Procedure and House Affairs Committee on March 21st, 2017

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Look, my rationale here was simply that I have a very limited amount of time this morning, and I haven't had a chance to speak for some time. I had a few more things I wanted to say. There seems to be some feeling that this is being unreasonable. I don't really believe it is. However, we seem to be getting into an ongoing debate, and I'm losing my time anyway.

If Ms. Sahota would commit that it's simply to respond to something that I'm saying currently and that's the only intention she has, and it's one minute, I would be happy to give her that time. If she can commit that it's simply to respond to something I'm saying and there isn't something else that she's attempting to try to do with the floor, that would be a reasonable request.

I don't want to unnecessarily waste my time by having a debate about this. If she's willing to commit to that and she wants to take a minute, I'd be happy to do that just to avoid any debate.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Go, Ms. Sahota.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

I am willing to commit to that.

Can I also get advice from you on the earlier rule of who still has the floor if one leaves the room?

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

If we were going strictly by the rules, then the person would go off the list.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

The person would go off the list.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

But we were using the Simms procedure, so we let Mr. Christopherson speak and Mr. Richards come back.

Let's go quickly so that Blake doesn't lose any more time.

Ms. Sahota, you're up.

[Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North, ON]

Okay. Thank you for that clarification.

I was just going to say that some of the emails you've been reading are quite interesting, and they raise some important points. I was wondering, Mr. Richards, how you or your office staff had responded to those emails, and perhaps whether you'd made the commitment to your constituents to stay here every Friday as a show of respect for the hard work that we do here on Fridays. Your constituents obviously have a big concern about accountability of members and that they need to be here on Fridays. Did you offer to be here every Friday?

I mean, if we're to get into this discussion, perhaps we should take a look at which members are here on Fridays and which aren't, and maybe pay can be adjusted and docked. These are all things we could talk about. I think that's a valid point. Maybe pay can be docked for all the members who aren't here.

Mr. Richards, if it's your constituents, I suggest that you lead by example when it comes to that. I'd love to know how you responded, and how many Fridays you've told them that you've been here on the important work that we do here in Parliament.

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Go ahead.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair. I don't know if I need Ms. Sahota's or Mr. Richards' permission, but I'll try to be brief.

I just want to say for the record that it is Friday. I know in this room it's Tuesday, March 21, but in the real world it's Friday. Everybody in this committee is here. I just want to make sure that all of us get the appropriate brownie points for being here on Friday, doing the nation's business. That's all I wanted to say.

[Voices]

Hear, hear!

[The Chair, Liberal, Larry Bagnell]

Thank you.

Mr. Richards.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I appreciate that.

We'll return to where we were. I would just point out, as I've indicated already, that I don't necessarily subscribe to everything that is being said in these emails. I don't question anyone's sincerity, I guess. They would be working on Fridays, doing other things. It's not about that, for me.

I believe there's already a provision in place that if an MP isn't here on any day that Parliament is sitting, unless—and they have to sign off on this—they are conducting official public business, their pay is docked. If they're not here and are not on public business, not attending something, a meeting somewhere else, their pay is docked.

What I can say is that I've always, every Friday, either been here or been working on some kind of public business elsewhere in my constituency, or elsewhere. But the point I'm making here is that when you cancel the Friday for all of Parliament, what you're doing is you're cancelling question period. You're cancelling the sitting of Parliament. That's very different from some MPs not being here on a specific day. Obviously, we all know that on a Tuesday, maybe, you've been asked to go give a speech somewhere else in the country, and you do that. It doesn't mean we should shut down Parliament because one or two MPs can't be here. That's a disingenuous point.

I'm going to read some more of these emails. I think it's important. These are different perspectives from different people, but they all seem to come back to the same point, from what I've seen so far. What I'm reading hasn't been pre-screened. I haven't necessarily read these particular emails in advance, although I have read some.

This one says the following: “As a Canadian citizen, I strongly disagree with the Liberals' proposed changes to permanently shut down Parliament on Fridays and limit debate time. Canada is a democratic country, and democracy stands for freedom of speech. I've been following up the Parliament's debates, and it is very obvious that the Liberal government is struggling with providing honest and informative answers to MPs. It seems like everyone from the Liberal Party has memorized the same phrases that talk about middle class and have no meaning.

“Justin Trudeau either does not show up for questions or, if he does, and decides to take a question, he cannot answer it. This is disgrace to the Canadian government. A good leader leads by example. Liberals want Fridays off when the whole nation has to work on Fridays. On top of that, they want to keep their salaries. The message I am getting from the leaders of my beloved Canada is that they don't want to work. They don't care about people. They are lazy and not accountable for their poor performance. They betrayed me during the election.”

I think this person meant to say “lied to me during the election”.

The email continues: “They left us people alone. This is not the government I wish for my country. Justin Trudeau wants less time in Parliament to avoid embarrassment. My advice would be to do some homework. Learn how to be a leader, truly listen to your people—and I mean all people. You need to listen to all....For a country to succeed you need wealthy businesses and a strong middle class. With the current politics, wealth is going everywhere except Canada. Selling Canada to China is not going to help our budget.

