Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe

[Ethics, October 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, Chris Woodcock in the Prime Minister's Office said, and I quote, “We have been working on lines and a scenario for you that would cover all of your concerns, including cash for repayment.”

Can the Prime Minister's Office confirm whether it was informed of this arrangement, and if so, when?

[Speech from the Throne, October 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we were treated to an attempt by the Conservatives to draw attention away from the multitude of scandals in which they are mired. They promised a new direction, but instead we heard an interminable speech full of empty words that could have been a speech given by the Liberal leader.

The Conservatives promised to help consumers, but they did not include any measures to deal with the price of gas, to help merchants with the credit card companies' racket or to put a stop to the abuses of airline companies, which leave passengers stranded on the tarmac for hours.

This speech will not make us forget how some senators, Conservative cronies, lined their own pockets at taxpayers' expense.

Even worse, after proroguing Parliament for one month in order to avoid answering questions, the Prime Minister still does not have the courage to show his face in the House today. Let him eat cheese in Europe as he pleases; the NDP will be ready and waiting for him next Monday. The Conservatives will have to answer for their partisan appointments that have gone awry and for the ensuing cover-up.

[Government Appointments, June 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I did not ask about the Minister of Canadian Heritage's values. I asked him whether someone recommended that Saulie Zajdel be hired.

Let us move on to another topic. Every day, we learn that another Conservative is being investigated by the RCMP. Hubert Pichet, a former Conservative candidate and a former aide to Senator Pierre-Claude Nolin, is being investigated by the RCMP for the role he played in the awarding of a contract to renovate the West Block on Parliament Hill.

Has the PMO contacted Senator Nolin to find out why his former aide allegedly used his position to try to influence the awarding of a public contract?

[Government Appointments, June 18th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, when he was hired by the Minister of Canadian Heritage, politician Saulie Zajdel was not particularly well known for his cultural expertise.

Did Dimitri Soudas, Leo Housakos or even the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism suggest that the Minister of Canadian Heritage hire Saulie Zajdel?

[Not Criminally Responsible Reform Act, June 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his speech.

I agree with many of the things he has said tonight, but I would like to ask him a question about costs.

How much does he think this bill will cost, more or less? I am talking about costs that will be passed on to the provinces, for example.

If he thinks there will be some cost to this, how high will it be, approximately? What resources does he intend to make available to those who will be paying for it?

[Canadian Museum of History Act, June 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I find the point my colleague raised very interesting. Museums change over the decades and Canadian history is important.

However, does he know whether anyone—a museum professional, a present or past director of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, historians or university professors—was consulted when Bill C-49 was developed?

The Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages said this was his idea. Does my colleague know whether anyone was consulted when the bill was developed? If not, what does he think is the ideal process for redefining the mandate of a museum as important as the Canadian Museum of Civilization?

[Canadian Museum of History Act, June 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech, which was very passionate, as usual.

I tried to get an answer from the government but unfortunately did not get one. I will ask my colleague. Perhaps she could give me her opinion. Who does she think should make decisions about a museum's mission and mandate?

As she pointed out today, a minister is the one who came up with this idea. That is fine, in theory. However, he is using his own idea as the basis for a bill that redefines the name and mandate of a museum. Even now, we still do not know who was consulted before Bill C-49 was drafted.

Could my colleague tell us who she thinks should be consulted when a museum's mandate is written?

[Canadian Museum of History Act, June 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

I would like to ask him a question. I do not doubt the importance of the history of Canada or the appropriateness of including a little more of it when it comes to teaching history and the associated exhibitions. What I wonder about is how we should proceed. Why are the name and mandate of the most popular museum in Canada being changed? I find this striking, and I am wondering whether this museum will still be the most popular one, with the highest visitation, if the government changes its mandate and name.

What is even more disturbing is that this idea does not actually come from a museologist or a museum director. It was the minister's idea. He undoubtedly has good ideas, but I find it worrisome for a politician to be proposing a new name and a new mandate for the museum.

Does my colleague know whom the minister consulted before drafting Bill C-49? He has said it was his idea, but apart from that, did he consult the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, stakeholders in the Outaouais region, historians and museologists?

[Canadian Museum of History Act, June 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

Apparently, he is very interested in Canadian history, and I congratulate him on that. It is very important.

However, I wonder what reason there is for changing a winning formula. The Canadian Museum of Civilization is the most popular museum in Canada at present. It is absurd, to me, to want to give it a new purpose, because it is the most popular museum. If we change its name and its purpose, it may no longer be the most popular museum. Perhaps the strength of this museum, and what makes it popular, are precisely its present name and mandate.

But let us go further and ask a few questions. The Canadian Museum of Civilization already has a reputation of its own. If we change its name, then we are going to have to make sure that people know the new name and the new direction.

Does the member know how much money will be allocated simply to changing the name and the mandate? I am not necessarily talking about the money that will be invested in new exhibition halls, for example, just the amount of money that will be needed to make the museum known with its new name and its new mandate.

Perhaps the member can quote me some figures.

[Canadian Museum of History Act, June 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, I know he is very involved in his riding. He listens to the residents of his riding, and he probably has a number of suggestions himself about what could be done with the money invested in changing the name of the museum.

I would also like to come back to another funding-related matter. In fact, Bill C-49 also opens the door to private sector support. I am not opposed to private sector support, but how is this going to happen? This is an important question, but it is not actually clear in Bill C-49. Will we have the Molson or Pepsi exhibition hall? We do not know. Will the private sector have more powers and be more in evidence in the museum? If so, in what way? Before supporting a bill like this, it is important to know what tangible form this is going to take.

I am not saying that we oppose investment from the private sector. What I am saying is that the bill is vague in this regard. It is important to ask the question before passing a bill like this.