House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 56% of the vote.
The Senate June 5th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, as our colleague well knows, last week, we took very responsible measures to protect the taxpayers' interests by adopting 11 tough new rules.
We will continue in that vein by making changes to the Senate. We will also proceed with bigger changes: having senators elected or abolishing the Senate, if necessary, and changing the length of senators' terms.
That is the direction the Conservative government is taking. We will do what is right for the taxpayers.
Public Safety June 3rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, Jamie Hubley was 15 years old when, after months of torment and cruelty and bullying, he committed suicide. Amanda Todd, from my community, was 15 years old also when she committed suicide after being anonymously hounded and harassed online by some of her fellow students.
Today I was pleased to announce a new partnership with the Canadian Red Cross to empower over 50,000 young Canadians from across the country and give them the tools they need in their own classrooms, in their own schools and in their own communities across the country to stand up against those who cruelly and viciously attack kids with cyberbullying.
I know that members of Parliament from all parties in the House have called for the government to take action when it comes to cyberbullying and the cruelty our kids face. Today we announced a bold national plan with the Red Cross, and I want to thank all members of Parliament for supporting this effort.
Ethics May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it did not take five days. It happened as soon as the Prime Minister learned that Mr. Wright had written a personal cheque. The Prime Minister made that information public immediately. That is a fact.
However, that is not the case with the Liberal Party, considering that a Liberal senator is hiding $1.7 million from taxpayers who have to pay their taxes. She is hiding that money in an offshore account. The Liberals need to be transparent about that money and need to be accountable to Canadian taxpayers.
Ethics May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, as the Prime Minister said, he did not approve of this. He would not have approved of this. Indeed, Nigel Wright took sole responsibility because he acted alone. What he did was not in the interests of Canadian taxpayers and it was not a responsible decision. The Prime Minister did not support what he did and would not support what he had done. It was the wrong thing for him to do.
With regard to the legal questions, that is why independent authorities are looking at this, and they will get the answers that taxpayers deserve, just as we continue to seek the answers on Liberal senators taking $1.7 million and hiding it from Revenue Canada. We deserve answers on that as well.
Ethics May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, again on the issue of defending the arts, I am very proud to be a member of this government, which has done more to defend and protect the interests of Canadian artists than any government before in this country's history. Increasing the funding for the Canada Council for the Arts, standing up for artists on the international—
Ethics May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, Nigel Wright resigned. He took sole responsibility, which is exactly appropriate, given the facts of the matter.
It was not an attack on any individual member of Parliament. This is an attack on members of Parliament who put forward legislation to avoid having to pay taxes themselves. That is what happened here. When it comes to defending—
Ethics May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the arts, I am very pleased to be the minister responsible for the arts and a member of this government, the only government in the G8 that increased funding for arts and culture during the recession. We are the only one, the only government.
We have increased funding for the Canada Council for the Arts and created three new national museums. We have created the Canada media fund. We have gone forward with the copyright protection act to protect our musicians. Our government has done more for arts and culture than any government in history.
What is appalling is New Democrats putting forward a bill of artists' resale rights and pretending to stand up for artists when all they are doing is standing up for their right to avoid paying taxes.--
Ethics May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, there has been no such contact by the RCMP, as the Prime Minister said yesterday.
With regard to shovels and digging holes deeper, at least two New Democrat members of Parliament that we know of have not paid their taxes. What is really corrupt about their behaviour in this file is that an NDP member of Parliament did not pay his taxes and was taken to court because of a $60,000 tax liability, and that same NDP member of Parliament comes to this place and tables a bill in Parliament to have income averaging for artists because he is an artist.
His first and only act in this Parliament legislatively is to try to pass a bill to absolve himself of his own tax liability. That is NDP corruption.
Ethics May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, on the important matter that the member raises in the beginning of his question, the Prime Minister made it very clear that our government will put forward any information that is required to get to the bottom of this.
Canadians do expect that members of Parliament and members of the Senate treat taxpayers' money responsibly. An independent examination is being done by the Ethics Commissioner and by the RCMP. They will do their work, and of course we will co-operate and work with them as much as they request, in the exact opposite of the way that the leader of the NDP failed to come forward on corruption in Laval in the city of Montreal.
Justice May 30th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, these are independent bodies that will do their own independent examinations. They are arm's length, which is as it should be. That is what the Federal Accountability Act mandates, that is what the law for the Ethics Commissioner requires and that is how the RCMP operates, which is arm's length and independent. They will examine this matter, as they should and as taxpayers expect.