House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 29% of the vote.
Safe Food for Canadians Act November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague who raised a very important point.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture pointed out that this is an important bill, a good bill, and that food safety and inspection are a priority for this government.
In my colleague's opinion, if this is such a priority for the government, why is this bill called Bill S-11?
Safe Food for Canadians Act November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her speech and her work as deputy agriculture and agri-food critic.
I was very glad to hear her talk about the amendments that were proposed and unfortunately rejected at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. One of those amendments consisted in creating a workplace where workers feel safe and able to report any potential breaches where working conditions are difficult and where 4,000 animals might be slaughtered in one day. That is a lot.
How does she explain that the government rejected an amendment that would have created conditions conducive to the protection and safety of food?
Safe Food for Canadians Act November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech.
This government has implemented austerity budgets, and we are seeing the disastrous consequences, especially in agriculture, which we are debating now. There have also been cuts to Fisheries and Oceans and other public service sectors from scientific research to Service Canada. All of this has a significant effect on Canadians' quality of life.
I would like my colleague to expand on this issue and explain how Canadians are paying the price for the austerity budgets.
Safe Food for Canadians Act November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and his work as the agriculture critic for the official opposition.
Throughout the XL Foods crisis, we noted the working conditions, lack of training and high turnover of employees. I believe that an even more in-depth audit by a third party would have been worthwhile.
I would like to hear more from my colleague about the lack of resources. He referred to this when speaking about training. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is said to be in dire need of resources.
I would like to hear more about his concerns in this matter.
Safe Food for Canadians Act November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, certain events in recent years, such as the listeriosis outbreak and, more recently, the E. coli outbreak, have had a disastrous impact on beef producers across Canada. It would be truly irresponsible not to take away some lessons from what happened.
The question has been asked. Nevertheless, I will ask it again. Why will the government not allow a third party to evaluate what happened and make recommendations to ensure that it will never happen again?
Foreign Investment November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, Canadians learned about Petronas's modified takeover bid for Progress Energy Resources from The Malaysian Reserve.
The Conservatives are all over the map when it comes to foreign investment. Even Republican Senator John McCain has said that Canada should have public hearings on foreign takeovers such as the CNOOC takeover of Nexen.
Why are the Conservatives refusing to be transparent? When will they unveil the new evaluation criteria for foreign investment?
Helping Families in Need Act November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. He raised some very important points.
First, he said that we support this bill, which helps families when they need it most, especially during exceptional or traumatic situations.
He also addressed another issue that concerns many Canadians when he spoke about the major challenges facing employment insurance. I would like him to speak to that a bit more. What challenges are Canadians facing when it comes to EI?
Helping Families in Need Act November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague from Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles for the great work she did on the issue of Canada Employment. I know she worked very hard.
I wonder if she could give us more details about the benefits of this bill, but also about any reservations she might have about the implementation of this bill.
Helping Families in Need Act November 19th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Conservative member who just spoke.
In her view, why does Bill C-44 only apply to special benefits? For example, why does it not allow women returning from parental or maternity leave to receive regular benefits if they return to work and discover that they have been laid off or that their job has been eliminated?
Foreign Investment November 8th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives seem to have a hard time understanding their new investment agreement with China.
Do the Conservatives realize that under this agreement, giving national treatment to Chinese state-owned companies means that they have the same rights as those given to Canadian companies with respect to purchasing new oil leases and expanding their operations in Canada?