Alex Ruff

In response to a question from Marilyn Gladu

“We need better oversight in this space bill. The government must report to Parliament and write national security reviews into the law. We must properly check company ownership and any objects flying over Canadian territory.”

“Madam Speaker, I will first address the point of the member opposite about Geoff Sheerin, the founder of the Canadian Arrow team. It is great to hear that he is still here in Canada using his brilliance and his ingenuity to continue to grow Canadian innovation. If she was to ask Geoff, he would say that unfortunately many members of that team of Canadians actually had to go to the United States and moved to the United States in order to find employment opportunities going into the future. To specifically address the member’s question around the types of amendments I would suggest, I sort of highlighted some of them. This needs to be reported to Parliament. There needs to be better oversight. It needs to be written into what is going to trigger things like national security assessments on to the review process and for the government to make a firm commitment, so that for a payload or ownership of companies launching from Canada, we would have the appropriate oversight over anything that would be flying over Canadian national territory.”

“Four soldiers died and 39 were hurt in a training accident at CFB Wainwright. Military training is dangerous, but our soldiers must do it to prepare for war. We must remember these fallen soldiers, their families, and the troops who keep serving Canada.”

“Mr. Speaker, our Canadian Armed Forces members know when they enrol that they may be required to make the supreme sacrifice. Private Aidan Goulding, Private Shaun Farrell, Private Hayden Lykkemark and Sergeant Morgan Wong have made that sacrifice. The army trains as it fights. It does this to make sure it is as prepared as possible to face the challenges of conflict. This is inherently dangerous. As we remember these four fallen heroes and the 39 injured in this tragedy at CFB Wainwright, let us please remember that our military personnel do not stop. They are still training and they are still deploying in the service of Canada. It is what they do. The impact this has on the military leadership is often forgotten. They are the ones who need to inform the families and still lead the rest of the team to get back into the fight. We cannot forget the families. Trust me, there is nothing we can tell a family member, a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a child or a friend that removes the pain. The only thing we can do is never forget. Aidan, Shaun, Hayden and Morgan, I will not forget. Canada will not forget. Lest we forget.”

“The government told gun owners to ship their guns using couriers that will not ship them. The minister needs to explain this mistake. The government should stop targeting law-abiding gun owners and end this program.”

“Madam Speaker, since October 1, I have multiple constituents receiving notice from the Liberal government’s gun-grab program that they must ship their firearms to the government via Purolator, FedEx or UPS by October 17 in order to receive compensation. All three couriers have refused as they restrict shipping of firearms without prior approval. Did the public safety minister even consider this requirement or is this just a way for the Liberals to keep costs down on this multi-billion-dollar boondoggle? When will the government end its attacks on law-abiding, vetted and licensed firearms owners?”

“A charity started in memory of an 18-year-old athlete who died of heart failure put a public heart defibrillator in a busy park in Owen Sound. It is open to the public all day, every day. I want to thank the group and the community for putting it there to save lives.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the family-run Tyson Downs Association for donating a new AED SaveStation at Harrison Park in Owen Sound. Tyson Downs was an exceptional 18-year-old athlete and lacrosse player who passed away suddenly in 2023 as the result of cardiac arrest. Yesterday, this new SaveStation was officially unveiled just outside the Harrison Park Inn in Owen Sound. It houses an automated external defibrillator that is now available to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Harrison Park is one of the busiest public spaces in our community. Families, athletes, visitors and community groups use it throughout the year. In an emergency, having an AED close by can make the difference between life and death. I want to thank the Tyson Downs Association, SaveStation, the Owen Sound Attack, the City of Owen Sound and everyone who helped make this possible. I congratulate them and thank them for helping to improve cardiac safety in our community.”

“The Senate changed this bill, and the government should reject that change. In my riding, repeat criminals keep getting out on bail and robbing farmers. The Senate's change creates a loophole that makes it too easy for these offenders to get bail even if no one stands up for them.”

“Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for getting to the crux of the challenges with bail reform and the fact that, when this bill went through the House, it was supported completely. The issue around sureties was discussed and an amendment was unanimously agreed to by all parties in this chamber before it went to the Senate. I do find it somewhat hypocritical of the government to not reject this amendment, like the other amendments that have come back from the Senate on this bill. As the member indicated, it creates vagueness. I know the member referred to rural crime. I have the same challenge in my riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, where the same repeat offenders, who are robbing our farmers and our rural people, are getting back out on bail. That is why we need bail reform so badly after 11 years of the Liberal government. I am now concerned that, with this loophole in the bill, these people, who do have to convince the judge, will have the ability to get back out when they should be spending time in jail if they cannot find somebody to cover for them or to be their surety.”

“The law says our national security and intelligence committee had to be reviewed by October 2022. I want the government to tell us when this late review will start. I also want the Liberals to vote for my plan to set up a committee to do it.”

“Mr. Speaker, the NSICOP Act mandates that it must be reviewed before October 6, 2022. Unlike in his response on January 29, could the House leader please provide the date the government intends to initiate the long-overdue review of the act? Further, will the Liberals support my motion, which would establish a joint committee to ensure that Parliament abides by this law?”

“Canada is bad at collecting unpaid taxes. I am asking my colleague if this bill will help us change our tax and criminal laws to hold tax evaders accountable.”

“Mr. Speaker, I want to build on the two questions my hon. colleague was already asked, because in my opinion, when people are breaking the law or they are avoiding taxes, it is all about transparency and accountability. In particular, I want to ask him what he thinks the end result will be. Will this help and potentially enable additional changes to our tax laws and our Criminal Code? As he talked about in his speech, unfortunately, Canada has a bad track record of not collecting any of the money that has not been properly paid to the government coffers.”

“I want my colleague to tell Canadians who will pay for this 15% streaming tax if the government does not cancel it.”

“Mr. Speaker, I simply wish to give my colleague the opportunity to remind all Canadians who will ultimately foot the bill for the 15% increase if the Liberal government does not reject this streaming tax increase proposed by the CRTC and does not scrap it.”

“This bill will not give victims justice. Civilian police do not have the resources to handle all military sexual crimes, so cases will be dropped. The government removed good changes made by the committee, like an expiry date on the law and rules to collect data. The Senate should fix these problems.”

“Mr. Speaker, because of the programming motion and the time allocation on this, I am going to be the last individual to speak in this chamber, unless the bill comes back, and there is a very high probability that it may come back, based on the Minister of National Defence’s indication earlier in this chamber. When I spoke to the bill earlier this week, I highlighted the importance that we get it right. This is about the victims. This is about our military justice system. This is about retaining the credibility of our military police and our military prosecutors, but in the end, it is all about a victim-centred, trauma-informed decision within our Canadian Armed Forces. I have highlighted before that ultimately the decision was made in late 2021 by the director of military prosecutions, in light of the report that came out by Justice Arbour, to try to transfer all Criminal Code sexual offences to the civilian authorities. In the last five years, we have learned that the civilian police of jurisdiction do not have the resources or the capacity to deal with all these Criminal Code sexual offences. Part of the reason is that sometimes the cases are historical in nature and the courts do not view that they are in the best interest of public safety here in Canada. However, they are definitely in the best interest of justice within the Canadian Armed Forces, discipline and the necessary requirements that we need of our Canadian Armed Forces members. If all the amendments that were done, in some cases with all-party consensus, get removed and Bill C-11 passes in its current form, the challenge we are going to have is that the victims are not going to get justice. There are two things that I think we are going to see happen at the Senate. Based on the minister’s own commentary here in the chamber, he is open to the sunset clause amendment that did pass at committee, which the government has since removed, to be put back into the bill. The other thing I think needs to be included in the bill is some sort of data collection provision. The biggest challenges we hear all the time, especially as these cases get transferred to civilian authorities, are how many they actually take, how many result in a charge being laid and how many end up with something occurring. These are all very important things that I think we need to do, and I encourage those members in the other place to take this into consideration as the bill goes forward. However, the ultimate disappointment I have with the government’s decision not to respect the victims and the decisions made at committee is that we are not going to get this right. As I said before, I predict that those of us who will have the privilege of still being in this chamber in a few years will be dealing with the next iteration of this bill and, unfortunately, apologizing to the victims who are not going to get the justice they deserve.”

