House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 38% of the vote.
Justice May 10th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, what happened last week at the Centre métropolitain de chirurgie, the only hospital centre in Canada that performs gender confirmation surgery for transgendered people, is simply shocking.
Discrimination and violence against transgendered people persist, and the government has a duty to do something about that. The Liberals promised to protect the rights of transgendered people, but we are still waiting for a bill.
When exactly will the government introduce a bill?
Child Care May 6th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister claims that gender equality and work-life balance are priorities for him, but some workplace child care services are shutting down as a result of a government decision to stop subsidizing their rent.
The government is turning its back on the parents of children at the early childhood centre at the Guy-Favreau complex in Montreal and the day care centre at the Tunney's Pasture complex here in Ottawa.
When will the Liberals finally reverse this regressive decision made by the Conservatives?
Human Rights May 6th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, this week the minister announced that Canada is finally going to ratify the United Nations' Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. That is good news.
However, we need to take real action. Too often Canada's policy has allowed and still allows torture and mistreatment. Who can forget how Maher Arar was tortured because of false information provided by Canadian officials? Think about Omar Khadr, who was a prisoner in Guantanamo, where Canadian officials participated in his interrogation, knowing that he was sleep deprived, without giving him access to a lawyer.
The Supreme Court itself said that these measures offended “the most basic Canadian standards about the treatment of detained youth suspects” and that they constituted “a clear violation of Canada's international human rights obligations—”
Privacy May 2nd, 2016
That is odd, Mr. Speaker, because that is not what the commissioner said. Clearly the government is not taking privacy protection seriously. Today we learn that the Communications Security Establishment is refusing to report privacy breaches to the Privacy Commissioner. However, it shares data on Canadians with its foreign partners.
Will the government keep its promises of transparency and force the CSE to co-operate?
Privacy May 2nd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, Communications Security Establishment Canada, which by the way oversees CSIS, is responsible for reporting serious privacy breaches to the commissioner. However, instead, it is hiding them.
The Privacy Commissioner stated that CSE “does not give the Office of the Privacy Commissioner enough information”. Does the government agree with the NDP that withholding information about serious privacy breaches is simply wrong?
Foreign Affairs April 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the government keeps digging itself a deeper hole on the issue of the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia. The fact that the contract was a done deal and the very existence of cancellation penalties have apparently been contradicted.
Yesterday, the Liberals voted against our proposal to create a subcommittee to study arms exports.
Why are the Liberals refusing to let parliamentarians do their job? What are they afraid of?
Foreign Affairs April 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, on the Saudi arms deal, Ottawa consulted no human rights groups but asked only the Department of National Defence. After signing the export permit in secret, the minister repeated that the Liberals would scrutinize any future arms deal. However, when we proposed a transparent subcommittee to look at our arms exports, the Liberals used their majority to vote it down.
What are they afraid of? Where is the transparency they keep talking about? When will they start walking the talk?
Foreign Affairs April 19th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, it would be nice if the government followed its own rules.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has been telling Canadians for weeks that there would be penalties if the arms deal with Saudi Arabia were cancelled. However, this morning, he told us that there might not be, which is yet another contradiction. This is a far cry from an open and transparent government. Canadians have the right to know.
Will the Prime Minister stop doing political yoga and make the contract public?
Foreign Affairs April 19th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government keeps changing its story about the Saudi arms deal. After the minister described it as a done deal, he now claims that he, and he alone, made the decision to sign the export permit.
Canadians need to know who is running the show. Is it true that the Prime Minister and the PMO were kept completely in the dark about the signing of the export permit?
Foreign Affairs April 18th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Saudi arms deal, the government has been giving Canadians the runaround for weeks. Now we are starting to see why. Canada's ambassador to Saudi Arabia laid out his priorities, but he forgot one: human rights. He left them out entirely.
Why is the government bent on being so friendly with such an authoritarian regime?