said of terrorism. Unfortunately, yesterday we saw hate speech come out of the demonstrations that were held in a number of our major cities. It was an incitement to violence.
In Canada, we have freedom of expression, but sections 318 and 319 of the Criminal Code also state that promoting the genocide of or inciting hatred against an identifiable group is completely inconsistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Criminal Code. Unfortunately, that is what we saw yesterday when demonstrators called for the destruction of a democratic country in the Middle East, Israel, and its people.
I am raising this topic in debate because yesterday was the international al-Quds day, which was established in 1979 by Ayatollah Khomeini, an Iranian dictator. The purpose of this event, which originated in Iran but is financed in several western countries, including, unfortunately, Canada, is clearly to destroy a democratic country.
This is why it is important for every member of this House to take a strong stand and support the motion to strongly condemn terrorism and those who support it.
Employment June 11th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, there was an illegal protest yesterday in Toronto, where Sheik Shafiq Hudda, from the Islamic Humanitarian Service, made hateful statements calling for the eradication of the Israeli people. A police complaint was filed.
However, as we now know, this organization received funding from the Liberal government through the Canada summer jobs program, in the riding represented by the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. Promoting genocide is a crime.
What does the minister have to say to this, and how can she be proud of such a blunder?
Business of Supply June 11th, 2018
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support this motion and encourage my colleagues to do the same, especially after the excellent statement by my colleague and friend from Ontario on the importance of having every member of Parliament support this motion.
I will deliver my presentation in three parts. First, I will address the aspects of the motion. Second, I will explain why it is important to raise public awareness in Canada about what is happening in Iran. Third, I will give a concrete example that illustrates that what happens there has repercussions here.
The motion moved today seeks to strongly condemn the current regime in Iran for its ongoing sponsorship of terrorism around the world, including instigating violent attacks on the Gaza border. We recently saw to what extent Iran fuels tensions in several countries instead of easing them and avoiding violent clashes. Instead of looking for peaceful resolutions, Iran tries to create conflicts.
The motion also condemns recent statements made by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for genocide against the Jewish people. Canada cannot tolerate that. Conflicts like this must be resolved peacefully and respectfully. We cannot sanction a country that calls for genocide, particularly against the Jewish people. God knows the Jews have seen their share of suffering throughout history.
The motion also calls for Iran to abandon its current plan and immediately cease its nuclear weapons development program. We are also asking our government to abandon its soft approach and its current plan and to immediately cease any and all negotiations or discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran to restore diplomatic relations. Our government must demand that the Iranian regime immediately release all Canadians and Canadian permanent residents who are currently detained in Iran, including Maryam Mombeini. She is a Canadian citizen, and we want her back. It is important to state her name in both French and English and to demand that the government bring back the people who went over there. Maryam is the widow of Professor Kavous Sayed-Emami. Nor must we forget Saeed Malekpour, who has been imprisoned since 2008. It is now 2018.
Furthermore, the motion urges the government to immediately designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a listed terrorist entity under the Criminal Code of Canada, and to stand with the people of Iran and recognize that they, like all people, have a fundamental right to freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other forms of communication, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association.
If we truly want to promote the fundamental rights that our country is built on, we also need to be vigilant and speak out when heads of state behave like tyrants. Iran is one such example. The Iranian government acts very harshly toward its people, and the Liberal must not look away from these situations. They must speak out. Right now, it seems like the Liberals want to downplay the relationship with Iran, but that would be tantamount to condoning the hateful statements in question, which are diametrically opposed to Canadian principles and rights.
Everyone on this side of the House, and probably every MP, recognizes that Iran's brutal regime is a threat to global peace and safety. As we have seen over the past few months, Ali Khamenei's oppressive regime has turned on its own citizens and continues to sponsor terrorism abroad. It is especially obsessed with destroying Israel, a democratic country in the Middle East, which is totally unacceptable.
This is why we must never hesitate to denounce the Iranian regime and take action against it, given its support for terrorism, its Holocaust denial, and its repeated threats toward Israel.
The government likes to say that it must be a strong voice for freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. This is great for Canada, but it would also be great for the people of Iran. At present, however, the Liberal government says nothing and will not lift a finger when the time comes to defend the rights and freedoms of Iranians. The problem here is that if Canada does not play this role and does not defend those values, they will be threatened right here at home. That is why we are concerned about this government's complacency regarding a brutal regime that has such contempt for its own people.
An activity funded by Iran, a hateful demonstration calling for the eradication of the Israeli people, no less, was held yesterday not in the streets in Tehran, but in Toronto. This happened right here at home, in our streets, on the grounds of the Ontario legislature, where a new government was just democratically elected. How can such incitements to violence be tolerated?
That is why every parliamentarian has the responsibility and moral obligation to condemn violence and hate speech. That is why it is important to support not just the motion itself, but also the spirit of the motion.
For example, the spiritual leader Shafiq Huda called for the eradication of the Israeli people, in clear violation of the Criminal Code. There are sanctions and a complaint was filed with the police. Unfortunately, we learned that one of the organizations that was part of this rally received funding from the current government under the Canada summer jobs program.
Members will recall that the government introduced an attestation to ensure that organizations that receive taxpayers' money respect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Now, the leader of one such organization is promoting hate in the streets of Toronto.
The government needs to wake up; it has the opportunity to do so by supporting the motion before the House today.