Élaine Michaud

[National Defence, June 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government's failures with military procurement keep piling up. There was the F-35 fiasco, the delay in purchasing search and rescue planes, the cost overrun for the Cyclone helicopters, and I could go on.

The minister is now announcing a reform of the defence procurement system, but he unfortunately has no plan to find the billions of dollars wasted as a result of the Conservatives' incompetence.

Will the minister fix his mistakes and finally give the Canadian Forces the equipment they need to accomplish their missions?

[Public Works and Government Services, May 29th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have completely bungled another file: military procurement.

From the F-35s to the Cyclone helicopters and the close-combat vehicles, the Conservatives' incompetence keeps reaching new heights. Wait times continue to grow and equipment is not up to standard and is costing too much. Now, we have learned that the joint support ships will apparently not be ready until 2020.

Does the government really think that creating a new committee will solve this problem?

[National Defence, May 29th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Canada should certainly consider requests for deployment, but those discussions should take place here in the House. Canadians expect better from the Minister of National Defence, who keeps getting himself into trouble.

After he falsely claimed that Canada was the only country with smart bomb technology and tweeted misleading photos, the minster's incompetence seems to know no bounds.

Will he at least have the decency to keep his promise and debate military deployments in the House?

[National Defence, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that is nonsense. The victims have waited long enough. The government needs to act now.

Let us talk about another file that has been just as badly managed. The Conservatives now have a new committee to manage the army's supply system. That means more delays and more red tape.

The government still has not made up its mind about the short-term renewal of our fleet of supply ships, and the Davie shipyard still has not heard anything back about its proposal.

Can the minister explain how he thinks that more red tape is really going to correct 10 years of utter mismanagement?

[National Defence, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, this new case of sexual assault reported at the Royal Military College clearly shows that sexual violence and harassment are structural problems in our military institutions.

Canada cannot allow those who serve our country to be treated like that. The facts are undeniable. However, the army still does not agree on how serious this situation is.

What is the Minister of National Defence waiting for? When will he demand that practical measures be taken to put an end to this problem now? He must not wait until investigations have been conducted. He must do something now.

[Digital Privacy Act, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, earlier, I found it interesting to hear the minister express his concern about MPs having the opportunity to participate in debates in the House. It is rather ironic to see him rise in the House and be forced to defend the decisions of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. I also find it ironic to hear him making disparaging comments about what members from the other parties are saying.

I am going to be more respectful than he was and refrain from commenting on some of the speeches I heard from the members opposite that were written by the Prime Minister's Office. Quite frankly, they were not very good.

Has the minister ever told his colleagues or the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons how uneasy he is with the situation that some members are facing, namely the fact that they are not being allowed to speak? He clearly stated in the House that he was concerned about this, given that the House will have even more members after the election. Has he ever expressed those concerns to his colleagues or to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons? Also, has he ever considered the impact that the repeated gag orders imposed by his government is actually having on the work that parliamentarians can accomplish in the House?

[Petitions, May 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a petition signed by hundreds of Canadians across the country who are calling for the elimination of the federal tax on feminine hygiene products.

[National Defence, May 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Major-General Christine Whitecross was clear yesterday in committee. The top brass apparently does not agree on the scope of the problem with sexual misconduct within the Canadian Forces. However, the Deschamps report was very clear. This is a systemic problem that has existed for decades. It will not be possible to change attitudes within the forces without some leadership from the government.

Will the minister finally break his silence and commit to protecting victims by putting an end to this hostile culture?

[Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1, May 14th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by congratulating my colleague for taking such efforts with his French. It is appreciated. Frankly, it might have been better if he had continued in French rather than getting stuck in rambling, open-ended allegory.

In any case, in his speech, I did not hear him explain to Canadian families why his government is establishing a new tax by making the universal child care benefit taxable, that is, considering it taxable income. The Conservatives boast about helping all families and putting more money in their pockets, but at year-end, they will be taking back almost half of it. Financial experts have recommended that Canadians set aside most of the universal child care benefit in order to cover any unpleasant surprises they get when they file their income tax return next year.

I would like to know why the government, in addition to real universal child care benefits, is not trying to create affordable day care spaces in order to give parents a real choice, as the NDP has proposed?

[National Defence, May 14th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the minister proposed changing the National Defence Act to try to repair the damage caused by the Conservatives turning a blind eye to sexual assault in the army. The damage runs much deeper than that: military justice does not work when it comes to addressing cases of harassment and sexual assault.

Will the minister commit to overhauling the military justice system? Is he prepared to eliminate this culture of trivializing sexual misconduct?