Paul Calandra

[Ethics, October 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister has answered all the questions on this matter.

What we are really excited about is the fact that Canada just signed a historic free trade agreement with the European Union. The members opposite should really be excited about that too, because in every region of this country, this means hope and opportunity. It means new jobs. It means access to a market of 500 million people. It means prosperity. Eighty thousand net new jobs is what they should be talking about, because that is what Canadians are excited about and that is what they are talking about.

[Ethics, October 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has answered all the questions on this matter.

Honestly, NDP members actually have absolutely no leg to stand on. When they had a chance to demand reform in the Senate, what did they ask for? They asked for six seats of their own in the Senate. That is the reform they asked for.

What Canadians are talking about right now is hope and opportunity. It is the same hope and opportunity that we are seeing through a new trade agreement with Europe: 500 million new people open to Canadian small business people and to our farmers. That is good news for the economy. That is good news for all regions of the country.

[Ethics, October 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has answered all the questions on this matter.

In addition, Mr. Wright has taken full responsibility for his actions. We will continue to work with the authorities. We have brought forward a number of reforms to the Senate, but the NDP has consistently voted against them.

When they had the opportunity to call for changes to the Senate, they called for six new seats. I would call that a flip-flop.

[Elections Canada, October 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, under Elections Canada rules, candidates for the leadership of a political party are required to settle unpaid debts no later than 18 months after the vote. For the NDP, that deadline passed on September 24, yet several NDP leadership candidates are still in debt.

It is an offence under the Canada Elections Act to wilfully use loans to circumvent donation limits. Elections Canada, of course, has the power under the existing act to investigate or recommend charges against anyone who has done so.

NDP leadership candidates from 2012 have hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal loans.

Elections Canada can and should investigate whether NDP candidates used these loans to circumvent donation limits. The agency has certainly taken much more drastic actions over much smaller amounts. Elections Canada must apply the law and its discretion under the law equally and fairly to all parties.

[Ethics, October 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, on every count that matters to Canadians this government is getting the job done.

When it comes to the Senate we have brought in bills with respect to term limits. Those members were against that. We have brought in bills with respect to electing Senators. Those members were against that. Last spring we brought in 12 tough new measures with respect to spending in the Senate. Their senators did not want that. Yesterday we brought in even further accountability to those senators who are alleged to have defrauded Canadians of a lot of money. The Liberals are against that as well. We have brought forward some reforms to the Senate to the Supreme Court of Canada.

We will be moving forward with Senate reform as quickly as we can, even if the Liberals want the status quo.

[Ethics, October 18th, 2013]

The utter gall of having a Liberal talk about honesty in government, Mr. Speaker. This coming from a party that was thrown out on its butt for one of the largest scandals in the history of this country. Because it was so entitled to its entitlements, Canadians from across this country threw it out. Now they have a government that is the most open and honest government in the history of this country.

We just heard from the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board how we are opening up access to information and opening government for all Canadians. We are going to continue to work hard to make sure that the Senate is reformed, even if the status-quo Liberals are going to do everything in their power to stop us from doing that. We will shine even a bigger light—

[Ethics, October 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, Nigel Wright has taken full responsibility on this. He acted on this file on his own and has taken sole responsibility. We will continue to work with authorities to make sure that we can get to the bottom of this, and we are co-operating in any way we are asked.

With respect to the Senate, we are going to continue to make some very important reforms in the Senate. We know, of course, that the NDP is flip-flopping on this. When they were trying to enter into a coalition agreement with the Liberals and the Bloc, they actually asked for six senators of their own. On the one hand, they want to get rid of the Senate, unless they can get their own members into the Senate. We will continue to make the real reforms Canadians have asked us to do with respect to the Senate.

[Ethics, October 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, once again, as we have already said and as we said in the throne speech, the status quo is not an option. If the Senate cannot be reformed, we will shut it down.

In the meantime, we will continue to work with the authorities involved in this investigation.

[Ethics, October 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, as we have said on a number of occasions, Mr. Wright handled this file. He has taken sole responsibility for it. We will continue to work with all authorities to make sure that we get to the bottom of this matter.

[Ethics, October 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the member, of course, will sink to no depths in order to try and make a ridiculous point in the House. Nigel Wright has taken sole responsibility for this. The Prime Minister has said that on a number of occasions.

The NDP members are just an angry lot. It bothers them that a million Canadians are working today who were not before. It bothers them that 80,000 net new jobs are about to be created in the country because of the policies of our government and our Prime Minister.

When it comes to standing up for law enforcement, including the RCMP, they know and Canadians know that our government will always stand up for them, including—