Gerard Kennedy

[Infrastructure, October 27th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I can see why the members are hiding behind another government. It is because their Minister of Industry has filled his pork barrel to the point of overflowing with eighty million taxpayer dollars.

From the G8 summit fund, a purely federal fund, he is giving millions to communities that are 60 kilometres away from the summit site and summit activity. In addition, he is giving $800,000 for streetscaping to the town of Bracebridge, which did not even request it. The local paper calls it “a shameful waste of taxpayers' money”.

My question is simple: Will the Prime Minister now investigate this obvious abuse of authority and ethics--

[Infrastructure, October 27th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister.

The Minister of Industry has abused his authority by giving his own riding the biggest share of infrastructure stimulus funds. The same minister has given his own riding the highest amount of community adjustment program funds at the direct expense of unemployed families elsewhere. Even next spring's G8 meeting has become an excuse to give him another $39 million to spend on his re-election.

The Minister of Industry has broken trust with Canada's unemployed by abusing job creation funds for his political advantage.

Mr. Prime Minister, is he a renegade minister you will now discipline?

[Infrastructure, October 22nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I can understand why the minister wants to hide behind the other minister, but I do not understand why the Prime Minister is nailed to his seat when his Minister of Industry is getting the most money in the region: $36 million. It is double the average for eight opposition ridings in the north.

Why is the Prime Minister punishing the unemployed and children's recreation programs in certain ridings just because they did not happen to vote for him?

The pattern is clear. The government is exploiting the recession to create a slush fund for its own gain. Will the Prime Minister now tell his ministers to stop?

[Infrastructure, October 22nd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Prime Minister why he is letting his ministers abuse their government authority on infrastructure spending.

The people of northern Ontario, who have been hard hit by the economic downturn, are being shortchanged so his Minister of Industry can give a double helping to his riding and that of the other Conservative in the region. Could the Prime Minister explain to hard-working unemployed people elsewhere in the north why he thinks they are only worth half as much assistance as those in his Conservative ridings?

Will the Prime Minister discipline his ministers, will he make them start treating Canadians fairly, or are they just doing what he wanted them to do in the first place?

[Infrastructure, October 20th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the minister would have us believe that it was just a coincidence. He got five times as many projects for his riding as the average for the province of Ontario.

What his Prime Minister forgot to say when he visited Toronto was that he was shortchanging that city by 25% in the infrastructure program. His Ontario Conservatives took $27 million more for themselves in just this one program.

Will the Prime Minister now direct his ministers to start treating all Canadians fairly, or does he prefer to continue to put his Conservative Party first?

[Infrastructure, October 20th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the Prime Minister about his breach of trust on recreation infrastructure funds.

All across the country there are community centres and arenas that need renewal and unemployed Canadians who need work. Yet the Prime Minister has let his ministers favour their own ridings and those of their colleagues.

In Ontario his Minister of Industry gave Conservatives 34% more dollars at the expense of the majority of unemployed in other opposition ridings.

Will the Prime Minister now direct his minister to fix this unfairness, or did he direct him to do it in the first place?

[Points of Order, October 9th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order in reference to a question I asked on October 1. Upon my review of Hansard, I used the word “deliberately”. On advice that it may be unparliamentary, I wish to withdraw the use of that word in reference to the Conservative efforts to cover up the failure of the job creation program.

I was not aware I used the word “deliberately” that day but after reviewing Hansard, I see it is there. I would like to withdraw it to ensure it is not in contravention of parliamentary standards.

[His Holiness the Dalai Lama, October 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, last week and weekend, His Holiness the Dalai Lama travelled to Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal where thousands of Canadians welcomed him and heard his inspiring message of peace.

From eastern Europe to South Africa and many other places in the world, struggles for rights and dignity have succeeded using the Dalai Lama's approach of non-violence, compassion and dialogue over conflict.

We are aware of the irony that there has yet to be the progress His Holiness seeks for his own Tibetan people. The Canadian government, which extended no official welcome on this trip, must be consistent in support of the Tibetan struggle for basic human rights.

The Dalai Lama is a tremendous inspiration to peace-seeking people the world over and I am sure all members agree he is deeply welcome in Canada. We look forward to hosting him again in Toronto next October.

[Employment, October 1st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, he has the same problem as the minister before him.

He says 220,000 jobs next year, not right now. In fact, the Prime Minister and his ministers have been deliberately hiding the truth. The job creation program is a colossal failure.

There is a list to tell the public the truth when it comes to job creation with infrastructure spending.

We spoke directly to 946 announced projects. At the very most, the government has created fewer than 160 jobs per week at the very same time that 5,800 more Canadians have lost their job each week.

Why did the Conservatives use taxpayer money as a slush fund--

[Employment, October 1st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, this week the Prime Minister misled Canadians about his government's record on creating jobs. His slick report and his advertising campaign are already costing at least $34 million and use words like “announcements”, “commitments” and “promises”, but leave out the one thing that matters. What jobs did the government create for Canadians who are out of work?

The Prime Minister and his government have had eight months and $8 billion to deliver on their promise of 190,000 jobs for Canadians.

How many jobs has his government actually created with the infrastructure stimulus funds?