Learn English with Honourable Minister for Public Safety, Jean-Marc Garneau, who delivers a speech in the House of Commons on the issue of anti-Canadianism and the use of racial epithets in public discourse.
00:00:00.000Mr. Speaker, all Canadians want to see a leader who will work to heal rifts, not further divide.
00:00:05.960A leader who will listen, even to those voices he might not agree with.
00:00:09.980A leader who will work to understand, not dismiss, name-call and gaslight.
00:00:15.500Contrary to some, there are thousands of passionate, patriotic and peaceful Canadians on the Hill right now who just want to be heard.
00:00:24.800Will the Prime Minister extend an olive branch, and will he listen?
00:00:30.000The Honourable Minister for Public Safety.
00:00:32.920Mr. Speaker, I think we all support free speech in this House, but there's a big difference between free speech and inciting hatred, inciting violence, desecrating war memorials, Mr. Speaker.
00:00:43.000And I would hope my Honourable colleague would denounce that in the clearest terms, Mr. Speaker.
00:00:47.780Those radical leaders are not really interested in free speech because they want to pretend as though vaccines don't work.
00:00:53.560On this side of the House, we know vaccines work.
00:00:55.860That's the gateway to freedom, and this government will do everything that we can to get there.
00:01:04.080Of course, we all condemn hateful and destructive acts by a few at any protest.
00:01:08.860Whether it's beheading the statue of Queen Victoria in Manitoba, tearing down the statue of Sir Johnny in Montreal, or putting flags on Terry Fox, whether it's burning churches, whether it's wearing blackface, whether it's Hezbollah flags, or Nazi flags.
00:01:36.340You might want to stay down, everybody.
00:01:42.420The Honourable Minister of Public Safety.
00:01:45.180Mr. Speaker, let's be abundantly clear that those individuals who've called for the incitement of violence to overthrow this government, who have caused significant disruption by flagrantly ignoring public health care measures that have forced shops and businesses to close, that have desecrated war memorials, are not interested in free speech.
00:02:05.200They're not interested in discourse, and they're certainly not interested in advancing our way out of this pandemic, Mr. Speaker.
00:02:11.660This government will always listen to those who want to have a robust debate about public health care measures, but we have to draw a bright line between those who are interested in that debate and those who are not.
00:02:22.820The Honourable Minister of Public Safety.
00:02:24.380Well, that minister is not telling the truth, and it's shameful to see what he is doing.
00:02:29.960I think both sides are very truthful in saying what they say.
00:02:44.240Whether they agree with it or not is something that is another story.
00:02:48.660But calling someone who's telling, well, basically calling them a name or accusing them of something is not permitted in the House.
00:02:56.040I'll let the Honourable Member for Portage, Lister, start from the top, and I'm sure she'll ask the question correctly.
00:03:02.980Mr. Speaker, and I apologize, that minister is misleading Canadians.
00:03:07.340I do get very defensive of Canadians who are outside today, patriotic, peace-loving Canadians, who are called misogynists and racist by the Prime Minister.
00:03:17.820So again, I will ask the Prime Minister, who may I remind this House wore blackface on more times than he can remember.
00:03:25.060I apologize to the peace-loving, patriotic Canadians who are outside right now, just asking to be heard.
00:03:40.660I think this is a moment where we have to acknowledge that the protests that have occurred have made their point.
00:03:45.820And I would ask the member opposite to encourage the people that are outside to continue in a way that is peaceful, that moves beyond what we have seen.