Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague once again. As he knows, the budget indicated that an additional $7.5 million would be allocated in addition to the measures, policies, and statements of intent provided by the department. I am very proud of that. When I was appointed parliamentary secretary, I was proud to participate in those deliberations.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Drummond for his speech and his contribution, which were very constructive. In fact, he has identified a large part of the problem. As in the case of the Phoenix payroll system, we inherited a very unfortunate situation, a mess, if you will, from the previous government.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, the ongoing public service pay problems are completely unacceptable. Resolving these problems remains our priority. Our government is committed to ensuring that all employees are paid what they have earned. Prior to awarding a contract for a new pay system, research was conducted by PSPC and with the industry throughout 2008-2009 to seek feedback and test market capability.

Public Services and Procurement  Madam Speaker, I can tell you that this government takes very seriously the problems with the Phoenix pay system, which we inherited from the opposition party. We are using every financial and human resource possible from one end of the country to the other and across Quebec, including my riding, Gatineau.

Public Services and Procurement  Madam Speaker, this government is deploying all of the resources it has at its disposal, both human and financial, in support of fixing these problems that were left to us by the Conservatives. I can assure the hon. member that in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and right across this country, there are hundreds of public servants, hundreds of people working today at this very moment, on resolving these problems which we are all very eager to resolve.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, they really have no shame. The party opposite laid off 700 compensation advisers and, in order to post a false surplus, recorded $70 million in non-existent savings. They left us with a system that is a disgrace and that we have to spend a lot of money to fix so that it meets our expectations.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, I join with the hon. member in my belief and this government's belief that the situation with the public service pay system is unacceptable. We are deploying all the resources—financial, human, and otherwise—at our disposal in order to make sure this queue goes down and to make sure these situations get resolved.

Journalistic Sources Protection Act  Mr. Speaker, as a Quebecker, I share my colleague's concerns regarding the inappropriate surveillance our media have long been debating. Fortunately, we have had the freedom to debate it. In many countries, people do not have that freedom. I join my colleague and share his concerns regarding the protection of sources and the best way to ensure that journalists can do their jobs and report the facts fully and freely.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, in my opinion, my Quebec colleague across the way has a case of proceduritis. He said that members had only two hours to talk about this issue, when we have been discussing it here in the House today for six or seven hours, which is entirely appropriate. Earlier, I asked our Quebec colleague from Trois-Rivières a question, and I am going to ask this member the same question.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I read the member's speech as being more a lament for the decline into populism and Trumpism of the Conservative Party. When the member uses words like “billionaires”, what he really means is it could be the bus drivers' union in Rio de Janeiro, or it could be teachers in Alabama, or it could be municipal employees in Alberta.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it always strikes me when I hear New Democrats taking umbrage at the fact that hard-working Canadians, with their pension money, money they need to grow, money they need to earn returns on to ensure a healthy pension for themselves and their families, can take that money today, and they do, and invest around the world.

Business of Supply  I thank my colleague for his speech, Mr. Speaker. New Democrats claim to have many unanswered questions, but the information is out there. My colleague is from Quebec, just as I am. We are talking about a major project. By way of example, I would like to explain to the member how infrastructure like this works.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I understand the exasperation of my colleague from Quebec, who is trying to explain economics to the NDP. What he brought to light is that during the election campaign, we promised to invest in infrastructure and stimulate growth in Canada, in every region of Quebec and Canada.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, I want to reassure public servants that we are working hard to fix the problems with the Phoenix pay system. We have been working on it for quite some time, in order to provide the necessary human and financial resources. I can reassure my hon. colleague that we are working with our partners in public sector labour unions in this country.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, first, I assure my hon. members that the Public Accounts of Canada are published every year. That will provide a reliable accounting of all the costs incurred by the Government of Canada. It is important to remember the history of this, as the member did earlier. Some of the member's diagnosis was in fact correct.