Mr. Speaker, I withdraw. I may have spoken for a little while this morning at the justice committee. As for the Liberals, it is time for accountability, including the Prime Minister.
Carrie said, “When are we going to get taxpayers' money returned?” That is exactly it. I know when it comes to the policy role I have the opportunity to be a part of right now, and the position of Canadian Heritage, we are demanding that the $18 million in bonuses paid out to executives and managers of the CBC be returned. It just makes sense. We have a failing organization, led by a failing government, that pays itself bonuses and in fact changed the rules. Whether it is SDTC, the CBC or the myriad of other scandals, it is clear that Canadians want their money back. It is absolutely essential that the respect for taxpayers' money is returned to this place.
We need to make sure this place respects the immense privilege we all have to steward the democracy of the land. Quite often the intricacies of Parliament are not well understood, which is unfortunate for somebody who is passionate about the systems we have developed, such as the Parliament of Canada and the Westminster system and its history dating back so many centuries. It is only by act, will and proclamation of Parliament that any dollar can be spent.
That history speaks to something that is often forgotten. In centuries past, when kings in the United Kingdom wanted money, wanted to tax their subjects, there was significant conflict and quite often it would result in war. However, throughout history, there was this coming together to say it was time to ensure the people had a voice. When the Liberals tried to pass a motion that would have given them unlimited spending and taxation authority for a period of 18 months, it was unprecedented in Westminster democracy. They tried to slip it through and say it was time for a team Canada approach. That was their excuse when the reality was that if they wanted a team Canada approach, they would have done the hard work to ensure taxpayers' dollars were respected, yet they refused to do so.
As Paula says, “These people are using our money, not theirs.” I absolutely agree with Paula.
Randy says, “Canadians want a carbon tax election.” I have another comment here about “the amount of money that is being spent, money going out the door to scandals, to interests that don't necessarily reflect what Canadians want.”
Jacqueline says, “We need to have action to take on this.” I would say to Jacqueline that the action is very simple: The Liberals need to release the documents. They are so obsessed with this cover-up that they are willing to throw out their agenda for the purpose of covering up the corruption.
I am grateful for the opportunity to have once again entered into this debate. We have seen close to $400 million in taxpayers' money spent. The Liberals are quick to suggest that this fund that gave grants to develop clean and new energy had been around for a long time. It had been around for a long time, but the Liberals broke it. In 2018, former industry minister Navdeep Bains, who did not like the board because it resembled Harper's vision too much, and the Liberals replaced the board. Since that point in time, it has been rife with scandals.
I will just give a shout-out to my wife, Danielle. She commented on there too. Love you, sweetheart.
I will conclude by saying this: Canadians deserve answers. Canadians deserve to see these documents. There needs to be accountability, which is the fundamental premise of what democracy is. I regret that after so many weeks the Liberals are still so bent on covering things up that they would paralyze Canada's Parliament to serve their own personal political interests. It is time for better, and Conservatives will bring it home.