House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2021, with 52% of the vote.
Fisheries Act February 18th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I believe it is the former leader of the Green Party for the second point of order.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to reinforce the ruling you just made. We all know that providing political commentary is debate, and this is not a debate. The member should be giving a brief description of the bill. He knows full well that this is the case and I would ask him to respect the rule.
Fisheries Act February 18th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, the member knows, and you just indicated, that when members introduce a bill they are supposed to give a brief description of it, not provide political commentary that might not necessarily be accurate.
Motions for Papers February 17th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers be allowed to stand.
Questions on the Order Paper February 17th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
Interparliamentary Delegations February 17th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Maybe you could provide some clarification. I am not too sure, but for someone to say no, do they not have to appear on the monitor? On both occasions the member was not on the monitor.
Ethics February 16th, 2021
Madam Speaker, the member opposite tries to amplify the fact that we have the Ethics Commissioner, an independent body, in which I have far more confidence than I do the Conservative Party, and for good reason, and I have provided comment on that extensively in the House.
However, people need to realize that it was actually Stephen Harper, the former prime minister, who brought in that office, and I suspect that if we were to apply the same rules that we have today to the years of Brian Mulroney or other administrations, we would not have a problem holding up the behaviour of this government, the Prime Minister and ministers, and to a certain extent all members of the House, as I believe that over time we see a higher sense of accountability. When we talk about this particular Prime Minister, the member made reference to the third party; yes, go back to the third party, because when the Prime Minister was the leader of the third party, we brought in proactive disclosure.
Ethics February 16th, 2021
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the question. I always enjoy having the late shows with my colleague from across the way. It would be nice if one of these days we had unlimited time so that we could do a comparison between today's administration and other administrations, possibly the Harper administration. What a debate that would be.
Suffice it to say that the underlying question the member is asking is when we are going to serve Canadians first. I want to make a bit of a contrast.
Since 2015, the Prime Minister has made it very clear that, from day one, we have been putting Canadians first. We have put in a phenomenal effort to make Canada's middle class our first priority and we have demonstrated that. Let us do a comparison.
When we say we are going to reduce taxes for Canada's middle class, where are the Conservatives? They are looking under rocks for corruption. We have talked about increasing taxes on Canada's wealthiest 1% and where are the Conservatives? They are looking under more rocks for more corruption. When we say we are going to increase the Canada child benefit program, they are still looking for more corruption.
Whether it was back in 2015, last year during the pandemic or even today, we continue to work for Canadians every day, seven days a week. We are working with civil servants, other levels of government and other stakeholders to ensure that we get things right and work to put Canadians first. The Conservatives are preoccupied with looking for scandals and corruption. If they get a whiff of anything, they start waving and jumping on the pedestal telling us what they have found. Do members believe that Conservative companies have not received contracts? I do not. Do members believe that Conservatives have not been appointed at all? I do not.
The member needs to realize that it is the Conservative Party, the official opposition, that is preoccupied with trying to look for nothing more than corruption and ways to make the Prime Minister look bad. The Conservatives were doing that before he was even the Prime Minister, when we were sitting in the third party inside the House of Commons. If members read their S.O. 31s, they were all personal attacks against the leader, the Prime Minister. Nothing has changed.
We have been putting Canadians first from day one. When the pandemic came we made sure Canadians knew that we as a government would have their backs. We developed programs from ground zero to be there in a real and tangible way for the unemployed who did not have income so they would have a disposable income. We were there for small businesses, the backbone of our economy, by providing the wage subsidy, emergency rent subsidy, the credit availability program and so much more, because we understand how important it is to remain focused no matter what the preoccupation of the Conservative opposition happens to be, which is usually scouring for rocks to look under. To a certain degree, if the Conservatives get a whiff of anything, the first thing they do is send it to the Ethics Commissioner and try to make the media and Conservative spin as big as they can.
I would love to have a more appropriate debate with my colleague from across the way so we could give some real, solid—
Government Appointments February 16th, 2021
Madam Speaker, I wanted the answer to give the member and those others who may be following the debate a little bit of a background in terms of the role of the Governor General and so forth.
