Thomas Mulcair

[The Economy, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has finally admitted that Canada's economy is fragile, something that we have been telling him for years now. The Prime Minister is also saying that the economic turmoil in Europe and the United States is now the norm. He recognizes that he was wrong but refuses to change his approach.

I have a very simple question. Will the Prime Minister accept the invitation from his provincial colleagues? Will he attend the economic summit scheduled for November?

If he has finally understood there is a problem, why will the Prime Minister not meet with the premiers to discuss solutions?

[The Economy, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, for years Conservatives have been downplaying the threats facing our economy, insisting, as the Prime Minister just did, that we are somehow an island of stability, fortress Canuck.

In an interview last week the Prime Minister let the truth slip. The Prime Minister admitted that he underestimated the “fragile state” of our economic recovery. He warned that economic turmoil in the United States and Europe should be considered “the new normal”.

If the Prime Minister now admits that the situation is worse than he thought, why is he still stubbornly refusing to take action?

[The Economy, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian economy is facing unprecedented global risks. Despite a few positive steps by the European Union, the European economy is still in crisis. The United States is poised for another dangerous showdown over its debt, the so-called “fiscal cliff”. Rating agencies are warning of another downgrade and economists are warning of another recession. The global economy is in turmoil.

What specific actions has the Prime Minister taken in the last three months to protect the Canadian economy and protect Canadian jobs?

[The Economy, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve better.

The Prime Minister's well-connected friends may be doing perfectly well, but the young mother I met last week at an unemployment centre in Windsor, or the auto worker I met in Oshawa who is worried he could be the next to be laid off, or government workers all across the country trying to figure out why the Conservatives' job strategy is to cut services to Canadians are struggling.

Does the Prime Minister have anything to say to the 1.4 million Canadians who are still unemployed? Could he name one specific thing he has done for them other than cut off their employment insurance?

[The Economy, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's economy is still in difficulty despite the Prime Minister's boasts. The Conservatives have set a new record with a trade deficit of $50 billion. Hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs have vanished—high-quality, high-paying jobs. The artificially high Canadian dollar is hurting export industries. Household debt has never been so high and productivity has never been so low.

Does the Prime Minister realize that it is time to change his economic strategy?

[Ethics, June 21st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this spring we saw the Conservatives abandon the very principles they claim they came to Ottawa to defend: ramming through their Trojan Horse budget bill, gutting their own Federal Accountability Act, treating their backbench MPs like a rubber stamp, using closure a record number of times, engaging in electoral fraud and slush funds and, of course, having ministers travelling the world staying in luxury hotels and taking $23,000 limo rides on the taxpayers' dime.

How can a former member of the Reform Party defend this behaviour?

This summer, will the Prime Minister just shuffle the deck chairs on the Titanic or will he get his Conservative cabinet under control?

[Official Languages, June 21st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I know that the Prime Minister respects the French language, and Canadians appreciate the fact that he answers questions in French. However, the Conservatives' political decisions should reflect that respect. For example, the Minister of Canadian Heritage is cutting funding for French-language newspapers, such as Manitoba's La Liberté and Sudbury's Le Voyageur, in half. The minister says that he cannot do anything because there is a formula. But the minister is the one who came up with the formula.

Will the Prime Minister scrap the minister's formula, or the minister for that matter, and save Canada's French-language newspapers?

[National Defence, June 21st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the F-35 is probably the biggest procurement fiasco in the history of Canada. There was no bidding process to buy the jet, which does not even work. And even if it did work, it would not meet the criteria set by the government. Then there is the $47,000 photo op with the full-scale model. The Minister of National Defence is responsible for this failure.

Will the Prime Minister clean up this mess over the summer by replacing the Minister of National Defence with someone who can do the job?

[Petitions, June 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by over 3,000 members and supporters of the Franco-Manitoban community.

This petition is addressed to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages and reads as follows: “We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, wish to draw your attention to statements made in the House of Commons on May 3 in which you confirmed that your government has an ongoing, clear and firm commitment to protect periodicals throughout the regions of Canada wherever there are official language minority communities.” Unfortunately, we have noted that the new funding formula for the Canada periodical fund does not take into account the situation facing our French-language weekly paper, La Liberté, whose funding will be cut by 50% by 2013. This decision will have a severe impact on our [Franco-Manitoban] community and will lead to the slow and inexorable demise of La Liberté. La Liberté has been Manitoba's only French-language newspaper for 99 years. On May 3, you said, “If it raises concerns, we could look into the regulations for our programming and if these concerns are justified, we could address them.” That is why we are confident that you will take our concerns seriously and reinstate funding for our newspaper.

“Therefore, we the petitioners call on the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages...to reinstate funding and correct the funding formula going forward so that La Liberté, Manitoba's only French-language newspaper, can continue in future to offer the high level of service it has been providing for the past 99 years.”

[International Trade, June 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, that is all very vague. Canadians have the right to know what the Conservatives intend to sacrifice for the sake of the trans-Pacific partnership.

What concessions did the Prime Minister make?

Did he accept all the clauses that were negotiated before Canada arrived at the table, yes or no? Did he agree to dismantle supply management, yes or no? Did he agree to offer up access to generic drugs, yes or no?

What is the answer?

Why not be transparent and clearly state for once what Canada is giving up to be part of these negotiations?