Question Period

Monsieur le Président, le député d’Edmonton‑Centre a quitté le Cabinet et va se concentrer sur sa défense contre ces allégations. En même temps, quand le chef de l’opposition parle des défis auxquels les Canadiens font face, il n’offre aucune solution, sauf des compressions et de l’austérité. Il veut couper dans le programme de soins dentaires, il veut couper dans le programme d’assurance‑maladie pour les médicaments et la contraception, il veut couper dans les places en garderie. Il offre des compressions alors que les Canadiens ont besoin d’investissement et de croissance.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, the member for Edmonton Centre has stepped down from cabinet to focus on clearing these allegations. Meanwhile, when the Leader of the Opposition talks about the challenges facing Canadians, he does not offer any solutions besides cuts and austerity. He wants to cut the dental care program. He wants to cut the pharmacare program for medication and contraception. He wants to cut day care spaces. He is offering cuts when Canadians need investments and growth.

Monsieur le Président, pour un chef qui prétend se préoccuper des gens qui disent la vérité, c’est intéressant de voir qu’il est en train de museler son caucus, de ne pas permettre aux députés d’exprimer leurs préoccupations concernant des investissements dans leurs communautés. Nous apprenons aujourd’hui qu’il ne permet pas la libre expression à ses propres députés. Nous sommes ici à la Chambre pour être des voix fortes pour nos communautés, alors que lui veut que ses députés soient sa voix dans leurs communautés. Ce n’est pas ainsi que ça fonctionne. Les députés conservateurs devraient dire ce qu’ils pensent vraiment.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, for a leader who claims to be concerned about people who tell the truth, it is interesting to see that he is muzzling his caucus and not letting members express their concerns about investments in their communities. We found out today that he is not allowing his own members to speak freely. We are here in the House to be strong voices for our communities, but he wants his members to be his voice in their communities. That is not how it works. Conservative members should say what they really think.

Mr. Speaker, the member for Edmonton Centre has stepped down from cabinet to focus on clearing these allegations. The Leader of the Opposition talks about the importance of speaking up. The reality is that his MPs are no longer voices for their communities; they are his voice in their communities. That is not how this place is supposed to work. We are focused on making sure that we are investing in Canadians and supporting them with the kinds of supports for housing, dental care and child care they need, while all he offers are cuts and austerity.

Mr. Speaker, telling the truth would be MPs continuing to stand up to advocate for their communities, but the Leader of the Opposition has asked them not to be their community's voices here in Ottawa but instead to be his voice in their communities. That is supposedly the party of freedom and freedom of speech, but he is muzzling his MPs. He is not letting them talk to the media. He is not letting them talk to committees. The reality is he is afraid of what they might say about him because there is no call to be muzzling MPs this way.

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition just made, very clearly, the point that the MPs on this side of the House are free to share their opinions publicly, even when they are ones I disagree with. Absolutely—

Mr. Speaker, in the minds of Conservatives, we just saw a big gotcha moment where I admitted that Liberal MPs are free to speak their minds and voice their opinions, even when we have disagreements. That was astonishing to the members of the Conservative Party because they are not allowed to do that. They are not allowed to speak to the media. They are not allowed to speak their minds. They are not allowed to be voices for their communities. They are not allowed to stand up for investments in their cities on housing. That is the real scandal in this place.

Monsieur le Président, comme le chef du Bloc québécois l'a souligné, à la Chambre, nous avons appuyé de façon unanime la protection de la gestion de l'offre.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, as the Leader of the Bloc Québécois pointed out, we gave our unanimous support in the House to protecting supply management.

Monsieur le Président, c'était presque unanime. Nous étions de ce côté-là. La réalité, c'est que le Sénat est en train de faire son travail, est en train de regarder le projet de loi. Nous n'accepterons aucun projet de loi qui minimise ou qui abolit l'obligation de la Chambre de protéger la gestion de l'offre dans tout accord commercial à venir. Nous sommes sans équivoque là-dessus. Quel que soit le travail du Sénat, la volonté de la Chambre est claire.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, it was almost unanimous. We were on that side. The reality is that the Senate is doing its job and is looking at the bill. We will not accept any bill that minimizes or eliminates the House's obligation to protect supply management in any future trade agreement. We have been very clear on that. No matter what the Senate does, the will of the House is clear.

