The House and its Members / Security in the Parliamentary Precinct

Parliamentary Protective Service; incident of racial profiling

February 19, 2019

Debates, p. 25475

On February 6, 2019, Greg Fergus (Hull—Aylmer) rose on a question of privilege regarding an incident of racial profiling of mostly young Canadians during an event commemorating Black History Month within the parliamentary precinct on February 4, 2019. Andy Fillmore (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism) also intervened to apprise the Speaker of the concerns expressed by some of his constituents regarding the incident. The Speaker took the matter under advisement.^[1]

Resolution

On February 19, 2019, the Speaker delivered his ruling. The Speaker explained that the matter was not properly a question of privilege as it did not involve a member of Parliament or a parliamentary proceeding. However, he shared with the House the Parliamentary Protective Service’s full and unreserved apology for the incident, and the service’s commitment to sharing the findings of its internal investigation with the Speakers of the House and the Senate. Although the Speaker ruled that no prima facie breach of privilege had occurred, he stated that this decision in no way diminished the gravity of the matter and the importance of welcoming visitors with equality, dignity and respect.

Decision of the Chair

The Speaker: … I am now ready to rule on the issue raised on February 6, 2019, by the member for Hull—Aylmer regarding an incident of racial profiling that recently occurred within the parliamentary precinct.

The Chair is grateful to the honourable member for bringing this incident to the attention of the House. I also appreciate the comments made by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism.

While the hon. member for Hull—Aylmer raised this matter as a question of privilege and it deals with a serious event, it is not properly a question of privilege. It did not involve a member of Parliament or engage a proceeding of either this House or any committee. Nonetheless, the member has given me an opportunity to make a statement to the House and to report on the investigation that has taken place with respect to the incident.

The member for Hull—Aylmer explained that he and the parliamentary secretary had been made aware that a group of Canadians, mostly young, had come to Parliament Hill on February 4, 2019, to engage with members of Parliament on, and sensitize them to, issues that black communities in Canada are facing today. Reporting that an incident of racial profiling had occurred during this initiative, known as “Black Voices on the Hill”, he asked me to investigate the matter immediately and suggest measures to ensure that Parliament is an open and welcome place for all Canadians.

As Speaker, I have responsibility, shared with the Speaker of the Senate, for the oversight of matters of security and policing for the parliamentary precinct, and the Parliamentary Protective Service has the operational responsibility for the security in the parliamentary buildings. These important responsibilities embody far more than just the physical aspects of keeping people safe when here on Parliament Hill. The racial profiling incident cannot be condoned and must be dealt with swiftly and purposefully.

A complaint was quickly raised in the House, and the Parliamentary Protective Service replied with a full and unreserved apology, stating:

We offer our apologies to the participants for the situation that they experienced. Our security personnel must always conduct themselves with professionalism and respect towards parliamentarians, employees and visitors. We need to do a better job in ensuring that this standard is maintained across our workforce. The Parliamentary Protective Service has zero tolerance for any type of discrimination. We took immediate action upon learning of this incident and launched an internal investigation into the matter. Once the investigation is completed, we will be advising the Speakers accordingly.

The apology is a welcomed first step. However, it should not be construed as either a final step or a way to erase the harsh and unacceptable reality of what happened. Instead, we are resolved to learn from it and to do better going forward.

While one transgression does not represent the actions of all, one is too many and none can be overlooked, dismissed or excused.

All who come here must know unequivocally that they will be welcomed with equality, dignity and respect. To experience anything less here on Parliament Hill, the centre of our democracy, is a failure on our part and for that I offer my sincere apologies. We can and must do better, and we will.

As Speaker, I would like to conclude by making it clear that while there is not a finding of a prima facie question of privilege, for the reasons I have mentioned, this in no way diminishes the importance or gravity of the matter raised.

I thank all hon. members for their attention.