Cathy McLeod

[Petitions, May 29th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, this petition has a number of signatures from people who believe that cosmetic testing does not require the involvement of animals anymore.

The petitioners ask for support for Bill S-214.

[Natural resources, May 29th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's failure to get Trans Mountain built has contributed to sky-high gas prices in British Columbia. However, he says that is exactly what he wants.

Rural people in my riding have no options. They cannot take public transit. They cannot take jerry cans across the border for cheaper gas in the U.S. When a person has to drive hundreds of kilometres to simply get to a hospital, electric vehicles remain impractical.

When will the Prime Minister take real steps to address the issue of high gas prices?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns., May 27th, 2019]

With regard to the sewage lagoon which burst at the North Caribou Lake First Nation this past winter: (a) why did Indigenous Services Canada initially refuse to provide emergency repairs to the lagoon; (b) what amount has the government provided for repairs to the lagoon; and (c) when was the funding commitment conveyed to the North Caribou Lake First Nation?

[Carbon Pricing, May 14th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, part of my riding is rural. There is no public transit. The sky-high gas prices are forcing them to make very difficult decisions about essentials. We have single mums who cannot afford to fill their tanks. We have seniors who are having difficulties making ends meet. We have small businesses that have no choice but to cut jobs or cut wages. The Prime Minister says this is exactly what he wants.

Could the minister explain exactly what he wants? Why sky-high gas prices for rural communities?

[Canada–Madagascar Tax Convention Implementation Act, 2018, May 14th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I believe you made a ruling about relevance a little earlier. I know we always allow great discretion, but the member is not really debating the topic at hand. A laundry list of what he considers to be the government's domestic accomplishments has nothing to do with this debate. I know members are given a lot of latitude, but I wonder if that latitude has been stretched.

[Carbon Pricing, May 13th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, a majority of Canadians are really worried about the rising price of gas. In my riding, in my province, they are looking at tight budgets already and deciding what essentials need to be cut.

The Liberals' handing out millions of dollars to their billionaire friends at Loblaws is doing nothing for affordability. Meanwhile, we have the Prime Minister and the environment minister jet-setting around the world with abandon.

When will the Liberals finally admit that their carbon tax is hurting those who are the most vulnerable?

[Natural Resources, May 10th, 2019]

Madam Speaker, residents in B.C. continue to flock across the border to fill their tanks with gasoline. They are saving $25 per tank, and that matters. It matters to Canadian families, it matters to small business, it matters to tourism operators and it matters to so many more.

This minister does not seem to understand what a difference that makes in people's lives. Increasing the carbon tax without a deadline on getting Trans Mountain started is a problem.

When will they get the pipeline built, and when will they get rid of this carbon tax that is hurting so many?

[Indigenous Languages Act, May 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's speech and his passion for official languages. I only wish that I was fluent in more than just one.

There are some important distinctions between the Official Languages Act and the indigenous languages act. The indigenous languages act is about protecting and preserving. As the national chief famously said at committee, this is not about putting Cree on Corn Flakes boxes. It is about their culture and protecting language within their culture.

Could the member comment on the importance of a language?

Second, the member talked a little about the amendments. When the government has to introduce amendments, it is actually because of mistakes in the text. These are mistakes the government members did not catch when everyone else was submitting amendments. These are mistakes they had to fix at the very last minute. Could the member talk about how absolutely extraordinary it is for a government piece of legislation to have so many mistakes that it does not identify until the last minute?

[Indigenous Languages Act, May 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, you will note that all sides of this House recognize the importance of language revitalization and preservation.

However, what I have been consistently concerned about is there are five weeks left in this Parliament and the government, in the last weeks of this Parliament, is rushing many pieces of legislation through. We hear there are so many now that the legislative clerks are having trouble keeping up.

I would like to ask the parliamentary secretary why it is with bills that are produced by the government in an unheard of way there have to be 23-plus table-dropped amendments. It is absolutely unheard of. What could give us any confidence that the government has actually done this particular piece of legislation right?

[Carbon Pricing, May 9th, 2019]

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely clear that the Liberals have no plan to make gas more affordable. The Prime Minister himself said that the carbon tax being high is what he wanted to change behaviour. Well, changing the behaviour of cancer patients who have to drive to their treatment is not acceptable. There are many, many impacts for everyday Canadians that the Liberals do not seem to understand.

We have a plan to make life more affordable, eliminating the carbon tax and getting Trans Mountain built. Why will the Liberals not just admit that they do not care about the price of gas in British Columbia?