Monsieur le Président, j'ai souvent rencontré des sénateurs et je vais continuer d'en rencontrer. Sur cet enjeu-là, je peux être absolument sans équivoque et très clair: nous allons toujours protéger la gestion de l'offre, quelle que soit l'opinion des augustes sénateurs.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, I have often met with senators and will continue to do so. I want to be absolutely unequivocal and very clear about this: We will always protect supply management, whatever the opinion of the august senators.

Monsieur le Président, c'était ironique. Nous allons défendre l'intégrité de notre système de gestion de l'offre, même lors de la négociation d'un nouveau traité de libre-échange.

Hansard translation: I was being ironic, Mr. Speaker. We will defend the integrity of our supply management system, even when negotiating a new free trade agreement.

Mr. Speaker, if the NDP wants to join us in making life more affordable for Canadians, all they have to do is put an end to the obstruction of the work of Parliament that the Conservatives are leading on. Parliament is supposed to do the work of Canadians in making their lives better, but with the Conservative Party's obstruction, there are bills being slowed down, measures around dental care, around indigenous services and school food. These are things we need to unblock in this House, and if the NDP will help us stop the obstructionism of the Conservatives, we can deliver for Canadians.

Monsieur le Président, si le NPD veut se joindre à nous pour rendre la vie plus abordable pour les Canadiens, il n'a qu'à nous aider à mettre fin à l'obstruction du Parlement par les conservateurs. Le Parlement est censé faire le travail pour les Canadiens pour réduire le coût de la vie, mais l'obstruction du Parti conservateur et l'inaction du NPD sur cette question retardent l'adoption de projets de loi essentiels, entre autres l'octroi de fonds pour les soins dentaires, l'alimentation scolaire, le logement, les services aux Autochtones et bien d'autres choses. Il faut que le NPD travaille avec nous. Nous allons empêcher les conservateurs de bloquer l'aide aux Canadiens.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, if the NDP wants to join with us in making life more affordable for Canadians, all it has to do is help us end the Conservatives' filibuster in Parliament. Parliament is supposed to be working on behalf of Canadians to lower the cost of living, but the Conservative Party's filibuster and the NDP's inaction on this issue are delaying critical legislation from passing, including funding for dental care, school meals, housing, indigenous services and so much more. The NDP has to work with us. We need to stop the Conservatives from blocking the help that Canadians need.

Mr. Speaker, following a pandemic that had devastated our economy in a short-term way, Canadians needed, and businesses needed, extra support and so asked for more temporary foreign workers, asked for more international students, and we gave them. Our economy grew. Our economy got back faster than the United States and got back faster than many other countries of the world. We are now in a different situation where we have had to step up and reduce immigration numbers to make sure our housing issues can catch up. This is what a responsible government does. It puts forward solutions that are right in the moment and corrects them when they are no longer needed.

Mr. Speaker, these little performances that the Leader of the Opposition puts on are not fooling anyone. The only thing he is interested in is his own interests, his own quest for power. He is asking his MPs to not be strong voices for their communities, including in communities that are relying on the investments in their housing so they can respond to growing populations and housing pressures caused by increasing population. These are the things we are busy solving, but he would rather muzzle his MPs in order to look good when he is doing his little show.

Again, Mr. Speaker, with the little performances. What the Leader of the Opposition would rather not admit is that when he was Stephen Harper's failed housing minister, he created a total of six affordable housing units across the country. He was part of a government that completely pulled back from any investments in housing. Yes, as a government we have had to step up and make record investments, but even as we are making record investments to accelerate the construction of housing in Conservative ridings across the country, he is preventing his Conservative MPs from standing up for their communities to solve this housing crisis.

Mr. Speaker, the government in which the Leader of the Opposition was the failed housing minister deliberately chose to get out of the business of housing, which meant we needed to step up with a national housing strategy in 2017, and with record investments, not just to create more housing but to change the way housing is built in communities across this country. That is money put into the pockets of municipalities to invest, to densify and to accelerate permitting, money that he is promising to take away and that his MPs are trying to speak out to defend.