“I've been living in Canada for the last 30 years. It took me a while to feel at home here, but Canada was very good to me. I built a great life for me and my kids. However, this is starting to be harder and harder since the Liberals won the last election. I hope for Canada's great future, and can't wait till the next election. I will vote Conservative, which over many years, and most of all now, shows determination in making Canada strong and a land of many opportunities, as it used to be.

“I have been listening to how you plan to change Parliament to suit the Liberal caucus. As a voter, I am afraid I am strongly against this. You were voted in to show up five days a week, with many weeks available for you to be in your constituency. You voted yourself a raise and now want less hours. Not on my dime.”

Now, I don't think anyone actually did vote themselves a raise, so that person obviously misunderstood on that point, but so be it.

The email continues: “I do expect the PM to be in question period also, as many have been before him—not that he ever answers anything that is asked, but it is his job to be there. You are also trying to limit speech in the House—unacceptable, I am afraid. Debate is the foundation of any democratic nation. How dare you take that away? The Liberals are trying to make Canada into a dictatorship. Well, not on my dime. We the people pay your salary, and with the amount of discontent that's building you'd better line up for another job. We the people will be sure you do not get a second term. I will expect a 'no' vote on this ridiculous change. Grow up or find another job.”

Again, sometimes there are things that I don't completely agree with, but I think the point that people are making here is that they expect the Prime Minister and the government to be accountable. They expect them to show up to do their job. They think that this is really an attempt to avoid accountability. When you start using words like “dictatorship”, that obviously is going a bit far, but I also understand the sentiment, in a way. It's avoiding accountability, right?

This is a fairly short one here. It states: “Ladies and gentlemen, I am absolutely disgusted with the sheer arrogance of the Liberal Party. Considering the amount of taxpayer money that Justin Trudeau feels completely at liberty to spend as freely as he so desires, I, for one, believe he should be at work Monday to Friday, unless of course his spending habits and paycheque are going to reflect his proposed, one-day-a-week proposed work schedule.

“As for the rest of the Liberal Party, who would like to lessen their load by permanently taking Fridays off, I, as a Canadian taxpayer, am your employer. If you feel the scrutiny that you and your colleagues are experiencing because of your poor decisions or your unwillingness to listen to the people, who placed you in the offices you now hold, is too much for you to handle, why don't you submit your resignation and take the rest of the week off as well? You're paid to be in Parliament and make yourselves available to answer for your decisions that were completely unilateral. How dare you try and take away my right to hold you accountable? Billions of dollars are at stake—billions—and you, as a group of people, have proven yourselves lacking.

“I am proud to be a Canadian. I am not proud to have Justin Trudeau as the leader of our nation. He is not worthy of the position he holds. He and you, ladies and gentlemen of the Liberal Party, promised a transparency that you said was not seen in the previous government, yet here you are collectively and actively trying to make it impossible for Canadians to get real answers. This is not because you are hiding behind pretty words, which you were already doing. No, you won't be answering the questions Canadians have about your leadership because you just won't be there.

“Trust in these words right now. Your actions will have dire consequences in 2019 if you continue on this path with Justin Trudeau as your incompetent leader: 2019 will be a reckoning.”

Again, I think some of that is amped up a bit, but it points to the fact that there's a feeling that there's not an example of trying to be accountable from this Prime Minister and this government.

This next one I haven't read, but it starts with, “I'm a member of the Parti Québécois”. I'll read it, because it's a good way of making a point. I think there could be some reason for people to believe that maybe it's just a bunch of members of the Conservative Party who are not happy with the Liberal Party, and that's why they're writing these letters, but it's clearly not what this is. This is just Canadians spontaneously writing and showing concern.

She's from Montreal, Quebec, and says the following: “Hi. I'm a member of the Parti Québécois. I heard about the motion concerning the shutdown of Parliament on Fridays and other changes about rules and debates, a change that would permanently limit debate and scrutiny on their bills. I'm outraged to see this clandestine initiative asked by you. We are living in a country with democracy, and not in a dictatorship regime. What are you trying to do, by the way? Are you changing the regime to a dictatorship where democracy will be gone? I object to everything that you will try to do concerning the shutdown of the Parliament, and about changing the rules and debates, and about the sneaky reversal of our democracy.

“As a Canadian citizen, I object to such changes, which will only create negative impacts on our democracy for which we fought so hard. I'm asking you to abolish that motion that indicates these changes.”

Obviously she is expressing concern about accountability, and doing so with some pretty strong language. She is making the same point that all the other emails that I've been reading are making. They all feel that the Prime Minister and the government are trying to avoid being held accountable.

Here's another one. It states: “I am saddened and disappointed to hear that the Liberal Party is secretly trying to change our democratic processes, and in such a way as to reduce Canadians' ability to hold the government to account.

