The West Block – Episode 14, Season 12 – National | 24CA News
THE WEST BLOCK
Episode 14, Season 12
Sunday, December 18, 2022
Host: Mercedes Stephenson
Guests:
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister
Anita Anand, Defence Minister
Location:
Ottawa, ON
Mercedes Stephenson: Ottawa needs to crack down on gun crime, however is the federal government focusing on the unsuitable gun homeowners?
And, is the Canadian army scarcity of troops and gear affecting its potential to struggle in a altering world?
I’m Mercedes Stephenson. Welcome to The West Block.
Growing opposition to an modification to Bill C-21 for banning a protracted listing of firearms, together with some utilized by hunters, how did this occur and can the federal government change it? We’ll ask the general public security minister.
Plus, the trail to tradition change within the Canadian Armed Forces: why the defence minister says this time is completely different.
The public security minister says amendments to Ottawa’s controversial gun management laws are usually not meant to focus on law-abiding gun homeowners, however that’s precisely what critics say the proposed modifications to Bill C-21 are doing. The backlash has been swift from hunters, Indigenous teams, and opposition MPs, in addition to some provinces.
Alberta Justice Minister, Tyler Shandro: “This is very political. This is not about targeting safety. This is not about targeting reducing gun crime.”
Mercedes Stephenson: Joining me now’s Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino. Thank you for becoming a member of us, minister. How are you?
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: I’m very nicely. Thanks for having me.
Mercedes Stephenson: I’ve to begin with this modification. What—what was the deal? Why did you determine to tack this onto handgun laws and it appears, take plenty of your stakeholders without warning?
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: Well the aim of Bill C-21 is to cut back gun crime and after we tabled it final spring, we did say that we might be open about receiving an modification to create and evergreen provision, which is a mannequin agnostic strategy to prohibiting sure firearms which had been both designed for the battlefield or are too harmful for civilian functions. And we acknowledged that there have been plenty of issues, as you pointed off, off the highest, which is why we’re going to take the time to make no matter tremendous tuning to the language of the modification, in addition to the itemizing to—to get this proper. And the best way that you simply do this, is by having a considerate, civilized debate, based mostly on info and never concern. There’s additionally plenty of different good within the invoice as you understand, the nationwide handgun freeze, elevating the utmost sentences in opposition to hardened gun traffickers. Red flag, yellow flag protocols for which there’s broad multi-partisan assist. So I’m optimistic that we will work by means of this modification and hopefully cross this laws as rapidly as potential within the new yr.
Mercedes Stephenson: Where did the recommendation come from to place this modification in?
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: Let’s take a step again to May 2020, after we launched an order in council, which is our nationwide assault-style firearms ban. And there are some goals standards by which we decide sure weapons both to fall into that army fashion class or are too harmful. And the rationale right here is to maneuver away from cherry choosing firearms which might typically be politicized and we wish to take the temperature down. We know that there have been issues which have been expressed, which is why we’re going to assist the committee in its research of this invoice. We’re going to have interaction with hunters and farmers and Indigenous peoples who’ve expressed issues, to make no matter tremendous tuning to get this proper. The greater image is, we’ve obtained a gun—we’ve a plan to cut back gun violence not solely by means of sensible, accountable gun management by investing, but additionally by investing $450 million over the previous few years to cease unlawful gun smuggling at our borders and to forestall gun crime by means of our Building Safer Communities Fund. So there’s plenty of work there…
Mercedes Stephenson: But—however with all due respect, minister, with all these targets, and I perceive, I imply, I feel all Canadians wish to see gun violence decreased. It doesn’t reply the query about the place you bought the recommendation to place this modification in. Where did that recommendation on what needs to be in right here come from? Was it political employees? Was it PMO? Was it the Public Service? It doesn’t appear to have been plenty of the parents who really feel they’re being focused. So, who suggested you to do that?
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: Well, you understand, in truth, after we launched our nationwide assault-style rifle ban, there was broad assist from regulation enforcement as a result of these weapons are too harmful to be left in our communities. So we’re getting recommendation from non-partisan skilled public servants, together with regulation enforcement and we acknowledge that the modification does require some very considerate and cautious research, which is one thing that we’re dedicated to doing by means of dialogue.
As you identified, on the very prime, our aim right here is to focus on these weapons which had been AR-15 fashion weapons like ones used at Portapique in Truro and Polytechnique. I’ve grieved with these households. We by no means need one other a kind of tragedies once more. We all, I feel, are united within the frequent trigger to eradicate gun violence. It is tough work. It is emotionally charged at instances, which is why we wish to take the temperature down and have a debate that’s based mostly on info and never concern.
