House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 44% of the vote.
Pensions June 7th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was in France today, where, I hope, he learned that they are planning to lower the retirement age from 62 to 60. The Conservatives are doing the exact opposite here—raising the retirement age from 65 to 67.
As we know—
The Economy June 6th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister pretends to be concerned now, but two months ago in Washington the Conservatives were singing a different tune.
At the G20 meeting in April the Minister of Finance led the effort to block an international plan to resolve the European economic crisis. He told European countries “to step up to the plate” and fix the problem on their own, as if our fate were not intimately connected to theirs, and he gets applause for that from the peanut gallery.
When will the Conservatives stop lecturing European countries and put forward a real plan to protect and create jobs here in Canada?
The Economy June 6th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, despite the talking points, no country is an island in the world we live in today.
What the Prime Minister had to say yesterday evening was not reassuring in the least. He even went as far as to talk about the dismantling of the European Union and to conjure up disaster scenarios. He is even saying that there will not be enough time to avoid another crisis. Either the Prime Minister was sounding off irresponsibly yesterday or there is a real need to implement a new economic plan—and fast.
Is everything fine or not?
The Economy June 6th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, last night in London the Prime Minister mused about catastrophic events about to hit the global economy. He laughed about Canadians facing the most volatile stock market since the Great Depression. He claimed that Canada does have a contingency plan to deal with another recession, but he refused to say what it was.
Clearly and simply, does the government have a plan to fight off another recession? If the Conservatives have a new plan, let us hear it.
Petitions June 5th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to present a petition signed by Canadians who are opposed to the closure of the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory, more commonly known as PEARL. Last year, in co-operation with other scientists, researchers from this laboratory discovered the largest hole in the ozone layer ever measured.
Unlike the Conservatives, who refuse to take action on this issue, these Canadians know that climate change is going to have a growing impact on them. They know that the effects of climate change are being felt more strongly in the far north and that PEARL is essential.
This petition demonstrates the Conservatives' contempt for atmospheric sciences. These Canadians are calling for action on climate change and are hoping that PEARL will be saved and that the Conservatives will stop sabotaging our environmental research programs.
The petitioners are asking the federal government to restore funding to the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Science so that PEARL can continue its essential work.
Petitions June 5th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present. I am presenting the first as the leader of the official opposition.
I am pleased to rise today to submit a petition on behalf of concerned Canadians who worry that the sale of Zellers to the American retail giant, Target, will result in the loss of over 5,000 jobs.
The petitioners are dismayed that Target claims to have no obligation to recognize the seniority, wages and benefits of Zellers' workers. They also know that the loss of these jobs would have a devastating effect on thousands of families and on their communities.
Understanding that the government has repeatedly failed to protect the interest of Canadian jobs, as it is obliged to do under the Investment Canada Act, and seeing the disastrous impact that the foreign takeovers of Alcan, Inco, Falconbridge and Electro-Motive Diesel have had on Canadian jobs and communities all under the government's watch, the petitioners are asking the House to review the sale of Zellers to Target to ensure that jobs, seniority, wages and benefits of Zellers' workers are respected.
The Environment June 4th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are really good at hot air but nothing else.
Faced with a choice between the Conservatives' confusing explanations and the word of scientists, I know who Canadians will believe.
The Conservatives cannot continue to say one thing and do the opposite. That also tarnishes Canada's international reputation. Our country was once a leader, a global role model in such matters as the elimination of acid rain—under the Mulroney Conservative government—and the protection of the ozone layer. However, today, because of the Conservatives, Canada is ridiculed and seen as an obstacle to environmental protection.
Are they not a little ashamed?
The Environment June 4th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, usually countries try to take care of their own environment. They do not outsource it.
The Conservatives claim that the cuts will not affect monitoring but they are already being contradicted by our own environment department. Environment Canada's website confirms that the work done by the smokestack pollution team includes enforcement and compliance. Clearly, the minister who just spoke does not even know what programs are being cut.
Why do the Conservatives not realize what is going on in their own environment department? Are they too busy debunking the theories about environment and volcanoes?
The Environment June 4th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, just last week, the Minister of the Environment admitted that Canada needed better environmental monitoring but today we learn that the Conservatives plan to eliminate a key unit studying smokestack pollution. One step forward, four steps back.
What is the plan to replace Environment Canada's smokestack pollution team? The plan is to outsource its work to that great environmental country, the United States.
Could the Conservatives tell us how the U.S. environmental protection agency is supposed to monitor smokestack pollution at a Canadian coal-fired power plant?
Continuation and Resumption of Rail Service Operations Legislation May 29th, 2012
It is a question of vision, Madam Speaker. Ours is a vision of a sustainable future, where we respect the rights of future generations. Theirs is a vision of how we can do less. The Conservatives are always removing things.
Fifty years ago, it was decided in the country that no family would ever have to decide between having their sick child seen by a doctor and putting groceries on the table.
In a meeting with the finance minister, before Christmas, $31 billion was taken out of the proposed funding for medicare. That is the type of institution the Conservatives are dismantling. They are dismantling workers' rights. They are dismantling all of the good things we have built up over the generations.
We are going to stand up against that and we are going to stand up for a future for—