Bill Graham

[Government Accountability, May 17th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, you and all members of the House will recall that during the previous election, the current Prime Minister assured Canadians who were concerned by the extreme views of his caucus that he be held in check by a minority Parliament. The Prime Minister wanted to work with all parties in this minority Parliament, he claimed. But the Prime Minister has no intention of respecting yesterday's vote on the environment. His commitment to accountability was jettisoned when his choice to head the appointments commission was rejected because he was one of his bagmen.

How does that give the members of the House any confidence about the consequence of tonight's vote on Afghanistan?

[The Environment, May 17th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, this House clearly expressed its wishes with regard to Canada's environmental policy. A sizeable majority of elected representatives of the Canadian people asked the Prime Minister to ensure that Canada meet the objectives established by the Kyoto protocol.

When the current Prime Minister was the opposition leader, he continually asked the government to respect the wishes of Parliament. Will he do so in this case, also?

[Canadian Forces, May 17th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that members of the House will have learned that today a Canadian soldier died in Afghanistan. I would like on behalf of our party and I believe all members of the House to express our deepest sympathies to her family and friends.

Of course, we regret this tragic loss of life.

I would ask the Prime Minister if he would like to comment on this.

[The Environment, May 16th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of funerals, this Prime Minister is acting like a mere onlooker as his ministers continue to blunder. He gave his Minister of Foreign Affairs the thankless task of not issuing a real apology to the leader of la Francophonie. And now, his Minister of the Environment is questioning our leadership in matters of the environment. Speaking of the dangers of global warming, she wants the Kyoto targets to be reduced.

When will the Prime Minister assure the House that he takes our international commitments seriously?

[The Environment, May 16th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, that must be small comfort to the people of Nunavut and their representatives who are here with us in Ottawa today.

Members of the House must be comparing Canada's performance in Bonn with Montreal this past December. In Montreal, Canada worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring the world together to take real action to fight climate change. In Bonn we are sending the message that Canada is not reliable in the fight against climate change. Other countries are describing Canada's desertion as a living nightmare.

Canada has a leadership role to play in the fight against global warming. Why is the government abandoning that role?

[The Environment, May 16th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that the delivery for the Minister of the Environment's script for the Bonn meeting on climate change must have been taken by the government from the theatre of the absurd. She spoke of our Arctic, of melting permafrost, changes in our sea ice and the arrival of new migratory animal species. At last Conservatives get it, we thought. They see we need action. They have flipped from their animosity. However, no, instead the minister flopped again. She called for leniency, longer deadlines and weaker objectives.

If the government is genuinely concerned about the impact of global warming on our Arctic, why is its policy that Canada do less?

[Francophonie, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the unprecedented diplomatic incident involving the head of the Francophonie on his arrival in Canada could have been avoided if only one minister of this government had deigned to be at the airport, as required by protocol.

Despite the requests by Senegal and our own francophone population, the Prime Minister refused to offer an apology to His Excellency when they spoke.

The Liberal Party offered an apology to His Excellency. Why is the Prime Minister not doing the same thing, which is usual and proper in diplomacy.

[The Environment, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, now Canadians know where that rhetoric is coming from because we know that Republican pollsters have been coaching the government on the catchy slogans needed to sell what they call their alternative plan, but they forgot the most important part. There is no alternative plan. Most countries are pushing for the accord's second phase to be more effective, while the Prime Minister is looking for ways to avoid it.

Why has Canada's Minister of the Environment arrived in Bonn without a single concrete proposal to make Kyoto work, not rhetoric?

[The Environment, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, today the Minister of the Environment is in Bonn chairing the meeting of the United Nations convention on climate change.

While the Conservative members cheer, the Canadian public is collectively embarrassed. Leading Canadian environmentalists from the Suzuki Foundation to Greenpeace Canada have all begged the minister to stay at home and not waste the time of those who are truly committed to fighting global warming.

Does the Prime Minister and his party not see the irony in someone who despises Kyoto chairing a conference designed to make Kyoto work, or has he sent the minister as some sort of fifth columnist to destroy the system from within?

[Official Languages, May 10th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Commissioner of Official Languages expressed her fears yesterday. She stated that she has serious doubts about the will of the government to respect the bilingualism policy. The Speech from the Throne and the budget provided no reassurance. The Prime Minister has often expressed his reservations with regard to bilingualism, and it is clear that it is not a priority for his government.

Can the Prime Minister tell this House whether or not he intends to respect the bilingual nature of this country and accept the recommendations of the Official Languages Commissioner?