“For example, the Liberals are quietly seeking to: eliminate Friday sittings, or to make them a full day rather than the current half day; set only one day aside each week for the prime minister to answer questions during question period; lengthen the time the government can take to answer MPs’ written questions to 65 days from 45 days; prevent opposition members from filibustering by bringing forward debatable motions; prevent filibusters and possibly shorten debate time on government bills by having pre-set times to discuss and pass legislation through in the House; allow omnibus bills to be debated and studied despite a Liberal promise to the contrary, but hold separate votes on the unrelated subjects included in the bills; allow parliamentary secretaries to take on a greater role at committee; prevent filibusters at committee through a 10-minute speech limit; introduce electronic voting in the Commons; and allow more time to debate private members’ business.

“I ask that you reverse your decision on this matter so that Canadians can still feel confident that our rights aren't diminished. Moreover, if the Liberal plan to reduce our democratic rights is implemented, I will remember this come election day.

“You are elected by the people and for the people. This attempt to subvert our democratic processes, in my opinion, is not what the people want. If you do act according to your own interests, we can certainly make the necessary changes come the next election, so again, I request that you stop”—the word “stop” is in all capitals—“this plan to restrict the democratic process and leave the processes we already have in place. I request your urgent attention to this matter.”

Again, it raises the ideas of subverting the democratic process and avoiding accountability. It makes the same threat—and “threat” is not really the right word, but I'll use it, because it's the best I have—to get rid of these Liberal MPs in the next election if they don't do what the author feels is appropriate in terms of democracy and holding the government accountable.

This next one focuses on Fridays, wages, and so on. I agree with the comments that were made that people can do other work, but question period is the point here, and the ability to hold government accountable. I'll pass that one by, because I don't feel it's fair to continue to read that sort of stuff as a stand-alone.

The next one reads as follows: “Dear Liberal MP leaders, I am embarrassed to say that I wanted change in the last election, so I took a chance on the Liberals and voted for Justin Trudeau. It has been something that I have regretted for well over a year. Justin Trudeau is not working for Canadians, he is working for himself. He doesn't care what Canadians want, and he is trying to change our respected democracy into a dictatorship.

“As Liberal MPs you have a choice to make. You can continue down this path with Trudeau, be hated by the Canadian people, and never be voted in again; or you can stand up to Trudeau and do what you were elected to do: stand up for the people of Canada. After the lies, increased taxes, and billion-dollar debt, many Canadians are vowing to NEVER”—and “never” is in capitals— “vote Liberal again.

“What you are trying to do right now in the House of Commons is wrong, sneaky, and not what is in the best interest of Canadians. A dictatorship government is not what anybody signed up for, and talk about going backwards. MPs should be working five days a week, as many Canadians have to work, and even more now to try to pay for our over-the-top high bills.

“Motions and bills need to be debated in the House of Commons. It's part of our government and part of being a democracy. You can't just change the rules because the Liberals are in power. Canadians do not want this, and we were not consulted or asked about these changes to the way our government runs.

“Polls are showing that Liberal approval is continuing to plummet. Canadians do not trust their majority Liberal government, no matter what party they belong to. Stop this back-dealing in the House of Commons. I can vow today, in how Trudeau is behaving, and the Liberals, there is no chance I would ever trust a Liberal politician to keep his or her promise or to ever do what's right for Canadians.”

It's just signed, “From Ontario”. It doesn't say where in Ontario, but somewhere in Ontario.

I think it's important to note something. When I started to read these emails, I'm sure there were some Liberals MPs—I could see a lot of activity happening on that side—uncomfortable with it and I think trying to find a way to stop them from being read. They are pretty damning and critical. Some of them may be even over the top, but they are certainly very critical, and all with those same themes.

I'm sure there was probably some, “Well, gee, they're probably all Conservative members. Maybe Mr. Richards asked them to write these letters.” But I can tell you that from the names I've seen so far, there hasn't even been one from my province, that I've seen, not one from my constituency. I don't recognize any of the names. They are not people I know. So that's not what it is. I would like to believe I have lots of friends, but these are in the thousands. I don't know if I have that many friends.

One was from the Parti Québécois. This one obviously indicated that even though she had voted for change, for Justin Trudeau, in the last election, she was now embarrassed, and it was something she was regretting. She was saying that she doesn't really think Justin Trudeau is working for Canadians; he's working for himself. But she did vote for him in the last election, so she has obviously had a real change of opinion.

I understand that. I get why people.... As I mentioned earlier, the Prime Minister has some phrases you kind of remember. He pulls the strings and he says the things that sound wonderful. He has nice hair and all these things. People like him. Then they watch him in action and he doesn't really accomplish much. He doesn't really do what he said he was going to do. His actions don't match his words. They start to feel disappointed.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Do you want a Timbit?

[Blake Edwards]

Oh, boy, Mr. Simms is a wonderful guy. If only all the Liberals were like him, maybe we wouldn't get these kinds of letters.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Blake Edwards]

Thank you.

I hope everyone will indulge me. I'm going to do this on TV. I guess it's like an endorsement for Tim Hortons.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Here, I'll have one with you. Here you go. Cheers.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

What a Canadian thing to do, right? Here we are in our Parliament, and we're having a Timbit.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Let's play hockey.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Yes, really. If you could just bring my hockey equipment, Mr. Simms....

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

Sorry to interrupt.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

No, that was a nice break. I appreciated that.

