Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs has a new duty in Ottawa. Stubbs has been named new Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.
“I am grateful to Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole for my role as the Public Safety Shadow Minister. It is not just a title – it is a huge responsibility that I take it personally and is important to the people and communities I represent. I look forward to advancing the work mandated to me by our Leader in my new role on this committee.”
Stubbs was appointed Conservative Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness under new leader Erin O’Toole back in September. She says been entrusted with several tasks, which include addressing the smuggling of illegal weapons at the border and the risks of foreign influence in Canada.
“Since the ban on hunting and sporting firearms this spring, Toronto continues to experience a rise in shootings, the vast majority of which are gang-related. It is clear the Liberals need to refocus on illegal imports and gun smuggling. For years, I have also been warning that China’s state-owned and affiliated enterprises are wielding their influence through a variety of methods, including consolidating control of Canadian resources and resource producers, which are more vulnerable because of anti-energy Liberal policies and the severe economic consequences of the pandemic.”
Stubbs also said she plans to work with the other parties where she can to advance issues where all parties and Canadians agree.
“I believe I demonstrated my willingness to work with the other parties on critical issues where we agree, such as when my motion on rural crime, M-167, passed with support from all parties in 2018. So, one of my first tasks in this new role is working with the other parties to assess problems in Canada’s corrections and parole system, and stop the revolving door for criminals, for the protection and safety of all Canadians. That includes bringing back the committee’s work on what circumstances lead to the death of Marylène Lévesque in the spring.”
Levesque was found dead in a hotel room in Quebec in January this year. Eustachio Gallese, a convicted killer out on day parole, later turned himself into police for the murder. In February, MPs unanimously supported a motion condemning “the decision of the Parole Board of Canada that led to a young woman’s death by an inmate during day parole” and instructing the Standing Committee on Public Safety to “conduct hearings into this matter, including a review of the changes made by the government in 2017 to the board’s nomination process.” The committee met for two meetings on the matter, but the study was put on hold by COVID-19, and then replaced with a study on systemic racism in policing.
“All MPs voted to support the study of how the system failed this young woman, so I’m confident all members of the committee will agree to continue this work expeditiously.”
