Brent Rathgeber

[Question Period, September 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, all members of Parliament need to take greater ownership regarding the operation of this, the people's House of Commons.

On Tuesday, an important question regarding the deployment of Canadian military resources deserved an answer but, instead, received non sequitur nonsense. It was a sad display.

Question period is the 45 minutes afforded each day for this House to hold the government to account, to ask ministers of the Crown about matters of policy important to our constituents. It was never intended to be a forum for the scoring of cheap political points, nor for hurling irrelevant-to-the-question barbs about what political staffers do.

Although your ruling was certainly correct that it is not the duty of the chair to assure the quality of answers, surely the executive council has an interest in providing information to Canadians rather than buffoonery.

While the chair was also correct that challenging the impartiality of the chair brings into question the integrity of how this entire place operates, surely in the minds of the public, this place has already been slipping into disrepute, if not irrelevance, for much too long.

I implore members to represent their constituents in this, the people's House of Commons, and not merely partisan interests. How will Canadians take this place seriously if we, as members, do not take ourselves and this place more seriously?

[Government Spending, September 19th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the government established Shared Services Canada in 2011 to provide centralized technology infrastructure services. Its mandate includes providing better value for money. However, in 2013 alone, Shared Services Canada paid more than $275,000 in late-payment fees for cellular telephone services.

The government has promised, and I look forward to, a balanced budget in 2015. So the simple question is this: How much has the government budgeted to cover its own inability to pay its bills on time?

[Justice, June 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the government claims that Bill C-36 would keep sex workers immune from prosecution except at or near where children are present. However, when it comes to child prostitutes, they are not only reasonably expected to be present wherever the child is selling sex, but a child is in fact present.

Does the government seriously intend to prosecute the most marginalized and most exploited members involved in this trade, the child prostitutes?

[Intergovernmental Relations, June 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, economists from the Bank of Montreal this week reported that the Alberta economy is in a league of its own and that more, not fewer, temporary foreign workers are required.

However, given higher unemployment rates in other regions of the country and the Conservative government's lack of political will to provide meaningful reforms to the temporary foreign worker program that will allow employers who play by the rules access to the program, will the government take the Alberta labour minister up on his offer to devolve responsibility for the temporary foreign worker program in Alberta to the Alberta government?

[Distinguished Principal of the Year, June 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour a very special constituent, Fernando Runco of Edmonton, who last month was awarded the 2014 Distinguished Principal of the Year Award.

The 37-year-old principal from Katherine Therrien Catholic Elementary School in Edmonton—St. Albert was honoured by his peers from the Canadian Association of Principals.

Principal Runco stood out for his ability to get students, parents and staff involved in the school, and his outstanding efforts to connect with parents and students. Mr. Runco has only been principal at Katherine Therrien for three years, but has clearly developed exemplary skills as a principal in that very short time.

In that time, Principal Runco has engaged the outside community, bringing in guest speakers and community leaders to mentor his students. He also employs multimedia and multigrade activities to enhance community within the school.

I would like to congratulate Principal Runco and the entire team at Katherine Therrien Catholic Elementary School for their dedication in educating our children, and their positive contribution to community building in northwest Edmonton.

[Petitions, June 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to table a petition signed by 112 citizens of Edmonton, St. Albert, and surrounding communities. They are calling on the Government of Canada to help convince the Chinese Communist Party to cease the murdering of Falun Gong practitioners for their organs, to pass legislation to combat organ harvesting, and to publicly call for an end to the persecution of the Falun Gong in China.

[Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, June 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I vote no.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2014-15, June 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I vote yea.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2014-15, June 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am also voting yea.

[Supplementary Estimates (A), 2014-15, June 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I agree to the motion and vote yea.