Mercedes Stephenson: But minister, you say you wish to debate based mostly on info however not concern. AR-15s and army fashion assault rifles aren’t what Indigenous hunters are utilizing. So how did the modification find yourself written the best way that it’s, the place these teams are saying, and it’s not only one, it’s teams throughout the nation, had been saying that that is catching up respectable searching rifles that don’t have an AR-15s capabilities.
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: Well I feel the overwhelming majority of the fashions there listed and those that may be captured by the target standards within the evergreen provision wouldn’t be controversial. That having been mentioned, once more, we do perceive that issues have been expressed round among the fashions that could be legitimately utilized by hunters and Indigenous peoples, which is why we’re going to assist the committee in its research of this, which is why we’re going to have interaction. And I’ve been participating with rural communities, with searching communities, with Indigenous peoples to make it possible for we get this proper.
Mercedes Stephenson: I’d like to speak to you about China as nicely. It’s one other huge concern and I do know it’s an enormous concern for a variety of the organizations below your ministry. We now know due to paperwork that had been tabled at committee that Privy Council was warning the Prime Minister’s Office as early as February of 2020 about issues on subtle networks from China, attempting to affect Canadian elections. Do you suppose it’s truthful to say that you simply’ve been conscious of this since February of 2020?
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: Well look, we get briefings on a regular basis about nationwide safety threats, together with potential overseas interference by China and we’re eyes vast open. We’re very sober concerning the dangers which can be posed by that. And as you’ve reported, and plenty of others, these threats exist in opposition to our democratic establishments, in opposition to our elections, in opposition to—you understand, in relation to cyber-crime. We need to be very vigilant about this. So as we’ve these conversations inside authorities, we’re additionally ensuring that our nationwide safety group has all of the instruments which can be needed. Let me provide you with a couple of concrete examples how we’re doing that: the laws that I launched final spring, Bill C-26, which is able to be certain that we’re defending our cyber important infrastructure; the laws that we launched to cease overseas funding, which might affect elections by means of Bill C-76; the impartial panels that we put into place to make sure that the integrity of our elections is preserved. All of those mechanisms are in place to guard our democratic establishments and Canadian curiosity in relation to threats posed by hostile state actors.
Mercedes Stephenson: Are you taking a look at overseas agent legal guidelines? It’s one thing the U.Okay. is taking a look at that may basically criminalize it if somebody is came upon to be appearing covertly on behalf of a overseas energy in Canada. And I don’t simply imply the overseas brokers registry, which might require you to overtly say that. I’m speaking about covert networks that is perhaps working.
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: Well I feel we’re, you understand, retaining the choices open. Look, I feel it’s actually essential in your viewers and for Canadians to know that we’re at a degree in our nationwide safety panorama, the place there are—threats abound in relation to overseas interference. That means having the agility and the capability to mitigate and reply to them. I imply, one other instance that I’d supply that provides us that capability is Bill C-59, which we handed in 2019. It permits CSIS to place into place risk discount measures, however with the corresponding transparency that’s required by means of the creation of NSICOP and NSIRA in order that Canadians may be assured that as we reply to these new threats that we’re doing it in a manner that’s in step with our legal guidelines within the constitution.
Mercedes Stephenson: Minister are you conscious, and do you suppose it’d be truthful to say, your ministry and points inside your ministry, are conscious of subtle overseas interference networks which can be working on the driving and candidate stage, attempting to affect elections in favour of the People’s Republic of China?
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: I feel the start line of this dialogue is that we have to be very vigilant about threats that may manifest at each stage of presidency and that would pose a risk to all of our democratic establishments, be it elections. Be it different important infrastructure. And that’s why it is vital that we’ve the dialogue that you simply’ve been asking me about, which is whether or not or not we’ve the instruments in place or whether or not or not we have to modernize them. All Canadians…
Mercedes Stephenson: But—however can you affirm or deny to me whether or not or not you might be conscious of allegations about threats on the driving and candidate stage?
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: I—I’d say that we’re at all times vigilant in opposition to potential threats in opposition to all of our establishments together with elections, which is why we put in place these impartial panels. Those panels are non-partisan, skilled. They performed rigorous interviews and investigated whether or not or not there was any potential compromising of the elections in 2019 and 2021 has…
Mercedes Stephenson: But didn’t the intelligence assessments appear to—I imply, I don’t suppose that we’re reporting that there was interference that influenced the election. There are issues about makes an attempt and there’s definitely intelligence briefings that counsel one thing completely different and issues that may be completely different than what the election panel would take a look at. They’re—they’re very completely different elements of the federal government.
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: That’s why we’ve to take a 360 view of this. I’m merely saying to you that—that vigilance, being sober about this, being eyes vast open, they’re the watch phrases and the best way during which we defend our establishments together with elections, as a result of there’s nothing extra essential than ensuring that Canadians can have their voices represented in order that after we come to Parliament, whether or not we—after we come to completely different legislatures and metropolis halls throughout the nation, we may be assured that that’s on the idea of elections that are free and truthful and we are going to spare no effort in ensuring that we defend that.
