Rosane Doré Lefebvre

[CANADA-PANAMA ECONOMIC GROWTH AND PROSPERITY ACT, June 19th, 2012]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel for her excellent speech. I would like to reiterate a few things she said. For one, the NDP are not against free trade agreements. However, we want good agreements that are well thought out. Unfortunately, there are shortcomings in this agreement, as my colleague pointed out.

Moreover, at the end of her speech, she mentioned amendments moved by our colleague from Burnaby—New Westminster concerning workers' rights. He proposed an amendment that would define sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, as set out in the Brundtland Report published by the World Commission on Environment and Development. Unfortunately, the amendment was rejected, to the detriment of workers in Panama.

I would like my colleague to comment on that.

[Privacy, June 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, there has been no evaluation of the consequences for travellers or workers.

Canadians have the right to know how their private conversations will be stored and used and if they will ever be made public.

Of course it is a question of security, but it is also a question of the right to privacy.

Will the Conservatives put this project on hold until there is an actual assessment of its impact?

[Budget Implementation Bill, June 15th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the past few days have been particularly trying for my colleagues. The mammoth Bill C-38 was passed after more than 22 hours of voting despite many amendments proposed by the opposition parties. The face of Canada has changed.

Now that it is the morning after the marathon, I would like to congratulate all MPs for their perseverance. It can sometimes be easy to feel discouraged, to wonder why we are here fighting for the values we all believe in.

I would also like to congratulate all of the staff who worked tirelessly to keep things rolling on the Hill. A big thank you as well to the people who sent us encouraging messages via social media.

Finally, I would like to most sincerely thank our staff for the professional and moral support they provide for our activities, day after day.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 13th, 2012]

With regard to Kingston Penitentiary, Kingston’s Regional Treatment Centre and the Leclerc Institution, for each facility: (a) what are the current occupation levels of inmates; (b) what are the current employment levels, broken down by (i) title, (ii) salary; (c) what is the current plan for the transfer of inmates, including (i) location(s) of potential transfers, (ii) cost of transfers of inmates; (d) what will be done with the existing facilities; and (e) has the potential purchase of public prisons been the subject of any reports or studies, and, if yes, what are the (i) dates, (ii) authors, (iii) names of the documents?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 13th, 2012]

With regard to private security contracts for each department and crown corporation, for each year since 2007: (a) what is the name of the providing company; (b) what is the cost of the contract, (c) what are the terms of the contract, including (i) hours of security provided, (ii) cost per hour of security, (iii) other costs, (iv) any other stipulations of contracts; (d) what was the location of security use; (e) what is the budgetary line where expense is accounted for; and (f) was this contract open for competition or sole-sourced?

[Public Safety, June 13th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety usually loves scoring political points at the expense of victims of crime, but yesterday, we learned that, to him, not all victims are equal. Imagine. He tried to change the wording of the RCMP's apology to victims of serial killer Robert Pickton in order to ensure that someone other than the RCMP can be blamed for the botched investigation.

Why is the minister acting so shamefully regarding one of the most horrific cases in Canada's legal history?

[Public Safety, June 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is once again confusing the roles of the two oversight entities.

The inspector general makes sure that CSIS complies with the legislation and with its own policies and regulations. But the parliamentary secretary refers to the inspector general's role as a simple administrative expense, and the minister is taking the only tool that lets him keep an objective eye on the actions of CSIS and is throwing it out the window.

Is this decision driven by bad faith or by simple ignorance?

[No Makeup Day, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise in this House wearing no mascara or lipstick, and not even a hint of foundation. Today is the third edition of Quebec's No Makeup Day—the Journée sans maquillage.

On this day to raise awareness of self-esteem, all women are encouraged to leave their makeup cases behind for 24 hours and to go natural. The event encourages women to feel naturally beautiful in their own skin. This initiative started in 2010, when Canal Vie and ELLE Québec presented a documentary and special issue dealing with some women's obsession with makeup. The event has been gaining in popularity every year since then. High schools, artists and well-known Quebeckers have decided to participate.

Today I encourage all women, young and old, to go without a layer of makeup and to show off their natural beauty. I thank my colleagues who are participating in this event.

[Business of Supply, May 31st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to be able to stand in the House today to ask my colleague on the other side of the House a question.

We have different positions on what we would like and not like to see with respect to employment insurance. Unfortunately, I do not share my colleague’s position, but what intrigues me about what is happening is the process itself. The Conservatives never mentioned during the election campaign that changes would be made to employment insurance.

Were there consultations? Did they meet people and employers in the provinces? Did they meet workers to ask them whether the changes they were proposing were useful and whether they agreed with them on this matter?

[RCMP, May 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this is not a new problem, and there have already been countless promises made. It is now time to act rather than wait for there to be more victims.

A high-ranking RCMP officer in Alberta was found guilty of repeated acts of sexual harassment. What was the outcome? He lost a few days' pay and was transferred. That is not a solution.

When are the Conservatives going to get tough on crime when it comes to sexual harassment?