Andrew Scheer

[Democratic Institutions, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, apparently the Prime Minister cannot tell the difference between parliamentary work and general elections. There was no need to impose a leaders' debates commission, and there is even less need for the Prime Minister to try dictating the rules of the next election.

Why makes the Prime Minister think he has the right to impose the criteria for the next round of election debates?

[Carbon Pricing, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has put forward a plan that gives massive exemptions to the country's largest emitters. He said to all those companies that had well-paid government lobbyists who could negotiate a special deal, no problem, 90% off on their carbon tax. Now we learn there is a special deal for Canada's largest emitters in the electrical generation field.

Why is it that when the Prime Minister brings forward a plan, it is individual Canadians and families that bear the brunt? Why is the Prime Minister giving a big break for polluters and a big tax for commuters?

[Carbon Pricing, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it is the Prime Minister's own plan that makes pollution free. He has given massive exemptions to big businesses that can afford well-paid government lobbyists. However, small and medium-size businesses that do not have that ability are left bearing the full brunt. Now we learn that he has exempted coal-fired power plants from his carbon tax.

Why is the Prime Minister making pollution free and taxing individual Canadians and families?

[Carbon Pricing, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was on TV in Quebec where he said that nothing Canada could do would have an impact on climate change. Therefore, he put forward a plan that would have no impact on climate change, because he has given Canada's largest emitters a special deal. He recognizes that people who work in those companies will have their jobs threatened if they are forced to pay the full price of the carbon tax.

My question is simple. For all those employees who work in small and medium-size businesses, will they get the same deal?

[Carbon Pricing, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it was a long and arduous journey, but the Liberals are starting to finally reveal the truth about their carbon tax. Yesterday it was the environment minister and her parliamentary secretary who both admitted that the new Liberal carbon tax would kill jobs and make Canada less competitive. They said that it was bad for business. They admitted that it was the rationale for exempting large industrial emitters.

Will the Prime Minister recognize that it will also affect jobs in small and medium-size businesses and give those companies the exact same break?

[Privacy, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Prime Minister seems to think that he, as Prime Minister, and his government have the right to go into the line-by-line detail of Canadians' bank accounts and credit cards. Conservatives will always stand up against that kind of intrusion in the lives of Canadians.

He talks about protecting privacy. Just last year, the Liberal government was forced to pay $17.5 million in a class action lawsuit over a major privacy breach involving student loan recipients. The government's track record in protecting Canadians' right to privacy is a disaster.

Will he do the right thing, stand up for Canadians' right to privacy and end this practice?

[Privacy, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister can try to deflect responsibility all he wants. The fact of the matter is that he has the ability, he has the power, right now to stand up for Canadians' right to privacy. He seems to be confused. He seems to think that if the government has access to our data, that is somehow protecting our privacy. Does he not understand that protecting privacy does not just mean not making it public? It also means ensuring that government does not have the right to intrude into the private lives of Canadians and individuals.

[Privacy, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it is not about what the Prime Minister wants to do with this information. It is about the fact he does not have a right to take it in the first place. This is not anonymized data. These are line-by-line financial transactions linked to individual social insurance numbers. He is not protecting Canadians' privacy; he is violating Canadians' right to privacy.

He has a choice right now. He can stop this. He can stand up for Canadians' right to have their personal information protected. Will he do so?

[Privacy, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, it is not about the process that the government is following. It is about the fundamental right of Canadians to have their personal financial information protected. It is not about what is being made public. It is about whether or not the government thinks it has a right to peer into individuals' bank accounts and access line-by-line transactions.

Will he do the right thing and tell his government department to stop accessing Canadians' private information?

[Privacy, October 31st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we now know that this government has already accessed the financial records of thousands, if not millions, of Canadians without their consent. On at least two occasions, the data were collected from a credit bureau. These data include names, addresses, social insurance numbers and more. This is a huge invasion of privacy.

Will the Prime Minister step up and immediately demand that the government stop collecting this data?