I'm taking a quick look at this next email. It looks like it's just really about the Fridays, so I don't want to get into that point again.

This one here is short. It starts with the following: “I would like to voice my objection to the bill that was introduced this week with regard to new parliamentary rules.”

Obviously, I'm reading these things as they are. Canadians don't necessarily follow as intimately as we do the parliamentary process. They think it was a bill. It's obviously not a bill at this point. I'm just reading it as it is. I think everyone understands that people know the subject matter. They know it's being brought forward to Parliament. They just assume it's a bill. I don't think we have any concern there, but I point out that I'm reading it as is. The objections and the basic sentiments remain the same whether they get that it's a bill, a discussion in committee, or whatever it might be.

It reads: “I would like to voice my objection to the bill that was introduced this week with regard to new parliamentary rules. You, Trudeau, and your party members, need to understand that you work for Canadians. Your policies need to be scrutinized on behalf of all citizens. The Prime Minister needs to stop acting like a privileged celebrity and get back to work. I will not stand for you blocking the people I elected to representing me from making you accountable to me. You need to drop this and get to work on saving middle-class Canadians from your uncontrolled spending. If this bill goes through, I will work hard to be sure people do not vote Liberal in the next election. I trust that you will do the right thing today and vote for the rights of all Canadians, not just those of Mr. Trudeau.”

It's short and succinct, but it sums it up. It says they won't stand for this. It says the Prime Minister needs to stop acting like a privileged celebrity and actually do some work. It indicates that it's not acceptable for there being an attempt by the Liberal Party to block the people who represent this individual—obviously, there must be an opposition MP in their riding—from being able to hold them accountable on her behalf.

This shouldn't be the priority is basically what she's saying here. The priority should be saving middle-class Canadians from the Liberals' uncontrolled spending. It gets at the heart of the whole “we're working for the middle class” kind of thing.

It sounds like this person feels that maybe, if they cut their spending a little bit, that would help the middle class a lot more than any of these other claims they're making. It goes on to say that she will actively work to ensure that people do not vote Liberal in the next election if this is put through, so she's asking for them to do the right thing.

I mentioned earlier I hadn't seen one from my province yet. Here's one from Calgary, Alberta. The area's close to my riding, so I wouldn't want my province to feel left out. I don't know what it says, but I'll read it, as follows: “I do not want any changes made to the debate process in Parliament. Limiting the time to debate is no longer democratic. Issues need to be heard thoroughly. The pros and cons, ideas, stats, and figures need to be hashed out. There are arguments to be made and impact statements to be heard. This does not happen in 10 minutes. This is crazy-making and will not allow our representatives to make sound decisions on our behalf, because there will not be enough time to deliver the required information to make a proper decision before a vote.”

This next part is all in capitals, with exclamation points after each sentence: “Stop this action. It is not in Canada's best interest. We do not want the change. Do not do it.”

Then it says, “And we all want Fridays off. You were hired, voted in on the terms you have. Now get to work.”

Again, it says it pretty succinctly. It's saying that debate needs to occur, and that sometimes 10 minutes isn't enough. I probably have proven that today, and I know other members of this committee have proven that. Sometimes 10 minutes isn't enough.

This next one is from Imperial, Saskatchewan. I don't know where Imperial, Saskatchewan, is, but it's somewhere in Saskatchewan, anyway. The email states: “I understand that you work currently on the PROC committee. I also understand that you and your committee are trying to change procedure in our House of Commons—i.e., allowing bills to be passed with no debate, having no sittings on Fridays, allowing the PM to be in office one day a week.

“The last I heard about our country prior to the most recent election is that we have a democracy.” The last word there was all in capitals. “It is sounding very much to me like the Liberal government would like a dictatorship—their way or no way. Unfortunately, there are a lot”—that's capitalized as well—“of disgruntled taxpayers in our country, and your government is not helping the situation in the least. Who do you expect to pay for the foolish spending that is taking place, for one thing?

“Our government officials are elected by the people for the people, and I don't believe you have asked the people their point of view on the issue at hand. Our country's founding fathers would roll over in their graves if they knew what you are trying to push through today.” This next sentence is all in capitals: “ This is very wrong. You cannot pass bills in our Parliament without proper debate. I implore you to rethink what you're doing.”

This was signed, “A concerned Canadian citizen”.

I don't know if that needs much comment. It's pretty clear that they don't feel it's appropriate for the government to just ram through whatever the heck it wants, not listen to opposition, not have proper debate, and not hear from Canadians.

This is from someone from Lake Country in B.C. The subject line of the email is “Backdooring proposals”. This was sent to a number of Liberal MPs, including their local Liberal MP in their riding in Lake Country, B.C., and copied to some Conservative members of Parliament. It states: “To the list of those it concerns above, I am writing to you this afternoon on the proposal you were all putting forward and taking part in. 1) Fridays off. This would require a compensation of taxes to the Canadian people through your reduction in salaries, pensions, and benefits. You do realize this, right? 2) Place a time limit on questions and debates with MPs. So how will our MPs be able to accurately hold the House of Commons responsible? This is not a free-for-all. Actually, this is fascism in disguise. May I take this time to remind you that you all work for the Canadian people and not just the best interests of the Liberal Party and their supporters?

