Bill Graham

[The Environment, October 31st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Halloween is an appropriate setting for the meeting between the Prime Minister and the leader of the NDP. Canadians can envisage many scary scenarios.

Unfortunately, the Prime Minister's anti-Kyoto ideology is the scariest of all. If it were actually implemented, it would lead to a global nightmare. What is more, his government's ideological approach to climate change is a global embarrassment for Canada.

Does the Prime Minister not recognize that it is a complete international travesty for Canada to be chairing next week's global conference on climate change in Kenya when he and George Bush are the two leaders in the world most opposed to implementing the Kyoto protocol?

[Government Legislation, October 30th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would remind the Prime Minister that two years ago, he said that the official opposition's responsibility was not to support the government's entire program. It is interesting to see just how much this Prime Minister has been changed by power. He promised consultation and cooperation; now he prefers threats and confrontation.

Two out of three Canadians voted for the opposition parties. If he really wants to move things forward, why has the Prime Minister not once tried to consult the three opposition leaders on a bill?

[Government Legislation, October 30th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as the right hon. Prime Minister well knows, it took his unelected senators to pass 42 amendments because he could not do them properly in the House of Commons.

Meanwhile, we have offered to pass all six pieces of anti-crime legislation right away. The Prime Minister's response was, first, to take a cheap shot at the opposition, in front of the President of Mexico, which must have really impressed him, then to pretend the opposition would not pass his crime legislation.

When will the Prime Minister end his government's counterproductive arrogance and overly partisan approach and start seeking ways to make this minority Parliament work the way members on this side of the House would?

[Government Legislation, October 30th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the government, having failed to govern effectively, is now trying to shift the blame onto the opposition. Canadians did not want the Prime Minister to have a majority, yet he insists on acting like he has one: no consultation, muzzling anyone who disagrees and then complaining when he does not get his way.

Why does the Prime Minister not follow his own advice of two years ago, when he said Parliament was supposed to run the country and not just the leader of the largest party, and start working with the majority in the House who want to accomplish things for all Canadians in our country?

[Government Legislation, October 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, we will hold the government to that rhetoric.

While we are talking about Conservative senators in the other place, Conservative senators, not Liberal senators, have proposed 42 amendments of their own to the government's accountability act. Give us all a break. While this is going on, Conservative members of Parliament are filibustering in the industry and environment committees of the House. Talk about frustrating the will of Parliament.

Will the Prime Minister drop his pre-electoral posturing and start acting like a Prime Minister of a party that acts for all Canadians?

[Government Legislation, October 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, maybe the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister would urge his party to do a little governing. It would be good for this country.

Conservatives want to stall their own criminal law legislation, so they can blame the opposition.

The Liberal Party today engaged itself in the House to pass six laws this afternoon: protect our children from sexual predators, control outrageous interest rates on payday loans, ban street racing, strengthen the criminal DNA data bank, restrict conditional sentences, and update criminal procedure.

Will the government agree to our plan and pass those bills this afternoon, or is this all about its crass political partisanship of playing with the safety of our communities?

[Government Legislation, October 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, from the top of his ivory tower yesterday, the Prime Minister appeared truly insulted that the opposition is doing its job and opposing his flawed bills. However, Canadians gave 60% of the seats in this House to the opposition.

Something is wrong with this picture. Two years ago, the Prime Minister said that it is Parliament that must lead the country, not just the party in power and its leader.

If the Prime Minister wants to know why he is having problems with his legislative agenda, has he tried looking in the mirror?

[Government Programs, October 25th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, members of the foreign affairs and defence committees can testify that I was there as regularly as they asked me, as was every other minister in our government.

On the contrary, the Prime Minister has muzzled his ministers, he has muzzled his caucus, the media suffers his wrath, and now he is muzzling public servants. Why, in spite of all his political rhetoric, is the Prime Minister showing such contempt for the democratic process so essential to the integrity of the House? Why such fear of candour?

Will the Prime Minister now order his ministers to allow committees of the House to hear from any public servants they need to hear from so they can do the jobs that at least they were elected to do?

[Government Programs, October 25th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, today members of Parliament are trying to get to the bottom of how the cuts for literacy, court challenges, women and minorities will affect Canadians. They are attempting to determine the true rationale for those actions, which Canadians see as a meanspirited attack on their volunteer and meritorious activities. That is the role of members of Parliament. It is the function of democracy.

Conservative ministers are muzzling public servants and showing a deep-seated disrespect for Parliament and for Canadians. Why are members of Parliament not allowed to hear from the public servants they need to hear from in order to do their jobs?

[Minister of Public Works and Government Services, October 25th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, notwithstanding that last intervention, we have today a Conservative Minister of Public Works and Government Services who does not care about our electors. Contrary to any parliamentary precedent, he refuses to run in his own city at the first opportunity. Now, and this takes the cake, he is silencing his officials, our officials. He is muzzling those who run the programs by preventing them from answering any questions from members of this House.

Since Michael Fortier refuses to run for office himself, how can he prevent his officials from answering questions from those who did and who were elected by the Canadian public?