Mr. Speaker, the irony of this is that the Leader of the Opposition likes to rhyme off facts and figures, but he will not even take a briefing that will allow him to understand the security threats facing this country. For some strange reason that he will not admit to, he has refused to get a security clearance. He has refused to take the briefings necessary to keep Canadians safe. Therefore, any time he chooses to rhyme off facts and figures, we know that he is not actually caring about Canadians; he is caring about himself.

Monsieur le Président, le Canada a vu la reprise économique la plus rapide parmi nos pairs après la pandémie. C'est en partie parce qu'on a su accueillir des gens pour pallier la pénurie de main-d'œuvre qu'on voyait partout au pays. Maintenant, nous sommes dans une situation différente. Nous sommes en train de régler le problème et d'ajuster nos cibles d'immigration, d'ajuster le nombre de travailleurs temporaires qui viennent et d'ajuster le nombre d'étudiants internationaux. Cela fait partie de ce qu'un gouvernement responsable doit faire pour s'assurer d'une croissance adéquate pour notre pays.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, Canada enjoyed the fastest economic recovery among our peers after the pandemic. This was partly because we decided to welcome people to address the labour shortage we were experiencing across the country. Now we are in a different situation. We are fixing the problem and adjusting our immigration targets, adjusting the number of temporary workers coming in and adjusting the number of international students. Those are things a responsible government must do to ensure appropriate growth for our country.

Monsieur le Président, nous avons toujours été sans équivoque: comme gouvernement, nous allons protéger la gestion de l'offre dans toute négociation de libre‑échange présente ou à venir. À cause de cela, nous appuyons le projet de loi du Bloc québécois pour protéger la gestion de l'offre. Si jamais ce projet de loi échoue au Sénat et si nous n'arrivons pas à le faire passer ici, à la Chambre, parce que les conservateurs voteraient contre, nous allons être là pour protéger la gestion de l'offre, même si nous avons besoin d'entreprendre des actions gouvernementales pour accomplir la tâche. Nous sommes là pour protéger la gestion de l'offre, un point c'est tout.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, we have always been very clear. As a government, we will protect supply management in any present or future free trade negotiations. As such, we support the Bloc Québécois's bill to protect supply management. In the event that the bill fails in the Senate and if we do not manage to pass it here because the Conservatives will vote against it, we will be there to protect supply management, even if we have to take government action to do so. We are here to protect supply management, period.

Monsieur le Président, j'accueille avec enthousiasme le choix du chef du Bloc québécois d'aller à la rencontre des sénateurs. Nous travaillons régulièrement avec des sénateurs pour faire passer de bonnes lois et de bons projets de loi pour les Canadiens. Comme je l'ai dit, nous allons protéger la gestion de l'offre. Nous sommes tout à fait d'accord avec nos collègues du Bloc québécois sur l'importance de protéger la gestion de l'offre et nos agriculteurs. C'est pour cela que nous avons agi en conséquence. C'est pour cela que nous nous sommes engagés en tant que gouvernement à ne jamais remettre en question la gestion de l'offre dans toute négociation de libre-échange à venir.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, I welcome the Bloc Québécois leader's choice to go meet with senators. We regularly work with senators to get good legislation and good bills passed for Canadians. As I said, we will protect supply management. We completely agree with our Bloc Québécois colleagues on the importance of protecting supply management and our farmers. That is why we acted accordingly. That is why we are committed as a government to never undermine supply management in any future free trade negotiation.

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are facing global challenges right now. As much as the Leader of the Opposition would love to bury his head in the sand, global inflation and climate change, which is impacting everyone around the world, require us to be working together. Standing up for peace and justice on the world stage, standing up for women's rights or standing up for opportunities for the middle class requires us to work together, something the Leader of the Opposition cannot do. He cannot even work with his own MPs. He has to muzzle them. He is not letting them be voices of their communities in Ottawa. Those are the real colours of the Leader of the Opposition.

Mr. Speaker, I invite Canadians to actually watch the remarks I made down south, where I was talking exactly about the importance of putting affordability first for Canadians, even as we are fighting against climate change. The Leader of the Opposition can invent things that he thinks I might have said. That is not what I said. What I pointed out was that even as we are fighting climate change, even as we are creating incentives to grow our economy in cleaner, greener ways, we are putting more money back in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians with the Canada carbon rebate, a fact that he's busy gaslighting Canadians against.

