Jinny Sims

[Employment, May 7th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, there is a pattern here with the Conservatives. From veterans to the unemployed, they make big promises and then they break them. The Conservatives committed funds to help immigrants get their credentials recognized, to help Canadians living with disabilities find the right opportunities for employment, and to help adults struggling with literacy and a lack of basic skills. They made the photo-op commitments, and then they did not spend the money.

Why do the Conservatives continually abandon the most vulnerable Canadians?

[Employment, May 7th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, under the government, young Canadians are struggling. Too many of them are unable to get their first break and find a decent job. Instead of helping them, the Conservatives are breaking promises. Instead of spending money on youth employment programs that could get young people their first opportunities, they left $30 million unspent.

They certainly enjoy the photo-ops, and then they do not deliver. This is a betrayal of our young people. Why are the Conservatives padding their bottom line with broken promises to young people?

[Petitions, May 7th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I also join my colleagues in presenting a petition calling for a 0% GST rate on menstrual hygiene products. This is a sexist tax and heavily burdens women.

[Anti-terrorism Act, 2015, May 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, first I would like to make it very clear that every one of us sitting on this side of the House, and I am sure on both sides of the House, are absolutely opposed to any acts of terrorism. To imply anything else through speeches just does not do us any good. It undermines the work we do in the House.

Second, like others, I am very concerned that we have not had the kind of robust committee study or debate in the House that is needed in order to have good legislation. I respect my colleague down the aisle here, but I am really puzzled by the speech he made. He talked about what is wrong with the bill and yet the Liberals said right from day one, even before they read the bill, that the bill is bad and it has flaws, although I do not know how they could have known that. Even after looking at the bill they were willing to say that they would support it anyway and fix it later.

The leader of the Liberal Party has said that he is willing to compromise and support the legislation during this session of Parliament, but propose amendments during the next federal election campaign. That begs the question as to why we have Parliament anyway, if we are going to let those who have the majority run over us. Do Liberals believe that giving the Conservatives a blank cheque is the best way to protect Canadian freedoms?

[Veterans, May 4th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, 34% of veterans surveyed by the Royal Canadian Legion say that they have been poorly served by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is after the department got rid of its own survey to monitor satisfaction. The Conservatives closed regional offices of Veterans Affairs. They took veterans to court and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.

When are we going to see an action plan to expand and improve services and to reopen those offices?

[Public Safety, April 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, there should be no more excuses and no more empty promises.

The city and the province are waiting for the government's approval for 100 new RCMP officers. The people of Surrey need more police on the streets now. They need more gang prevention and drug crime prevention funding.

Conservatives' self-congratulation for their failures is not going to fix the problem. The violence on our streets is real, and the government needs to take real action.

Will the minister commit, here and now, to approve the new officers and resources, and provide clear timelines for when they will arrive?

[Anti-terrorism Act, 2015, April 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the House what we are debating right now. It is actually a move by the Conservative government to shut down debate on Bill C-51.

I remember being in this House and being told that time allocation had to be moved at second reading so that we could go to committee where in-depth discussions would be had. Lo and behold when we got to the committee stage, there were very restrictive time allocations. We as the opposition had to fight for more time, and only a little bit more was granted.

Now here we are, when we, as parliamentarians, have an opportunity to stand up and present our constituents' perspectives, to take part in that debate, and once again I am being denied that opportunity because the government is using the bullying tactics of the power of the majority to tyrannize and silence the voices of those who oppose this legislation.

What does the government have to hide?

[Public Safety, April 29th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that kind of response gives no comfort to the citizens of Surrey. Empty words are simply not good enough.

The Conservatives are abandoning our community in the middle of a crisis. Lives are at risk. People deserve to be safe from violence. They need real action, not excuses from the minister.

I have stood in this House and called for more RCMP to deal with the violence in Surrey. The mayor of Surrey is asking the federal government to approve 100 more RCMP. Will the government commit now to approve this without delay?

[Social Development, April 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we are talking about people who are desperate. They have serious health issues; some of them are depressed and suicidal. These problems are made worse by the lack of income, and yet there have been nothing but delays and broken promises from the government. Vulnerable Canadians are being made to pay the price for Conservative incompetence. They deserve better.

Will the Conservatives finally clean up the mess they made and give these Canadians fair and speedy hearings?

[Social Development, April 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, thousands of Canadians living with disabilities, some of them mentally ill, have been waiting years without income for a hearing at the Social Security Tribunal. The Conservatives promised to clean up the mess and to resolve these cases quickly, but now we learn that was just another broken Conservative promise. Only a fraction of them have received a settlement, while the rest are still waiting.

These Canadians need help now. How much longer will the most vulnerable Canadians have to wait for Conservatives to clean up their mess?