TranslatePolitics.ca

Recent debates

8 latest topics

06-18 Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act 57 statements 06-18 Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act 19 statements 06-18 Arab Heritage Month Act 5 statements 06-18 The Economy 15 statements 06-18 Government Priorities 2 statements 06-18 Government Priorities 2 statements 06-18 Housing 12 statements 06-18 The Environment 2 statements

Adjournment Proceedings

2026-05-28 Sitting 124 Showing 1–4 of 4

A bill to change election rules, mostly discussed in vague terms about foreign interference and indigenous rights. One MP praised another's concern and love for Canada; the other thanked them and agreed collaborative federalism works.

Official Hansard ↗

Elizabeth May

Green 6:25 p.m.

“I'm worried about foreign interference and manipulation in Alberta's referendum. I think the premier is making a mistake by pandering to a small group. The government needs to be prepared to hold the country together.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to pursue a question I initially asked on February 12 of this year, and it is one about which, regardless of party, I think most people in this House are concerned. The question I asked related to knowing the concern we have in this place of foreign interference in elections and, particularly, the experience we have had on many issues that were brought to light by Madam Justice Hogue. I raised the issue of what would happen if there were efforts, potentially from the United States and other countries, to manipulate a potential Alberta referendum. The response I got from the hon. minister was not out of sympathy with the issue I raised. Of course, there is not a complete answer for any of us at this point. We know that Elections Alberta would be in charge of any potential referendum. Since I asked the question on February 12, we now know that the Alberta premier has said she is going to put forward a question about a question, which is murky, confusing and opening up a can of worms. I think a lot of us are holding our breath and hoping she will not do the same thing that David Cameron did when he fatefully and idiotically appeased a small group of his own caucus by deciding to hold a referendum on the U.K. leaving the European Union, and did so absolutely confident that it could not possibly carry because the public opinion showed the vast majority of the people of England and Wales liked being part of the EU. That was before we heard names like Cambridge Analytica and found out how effectively algorithms and data mining could be used to convince people. There is an extremely good film that explains all this in Hollywood fashion, but it is rooted in facts and very well done. It is called Brexit: The Uncivil War with Benedict Cumberbatch. It is absolutely terrifying to watch because it reminds us of what we watched in real time as Britain was divided and people believed absolute nonsense because they were convinced it was the truth. We now have a situation where we know for a fact that David Parker, one of the leaders of the Centurion Project, is behind a major data breach. Alberta voter information was put up on public websites. Our former colleague in this place and former premier of Alberta, Jason Kenney, is very concerned, and for very good reason. This information included a lot of private information put up in public places. As I mentioned, David Parker is one of the leaders of the separatist movement in Alberta. Would he be concerned, I ask, about advice from Elections Alberta on how to conduct himself? He is not going to be concerned. He has already described Elections Alberta as an “evil” institution. This is extraordinary. The privacy breaches that have occurred in Alberta should make everyone very concerned. We have heard from a Canadian leading expert in national security, Wesley Wark, whose name is known to all of us. From 2005 to 2009, he was a two-term adviser to the prime minister on national security. He has expressed significant concern about what could happen in an Alberta referendum and how we can ensure there is not foreign interference and also domestic interference, such as happened in Brexit. What will the government do to be prepared and hold this country together?

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

Hon. Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal 6:30 p.m.

“I want Canadians to feel positive and have faith in our systems. I think this government's actions on foreign interference and Bill C-25 are good first steps.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, first off, I compliment the leader of the Green Party in terms of her concern and the way she is carrying herself on such an important issue. I think Canadians as a whole are very much concerned. I do not think I am unique at all. I love Canada. I have always put Canada first, and I would like to think I would be there to support Canada in whatever way I can, and try to be positive and encourage all members, whether they are a member of parliament from Alberta or outside Alberta, to be, as much as possible, talking about things that are positive. There is so much positivity about our federation as one nation, historically, today and no doubt into the future. We will be able to continue to have the best quality of life, I would suggest, in the world. In regard to the concerns the member raised, I would just repeat the one quick sentence the government House leader said at the time. He said, “foreign interference at any level and transnational repression at any level of our democracy are absolutely unacceptable.” We went through an interesting process over the last couple of years when we had a foreign interference inquiry. We had standing committees dealing with foreign interference indirectly. We have had Canada elections going through experiences of dealing with foreign interference. The commissioner of Canada elections, from what I understand, also has some concerns. There is a genuine feeling that we need to be supportive and very observant, watching and ensuring that there is a sense of accountability in terms of the nation's best interest. With regard to foreign interference, we have a substantial piece of legislation before PROC. I am not too sure if the member had the opportunity to present at PROC. We have brought forward a number of amendments that are going to protect not only our election period issues related to foreign interference, but now for the first time, the time in between elections. This is something the government has brought forward in Bill C-25. There has been a lot learned by the commission and other inputs, if I can put it that way, in dealing with the issue of foreign interference. If we just go back a couple of years, we saw how foreign interference was being demonstrated during the pandemic and the protests that took place here in Ottawa and other jurisdictions. It was not just Ottawa. There were other jurisdictions where we know that there were outside contributions being made here in Canada and it raised the issue. Whether we are talking about CSIS or about the parliamentary security standing committee we have, there are opportunities for us to have faith and confidence, number one, in the people of Alberta and, number two, in the systems that are in place to protect the integrity of the system. I, for one, would suggest that the member continue to be diligent, as I am sure the government will be.

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

Elizabeth May

Green 6:35 p.m.

“I want the government to take legal action to protect indigenous rights and treaties. This will help keep Canada together.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, in the minute I have left, first of all, I want to thank to the hon. representative of the government here in the House. This was very helpful. I think we need to, as Canadians, as settler culture people, understand how profoundly fortunate we are that indigenous rights and rights holders are protected under section 35 of the Constitution. With the honour of the Crown being at stake, the treaties achieved by the treaty peoples of Alberta with the Crown and the indigenous nations of Alberta with the Crown are probably our best way to hold the country together. The federal government should be in court every step of the way, joining with the Mikisew Cree and others in ensuring an injunction against the very idea that lands that were committed to indigenous peoples before the province of Alberta existed are protected, and treaty rights protect us all and protect Canada.

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

Hon. Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal 6:35 p.m.

“I don't want to say anything specific. I'll just use positive words like united and collaborate. I want my talking points to appeal to everyone.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we cannot underestimate the role of indigenous communities, the people of Alberta in this particular situation. I truly believe that the best way we can deal with this issue is to show that co-operative, collaborative federalism works. The more we can send out that sort of a message, showing that having a united, strong country is the way we can continue, as we have done in the past, the more we can build a stronger, healthier nation. This is not to be blind, but rather to recognize that, at the end of the day, in whatever territory or province, we need to clearly demonstrate that as a united force, we are in a much better position. That is what I would encourage all members to participate in and promote.

View on ourcommons.ca ↗

What they said. What they meant.

Recent debates