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Leader of the Opposition is just not telling the truth. The reality is that the Parliamentary Budget Officer said that eight out of 10 Canadians get more money back from the price on pollution than it actually costs them in paying that price on pollution. The cost of inaction on climate change is astronomical. That is exactly what he is proposing. The Leader of the Opposition should stop misleading Canadians and actually understand that we cannot fight for affordability and we cannot fight against climate change unless we are investing in Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, once again the Leader of the Opposition is entirely misrepresenting the facts for his own gain, for his own interest. That is really all he cares about. If he cared about Canadians, he would not be standing against dental care. He would not be standing against more spaces in child care. He would not be standing against putting more money in Canadians' pockets with a price on pollution that is bending our emissions down faster than those of our other G7 neighbours. At the same time, it is helping with affordability for eight out of 10 Canadians in areas in which it lands. The Canada carbon rebate is an affordability measure that is protecting future generations, and he is standing against it.

Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate my NDP colleague's bringing up the school food program and her support for it. If she really wanted to support it, she would help us stop the obstructionism by the Conservative Party that is preventing us from moving forward on delivering concretely for Canadians the way they need. Canadians need help and investments, and Conservatives did not have enough in blocking and voting against school foods, voting against and blocking dental care, and voting against and blocking pharmacare, so they are now blocking any capacity in the House to deliver for Canadians. The NDP needs to work with us and stop this obstruction.

Mr. Speaker, qujannamiik to my colleague. I agree: We need to move forward on protecting clean water and on delivering. That is why we are asking the NDP to stop slow-walking the clean water bill and to work with us to get it through the House so we can actually deliver the water Canadians need from coast to coast to coast, including in Nunavut.

Mr. Speaker, we just heard it once again from the Conservative leader. The foundation to his entire economic argument is that delivering programs to help Canadians in times of need somehow makes everything worse for everyone. He is proposing cuts to dental care, cuts to child care, cuts to the school food program, cuts to money responding to the housing crisis in municipalities. His only answer to Canadians hurting is to cut services to them while he exploits their fears for his own personal gain.

Mr. Speaker, I know the Leader of the Opposition is keen to see our fall economic statement, which will talk about measures that are there to help affordability, to support Canadians, to be there to invest in them. He is looking forward to seeing all these great measures we are putting forward to support Canadians in their time of need, because he cannot wait to vote against them. He cannot wait to slash services and programs that are helping Canadians. He cannot wait to stand in the way of us helping Canadians through this difficult time by putting the best balance sheet in the G7 in service of Canadians who need a little more support. He has voted against supports for Canadians. He is going to continue to do so.

Mr. Speaker, obviously the Leader of the Opposition is keen to hear our fall economic statement, but the reality is, he is only looking forward to it because he wants to vote against it. He is going to vote against measures that support Canadians: measures to be there for Canadian families who are struggling, to invest in things like school food, to invest in more support for dental care for vulnerable people, and to invest in jobs and growth creation right across the country. These are the things he has consistently stood against because he believes in cuts, austerity and a trickle-down that gives benefits to the wealthiest, but nothing for everybody else.

Mr. Speaker, again, he is eager to hear our fall economic update and we will share it with him in due course. In the meantime, the House has work to do on passing legislation that would support school food programs, moving forward on delivering dental care for more Canadians who cannot afford it, expanding child care spaces and putting money in people's pockets at a time when it is needed. Instead, he is crossing his arms and forcing his MPs, because we know he forces his MPs to do whatever he wants, to block the passage of bills in the House because he does not want to see Canadians helped right now; he wants to see Canadians hurt because he only cares about himself.

