James Moore

[Public Safety, March 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it simply is not true. We have not loosened them. We have actually, in fact, strengthened the standards, because we understand that these positions are—

[Employment Insurance, March 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the way we are protecting our employment insurance system is nothing new. It was created in 1993. It is the old system that the Liberal Party put in place to protect our employment insurance system when it was in power.

In light of the current economic climate, we are protecting the integrity of the system and investing in our communities for the people who need this system and this assistance.

[The Economy, March 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the answer to the economy certainly is not the Liberals, with a question, obviously, as misguided as that.

The fact is, the Canadian economy is doing very well. If you look, in fact, at the numbers that just came out, Canada is leading the G7 in job growth. Canada is leading the G7 in economic growth. Of course, we do wish the numbers were stronger than they are, but the fact is that Canada and our government has made the right decisions that are in the interests of everyday taxpayers.

What we see across the country, in every region of this country, is that Canadians are doing better than they were before. We are moving forward. We are continuing to lower taxes. We are continuing to create jobs, and we will see our next economic action plan when we table the budget very soon.

[Ethics, March 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it is funny—the same person, two different arguments. On the one hand, the leader of the NDP likes to, of course, trash individuals and an institution, but on the other hand, just last week, in this place, he tabled Bill C-476, where the leader of the NDP actually wants to give new powers to the Senate over officers of Parliament.

If the leader of the NDP is actually serious about reforming the Senate, he would get behind our effort to have an elected Senate with senators who have term limits. He can do so in a responsible way rather than trashing individuals, and on the other hand, putting forward legislation to empower an institution that he says has had its best day behind it.

[Ethics, March 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the second part of his question is, of course, not true. Hyperbole aside, the NDP leader should know better than to fearmonger about those in our society who are most vulnerable.

With regard to the Senate, yes, of course, we do believe that senator's expenses need to be appropriate. They need to be transparent and available to taxpayers. We do believe in that, and we are taking measures to ensure that those transparencies are made a reality.

Equally, we are following through on our commitment to reform the Senate to make sure that we have Senate elections and term limits for senators. If the NDP actually believes their rhetoric about modernizing the institution, they will stop blocking this legislation and move forward in a responsible way.

[Employment Insurance, March 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, our employment insurance system is essential to Canadians, to communities and especially to unemployed workers.

Service Canada has a duty to protect the integrity of the system, so that Canadians who pay into it can receive benefits when they need them.

The NDP is fearmongering on this issue, but all Service Canada programs and processes are meant to protect the integrity of the system so that we can keep our EI system intact.

[Official Languages, February 27th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the committees themselves can make these decisions. I am certain that the minister will take the necessary steps to protect Canada's official languages.

I would like to remind the House, as I just said in French, that our government's approach to respecting both of Canada's official languages is something of which we are very proud because of the results we have seen.

In fact, here is what Marie-France Kenny, who is the president of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, said. She said, “We salute [this government's] commitment” and “Thank you for defending the interests of francophone and Acadian Canadians”. She is a spokesperson who has come out time and again recognizing our government's efforts to protect French in all parts of this country, including here in the House of Commons.

[Official Languages, February 27th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we always try to appoint qualified people to these positions, and we clarify that they must be bilingual. With our roadmap for official languages we have invested $1 billion over five years and have had good success.

According to Marie-France Kenny, “The Minister of Canadian Heritage [and the government] are to be commended for their commitment and their efforts to achieve this result [for the official languages].”

Our approach is getting results and we have policies. We will continue to protect both official languages in the House of Commons and across Canada.

[Canada Post Corporation, February 15th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we, of course, understand the importance of having a strong economy. It is so we can have those essential services on which Canadians rely, but there are two important pieces of information here that my colleague is neglecting to mention in the House.

First of all, usage of the post offices is down by 20%, just in very recent years. On top of that, Canada Post, just last year, lost $250 million. These are services where there is a differing relationship between Canadians and the service over time. We want to make sure the service is there for Canadians when and where they need it, but we also want to make sure that service is done in a way that is reflective of the needs of the regions and is maintained at a level that is, of course, corresponding to demand.

[Government Services, February 15th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, all Canadians want our government's top priority to be the economy. That is why, 18 months ago, Canadians elected our government, a majority government that has made the economy its main concern.

And we have already had some success: 900,000 net new jobs have been created, at the lowest point of the recession. Our government is focusing on the economy to provide Canadians with the services they need. We will continue focusing on the economy and on reducing taxes in our next budget. In that way, we will be able to have a strong economy, which is necessary in order to provide services, where people need them, in the regions.