“You can use colourful charts, graphs, words, and excuses to try to explain how this is beneficial to all Canadians, but that doesn't mean it's truth. In fact, what you all are trying to do is wrong and deceitful. This needs to stop now. Stop trying to change the rules to suit your party and followers/supporters. This is not transparency, not at all. Is this not your platform that you will all say you stand for? I think not. You have absolutely no right to change the rules of our democracy and then tag this as beneficial to all.

“This is a disgrace, and our country is becoming a sad state of affairs. All of you who are choosing not to stand for and turn your heads from the truth, let me tell you all this. If you push this through, you are destroying our democracy as we know it. Although you may feel you will have gotten away with it in not having to answer to the people of Canada, I assure you there will come a day when you will all answer to something much higher. That, my federal Liberal MPs of opposition, is the truth.”

This is signed, “A very concerned Canadian”, from Lake Country, B.C.

Again, it's pretty amped up in terms of the comments being made. Using the term “fascism” is an example of that. Calling what's being done here “wrong and deceitful”, calling it “a disgrace”, saying that Canada is becoming a “sad state of affairs” because of what this government is doing, saying they're turning their heads from the truth, saying that it would destroy our democracy as we know it, that there's going to come a day when these Liberal MPs will all have to answer to something much higher—that's pretty serious commentary. That's someone who feels pretty strongly about this being wrong. That's what that is.

The next one I have here says the following: “I understand that Liberals are trying to secretly put through a backdoor change whereby our embarrassment of a Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, would only have to attend the House of Commons once per week. What and who does he think he is? Also, I understand that the Liberals wish to permanently shut down Parliament on Fridays. Not acceptable.” Those last two words are all in capitals, with two exclamation points at the end. “Why are the Liberals trying to do this covertly? Where is the media on this? Why is this being allowed to happen?

“I do not support this in any way, and this is not acceptable in our democracy. Please know that as a western Canadian, I cannot believe our amazing country is being led by such a group of out-of-touch, self-absorbed, and inexperienced fools. You must stop this, and stop lying to the Canadian people.

“A very frustrated and fed-up Canadian who will never support Liberals again.” The last part is all in capitals, followed by an exclamation point.

Again, that's pretty strong language, talking about the Prime Minister as being an embarrassment, asking why he would have to attend the House of Commons only once a week, calling them a bunch of “out of touch, self-absorbed, and inexperienced fools”. This is strong language. Obviously, in some of these cases it goes too far in terms of what it's saying, but I think what it does is signify that people are very concerned, so it's important to hear from that perspective.

A few of them have mentioned wondering where the media is, why the media is not reporting. I will say this. I think this email I have in front of me is from March 22, and the next one is from March 23. They're from the first couple of days when this was happening. There really wasn't a lot of media attention at first. It took a little time. The budget being delayed and things like that got some attention as well. Then the media started to write about this and make their comments.

The media's comments are of a similar nature, that this needs to be done in a different way, that this is not really something that's about keeping accountability and these kinds of things. Maybe these people's concerns were based more on the fact that it hadn't been, at that point. Probably if they were to write these letters today, that wouldn't be the case.

This one is addressed to one particular member of the committee, one of the Liberal MPs, whom I won't name because I don't think that's fair to do.

It states: “Why did you and your committee move the motion on behalf of Prime Minister Trudeau to limit debate in the House of Commons, which fundamentally changes our Canadian democracy? It is appalling and very shady that you and your committee are trying to sneak this through the day before the budget announcement and hope that no one would notice. This is so wrong.” The word “wrong” is in all capitals, with four exclamation points. They're pretty serious about it being wrong.

It goes on to say this: “It sounds like a dictatorship to me, and undermines democracy in this country. The members of Parliament must always have a voice for Canadians. That is their job. Sounds like you and the Liberals want to be able to do what you want with no accountability.”

It's short and succinct, that one. They sort of see the same point I do, that the Prime Minister and his party want to be able to do whatever they want and avoid any accountability for it.

This person here says that he or she represents 71 other taxpayers in eastern Canada. It says: “I'm emailing and I represent 71 people in my circle. Straight to the point, we do not want you Liberal MPs listed above, or any other Liberal member, to tamper with the way our parliamentary process works, specifically shutting down Friday completely so you may have the day off. The ones of us that have a job work five or six days a week; 27 of us are not able to find full-time work. How dare you try in the basement of Parliament, behind closed doors, to try to make these changes?

“Also, the Prime Minister will not be allowed to work one day a week in question period. Just because they do in the U.K. does not mean that he can. We say no. Also, do not vote to limit debate time. All members must have their say. Also, we say no to your discussion paper on House reform, which includes the above and other sneaky ideas that you have.

“We and the majority of Canadians are against what you're attempting to do and stand by our respective MPs that continue to fight against your devious and shameful secret debating while other issues you think may keep us busy. Do not set back Canadian democracy. Do not think we are not watching. The silent majority will ensure you're out of power in 2019 and you lose your riding as well.”

