Don Davies

[Points of Order, December 16th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

As the NDP finance critic, I have attended the lock-up, I have read the fall economic statement and I have gone to considerable lengths, along with my colleagues, to prepare the New Democrats' response to this. What I find patently unfair is that the government has chosen to release that document to the public at four o'clock. That document, a very thick book of policies, is now circulating, but there is no opportunity for any other opposition person to have a comment on that, whether Conservative, Bloc, New Democrat or Green, and that is patently unfair. In fact, I would say that it is undemocratic.

You cannot allow the government to present its case and then not allow opposition to present its case in return. That may be how autocracies work, but that is not how democracies work. Mr. Speaker, I would ask that you allow a specific member from each party to have up to 20 minutes so that we can have our comment on this document, as the Liberals have.

I find it, frankly, a little infuriating that the government has allowed its voice to be heard in this document, but stands in this House and says “no” to allowing any other party to have its say. That is not democratic.

[Natural Resources, December 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour one of Canada's finest public servants, our ambassador to Germany and former premier of British Columbia, the late John Horgan. Raised by a single mom, John overcame great challenges to rise to the highest levels of public office. His political career actually started in this place, staffing NDP MPs. In 1991, he left to assume important roles in the B.C. NDP government, ending as chief of staff to the premier.

John entered elected office as an MLA in 2005 and ultimately became leader of the party, leader of the official opposition and a very popular premier. Throughout, John carved a deeply impactful path. He had an uncommon common touch. He had that rare ability to rise above partisanship and win the respect of his opponents. He was witty, kind and positive. In my view, John was the best off-the-cuff speaker in Canadian politics. We extend our deepest condolences to John's beloved Ellie and their two sons.

We are thankful for John. His kind shall not pass this way again.

[John Horgan, December 10th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honour one of Canada's finest public servants, our ambassador to Germany and former premier of British Columbia, the late John Horgan.

Raised by a single mom, John overcame great challenges to rise to the highest levels of public office. His political career actually started in this place, staffing NDP MPs. In 1991, he left to assume important roles in the B.C. NDP government, ending as chief of staff to the premier. John entered elected office as an MLA in 2005 and ultimately became leader of the party, the official opposition, and then a very popular premier.

Throughout, John carved a deeply impactful path. He had an uncommon common touch. He had that rare ability to rise above partisanship and win the respect of his opponents. He was witty, kind and positive. In my view, John was the best off-the-cuff speaker in Canadian politics.

We extend our deepest condolences to John's beloved Ellie and their two sons. I thank John. His kind shall not pass this way again.

[Youth, December 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, today there are nearly one million Canadians under the age of 29 who are neither employed nor engaged in training. We have not seen a youth unemployment crisis this severe since the Conservatives were in power. According to Deloitte, this will cost our economy $18 billion over the next decade. Will the Liberals listen to New Democrats and set up a youth climate corps so young Canadians can gain the skills and experience they need while protecting our environment?

[Privilege, December 2nd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, this morning, my hon. colleague spoke of the important duty of a government to disclose documents after Parliament has requested them. Of course, I agree with that very much.

The member took the present government to task for not disclosing the documents that have been ordered by the House. He was in the House between 2011 and 2015, as was I, when the government of Stephen Harper was order to do so twice, once to produce documents for the Afghan detainees case and once to disclose important cost information over its crime legislation. That government refused, also defied the will of Parliament and was found in contempt.

Can the member tell us why? What is the difference between the Harper government refusing to disclose documents in contempt of the House and the current government doing so?

[Privilege, December 2nd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I also had, coincidentally, an annual general meeting in Vancouver Kingsway this weekend. What I heard from the people who attended my meeting was just how desperately people are struggling right now. The figures back that up: 50% of Canadians are living paycheque to paycheque; one in four parents, according to the Salvation Army, are cutting down on their food intake so that they have enough food for their children; and 80% of Canadians are worried about the holiday spending coming up, yet my hon. colleague voted against a GST cut that would reduce the expenses of an average family by several hundred dollars.

I was in the House last week when the Conservatives called that chump change. I wonder if she agrees with that. Does she think that saving an average family a couple hundred dollars this Christmas is chump change? Everybody in this place earns over $200,000 a year. Does she not agree with me that it shows a disdain for the working and poor people in our country that is unbecoming to this chamber?

[Privilege, December 2nd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I agree very much with my hon. colleague that the misspending and conflicts of interest at SDTC should be of concern to every parliamentarian. I agree very much that there should be accountability and that the government should disclose the documents.

My understanding is that, in his ruling, the Speaker ordered that this matter be referred to PROC, and then this House passed a motion asking that the government send documents directly to the RCMP. I understand some 29,000 pages of documents did go to the RCMP, albeit redacted.

The RCMP officers have stated that they are unwilling or uncomfortable receiving more documents, for various reasons. I am just wondering what my hon. colleague's response to that is. Does he think that the RCMP should receive documents that the officers say they do not want and that might compromise their investigation?

[Tax Break for All Canadians Act, November 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this moment to say that I think my hon. colleague is the most powerful speaker in the entire House of Commons. One thing that is disturbing to me, listening to the speeches, is the disdain and the elitism I hear coming from the Conservatives. By talking about Pringles and cheese puffs, and by saying that this is insignificant and that it is chump change, it shows absolute disrespect and a lack of understanding of the real lives of most working families in this country.

My hon. colleague raised the point about people in the north who have to spend money on diapers, footwear and clothing. For people in harsher climates, there are probably additional clothing expenses, and this will give real relief, yet the Conservatives scoff at that.

For people in the House of Commons who make $200,000 a year to scoff at hundreds of dollars going to some of the poorest people in the country, it is frankly shameful.

[Tax Break for All Canadians Act, November 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I serve with the hon. member on the finance committee, and I would think that someone on the finance committee would be quite careful with numbers. There was a majority Liberal government in this country from 2015 to 2019. Nobody was propping up the government; it was a majority government.

The hon. member says “nine years”, but that is factually incorrect. I would not trust the member or his party with running a popsicle stand if they cannot even get basic numbers like that correct. Also, they are so ethically slippery that they will continue to use propaganda and nursery rhyme politics like that to try to confuse Canadians.

The Conservatives are proposing a cut to the carbon tax, but they are opposing a cut to the GST. Let us try to explain that to Canadians. I certainly cannot.

[Tax Break for All Canadians Act, November 28th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, to say the words “Conservatives” and “labour” in the same sentence is an oxymoron. I have been in the House for 16 years and have watched the Conservatives vote every single time to order striking workers back to work. I have watched them oppose every single proposed minimum wage hike. I have watched them try to increase the retirement age from 65 to 67.

If someone works in the House of Commons, that is one thing, but members should try being a bricklayer, roofer, drywaller or carpet layer working at 67 years of age. That is what the leader of the Conservative Party, when he was in the Harper government, proposed and supported. The Conservatives not only are no friends of labour; they will make life harder for every worker in this country.