With regard to the question that the member asked, the former Governor General's annuity will be dealt with in accordance with the Governor General's Act, which is the legislation or the law that is currently there. The reimbursement of expenditures to the former Governor General is the responsibility of the office of the secretary to the Governor General. There is new leadership at Rideau Hall, and they will be able to address the serious concerns that were raised in respect to that issue.
Hopefully that helps my colleague a little more in getting a better understanding of what it is he would actually be required to do to go forward.
Government Appointments February 16th, 2021
Madam Speaker, it is important to give a bit of a wider perspective of the situation. The office of the Governor General is considered one of the oldest public offices in Canada and is absolutely fundamental to our democracy, our institution. Her Majesty's representative fulfills essential functions in our system of government and is rightfully held to a high standard.
All Canadians deserve a safe and healthy workplace. We have recognized that and stated it. I have personally stated that in responses to opposition members in the past. The government takes the issue of a safe and healthy workplace very seriously, and we have demonstrated a commitment to achieving that goal by strengthening legislation and regulations that protect employees.
As soon as we were made aware of the allegations in this particular situation in the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, we launched a rigorous and independent process to review the workplace conditions at Rideau Hall. The review provided an opportunity for those who work there or who work closely with Rideau Hall to share their concerns in a confidential manner. Upon the completion of the report, the Governor General informed the Prime Minister of her decision to resign.
We appreciate the dedication of the employees of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. We acknowledge the impact the state of workplace health has had on all the employees there. This has been a very difficult time and we are committed to restoring a healthy workplace.
In addition to the workplace review, a highly experienced and well-respected senior public servant, Ian McCowan, was appointed Secretary to the Governor General. He has already begun to engage employees to chart a new course toward a better environment at Rideau Hall, foster a culture of respect and ensure a healthy workplace.
The chief justice is currently filling in as administrator of the Government of Canada until a new Governor General is appointed. I know I speak for everyone in the House when I say it is comforting to have someone of his wisdom and experience in the role at this time. Many exceptional men and women have occupied this important office. They are Canadians of incredible integrity and talent. Let me assure the House that this tradition will continue.
In this context, the Prime Minister has committed to strengthening and improving processes whereby potential candidates are vetted. We will ensure that Rideau Hall is a safe and healthy work environment, as all Canadians deserve, and that those who serve Canadians do so with dignity.
Privilege February 16th, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I will do my best to do that.
The point is that I was prepared to continue. I was not trying to intimidate the Chair or get him to suspend the meeting. My recollection is that the Chair stated a concern regarding the interpreters, those unsung heroes, those hard-working individuals, and whether we would be able to continue. As well, he wanted to be able to adjourn at the time adjournment was supposed to take place.
Immediately following that, points of order were raised at the standing committee that stated the chairperson could not do that. I commented at the time that I did not believe we should have a committee proceed if we could not provide bilingual services. I made that very clear.
The Chair was fairly clear with the concerns he had and, right away, the opposition started to get excited about the fact that the Chair could not do that. The Chair has a responsibility. I refer the Speaker to some of the committee meetings under the Harper administration where we saw, for example, a Chair who would just suspend a meeting. They have that capability.
A Chair can actually say that they have heard enough. They do not even have to listen, and can just make the decision to suspend a meeting for whatever reason. Members can always raise it.
The member who moved the motion said that he hopes to get you to respond, Mr. Speaker, but in the interim he believes there is an opportunity for informal discussions to take place that could resolve the issue. I am suggesting that this probably would have been the most likely happy scenario if members had concerns. In fact, there are House leadership teams and other venues where this could have been talked about.
To try to use the floor of the House of Commons to say that the Chair or the government is trying to prevent the work of the health committee is a stretch. I believe the standing committee has the ability to resolve it, as other standing committees have done in the past with adjournments and suspensions.
I will review everything that has been said and possibly get back to you, depending on what follows my comments. I appreciate you taking the time to listen to me.