Again, it's signed by the individual and it's saying that they represent 71 more taxpayers in eastern Canada who are citizens of Canada.

I've read all the parts, because I don't believe in censoring one part out of the email, talking about the Fridays off and that people should work five or six days a week. I know that most, if not all, MPs do that, but it's about the point of the question period and the actual Parliament sitting, and that's a different story.

Then it goes on to talk about some of the other concerns they have. It's asking not to see Canadian democracy set back. It's saying that Liberal MPs shouldn't assume that people aren't watching and aren't paying attention—again, sort of making the threat that this could cost them their government in 2019. It could cost them their seats.

Here is the next one: “It is my understanding that the Parliament of Canada is trying to backdoor a change that would permanently limit debate and scrutiny on certain bills. This email pertains to proposed changes to have Parliament permanently shut down on Fridays.

“I'm sure that you are all aware that Canadian companies have cut thousands of jobs and scrapped projects in a drive to cut costs. In some cases, Fridays off were targeted, as firms had to dig deeper for savings after eliminating thousands of jobs. If this Liberal proposal to not work on Fridays is legitimate, it seems quite ridiculous. And to try to run it through on budget day? I haven't seen the budget numbers yet”—this was written before the budget, I guess—“but it sure seems that the grim reality of what the average Canadian is dealing with, many working more than one job, is pretty far from each of your minds.

“The reality is, this is just another example of what becomes part of the Liberal entitlement mentality, and it just isn't affordable in this new world of significant Canadian debt. I'd be happy to support the proposal if you were going to take a pay cut or work additional hours every day to make up for it. And your approach is less than transparent. You have been provided a great job at Canadian taxpayer expense. Get a grip. I suggest that you think about what you actually deliver to the Canadian taxpayer before you vote yourself what is in essence a pay raise.”

Now, there is other work that's done by MPs, but this makes the point that MPs should be here, that the government should be here and be held accountable on Fridays, just like other days.

The following one is addressed to a couple of particular Liberal MPs. I'm not going to name them, because I don't believe in trying to shame an individual or anything. I don't think it's directed at them, per se. I think it's directed more broadly at the Liberal government.

It says: “I'm a proud Newfoundlander, albeit living in Alberta. I know you guys are proud Newfoundlanders as well.” I guess that narrows it down to who it could be, and I apologize for that. “So I want you to take a bit of your valuable time to read and consider my thoughts.

“I was born in St. John's in 1954 into a hard-working family. I spent my childhood growing up in what I still think of as the most beautiful city in the world. I'm a true east-end townie. I met and fell in love with a member of our fine military, a search and rescue technician, whose hometown is Comox, B.C. We married in 1978 and had the time of our lives living from coast to coast, as my husband proudly served our country for 25 years, 21 of which were in the SAR world.

“We have settled, retired in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta”—that's quite close to my riding, not in it next door to it—“because that is where our travels took us. I do very much care about this country from coast to coast, and on a daily basis I worry about where it is going.

“What I want to convey in this email is specific to something that I read about today. We are just two people from each end of this country who have been around long enough to realize that the fundamentals of our democracy should not be changed for the sake of change, or to satisfy a man who seems to be self-centred. But that is another email for another time. What does it prove? Not a darn thing. We feel that this country needs and deserves all the time it takes to get things back on track, because, in case you haven't noticed, it is going off track, really. We need all our representatives to be there working hard for us, for the money that we pay them, and that includes our 'esteemed' Prime Minister. We deserve better than this, and that includes all Canadians. No one is better than the other. The families who have been here for generations, and yes, the people of the world who are trying their darndest to become part of this great country, deserve this.

“So please do not let your Liberal government do this to our democracy. Give your heads a shake, and please do not let this happen. Thank you for your time, and good luck in doing the right thing.

“Sincerely, from a 62-year-old female who has never written her members of Parliament before. This just seemed like as good a time as any.”

I think it speaks for itself, asking the government to be held accountable and feeling as though the Prime Minister is trying to avoid accountability.

Another one here is from Millgrove, Ontario. It states: “As a taxpaying, middle-class Canadian, only now after more than a year of Justin Trudeau in office do I feel compelled enough to write the federal government expressing my grave concerns for our country and wanting answers. What am I referring to exactly? It's a bit of a list, but I'll bring it all together, so please hear me out.

“I was recently made aware of a Liberal motion to permanently close Parliament on Fridays. Is that true? In addition, motion to limit debate and scrutiny of proposed bills and reducing the Prime Minister's Parliament attendance to one day a week? If it wasn't for this Facebook post informing me of these motions, I would mistake this for fake news. Amidst our Prime Minister's extravagant vacation spending—a $127,000 vacation, seriously?—MP pay raises.”

I'm not sure where they got that one from. I haven't seen it, anyway.

“Higher goods, taxes, carbon tax, massive multi-million dollar foreign aid handouts, all leading to yesterday's $27-billion federal deficit—presented with a smile, I must add—now a motion for Fridays off and reduced spending scrutiny. That's the straw breaking the camel's back, for me. This can't be real. You want to tax more, work less, give yourself a raise, and reduce the scrutiny regarding it.

