Libby Davies

[Health, November 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, on Thursday the House will have the opportunity to debate this critical issue, and I hope that all members, including the minister, will show their support. Innocent people suffered because a system that was supposed to keep them safe made a terrible decision.

Thalidomide survivors have shown incredible resilience and resourcefulness, but they cannot fight this battle alone any longer. They need our support and they deserve our support. Will the minister agree to take the necessary and important steps to right the wrong?

[Health, November 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, for over 50 years the survivors of thalidomide have been forced to struggle alone. Successive federal governments have failed to support survivors and address the wrong. We will never know how many lives were devastated because of the decision to allow this drug in Canada, but the least we can do now is to provide adequate support and compensation to the 95 remaining survivors.

Does the minister agree that we all have a responsibility to show support to meet the needs of thalidomide survivors?

[Health, November 20th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, this week The Lancet published evidence that NewLink has never made a vaccine, owns no manufacturing plan, and has never commercialized any drug.

It has now been four years since NewLink acquired the responsibility to develop an Ebola vaccine from Canada, but it only went to clinical trials last month, and only last Friday did it appoint a chief scientific officer for Ebola.

Therefore, why did the minister say this morning in committee that she had no concerns about the contract with NewLink Genetics to develop the Ebola vaccine?

[Social Development, November 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in 2006, the Prime Minister promised parents he would create precisely 125,000 child care spaces across Canada. Precisely how many of those child care spaces did Conservatives create?

I would like to give the minister a hint. The answer begins with the letter zed.

[Social Development, November 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, they are offering nothing and a generation of young Canadians are paying the price.

Child care is another pressing economic issue. Families are now paying as much as $2,000 a month. Young people graduating into a dismal job market are worried about the cost of raising kids. The Conservative response is to borrow $3.1 billion to help wealthy families.

Will Conservatives shelve the tax cuts for the few and finally deliver on their promise of 125,000 new child care spaces?

[Citizenship and Immigration, November 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is not just in the field of publishing that the Conservatives seem to be ignoring scientific process. Last week, the Conservatives announced a ban on visas for travellers coming from West Africa. The WHO and the World Bank have clearly stated that banning travel is not an effective way to protect us from Ebola.

Why would the Conservatives implement such a ban when it is not backed up by expert scientific evidence?

[Science and Technology, November 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it still does not answer the question. Instead of using a reputable publisher for its research, Health Canada is paying nearly $1,500 per article to publish elsewhere. Unlike a peer review process that science journals follow, the publisher in question allows Health Canada to rubber-stamp its own research, so Canadians are left to wonder whether Conservatives do not trust other scientists to review Health Canada's research.

Why has the minister allowed her department to become involved in such a questionable publication process?

[Taxation, October 31st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' plan will not just increase income inequality, it will also push us backwards on gender equality. Countless economists have shown that this type of policy will push women out of the workforce, erasing the gains in workplace participation that women have fought hard to achieve over many generations.

Why are the Conservatives so intent on pushing forward with such a backward plan?

[Taxation, October 31st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary has to be kidding. This multibillion-dollar scheme will leave the majority of Canadians falling further behind. Who will not get any benefit at all? It will be single mothers, couples with no kids, parents who are divorced, couples making less than $44,000, and the list goes on. Who will benefit? Well, it will be many of the finance minister's former colleagues on Bay Street.

Will the Conservatives back down from their wasteful and ineffective scheme?

[Taxation, October 31st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, contrary to what we just heard, the Conservatives have presented a plan that will do nothing for the vast majority of Canadians. They were warned by their own finance minister that it was bad policy that would increase inequality, but yesterday they announced that they plan to do it anyway.

Why are the Conservatives deciding to spend billions on a plan that will do nothing for 80% of Canadians?