Marcel Proulx

[Government Spending, December 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative deficit has reached a record high. Consultants, ministers and lobbyists have benefited and the middle class will be stuck with the bill. We already saw it with seniors, we saw it with artists and now we are seeing it with the homeless.

The Conservatives say that family care and the demands of the forestry industry cost too much. But what about moving a military base over a question of ego and purchasing jets without an open competition? They claim that is no big deal because they will borrow.

Where do they think their deficit comes from?

[Government Spending, December 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, all year long we have been seeing examples of obscene wastefulness: $300 million and a military base here, $1 billion and a fake lake there, $6 billion for major corporations, on top of $10 billion for megaprisons. To satisfy the whims of the ministers, the government finds billions of dollars, but when NGOs ask for a simple one-week extension of the application deadline for a homelessness program? Impossible, it says. Why?

[Points of Order, December 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I am somewhat surprised and disappointed. We had an arrangement with the government whip as far as a pairing agreement is concerned. Our critic for the environment was down in Cancun over last weekend and met with dozens of important officials and participated in some meetings that he was allowed in. Other meetings, as we all know, were strictly for government officials, so he could not attend.

Obviously those members here do not want to listen to the explanation, but I will continue.

I am told that he was back in Canada as of last night and attended a large community council meeting on the environment.

Let us face it. He was down there, he did the work he had to do and he came back and did the work he had to do in Canada.

[The Environment, December 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec has been affected by disastrous conditions this week and I would like the government to recognize that shoreline erosion is a serious problem, and that it is aggravated by climate change.

The federal government must not only be present in times of emergencies but it must also develop preventive measures. This is a very important issue for the people of the region, and the Prime Minister would be aware of that had he not refused to answer reporters' questions during his last visit.

How does the Prime Minister plan to work with Quebec to address the problems caused by shoreline erosion?

[Visually Impaired People in the Outaouais, December 10th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago, Marihel Mermier, Monique Beaudoin and Alan Conway launched the Association des personnes handicapées visuelles de l'Outaouais to promote and defend the rights of people with visual impairments, and to raise awareness among the public and decision makers about the difficulties visually impaired people face every day.

Today we have services that help visually impaired people attain greater independence and safer mobility thanks to the amazing work over the past 25 years of the founders, directors, members and generous volunteers of this association.

On this 25th anniversary of the founding of the Association des personnes handicapées visuelles de l'Outaouais, I would like to congratulate and thank the founders, directors, members past and present and the generous volunteers for their impressive dedication to the well-being of visually impaired people in the Outaouais.

[Government Spending, December 8th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance exceeded his own budget by $430,000, so we do not need to take any lessons from him. Cabinet members' office spending has increased by 14%. PMO spending has increased by 31%. Some $2 million was spent on a fake lake and pavilion.

After all that, they tell us that they have to make cuts to culture, that they cannot help the forestry sector and that struggling seniors will have to tighten their belts even further.

Why do they not trim their $5.3 billion of fat instead?

[Government Spending, December 8th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, wastefulness and fiscal incompetence will eventually define this Prime Minister.

He and his deficit champion allow their ministers to spend as if there were no tomorrow: $30 million just to scrap the census; $300 million just to satisfy the vanity of the government House leader; $1.3 million for ministers and their assistants to take taxis.

Does the Prime Minister realize that all of that does absolutely nothing to help Canadians, who are stuck with the bill?

[Committees of the House, December 1st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, members of the Liberal Party of Canada are voting yes.

[Committees of the House, December 1st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, members of the Liberal Party of Canada are voting yes.

[Taseko Mines Limited, November 29th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, if it is true, individuals illegally made millions on the backs of Taseko shareholders thanks to their contacts in the Conservative government.

Since we learned that Conservative ministers argue, at a cost of $300 million in the case of Camp Mirage, we know that cabinet leaks are a common occurrence.

Can the Prime Minister tell us which ministers have been contacted by the RCMP in this affair and what steps he has taken to prevent insider trading in future?