Diane Marleau

[Afghanistan, June 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, it is unacceptable that this government and this Prime Minister receive a report on Afghanistan and present a completely different version.

Does the Minister of Foreign Affairs not read the reports on Afghanistan or did he simply table a report in which the embarrassing information was deleted because he wants to keep the truth from Canadians?

[Afghanistan, June 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, there was a report to the Prime Minister about Afghanistan saying that there is a dramatic resurgence of the Taliban, that Afghanistan could split in two, and that the Karzai government's authority is increasingly being eroded.

However, the foreign affairs minister reports to Parliament only that there are grounds for optimism. We have two reports, one subject, two different stories.

Why did the foreign affairs minister choose to mislead Canadians?

[Committees of the House, June 14th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates met earlier today to consider the certificate of nomination of Christiane Ouimet to the position of Public Sector Integrity Commissioner and the committee agreed that said nomination be concurred in.

Therefore, we seek unanimous consent that the ninth report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates dealing with the certificate of nomination of Christiane Ouimet to the position of Public Sector Integrity Commissioner be deemed tabled and concurred in.

[Committees of the House, June 11th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.

The committee has considered the matter of government real estate and heritage buildings, the sale thereof and lease back and has agreed to table the report.

[Canadian Heritage, June 11th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, smaller museums that contribute to a community's vitality are being completely neglected. The government throws out big numbers, but those are for national museums. What about local museums? They are being starved by meanspirited Conservative cuts.

Funding for the museums assistance program is at its lowest level ever. Will the Minister of Canadian Heritage commit to reinstate and then increase funding for the museums assistance program?

[Ministerial Expenses, May 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives say one thing but they do another. If the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity has glad-handed at over 100 official meetings in the last five months, he is required by law to disclose all the costs. As of this morning, there was not one disclosure for any expenses for this period on the government website.

Instead of allowing his ministers to launder their expenses, when will the Prime Minister act accountably and force all ministers to fully disclose all their expenses as prescribed by law?

[Ministerial Expenses, May 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we have a policy on the mandatory disclosure of travel expenses. The Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity told us that he had participated in over 100 meetings, events and celebrations with dozens of communities and organizations from coast to coast. Yet the Conservatives are still indulging in their shady practices. Where are these expenses disclosed?

[Passport Canada, May 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, this new government has known for at least 15 months that it would have a lot of problems at Passport Canada, but that is no excuse. Passport Canada has given me every excuse in the book for not opening more passport offices in the regions of Canada.

Now a new law is being proposed, or at least it was last night when the minister ran up the stairs. I hope this is not just another excuse for not opening new offices. We could work on the new law while Passport Canada opens new offices.

When will the Minister of Foreign Affairs announce the opening of new passport offices?

[Passport Canada, May 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, access to passport services, particularly in the regions, has been a problem for a long time.

It has been a very serious problem since January. Now, there is talk of new legislation. It is too little, too late. Passing new legislation takes time and does not guarantee services.

Can the minister tell us why he waited so long before deciding to do something? What will he do to immediately solve this problem? When will we see the text of this legislation?

[Committees of the House, May 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates on main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31.

Your committee has considered vote 1 under Governor General, vote 1 under Parliament, votes 1, 5, 10 and 25 under Privy Council, votes 1 and 5 under Public Works and Government Services, as well as votes 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 30 and 35 under Treasury Board for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008, and reports the same less the amounts voted in interim supply.