June E-Newsletter:
We finally seem to be getting some nice summer weather now that the rain passed, though not completely. I hope you’ve been able to get out and enjoy the great outdoors.
I had a really special opportunity earlier this month to meet Her Excellency DawAung San Suu Kyi when she visited Ottawa with a delegation from Myanmar. You may recognize that name – she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, and is one of only five people to receive honourary Canadian citizenship, which she was awarded by former Prime Minister Harper in 2007. She is currently serving as State Counsellor (the constitution in Myanmar was written in such a way to preclude her from becoming President) of Myanmar, following her party’s victory in the 2015 parliamentary elections.
Myanmar has only recently emerged from a military government, which ruled the country from 1962 to 2011. The military continues to play a very important role in the country, but Myanmar is certainly a model of how countries can transition from authoritarian regimes to democratic systems.
I was invited to meet with Her Excellency as a result of my work as the Chair of the Canada-Myanmar Parliamentary Friendship Group (CMPFG). I got involved with CMPFGshortly after I was first elected in 2006, after I met Cathy and David Downham, constituents in Simcoe North who started Project Umbrella Burma (PUB) ( to provide medical and educational assistance along the Myanmar-Thailand border.
We had some great discussions with her delegation, and I later met up with them in Toronto to meet with members of the Myanmar diaspora in Canada. We had great discussions on how Canada has supported Myanmar’s transition to democracy, and how we can continue to build those ties to benefit the citizens of both countries.
Other than that, it’s been a very busy few weeks. Parliament has been sitting to midnight as the government tries to get its legislation passed – I was reading an article that said they’ve passed about half as many bills as the previous government had passed at this point in their mandate. We rise for the summer on June 23rd, so I’ll have about twelve weeks back in the riding before parliament resumes in September.
In this month’s E-Newsletter, I go over some of the issues that have caught my attention over the last few weeks, including recent Supreme Court rulings on Canadian’s right to a speedy trial, the government’s new 20-year Defence Policy, recent foreign takeovers of Canadian companies, and finally, an update on the Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. As always, I hope you find this month’s E-Newsletter interesting and informative.
Sincerely,
Bruce
In this issue:
1.Right to a speedy trial
2. Military Plan
3. Foreign Takeovers
4. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry Update
June E-Newsletter Pic 1 – Meeting of Parliamentarians from the Union of the Republic of Myanmar (Burma) organized by Forum of Federations (Canada). Some of the members at this table were at one time fierce military opponents, and now they join in dialogue and democratic processes to address the barriers to Myanmar becoming a more peaceful, prosperous home for its people. The country is the culmination of nearly nine ancient kingdoms and has endured a state of civil war and strife since independence (1948). It moved to citizen rule in 2010 and had it first free elections in 2015.
1. Right to a speedy trial
Back in 2016, the Supreme Court made an extremely important ruling in a case involving Barrett Richard Jordan, who was arrested on charges of trafficking cocaine and heroin in BC in December 2008 and convicted in February 2013. His lawyers brought a challenge in September 2012, arguing that the delay in bringing him to trial was a violation of his 11(b) Charter rights, which guarantee the right to be tried in a reasonable time.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear this appeal, and ultimately ruled that Mr. Jordan’s rights had been violated, and that his conviction should be stayed. As part of their ruling, the Justices outlined what has become known as the Jordan Framework, which establishes the reasonable waiting period for a case to go to trial – Superior Court cases must be completed with 30 months of the charges being laid, while Provincial Court trials must be completed within 18 months, though that can be extended to 30 months if the case includes a preliminary inquiry.One exception is that delays caused by the defence do not count towards the 18 or 30 month limit.
The Supreme Court had an opportunity to revisit the Jordan Framework with the case involving James Cody, who faced similar charges to those faced by Mr. Jordan. In the Cody case, he was charged in 2010 with trafficking cocaine and marijuana, but before his trial was to start in 2015, he challenged the charges against him on the basis that they violated his Charter Right to a speedy trial. This appeal was filed prior to the Jordan decision.
This past June 16th, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Jordan Framework, and stayed the charges against Mr. Cody on the basis that his right to a speedy trial was violated. Some had hoped that the Court would revisit the Jordan Framework, given the delays that the justice system is currently experiencing, but the Court was unanimous in upholding the Framework.
This issue is all the more consequential given considerable delays the government is experiencing in making judicial appointments. The government is implementing a new, merit-based process for appointments, which is admirable, but it has been prolonging the pace of appointments, havingpotentially damaging consequences, particularly in light of the Jordan Framework. In August 2016, the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs released an interim report on delays in the justice system, and at that time, there were 41 judicial vacancies. The Committee urged the government to act immediately on this. Regrettably, as of June 19, 2017, there are now 53 vacancies. In fact, the government even needs to address vacancies within its own Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee, which is vetting the candidates for these vacancies. It has been almost a year after the Senate has highlighted this as an urgent problem for the government to address.
I know Canadians will not tolerate criminals being let off on a technicality.I hope the government will move quickly to give the justice system the resources it needs, so that trials and judicial process move along at an acceptable pace.
June E-newsletter Pic 2 – I was delighted to join Don and Mildred Walker who were marking 50 years married at a packed Eady Hall on June 17th - it was like a Matchedash - Medonte family reunion. Wonderful reception and anniversary party!
2. New Defence Policy
The federal government recently announced a new Defence Policy, which outlines their plans for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for the next two decades.