“Here is a real world parallel for you to compare, because it seems there's confusion in Ottawa on how democracy works. I'm quite certain there is not a single corporation in existence that would allow an employee to take Fridays off, give themselves a raise, hike their expenses and stifle their employer from questioning it. Yes, I am one of the millions of your employers that are being forced to pay for this.

“Mr. Morneau said it correctly yesterday when presenting the budget: 'It's aimed at putting Canadians to work.' You bet it is, and I fully agree. All taxpaying Canadians need to work harder to pay for the gross mismanagement of this federal government and take home less money while you ask for time off and try to put a lock on the Liberal door of governing.

“This doesn't sound anything like democracy to me, but if you seriously compared it to the definition of totalitarianism, where would it fit? As one of your employers, I want an answer. I'll be waiting for your response. Hopefully it comes today, because something tells me I might not get one on Friday.”

I guess that's a bit of humour there.

Here's another one, which again looks to be addressed to most of the members of the committee here: “Good morning, all. A couple of comments regarding the proposed changes to parliamentary procedures. First, let's call a spade a spade. The Friday closure is to accommodate Mr. Trudeau and his friends....”

Actually, I'm not going to read that part, because I think it's inappropriate.

“Secondly, restricting his attendance to one day per week reduces his exposure to critical comment and difficult questioning. It also allows him to campaign and show off his beautiful hair to his adoring fans. The Prime Minister is displaying a dangerous dictatorship-like behaviour in pushing to implement a purely selfish agenda to change our parliamentary procedures without the due process of debate and discussion.

“Why is Mr. Trudeau trying to silence debate with a very sneaky, backdoor plan to change Parliament? Why are you Liberals trying to silence voices and blindly do his dirty work? When will you wake up and put Canada first and call your Liberal government to account for their dangerous and reckless behaviour and actions? Our democracy is at stake here. Can you not see that? Are you all out to completely destroy Canada? I expect Parliament to be open on Friday, I expect Trudeau to stand and answer questions in the House, and I expect you to have a backbone and take a stand.”

There is not much comment needed on that one.

Here's a very short and sweet one. I don't know if it's sweet, but it's short, anyway: “I must say, I'm very disappointed to hear of what's going on in Parliament. I expect Parliament to be open on Friday. I also expect Prime Minister Trudeau to answer all questions directed to him in the House. He cannot limit the right of my MP to scrutinize the Prime Minister's legislation. This country cannot be run as a dictatorship. What on earth do you people think you're doing? God help us all.”

Here's someone from Oakville, Ontario. This is very short: “I would like to submit my concern about shutting down the Parliament on Fridays. I am fully unhappy with this. I got frustrated for decreasing the Canadian matters' discussion time which should lead to the best interest of Canadians.”

This next fellow is a medical doctor. He has a very short email here as well: “I'm writing this email to express my concern over the Liberal move to hijack our democracy through the proposed changes to the House of Commons rules. I also believe that giving part of an extra day off is irresponsible and a misuse of our tax dollars.”

The next one is from a retired member of our military, a veteran. He's from Fort McMurray, Alberta. The email states: “It has come to my attention that you and a group of MPs, at the direction of our Prime Minister, are attempting to pass legislation that would fundamentally change the rules of Parliament to adopt practices that go against what Canadians expect from our elected officials. This is unacceptable. There are few enough days in Parliament and backlogs of issues that need to be resolved that to reduce your workweek by a day is ludicrous. For example, your government needs to stop dragging your feet on veterans' issues such as suicide and lifelong pensions.

“I served 25 years in uniform defending Canada, her systems, and our values. I put my life on the line for a total of three and a half years on seven different operational tours, four in the Balkans and three in Afghanistan. You may ask why I and others like me would do such things, but we did not ask why. We were given orders which come from our system of democracy whereby our missions were clearly defined and for the most part, supported by the public.

“The support of our government during those tours and after was questionable and continues to lag, so Parliament must stay open on Fridays to address these and many other pressing issues. To have a Prime Minister whom is not required to answer questions in the House of Commons is bordering on a dictatorship and that too is unacceptable. My elected MP regardless of party affiliation has the right to scrutinize proposed legislation and ask questions until answered.”

I'll interject here. Boy, if we had to ask the questions until they were actually answered, we could be there a long time based on my experience with this government so far.

But I'll continue with the letter: “If the questions were actually answered the first time, and I mean really and meaningfully answered, and it certainly wouldn't take so long.... Continuing to talk in circles doesn't fool anyone, it's just blah, blah, blah, and we as Canadians deserve answers. My MP is representing me. You as an MP are also representing Canadian citizens as are all MPs. It is your duty to represent our will and our wishes not to support a government that uses deceptive and underhanded practices to make changes that contradict our collective will. I demand that these deceptive practices stop immediately.”

First of all, in terms of his comments, obviously I want to thank this man for his service to our country. He served, as he said, on seven different operational tours. He served our military for 25 years, put his life on the line for our country and our democracy, and I thank him for that. And I know that all members would thank him for that.