Monsieur le Président, en tant que gouvernement, nous serons toujours là pour défendre la règle de droit et l'intégrité de nos frontières. Nous avons un plan pour accroître les effectifs à nos frontières, les policiers et les véhicules. Nous allons travailler avec nos partenaires provinciaux de partout au pays. Nous allons nous assurer que les Canadiens peuvent continuer d'avoir confiance dans leur souveraineté, dans l'intégrité de notre système d'immigration et dans nos frontières. C'est une responsabilité que nous prenons très au sérieux et nous avons démontré notre capacité de surmonter des défis dans les années passées.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, as a government, we will always be there to defend the rule of law and the integrity of our borders. We have a plan to increase staff, police and vehicles at our borders. We will work with our provincial partners across the country. We will make sure that Canadians can continue to have confidence in their sovereignty, in the integrity of our immigration system and in our borders. That is a responsibility that we take very seriously, and we have shown our ability to overcome challenges over the past few years.

Monsieur le Président, j'ai énormément de respect pour le travail excellent et professionnel que la SQ fait pour protéger l'entièreté du territoire québécois. Elle va continuer de le faire en partenariat avec les organismes fédéraux comme la GRC et l'Agence des services frontaliers du Canada. Cela fait longtemps que je reconnais la générosité des Québécois, qui ont fait plus que leur part pour accueillir des gens de partout au pays. C'est pour cela que nous sommes en train de les dédommager. C'est aussi pour cela que j'attends encore le plan de M. Legault en matière d'immigration temporaire. Nous devons travailler ensemble pour régler la situation relative à l'immigration.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for the excellent, professional work the SQ does to protect every part of Quebec. It will continue to do so in partnership with federal agencies such as the RCMP and the CBSA. I have long acknowledged the generosity of Quebeckers, who have done more than their share to welcome people from all over the country. That is why we are in the process of compensating them. That is also why I am still waiting for Mr. Legault's temporary immigration plan. We need to work together to resolve the immigration situation.

Monsieur le Président, assurer l'intégrité de notre système d'immigration et l'intégrité de nos frontières a toujours été une responsabilité primordiale pour ce gouvernement. Oui, le monde a fait face à des situations difficiles. C'est pour cela que nous avons mis en place les mesures nécessaires pour protéger nos principes, nos valeurs et l'intégrité de notre système. Nous allons continuer de nous assurer de déployer les effectifs nécessaires. Contrairement aux conservateurs, qui ont réduit le nombre d'agents frontaliers et qui ont fait des coupes dans la GRC quand ils étaient au pouvoir, nous continuons d'investir pour assurer la sécurité des Canadiens.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, ensuring the integrity of our immigration system and our borders has always been a primary responsibility of this government. Yes, the world has faced difficult situations. That is why we have put the necessary measures in place to protect our principles and values and the integrity of our system. We will continue to ensure that we deploy the necessary personnel. Unlike the Conservatives, who reduced the number of border officers and made cuts to the RCMP when they were in power, we are continuing to invest in keeping Canadians safe.

Monsieur le Président, encore une fois, on voit qu'il s'attaque aux maires des municipalités partout au pays, qui font le travail avec le gouvernement fédéral pour accélérer la construction de logements, pour réduire la paperasse, pour créer plus de densification. C'est un programme qui fonctionne. Je le sais parce qu'il y a au moins 18 députés de son propre caucus qui sont en train de demander cet argent pour des municipalités de leur circonscription afin d'accélérer la construction de logements. Malheureusement, le chef conservateur empêche ses députés de parler pour leur communauté et de faire avancer les intérêts de leurs concitoyens.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, once again, the member is attacking the mayors of municipalities across the country, who are working with the federal government to accelerate housing construction, cut red tape and increase densification. This program is working. I know it is, because at least 18 members of his own caucus have advocated for municipalities in their ridings to get this money to accelerate housing construction. Unfortunately, the Conservative leader is preventing his members from speaking on behalf of their communities and advancing the interests of their constituents.

Mr. Speaker, on housing, the Leader of the Opposition's own MPs have been asking us, for example, about the $31 million we are sending to Kelowna in the riding of Kelowna—Lake Country, a Conservative riding. This is money that is going to make a real difference in their communities. However, the Leader of the Opposition is preventing his MPs from standing up and advocating for their communities. This place is supposed to be a place where members are the voices of their communities here in Ottawa. Instead, he is sending them to be his voice in their communities. That is not how it works.

