Sadia Groguhé

[Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act, June 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the hon. member for her remarks. As she pointed out, this massive omnibus bill goes way beyond the budget. Once more, the Conservatives are trying to rush their bill through without letting Canadians study it carefully, let alone the hon. members here. To make things worse, they are trying to include changes that will reduce transparency and democracy even more. Can the hon. member comment on this affront to our democracy and to parliamentary debate?

[Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act, June 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we have pointed out that Bill C-38 is a real Trojan horse. I would like to remind the hon. members of what a Trojan horse originally was: it was a ruse to deceive an enemy. With Bill C-38, Canadians are being deceived.

This government claims that its budget focuses on job creation, but everything in the bill demonstrates the opposite. Last April, the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirmed that the Conservatives' austerity budget would result in the loss of 43,000 jobs and would slow Canada's economic recovery.

Can the hon. member tell us why he continues to talk a lot of nonsense about job creation when the outcome will clearly be a loss for our economy?

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we cannot put a price on a human life. Today, the NDP is supporting the cause of thousands of doctors and refugees across the country who are condemning the Conservatives' irresponsible cuts to the refugee health program. These cuts are putting lives and public health at risk. Doctors are worried about the additional long-term costs.

Will the minister listen to the medical community and reverse these careless and dangerous cuts?

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 13th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP will always vote against the Conservatives' irresponsible budgets. These changes should have been debated independently from the budget measures.

The people who wish to immigrate here followed the rules. They put their lives on hold, believing, as they should, that Canada would process their applications in a fair and equitable manner. However, under clause 707 of Bill C-38, exactly the opposite will happen.

Instead of wiping out tens of thousands of applications with the stroke of a pen, will the minister agree to withdraw this clause from the bill?

[Pooled Registered Pension Plans, June 12th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, according to Statistics Canada, more than 14% of senior women who live alone are living in poverty. The NDP supports enhancing the Canada pension plan to address these instances of poverty.

However, with respect to the pooled registered pension plan scheme, benefits will depend on investments and the stock markets. This scheme will do nothing to address poverty among the elderly, especially senior women.

Could my colleague comment on that?

[Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act, June 12th, 2012]

Madam Speaker, if the Minister of State for Finance wants to talk about hypocrisy, we should take a look at the government. During the election, it did not announce the changes in its plans and it moved forward.

I would also like to say that the Canadians I have met are alarmed and worried about the tactics of this government, which is not only silencing this House, but is also silencing Canadians without leaving any room for debate.

I would like to ask the member how much progress he thinks the government can make when it is not listening to the public? How far can we go?

[Citizenship and Immigration, June 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the minister knows that all of these changes to immigration will merely transfer costs to the provinces, which he refused to consult.

The most vulnerable people in the country will pay the price. The Canadian Paediatric Society has sounded the alarm. If these changes go through, a child with pneumonia may be denied access to antibiotics; a child with diabetes may be denied access to a doctor; a pregnant woman may be denied prenatal care.

Is that the kind of Canada the minister really wants?

[Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to remind the House that the quality of a society or a civilization is measured by its respect for the weakest and most vulnerable. That includes refugees.

Speaking of designated countries, I would like to ask the minister how he will go about designating these countries impartially. How will he do that?

[Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her response.

I would also like her to expand a bit on an issue she touched on in her speech, the psychological impact of detention, both on adults and children.

[Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act, June 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on her speech.

We were obviously together on the same committee and we heard the testimonies regarding similar legislation that was passed in Australia and regarding its proven ineffectiveness.

Furthermore, in November 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of two Sri Lankan refugees, who said that the laws prohibiting them from appealing to the Australian courts were unfair. The same thing could happen in Canada if this bill is passed.

Could my colleague speak to that?