'We do not agree with this decision' ~ Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
115.5624
Summary
Learn English with Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Minister of Public Safety, Arif Al-Khalil. Minister Freeland delivers a statement on the recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada regarding the government's handling of a terrorism case.
Transcript
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So, we are aware of the court decision. We have discussed it with the Prime Minister,
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with Cabinet colleagues, with senior federal government officials and experts.
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We respect very much Canada's independent judiciary. However, we do not agree with this
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decision, and respectfully, we will be appealing it. I would just like to take a moment to remind
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Canadians of how serious the situation was in our country when we took that decision. The public
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safety of Canadians was under threat. Our national security, which includes our national economic
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security, was under threat. It was a hard decision to take. We took it very seriously after a lot of
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hard work, after a lot of careful deliberation. We were convinced at the time, I was convinced at the
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time, it was the right thing to do. It was the necessary thing to do. I remain, and we remain,
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convinced of that. And I'll now turn it over to my colleague, the Minister of Justice, and then we'll
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hear from my colleague, the Minister of Public Safety. Arif, over to you.
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Thank you, Chrystia. Just to build on what Minister Freeland was mentioning, the court decision,
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we've received the judgment. We've done a preliminary review of the judgment. The judgment finds,
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in certain respects, that the decisions of the government were valid and were within constitutional
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parameters. In other respects, it finds it was not. Upon reviewing that decision, we obviously reiterate
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the respect for the judicial process that Minister Freeland has just mentioned. But a fundamental aspect
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of the judicial process is also proceeding on an appeal. And after that consultation with the Prime
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Minister, with Cabinet colleagues, we've taken the decision that we will be proceeding on an appeal,
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as is within our rights within the judicial system.