The government’s plan, Strong, Secure, Engaged, includes increasing the number of Regular Forces (by 3,500 to 71,500), Reserve Forces (by 1,500 to 30,000) and Civilians (by 1,150 to approximately 25,000). These personnel will require additional support, so the government is proposing $198.2 million for a new Total Health and Wellness Strategy, as well as 200 new Medical Services Branch staff, and the establishment a CAF Transition Group, with a staff of 1,200.
Spending on Defence will grow from $18.9 billion today to $32.7 billion in 2026-27. The government’s plan includes $62.3 billion in new money over 20 years, taking the total spending on Defence to $553 billion over that period. Most of the new spending won’t begin to flow until after 2022-23, with only $13.9 billion of the $62.3 billion in new spending coming in the first ten years.
Much of the new spending is for equipment, including: new support ships, Arctic offshore patrol ships, ground-based air defence, 88 new fighter jets, next generation air-to-air tanker-transport and next generation multi-mission aircraft to replace the CP-140 Aurora’s.
Interestingly, despite the fact that this new spending was not included in the 2017 federal budget, the government is claiming that it won’t have an impact on the budget. When pressed on whether existing programs would need to be cut, or larger deficits incurred, to pay for this new spending, Minister of DefenceHarjitSajjandid not provide detail, simply stating that the treasury would provide the necessary funds.
I’m certainly in favour of increasing our support for the Canadian Armed Forces, and ensuring they have the equipment to do the jobs that are asked of them, and the support they require when they return home. However, I have seen occasions since being elected, and before, that plans for properly supplying our military have gone unfulfilled, delayed or simply ignored. The government will need to consider the reality of this commitment financially, and administratively, and get on with it.
You can read the new Defence Policy at
June E-Newsletter Pic 3 – Joined Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke, MPP Patrick Brown, and Roberto Alomar at Baseball Day in Orillia.
3. Foreign Takeovers
There have been a number of recent transactions involving Chinese companies that have caught my attention. In February, the Trudeau government approved the sale of Retirement Concepts, a retirement home provider in British Columbia, to the Anbang Insurance Group. The purchase was valued at over $1 billion. There were some concerns about this sale, given that Retirement Concepts is the highest-billing provider of retirement and assisted-living in BC, receiving over $85 million in 2015-16 from the BC government. Additionally, Anbang had a number of potential transactions blocked in the US and Europe as a result of its murky ownership structure, and questions about its ties to the Chinese government (as you know, China-based businesses or commercial organizations are often arms of their own government, which has no democratic foundation).It will be up to the government to explain how it was able to do its due-diligence on this in light of the many questions surrounding Anbang’s ownership. Interestingly, the Chairman of Anbang, Wu Xiaohui, was arrested in China this month, following a government crackdown on the insurance industry.
The second, more recent, transaction involves a Canadian company called Norsat, which provides satellite communications to broadcasters, the US military and other companies, and was bid for by a Chinese company, Hytera. Despite the sensitivity of this technology, given its work for the US military, it appears the government did not conduct the full national security review of this take-over. Additionally, while the Prime Minister advised that he had consulted with the US on this sale, US government officialsseemed to be concerned when Canada approved the deal, and as a result they are re-evaluating their relationship with Norsat as a result.
No one can doubt that trade with China, the emerging global economic centre of Asia, would bring advantages to Canadian companies, and hence, their employees. But, given the nature of their “state-owned enterprises”, care needs to be taken that Canadian security, intellectual property, and markets, are safeguarded, or improved. With Norsat, at a time when our relationship with our neighbour and largest trading partner is showing strains, to not conduct a full-scale national security review of this transaction is ill-advised.
June E-Newsletter Pic 4 – Back in April, I was pleased to welcome the Right Honourable Ken MacIntosh, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament to Ottawa. We had some very engaging and interesting discussions with his delegation.
4. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry Update
As you know, the federal government is conducting an inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, to address the alarming statistics showing Indigenous women and girls are much more likely to face violence and death compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts.
The inquiry was announced last August, but has proceeded at a very slow pace, and come in for considerable criticism as a result. The government initially set aside almost $54 million, and gave the inquiry two years to complete its work, but having only organized one inquiry meeting so far – in Whitehorse at the end of May – there are already calls for more funding and more time. The interim report is supposed to be tabled in November, but there won’t be any new hearings until the fall, though no dates have been confirmed. Additionally, the inquiry has not completed compiling a database of the victims whose cases will be examined.
There is growing concern among Indigenous leaders, advocates and families of victims over how this inquiry is unfolding. In response, the Inquiry’s Commissioners have pledged to address their concerns, but time is running out. Minister Bennett has indicated that she expects the inquiry to complete its work on the original schedule.
As the inquiry gets underway in earnest, I will provide you with further updates. You can follow the inquiry at
E-Newsletter Pic 5 – Welcomed Laurel and Ted Chivers, of Victoria Harbour, to Parliament Hill. We enjoyed great company and conversation over lunch, and a tour of Centre Block of Parliament. They attended Question Period and were going to take the guided tour thereafter. Wonderful constituents and a pleasure to have friends visit when they're in the Nation's Capital.
I am extremely proud to have such an impressive product coming from my constituency and loved introducing their great products to people from all across Canada. Here I am with Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve's Valerie Pankratz and Jim Irwin and Deputy Speaker Bruce Stanton MP. Unfortunately, Mr Stanton had to go back to presiding over the House of Commons, so he didn't get to sample. I owe him one in the future!