Mr. Speaker, Canadians elect MPs to be their voice in Ottawa. Despite more than 18 Conservative MPs advocating for their communities to receive money through our government's housing accelerator fund, the Conservative leader imposed a gag order preventing them from pushing for this essential funding. Can the Prime Minister explain to the House—

Mr. Speaker, the reality is Conservatives cannot stand the truth. Canadians elect MPs to be their voice in Ottawa. Despite more than 18 Conservative MPs advocating for their communities to receive money through our government's accelerator fund, their leader imposed a gag order preventing them from pushing for this essential funding. Can the Prime Minister explain to the House what the Conservative leader's cuts to this program would mean?

Mr. Speaker, the member for Brampton Centre, like most of us in this House, understands how important it is to be a community voice here in Ottawa and not Ottawa's voice in the community. I say most of us in this House, but apparently not those in the Conservative Party of Canada, because the Conservative leader has decided to prevent his own members of Parliament, in communities across the country, from speaking up for their communities. He is muzzling his MPs, forcing them to be the leader's voice in their communities instead.

Monsieur le Président, j'entends le chef conservateur critiquer notre Fonds pour accélérer la construction de logements, mais il est directement contredit par au moins 18 de ses députés qui sont en train de demander au gouvernement fédéral des investissements dans leur communauté pour accélérer la construction de logements, pour créer plus de densification et pour éliminer la paperasse. Les députés conservateurs savent à quel point c'est important d'investir dans le logement, mais le chef conservateur est en train de les empêcher de parler et n'offre que des coupes et de l'austérité qui n'aideront personne.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, I am listening to the Conservative leader criticize our housing accelerator fund, but at least 18 of his members have directly contradicted him by asking the federal government to invest in their communities to accelerate housing construction, increase densification and eliminate red tape. Conservative members know how important it is to invest in housing, but the Conservative leader is preventing them from speaking and is offering only cuts and austerity, which will not help anyone.

Monsieur le Président, le chef de l'opposition sait très bien que c'est une décision qui n'est pas prise par le gouvernement, mais par une agence indépendante. Or, cela ne l'empêche pas de vouloir instrumentaliser des gens qui ont souffert de façon horrible pour pouvoir gagner quelques points politiques. S'il se préoccupait réellement de la sécurité nationale, il n'aurait pas fait partie d'un gouvernement qui a coupé dans les effectifs de sécurité et de la police, il n'aurait pas pour plan de mettre plus de fusils et d'armes à feu dans nos rues et il aurait choisi de recevoir un breffage de sécurité pour garder les Canadiens en sécurité.

Hansard translation: Mr. Speaker, the opposition leader knows full well that this decision was made not by the government, but by an independent agency. That does not stop him from instrumentalizing people who have suffered terribly just to score some political points. If he actually cared about national security, he would not have been part of a government that made cuts to security personnel and police, he would not be planning to put more guns in our streets and he would have chosen to receive a security briefing to keep Canadians safe.

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition knows full well that these are decisions taken by the arm's-length Parole Board and that the minister is engaged on this issue, but that will not prevent him from instrumentalizing the grief and anguish of families who are victims of crime for his own narrow personal gain. If he actually cared about public safety and national security, he would not have proposed a cut from police services and border agencies, he would not be proposing to put more guns on our streets and he certainly would have accepted the national security briefings that would allow him to keep his own party safe.

Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment as part of the G20 to cut inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, and we did that two years ahead of all other G20 partners. At the same time, we put a cap on emissions from the oil and gas sector that is going to continue to protect us. At the same time, we brought in a price on pollution that puts more money back in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians while cutting emissions and inspiring and encouraging innovation. Unfortunately, the NDP has not been clear even on something as simple as the price on pollution. On this side of the aisle, we stand up for protecting Canadians from climate change.

Mr. Speaker, I can understand my colleague's despair, as he sits across from the Conservatives, who have ceased to be their communities' voices here in Ottawa and instead are choosing to be their leader's voice in their communities. Each of us in this place has the responsibility to advocate for our communities and to speak up, being chosen by members of our communities to defend their interests, and Conservatives have forgotten that. They are now the Leader of the Opposition's voice in their communities, not saying anything that he has not stamped and approved, and are frightened they are going to see consequences if they dare to step out of line. That is not democracy.