“The government started work on the Afghanistan war memorial this week. The event focused too much on the monument instead of the veterans and their families. I want the government to make sure the veterans are the main focus when it opens in 2028.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a plea to the government that we need to do better. This week, Veterans Affairs hosted the long-delayed national Afghanistan war memorial groundbreaking. This monument will recognize the commitment and sacrifice of the over 40,000 sailors, soldiers, aviators and special forces operators, along with hundreds of Canadian civilians, who served in Canada’s longest combat mission, which was from 2011 to 2014. It will serve as an enduring testament to the 158 Canadian Armed Forces personnel and seven Canadian civilians who made the supreme sacrifice. It is on all of us to ensure that they and their families are never forgotten. Where we, and the government, need to improve is in having the Afghan veterans be front and centre with this project. Unfortunately, on Monday, this symbolic groundbreaking spent more time focused on the monument itself instead of the veterans and their families. I am committed to doing what I can to ensure, when this monument is built and officially unveiled in 2028, that Afghan veterans are the focus. I plea with the Liberal government to do the same. Lest we forget.”

“Civilian police often refuse to take sexual offence cases from the military, so victims do not get justice. The military police have improved and can handle these cases properly. We do not need to change the system.”

“Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my hon. colleague just to elaborate a bit more on where the improvements have happened. In fact, ever since that direction to try to move many of the Criminal Code sex offences over to the civilian courts, unfortunately, there have been obstacles that the military police have run into, and lots of these police jurisdictions refuse to accept it because of that higher threshold, so there are victims not getting the justice they need. However, because this law, Bill C-11, has not passed, the military police are able to do that. Not only have they learned. Not only is the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights there, which has come in within the military. Not only has all of this changed, but we actually have landed on the solution and we do not need to change things. Right now, we have a military police system that will try to move things over to the civilian courts when a case is severe enough, but at the same time, they can ensure that justice is served. Would the member agree?”

“Beef farmers in my area are worried about trade talks with South American countries. Bringing in more foreign beef will hurt local farmers and our food supply. The government should focus on selling Canadian beef to other countries instead of hurting our cattle industry at home.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Bruce County and Grey County beef farmers have publicly expressed concerns about the ongoing negotiations with Mercosur. They said, “This won’t just hurt farmers—it will weaken rural communities and reduce Canada’s ability to produce its own food.... In Ontario...where most imported beef enters the market, the impact on local farmers would be severe.” Canadian beef producers are waiting to get more access in markets across the world. Should the Liberal government not be prioritizing export market access abroad instead of displacing the Canadian cattle industry at home?”

In response to a question from Harb Gill

“This bill lets the military avoid responsibility by handing cases to civilian police. Civilian police are already too busy, and their rules are different. This will hurt victims, and we will have to fix this mistake later.”

“Mr. Speaker, that is a great question. I do not know if anybody is going to be held to account. That is going to be the problem with this, because ultimately it is an abdication of responsibility and accountability within the CAF, which is what I highlighted in my speech. It is about handing this off and saying that police officers are able to deal with this. As the member noted, they are already overloaded. Their threshold is much higher than the military’s and I think we are not going to do the victims justice. They are going to be the ones who will suffer from this and we will be back at this trying to fix this mistake a few years from now.”

• Answered
  ?

  Reply to a debate question

  Relevance 100 of 100

  Of this reply, 100% addressed the question or point raised.

  See full analysis →