Mercedes Stephenson: Minister Mendicino, we admire your time. Thank you a lot.
Marco Mendicino, Public Safety Minister: Happy holidays, Mercedes.
Mercedes Stephenson: You too.
Up subsequent, Defence Minister Anita Anand will get private about reworking the tradition of the Canadian Armed Forces.
[Break]
Mercedes Stephenson: The defence minister tabled her response to a sweeping report final May, geared toward reforming army tradition within the wake of the sexual misconduct scandal that has rocked the Canadian Armed Forces.
Anita Anand says she accepts all 48 suggestions within the report by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour. But Arbour was unimpressed, saying the response is extra of the identical.
Louise Arbour, Former Supreme Court Justice: “I find that all the reviews that are being suggested in the minister’s response are for the most part internal, and therefore misses entirely the central point of my report, which is the need for CAF to open up to a lot more external not only scrutiny, but input.”
Mercedes Stephenson: Defence Minister Anita Anand joins me now. Minister, thanks a lot for coming in. I’d like to begin at the moment, although, by getting your response to one thing that you simply mentioned earlier on Parliament Hill this week. Let’s play that clip again.
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: “It will take time and we will see it through. And finally, I will say that as minister, we never know how long we are going to hold our positions, but my goal is to put in place the institutional reforms necessary so that cultural change can last our lifetimes.”
Mercedes Stephenson: Minister, I’ve interviewed you plenty of instances, been in plenty of scrums with you, I’ve by no means seen an emotional response like that earlier than. What had been you feeling while you mentioned that? Was it frustration with the forces? Was it exasperation that individuals suppose you’re not critical? Was it willpower? What was going by means of your thoughts?
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: Mercedes, to start with, thanks for having me on. It has been a really lengthy yr of attempting each single day to make it possible for we’re reforming the Canadian Armed Forces with the cultural change needed to make sure that it’s an establishment the place everybody who joins, who places on a uniform in service of our nation, feels secure and guarded and free from sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, and at that second, I deeply felt the necessity to preserve going. And regardless of criticism coming from numerous stakeholders and the media, we have to make it possible for we keep on monitor. And so tabling the response to Madame Arbour’s report that day within the House of Commons was an especially significant second for me and for us.
We had labored very laborious for months and months on a response and we even have a roadmap ahead, for each single one of many 48 suggestions. Unlike responses to earlier reviews, we’re exhibiting the Canadian public precisely what we’re doing and we’re going to proceed to come back ahead with quarterly briefings in order that the Canadian public is aware of precisely what we’ve completed and what we’re going to do, what our progress has been.
And then lastly, simply as Madame Arbour advisable, I appointed an exterior monitor, an outdoor voice, to supervise the implementation of the suggestions. And all of that—all of that work was in my thoughts in the mean time that I used to be having that press convention.
Mercedes Stephenson: And I see that emotion in you once more at the moment as you’re speaking about it, however I additionally need to problem you on the roadmap. I spoke to some survivors. I spoke to consultants. Madame Arbour mentioned it. Your characterising this as a roadmap and clear manner forward, nevertheless it’s lacking some fairly clear key components that someone such as you who’s very organized, from what I’ve seen of your character, could be interested by and anticipating: timelines, benchmarks, the way you’re going to get there, an inventory of priorities of what’s coming first.
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: Mm-hum.
Mercedes Stephenson: Where are these issues?
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: Actually, what we’re capable of do, and it’s important to keep in mind that there are 48 suggestions so the timelines are going to vary relying on the actual advice at hand, is we’re explaining how we’re going to implement, and to the extent that there’s a working group that’s being struck to actual and make it possible for we’re placing ahead the most suitable choice on the advice, that’s an implementation mechanism. This will not be about additional research. This is about making certain we get it proper and I feel the Canadian public must have the boldness that we’re taking the time to get it proper. And typically, for instance, on advice quantity 5, it’s tough to place one single cut-off date down on paper when you could have systemic change of that magnitude. And so what I’m doing within the report is being my prudent self, to make it possible for what I’m saying to Canadians is what’s going to happen versus giving false deadlines, which I’m not assured that we will meet. But what I’m assured about is that this can be a completely different second when it comes to our response to the necessity for cultural change within the army.
Mercedes Stephenson: It’s an advanced world proper now. When I used to be considering of subjects that we might focus on at the moment, after all, one of many issues that involves thoughts is the scenario all over the world with China, with—you set out, you understand, the Indo-Pacific technique, with Ukraine and Russia, with the Middle East, which nonetheless there are a lot of important challenges there, West Africa, Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Maghreb, nonetheless very lively there. The Canadian Armed Forces is down a number of thousand individuals, relying on who you ask. The chief of the defence employees has come out, the highest basic, and mentioned we principally would actually battle to mount a significant operation. For the primary time since 2017, we’re not capable of ship fighter jets to Europe to take part in Operation Reassurance to discourage Russia. We needed to put ships that had been designed for coastal waters into the center of the Atlantic as a result of we couldn’t get the frigates out. This looks like a fairly dire scenario.
