Statement made on 29 June 2010 by Senator Art Eggleton
Hon. Art Eggleton:
Honourable senators, I was looking over the international media reports about the G20 summit, and there have been mixed reviews. Time will tell whether the initiatives will be successful or whether it is just rhetoric, but I know the Prime Minister's intention was to create a consensus among the countries. We will see how all of that works.
However, I do not want to talk about what happened in the meeting, but what happened in the street. I strongly object to the decision of the government that resulted in the shutdown of my city. People and businesses were exposed to disruption — not just for the day or for the weekend, but for an entire week — and a condition was created where violence occurred in our downtown core while security forces were spending their time and attention trying to protect the fence.
Senator Tkachuk: Partisan, partisan.
Senator Eggleton: I am talking about my city and I am talking about the fact that it was shut down and a fortress was created. This was the wrong thing to do.
I hope that if events such as the G8 and G20 summits are to come to Canada again, that the government will ensure the meetings are not held in the downtown cores of our cities. Face-to-face meetings are a good idea but they should be held in a place like Kananaskis or the United Nations or a military base. Do not create the kind of conditions — and at a cost of over $1 billion — that were created in the downtown of my city this last week.
Some Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!