House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 44% of the vote.
Ethics May 21st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, many questions remain unanswered about the secret deal made by the Prime Minister's Office, the report that was doctored to clear a senator and the so-called gift of $90,000.
When did the Prime Minister find out about the negotiations between his chief of staff, Nigel Wright, and Senator Duffy? Was the new chief of staff, Ray Novak, aware of this scheme?
Ethics May 21st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's chief of staff gave Mike Duffy a $90,000 cheque. In exchange, Duffy paid off illegal expenses, stopped co-operating with auditors, and the PMO said in writing that they would go easy on him. In his own words Senator Duffy “stayed silent on the orders of the Prime Minister's Office”. A secret cash payment from the Prime Minister's chief of staff negotiated by the Prime Minister's own lawyer.
Will the Prime Minister call in the RCMP and release all documents related to this secret backroom deal?
Ethics May 21st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, to Peru apparently.
The Prime Minister's chief of staff gave Mike Duffy a $90,000 cheque. In exchange Duffy paid--
Employment Insurance May 9th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, on another very serious matter, Jane Kittmer was diagnosed with breast cancer while receiving EI maternity leave benefits after the birth of her second child. Jane has beaten cancer, but for two and a half years she has had to fight the government for the EI sick leave benefit that she has paid into. Six weeks ago, the Prime Minister said this in the House, “the government is looking at a way to resolve this case”. Nothing has been done so far. Can the Prime Minister please tell Jane why not?
Ethics May 9th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, here is what is clear. Even the bogus investigation by his hand-picked cronies in the Senate found that Mike Duffy does not maintain a primary residence in Prince Edward Island. That means Mr. Duffy has not been a resident of Prince Edward Island in nearly 40 years, even though he was chosen for the Senate four years ago. The Constitution requires that a senator “be resident in the Province for which he is appointed”. The Conservatives now admit, through their own bogus investigation, that Mr. Duffy is not a resident of P.E.I., yet still say that he is qualified to be a senator from P.E.I.
Why is the Prime Minister allowing this continuous fraud by the Conservatives in the Senate?
Ethics May 9th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, Mike Duffy, Mac Harb and Patrick Brazeau are all very good friends of the Liberals and the Conservatives, and they were caught red-handed making dubious claims for hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayers' money.
Once they were caught, their only punishment was to pay back the money. They did not receive any punishment for betraying Canadians' trust or anything that would deter them from doing it again.
If you want to commit fraud, all you have to do is get appointed as a Liberal or Conservative senator and you will not be punished. Is that the message the government is trying to send?
Government Expenditures May 9th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, at first, they tried to explain how they lost track of $3.1 billion. They said that it was an internal matter. Then, they said it was a categorization error. The Conservatives definitely want to keep this internal categorization error a secret. If the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, then he should come clean.
How can Canadians trust the Conservatives and their government when they have not lifted a finger to try to find the missing $3.1 billion?
Government Expenditures May 9th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister may have been confused by this question yesterday, so let us try this again.
If he has nothing to hide, will he support the NDP motion calling for the release of all documents related to the missing $3.1 billion?
Census May 8th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, today we have begun to see the consequences of the Conservatives' backward decision to kill the mandatory long form census. Experts at StatsCan have confirmed that the data in the Conservatives' new survey is deeply flawed. It contains contradictory information, and 30% of Canadian families did not even bother filling it out. That is five times more than the last census.
The Prime Minister is not just satisfied to make public policy based on flawed information; that is his goal. We have been calling on the Conservatives to reinstate the mandatory long form census for over three years. Will the Prime Minister finally listen?
Labour May 8th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives take it so seriously they have lost track of $3.1 billion.
Interference in Bank of Canada negotiations is just as unacceptable as interference in negotiations at CBC/Radio-Canada, Canada Post and VIA Rail. This increased control presents a real risk of interference. We must protect these corporations' independence. Over 130,000 Canadians have called on the Prime Minister to stop going after crown corporations.
Will the Prime Minister listen or will he continue to interfere in the business of independent crown corporations such as the Bank of Canada?