Michael Ignatieff

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, January 31st, 2011]

With respect to the decision to purchase 65 Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs), how much money has the government spent since May 2010 on: (a) flights to events for elected officials, exempt staff, public servants or others via (i) public flights, (ii) charter flights, (iii) Department of National Defence challenger aircraft, (iv) airbuses, (v) Transport Canada aircraft; (b) setting up and holding press conferences or media availabilities related to the JSF, including the date and cost for each; (c) hospitality expenses for events dealing with the JSF; and (d) hotel and local travel costs for anyone travelling on JSF-related business?

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 31st, 2011]

With respect to meetings of Cabinet, on which dates has Cabinet met since January 1, 2010?

[Foreign Affairs, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the government is raising taxes on small and medium-sized enterprises that create jobs in the country. It is giving a tax giveaway to large already profitable corporations.

The government says it wants to create jobs, invest in health care and education and give middle-class families some help and a break. That is what we are saying.

When will the government put middle-class families first and stop giving help to corporations that do not need help in the first place?

[Foreign Affairs, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the government is raising taxes for small and medium size enterprises and giving tax giveaways to already profitable corporations at a time when Canadian families want to be able to put their kids through post-secondary education and look after their moms and dads in their homes. They do not see their priorities reflected in the priorities of the government.

When will the government start listening to those families where the elastic is pulled tight and start doing something for them instead of corporations that do not need the help?

[Foreign Affairs, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, we are now paying for these irresponsible cuts both here and abroad. There will be other cuts if the Conservatives grant tax breaks to the most profitable companies in Canada. This gift to big business will lead to cuts to health care, education, diplomatic services and assistance for veterans.

When will the Prime Minister listen to ordinary Canadian families and do away with corporate tax cuts?

[Foreign Affairs, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians in Egypt are complaining about how slowly the Canadian government is reacting. They are calling the embassy and are getting an answering machine. They are going to the airport only to find that their flights have been cancelled or delayed. The Government of Canada's reaction has been chaotic. The Conservative government has been making cuts to Canadian diplomatic services for years.

Is the Prime Minister finally going to admit that these cuts are endangering Canadians in Egypt?

[Foreign Affairs, January 31st, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as events have unfolded in Egypt, Canadians want to be sure their government is speaking up for democratic values, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, an end to Internet censorship and a clear path toward a democratic transition.

My question is for the Prime Minister. What exactly has the government been saying to the authorities in Egypt? Are we or are we not standing up for democratic values?

[Health, December 15th, 2010]

I can make that commitment, Mr. Speaker.

Let me correct some facts. The government has not put a dime of new money into public health care, not a red cent of new money. Every cent that the government has committed to public health care since 2006 was booked in 2004 by the Liberal government.

The government likes spending money on prisons, planes, photo ops, and waste on the G8 and G20 summits but not a red cent of new money--

[Health, December 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, everything the government is spending had already been approved in 2004 by the Liberal government.

The federal-provincial accords run out in 2014. The government has no record on public health. There has been no federal leadership on this issue for five years.

The Prime Minister is heard to muse about how he would like to get rid of the Canada Health Act and he says that any plan to bring help to families to look after their loved ones at home is reckless.

How can Canadians trust the government to defend public health?

[Health, December 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians wait for hours in hospital emergency rooms and patients languish in the hallways. The Canadian health system needs help, but the government has ignored the issue for four or five years.

The Prime Minister has said that he would like to scrap the Canada Health Act. He has rejected all our suggestions for helping families to care for their loved ones at home.

How can he expect Canadians to trust his government to protect our public health care system?