David Christopherson

[The Environment, December 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is a sad day for those of us in Hamilton, and an even sadder one for me at this moment.

I think we can all reflect back on the Speaker's ruling at that time, when he said that this matter, given that it was in the future, would be resolved over the weekend, and it was, although not necessarily in the way that we in Hamilton would have liked it to have been resolved.

It is with a heavy heart but with a sense of national Canadian spirit that I congratulate our competitors on winning the Grey Cup, but make no mistake: “Oskee Wee Wee”. We will be there next year.

[Committees of the House, December 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, on the public accounts of Canada, 2014.

[Points of Order, November 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order arising from the statements prior to question period. I rise on a matter of serious importance in terms of misleading the House.

The member for Calgary East stood and said as a fact that the Calgary Stampeders are going to win. They are not; the Ticats are going to win.

Would you please call on that member to correct the record?

[Veterans, November 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member makes it sound like it is some kind of detail in the Auditor General report that the Conservatives just have to kind of fix. That is not the case at all. That report was a scathing indictment of the lack of care and compassion and services needed by our veterans. It is time they address the issues raised in the report, and do it honestly and properly, starting with an apology to our veterans.

Where is the minister? Why is he not here apologizing?

[Veterans, November 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, when Canada's veterans were asked to serve, they did so without hesitation. However, when they need our help, the Conservative government just walks away.

The Auditor General was clear. Canadian veterans are not getting access to necessary mental health services in a timely manner. Apparently the minister thinks it is okay to take 50 years to fix the problem.

Why are Conservatives trying to paper over their failure to support our veterans rather than fixing the problems?

[Child Care, November 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, according to a recent study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Hamilton has the eighth most expensive child care rates in the country.

These findings likely come as no surprise to the many families in Hamilton that pay up to $1,200 a month for each child in child care. These astonishing rates are making it harder and harder for families to make ends meet.

The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction CEO, Tom Cooper, has said that without access to child care services, many parents and children will not be able to escape the cycle of poverty. Families in Hamilton know they need a child care plan that works for them.

As the Hamilton Spectator made clear in an editorial earlier this month:

Income splitting won't do it. Neither will increasing the universal child tax benefit. Those are Band-Aid solutions that don't address real disparities...

That is why many people in my community of Hamilton Centre are excited about the NDP's $15-a-day child care plan. They know this plan is an investment in their family, their community, and an investment in our Canada.

[Veterans Affairs, November 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the minister closes regional offices to save money, denies benefits to veterans to save money, denies services to veterans to save money, and yet hundreds of millions of dollars that was earmarked for veterans was going unspent every year.

Will the minister cut the excuses and explain how not spending that $1.1 billion makes our veterans any healthier?

[Veterans Affairs, November 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, after Conservatives failed to deliver over $1 billion in promised funding to help veterans, and just before a potentially scathing new report from the Auditor General, the minister pops up and recycles an old announcement.

Does the minister really think that recycling old commitments is suddenly going to make up for years of neglecting our injured vets and soldiers?

[Committees of the House, November 19th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following reports of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts: the 7th report, on Chapter 7—Oversight of Rail Safety—Transport Canada of the 2013 Fall Report of the Auditor General of Canada; the 8th report, on Chapter 8—Disaster Relief for Producers—Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada of the 2013 Fall Report of the Auditor General of Canada; the 9th report, on Chapter 1—Public Sector Pension Plans of the 2014 Spring Report of the Auditor General of Canada; and last, the 10th report, on Chapter 8—Meeting Needs for Key Statistical Data—Statistics Canada of the 2014 Spring Report of the Auditor General of Canada.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109 of the House of Commons, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response for all of these reports.

[The Environment, November 17th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. This is the government that has stalled real action on climate change for years, arguing that we need to harmonize our oil and gas emissions reduction with the U.S. Now that the U.S. is acting, the government is not willing to lift a finger to make meaningful changes to reduce emissions in Canada. This is not leadership.

When will the Conservatives stop stalling and start taking real, effective action to cut emissions?