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: So, you might be precisely proper that there are a selection of 1000’s of Canadian Armed Forces that we do have to recruit. And recruitment and retention and reconstitution of the Canadian Armed Forces is considered one of our utmost priorities. At the identical time, with the property that you simply talked about, the capabilities, what we’re doing is being nuanced when it comes to our response to specific rising world conditions. So for instance, we added one other CC-130 to our unit in Prestwick, Scotland as a result of the quantity of support that we’re transporting on behalf of our allies in assist of Ukraine has been rising. And so we typically have to maneuver property from one area to a different, to answer world conditions. Similarly, within the Indo-Pacific, we all know that we’re growing Canada’s presence there, throughout a variety of topic areas: defence and safety, immigration, diplomatic efforts and what we’re making certain that we do, is so as to add one other frigate to the Indo-Pacific.
Mercedes Stephenson: But that can come at the price of the Atlantic, as a result of we don’t have a spare frigate that—not less than that I learn about.
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: But what’s actually essential, although, to acknowledge is that the chief of defence employees and I stand again and we speak about the place property could be put to their greatest use.
Mercedes Stephenson: But he seems like he’s saying that they—they depend mount a significant operation, which is extra than simply reallocating a scarcity of property.
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: Well truly, I feel you must take a look at the contributions that Canada has made and continues to make: coaching 34 thousand Ukrainian Armed Forces members with coaching items in England in addition to in Poland, coaching Ukrainian engineers. And when it comes to the Romanian effort with the jets, that call is being made as a result of on the horizon is the procurement of 88 future fighters and we have to make it possible for our pilots are educated and our property are in [00:08:38 cross talk]…
Mercedes Stephenson: How quick do you suppose you’re going to get these…?
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: For that.
Mercedes Stephenson: Because I feel the final—the notice I’ve says 2025 and we’re in—going—about to be 2023. That’s a fairly important hole.
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: We will likely be concluding that contract within the very brief time period and transferring to make sure that the property arrive as potential. But upfront of that, we’d like to verify we’ve the pilots educated and we have to make it possible for we’ve…
Mercedes Stephenson: And individuals to do this.
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: The infrastructure in place to accommodate the 88 new future fighters. And, so there’s long run planning occurring, to make it possible for we’re prepared to just accept the brand new capabilities that we’re contracting for, in addition to to proceed to develop the Canadian Armed Forces the best way we should, to make sure a strong army for Canada’s defence.
Mercedes Stephenson: We simply have a couple of moments left, however I wish to put a query to you as a result of it’s one I get rather a lot from the troops. And by the troops, I imply like privates and corporals. Some of the residing situations at base is mould within the barracks, rodents. Pretty dire, not one thing lots of people wish to signal as much as stay in. Are you taking a look at renewing that infrastructure and coping with the conditions, as a result of a few of these footage are fairly disturbing?
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: Yes I’m. And I’ve heard the identical issues throughout the nation. When I go to bases and I discuss to members of the Canadian Armed Forces, which is a precedence for me, I hear that the price of residing, in addition to our infrastructure wants consideration. And in order that could be very a lot a spotlight of my discussions with the chief of defence employees, in addition to our future planning. We know that Canadians are going through housing crises in addition to going through the prices of inflation. The Canadian Armed Forces are usually not immune to those issues and we’re attacking them head on.
Mercedes Stephenson: Minister, thanks very a lot for becoming a member of us at the moment.
Anita Anand, Defence Minister: Thank you a lot, Mercedes.
Mercedes Stephenson: Up subsequent, remembering the legacy of Winnipeg MP and former Liberal cupboard minister Jim Carr.
Jim Carr, Former Liberal Cabinet Minister: “I love this country, every square metre of this country, in English, en Français, in indigenous languages and in the languages of the newly arrived.”
[Break]
Mercedes Stephenson: The House of Commons paid tribute final week to Winnipeg South Centre MP Jim Carr. He died of most cancers simply days after MPs handed his non-public members invoice that can construct a inexperienced prairie economic system because it guarantees.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his former cupboard minister embodied public service.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “Jim was a gentleman. He was a mentor. Jim was a friend to many. Jim was a great Canadian.”
The House has now wrapped for the vacations and MPs have gone residence. They will return to Parliament on January 30th.
That’s our present for at the moment. Thanks for becoming a member of us. For The West Block, I’m Mercedes Stephenson. And in contrast to the MPs, I’ll see you right here subsequent Sunday. Have a terrific week.
