Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report on the F-35s is damaging to the government. One fundamental question remains unanswered. Can the Prime Minister tell us who in his cabinet, in his government, was responsible for the F-35s?
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 44% of the vote.
National Defence April 4th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report on the F-35s is damaging to the government. One fundamental question remains unanswered. Can the Prime Minister tell us who in his cabinet, in his government, was responsible for the F-35s?
The Holocaust April 4th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, every year, we take a moment to remember and reflect on an inhuman genocide carried out by human beings.
The systematic planning and carrying out of the destruction of six million human lives is an unequalled tragedy in a century that saw far too many.
On Yom HaShoah, Holocaust remembrance day, we are all called to contemplate the truth of the genocide: the brutal murder of six million Jews simply because they were Jewish, of six million women, men and children, in addition to the millions who were displaced and hunted just because they were Jewish.
Today, we remember, but we also must remember to act against intolerance, racism and hatred of any kind.
National Defence April 3rd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, this is a question of ethics. The Auditor General has concluded that the Conservatives knew their figures were misleading but they gave them to Parliament anyway. The Auditor General's report on the F-35 is a litany of poor public administration, bad decision-making and lack of accountability by Conservative ministers.
The key question for the Prime Minister is how could he allow Parliament to be intentionally misled on the F-35s? Either he knew, and it is unconscionable, or he did not know and it is incompetence. Which is it?
National Defence April 3rd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the truth is that they are taking away $31 billion without consultation.
Among the budgetary choices that make no sense, let us talk about the F-35s. In March, the Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated the cost of the F-35s to be $30 billion. The Conservatives did everything they could to discredit Kevin Page, saying that the planes would cost half that much. However, the Auditor General is proving today that the government knew that the cost of the F-35s was going to be even higher. The government knew it.
Why did the Conservatives deliberately mislead Parliament and Canadians?
The Budget April 3rd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative budget betrays the promise made by the Prime Minister himself. Contrary to what he promised in this House just a few months ago, the Conservative budget attacks the incomes of retirees, attacks health transfers and attacks services to the public.
Can the Prime Minister tell us why he chose to break his promise?
The Budget April 2nd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, abandoning the 2,600 workers of Aveos and their families is not a job creation strategy. Getting rid of 20,000 employees is not a job creation strategy. Cutting vital services is not a job creation strategy.
Cuts to housing, cuts to first nations, cuts to food safety, cuts to transportation safety, cuts to regional development, the Conservatives created the problem with their corporate tax cuts.
Is this their only solution now: service cuts?
The Budget April 2nd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, job creation? We shall see about that.
Their plan for job creation is to throw 20,000 employees out of work. Wow, what a plan.
This is like the workers at Aveos who are waiting for the tiniest sign that the Conservatives are going to help them keep their jobs. The law is clear, but the Conservatives are doing nothing. The Government of Quebec is threatening to sue the federal government. A revitalization committee has been set up to try to save these jobs.
Are the Conservatives going to do anything at all to save the jobs at Aveos? My question is simple and can be answered with a yes or a no.
The Budget April 2nd, 2012
Mr. Speaker, here in this House, his hand on his heart, the Prime Minister promised that he would not touch pensions, that he would not cut health transfer payments to the provinces and that he would not touch services to the public. However, the Conservative budget attacks services, attacks transfers, and attacks retirement income.
Why has the Minister of Finance brought down a budget that does exactly the opposite of what his Prime Minister promised Canadians?
Ethics March 29th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the only things that are eliminated are 2,600 jobs at Aveos.
Let us talk about someone who still has his job.
Let us talk about his Minister of Industry. He moved a Service Canada centre to Rimouski, in his own riding, to help out his buddies. He was rebuked by the ethics commissioner in the Rahim Jaffer affair. And we have learned that he was given a trip to Marcel Aubut's cottage at the time that Aubut was lobbying for a new arena in Quebec City.
What does it take to get kicked out of cabinet?
The Budget March 29th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Prime Minister for his kind words, but the question was whether or not he was going to respect his word.
In a few hours the Conservatives' budget will cut services all across the country. Here is what they promised during the election. They promised to create jobs. Instead they are slashing health care and pensions.
There is growing inequality in this country, yet the Conservative solution is to go after old age security, to go after health care, to cut vital services and make people fend for themselves at the very moment they need it the most. How does that make any sense?