But he feels that the risk he took with his life, the sacrifices that he made, are not being served by what's being done right now. He doesn't feel that his democracy is being respected. And he says there are issues that need to be dealt with for veterans, and for other reasons. He's saying that what he's seeing from the Prime Minister is bordering on dictatorship and is unacceptable. And he said that all MPs regardless of their affiliation have the right to scrutinize legislation and ask questions until they're answered and that Canadians—and “Canadians” is all in capitals—deserve answers. So he's saying that his MP is representing him and that through him, through that MP, he deserves to get answers from a government that he says is using deceptive and underhanded practices to make changes that contradict our collective will, and he's demanding that those practices be stopped immediately.

Here's someone from Nova Scotia, who says, “Just a quick note to voice my disagreement with the motion put forward to shut down Parliament on Fridays.”

I'm going to interject here because I notice that what I'm seeing in some of these emails is a greater recognition than simply that MPs wouldn't necessarily be working, but that Parliament would be shut down on Fridays, which means that no MPs would be here, which means that there would be no accountability in Parliament to Canadians for what the government is doing. That's the point I'm seeing from a lot of these people in these emails, and that's a good thing, that people are recognizing that the issue here is that Parliament needs to be sitting so that the Prime Minister and others can be held accountable. So they're talking about shutting down Parliament on Fridays.

He says—and I want to read this—“I'd be in favour of shutting down the Liberal Party for as long as it takes them to come around to our way of thinking.”

I'm thinking that would be a very long time. Obviously it's expressing frustration. That's what it is. I don't think they really want to shut down the Liberal Party and I don't subscribe to our doing that, but it says: “Don't kid yourselves. You may have a majority government for now, but that doesn't mean you have the backing of the majority of Canadians. I'm sure most Canadians right now are as upset as I am and are reeling over the debt this sitting government is wracking up for our further generations to be left on the hook for. I've seen nothing but recklessness by this administration when it comes to wasting hard-earned tax dollars. It's time we stopped already with this great global vision and focused on the real issues here at home, and doing this one day less per week is not the right approach to fixing our problems. For heaven's sake, listen to the people, and that includes those who don't agree with you, not just those who do.”

Obviously this idea of shutting down the Liberal Party was just that person expressing his frustration. I'm sure the person didn't really mean that, and I certainly don't subscribe to it, but it points out that there's a real frustration with what this government is doing.

These are ones about MPs not working five days a week; I'm going to pass them by.

This email sums up a lot of what we've heard from people. It's from Lethbridge, Alberta. It says, “I'm saddened and disappointed to hear that the Liberal Party is seeking to change our democratic processes and in such a way as to reduce Canadians' ability to hold the government to account. For example, the Liberals are quietly seeking to—”

Here it lists off a number of things from the discussion paper. I probably don't need to read those again. It continues, “I ask that you reverse your decision on this matter so that Canadians can still feel confident that our rights aren't diminished. Moreover, if the Liberal plan to reduce our democratic rights is implemented, I will remember this come election day. You were elected by the people and for the people and this attempt to subvert our democratic process, in my opinion, is not what the people want. If you do act according to your own interests, we can certainly make the necessary changes come the next election. So again, I ask that you stop this plan to restrict the democratic process and to leave the processes we already have in place.”

This next one doesn't indicate where it is from, but it's the 204 area code, which might be Manitoba. I could be wrong. They list the phone number, which I won't give out in committee, because I don't have permission. It says, “Thank you for serving our country. I thank you for your sacrifice. I thank you for your dedication. I thank you for your commitment, but I am concerned with what I've been hearing about legislation that has been put forward in the House of Commons.”

I'll add a side-note here. Obviously, people believe it's legislation. That's really not significant to the arguments they are making. Whatever it is, they are against the proposal. It goes on, “As a Canadian taxpayer, citizen, and business owner, I work six or seven days a week. I constantly assess my business to make appropriate adjustments. I am accessible to my associates, because everyone has a unique contribution. I am in contact with my clients so that I hear their needs and concerns. I do not make hasty decisions. They are too costly and damaging. I do this because I believe in being responsible. I do this because I believe in this country. I do this because I believe that we must all work together to build a strong democracy. I must insist that our representatives in Ottawa do the same. Work hard at least five days a week. We cannot move forward by working part-time. Be available. I expect my Prime Minister to be involved in the running of my country, all the time. This cannot and must not be done remotely. Be aware. Know what all representatives are saying. After all, even if they are sitting on the other side of the House, they do represent Canadian voters. Hear them. Use wisdom, giving careful consideration to the decisions you are making.”

The email continues, “This can only be accomplished by allowing enough time to gather all viewpoints and information. To be clear, I do not support the House of Commons being closed on Fridays. I do expect our leader, the Prime Minister, to be present in the House. I do expect the House to discuss legislation as fully as is required to make wise decisions. This is not about us and them. This is not about being overworked. This is about building a strong and vibrant country.”

I'll quickly comment on this, Mr. Chair, because I think this person makes some good points. He talks about how he runs his business. He hears from all his employees. He takes the time to make sure he's not making hasty decisions. He wants to make sure they're not costly and damaging—

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

I have a point of order.