“The government is shutting down debate on military sexual misconduct. It is ignoring changes that other parties and survivors asked for. Why will the minister not let survivors choose between the military and civilian justice systems?”

“Mr. Speaker, it is disgusting to see the government actually using closure to shut down debate on such a serious issue, sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces. It is disgusting that it is taking away the voice of veterans, of people who are surviving military sexual trauma, and not listening to the amendments being brought forward on Bill C-11. I do not know why the government is in a hurry on this. We brought it through committee in a relatively organized manner. We had cross-party support from the Bloc, the Conservatives and the NDP to make amendments based on the testimony we heard at committee, and now the government wants to ignore all that, shut down debate and use its sneaky majority to stifle democracy right here. Why is the minister ignoring veterans and survivors of military sexual trauma and not making sure they have a choice in what justice system they want to use, whether it is the military justice system or the civilian system?”

“I want to know why the government is rushing this bill instead of making sure it is right for veterans and survivors. The government had 10 years to act, but now it is cutting off debate.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am looking at this bill now, and I would like to know why the Liberal government is prioritizing speed over getting this legislation right for veterans and survivors. The government had 10 years to do something, and now we see it again moving closure. Could the minister comment on that, please?”

“The government is rushing this bill instead of letting us fully debate it. We need to modernize the military justice system, but we must make sure it helps victims of military sexual abuse. I want to know if the minister has met with any of these victims.”

“Mr. Speaker, it sure did not take long for the Liberals to show their true character. Time allocation and closure motions are the kind of stuff we do when we want to ram things through without proper debate. I know my constituents expect me to come here and to thoroughly debate every single piece of legislation, to ensure that every avenue has been explored. They expect that we go down every rabbit hole and that we know what we are ending up with is a product we can all be pleased with. I think the justice system needs to be modernized. This has become clear at committee. I think it would be prudent for us to make sure we listen to the survivors and victims of the sexual abuse that has happened in the military to make sure this act really represents the justice they deserve. Has the minister personally met with any of the victims or survivors of sexual abuse in the military?”

“The Liberals are rushing this bill through and cutting off debate. It deals with sexual assault in the military and listening to veterans. They are putting their own politics ahead of victims and military members. I want the government to let us keep debating this bill.”

“Mr. Speaker, we are just over a week into the Liberals’ sneaky majority, which they got through backdoor deals, and this is the piece of legislation they have decided they are going to ram through and curtail debate. What is this piece of legislation we are talking about? This is a piece of legislation about sexual assault and listening to our veterans. The Liberals are choosing to put political expediency ahead of the needs of victims and our veterans or even listening to our military members. This is all par for the course. I have seen this in Cold Lake at 4 Wing. We still do not have an answer as to when we are going to get all 88 of the F-35s in, because they do not seem to care. This is just a pattern of abuse from the government of not putting veterans and our armed forces members first. The question is simple. Will the Liberals admit they are wrong on this and let the debate continue?”

“Veterans and soldiers need our help. Why is the government ending debate instead of listening to them?”

“Mr. Speaker, today Parliament opened with the words “freedom, opportunity and peace”, something we all get to enjoy. We are enjoying that because of the veterans and those who continue to fight for us and for all Canadians, and now they are asking us to help them, protect them and speak on behalf of their voices. Why is the government shutting down their voices and closing debate with its manufactured majority?”

“The defence minister brought back an old bill without talking to veterans, military justice officials, or the provinces. If he had listened to them, he would know that veterans do not trust the civilian justice system for lower-level sexual misconduct. Police and lawyers also want victims to have the choice between the civilian and military systems. The military justice system is ready to handle these changes properly.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence admitted at committee that he took an old bill, Bill C-66, and brought it back to the current Parliament as Bill C-11. He never talked to anybody in the veterans community. He did not reach out and talk to members in the justice system within CAF. He never talked to anyone at the provincial level about the problems they are having in carrying on these prosecutions. If he had listened to veterans, and read the testimony that appeared in committee, they would have told him that they do not have faith in the civilian system, especially for low-level sexual misconduct; that they are going to be dismissed; and that there is then no recourse within the military system for any sort of administrative or disciplinary measures against those offenders. If he had been listening, he would have heard from police stations and police organizations across the country, as well as lawyers, saying to give victims the choice, so that they could choose which system they believe they are most comfortable in, whether it was the military system or the civilian system. If he listened to his own members of the Canadian Armed Forces, like the director of military prosecutions, like the director of defence counsel services, like the provost marshal general of the Canadian Armed Forces, they would have told him that they are all now at a better place, five years since the Arbour report, to actually bring in the changes that are needed to do what is right.”

“The Prime Minister promised to move quickly on big projects, but he has not. Instead, he is rushing through Parliament and ignoring our committees.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister went to the Canadian people and said that he was going to move at speeds unseen in generations. We thought that was for major projects, and that is not what we have seen. Now what we are seeing is speeds moving and steamrolling over committees and over the co-operative work of this House. Is that what the Prime Minister meant by moving at speeds unseen in generations, ignoring the will of this House through the committee network?”

“Military victims told us they want a choice in who handles their cases. Forcing them into busy civilian courts that do not understand the military does not fix the problem. I want to know how the minister can say victims can trust this system.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am a bit confused. At committee, there were a number of veterans who spoke and shared their heart-wrenching stories. We heard time and time again the importance of survivors wanting choice. At committee, the Minister of National Defence said, of the members of the Canadian Armed Forces, that we have to be able to look them in the eye, and tell them that we have a well-run and transparent system, and that they can trust the system to help them when problems arise. How is denying survivors choice and forcing them into an overburdened civilian system that does not understand the realities of military service compatible with the minister’s promise of a transparent, well-run system that they can trust?”

“The government is relying on an old report to make changes to the military justice system. They are ignoring current advice from service members, veterans, and committee recommendations.”

“Mr. Speaker, this is another truly sad day for our democracy and our democratic institutions. The decline in democracy is continuing with the Liberal government. The defence minister keeps referencing the Arbour report. That report was established almost seven years ago and only five years ago did the government start implementing any of the recommendations in the report. We have had all this despite the fact that seven years later, things have changed significantly. We had CAF members, stakeholders and veterans all come to committee and talk about this, yet the government continues to ignore the voices of those who know better than government what types of systems should be in place and it is gutting every committee recommendation. Is it not true that the government only wants an audience, not an opposition?”