Joyce Murray

[Employment, April 24th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the facts speak for themselves. Last summer, the student employment rate was at its worst level in 40 years. There are 200,000 fewer jobs now than before the recession. It is absolutely deplorable to see that this government is funding fewer jobs for our young people, but has no problem spending millions of dollars more on partisan advertising.

Why partisan advertising instead of helping our young people find summer jobs? What measures will the Conservatives take? Will they abandon our youth once again?

[Volunteerism, April 22nd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, today in Ottawa I joined hundreds of volunteers who walked for Boston in solidarity with the victims' families, the participants and the volunteers of the Boston Marathon.

Across Canada volunteers share their time, skills and talents to make things better in their own communities and in communities all around the world.

This week is National Volunteer Week, a time to pay tribute to the more than 13 million Canadians who spend over two billion hours volunteering every year. Volunteers have a passion for getting involved. They take action to support the causes that matter to them and they make our communities stronger.

On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our parliamentary caucus, I want to thank all of Canada's volunteers for their tremendous contributions and for their dedication to improving the lives of others.

[Taxation, April 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the government is conveniently in denial about its hidden tax hike on thousands of everyday items. It is middle-class Canadians who are being hit hardest by these price increases and parents are paying more now for school supplies, for playpens, and even bicycles.

Could the Minister of Finance explain why, and could he explain why he is hitting small businesses and our border towns by sending their customers across the border to shop in the U.S.? The government should admit these are tax hikes, apologize, and cancel them.

[Business of Supply, April 16th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I have been listening to these debates with a great deal of interest. The idea of a parliamentary committee is a thoughtful, non-partisan way to proceed on a program that is obviously broken and is costing jobs for Canadians.

Despite the parliamentary secretary's rhetoric, there are huge problems and a mushrooming of numbers in the temporary foreign worker program in ways that are not adhering to the claimed objectives of the program.

My question to the parliamentary secretary is: Has the government done anything to learn from the experience of northern European countries that had temporary worker programs, which the research showed led to an avalanche of bankruptcies as their own businesses were unable to compete with the lower wages being paid and the worse working conditions?

Eventually those European countries—Germany, for example—made major changes to their programs. That is just the kind of thing a parliamentary committee could find out about. We already know what does not work, and the path the government has trod has already been shown to be ineffective in Europe.

Will the parliamentary secretary consider the committee on the basis that it can help us learn from others' mistakes to correct the government's mistakes?

[Taxation, April 15th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, no new taxes is a joke. Last year the Minister of Finance announced his budget from a bicycle shop here in Ottawa, and this year his budget attacks those very same small business owners.

His increases in import tariffs will leave Canadians paying hundreds of millions of dollars more in over 1,200 items, including coffee makers; USB keys; yes, iPods; and, of course, bicycles.

Why is the Minister of Finance hurting small businesses with a hidden tax on their goods and driving their customers to shop in the United States?

[Government Policies, March 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, government scientists are now being warned not to speak with Canadians or the media or other scientists. Librarians and archivists have to watch what they say in public, whether it is in classrooms or conferences, or risk being fired, and it is getting worse. Canadians and the global scientific community are up in arms and demanding that the Information Commissioner take action and investigate.

Obstructing access to research weakens Canada's democracy. When will the government reverse this dangerous course?

[Ethics, March 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, that was a stretch.

Former Conservative minister Peter Penashue knew for months that illegal donations had been made to his election campaign. These donations were not made by accident. A Conservative organizer with 25 years of experience decided to accept the donations.

Why did the Prime Minister choose to allow this discredited politician to run in the byelection?

[Ethics, March 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, that is some leadership: attack the messenger.

Former minister Peter Penashue knew for months about these illegal donations, and the donations were not accidental, actually. The decisions were made by his campaign manager, a Conservative Party insider with 25 years' experience.

Why are the Conservatives now using taxpayer dollars to repay this dirty money, why is the Prime Minister reappointing this failed politician to run in the byelection, and how can the public actually trust in Canadian democracy in the face of so much Conservative election corruption?

[Poverty, March 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the UN's right to food envoy confirmed today that poverty and food insecurity are a growing problem in Canada. In their election platform, the Conservatives promised a national food policy to address this insecurity. Two years later, there's not a whisper of a plan. In fact, the Conservatives have gutted measures and help for the most vulnerable by eliminating the long form census and dismantling the Canadian Council of Welfare.

Why is the government determined to make this unfortunate inequality even worse?

[Human Rights, February 26th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, today we learned that the Conservatives are cutting $270 million from foreign affairs, including human rights programs. That is on top of eliminating $11 million for Rights and Democracy, protecting human rights abroad.

However, it has increased $5 million to create a new bureaucracy for only religious rights. Why the shell game? What about other human rights? What about the deadly attacks on women and the LGBTQ community, or does this government not care about their concerns?