House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 20% of the vote.
Government Programs May 14th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, we watched this week as the Conservatives gratuitously attacked Radio-Canada and the FrancoFolies, two respected institutions that are a source of pride for Canadians and a vital part of Quebec culture.
A few weeks ago, they appointed a racist to head Rights & Democracy after slaughtering its board of directors. Women's groups and the gay parades have also been attacked.
Is there any cure for the Prime Minister's authoritarian inclinations?
Daniel L'Heureux May 14th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, although some will not be sorry to see him go, we were saddened to hear that Daniel L'Heureux has retired.
An experienced reporter, Daniel L'Heureux covered Parliament's activities live for RDI. It seems that he fell into political journalism much like Obélix fell into the magic potion. He was recruited by La Voix de l'Est for a summer job as a newspaper reporter, then he joined La Presse in 1970 before moving on to the crown corporation in 1979.
Daniel L'Heureux has watched many a politician come and go, and he admitted to feeling some nostalgia for those of yesteryear, people like Trudeau, Drapeau, Bouchard and Bourassa. He also had opportunities to cover seminal moments in the history of Quebec and Canada, including the 1980 referendum and the failure of the Meech Lake accord.
As a consummate news professional, Daniel L'Heureux always maintained a human and respectful attitude toward people in politics.
On behalf of my Liberal colleagues and the entire Liberal family, I would like to thank him and wish him a happy and exciting retirement.
William Corbett May 13th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise here today to pay tribute to our former colleague, the Clerk of the House of Commons from 2000 to 2005, William Corbett.
Mr. Corbett passed away peacefully at home following a short battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also know as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Bill, as he was formerly called, worked at the House of Commons for almost 30 years. He first joined the House in 1976 and left the following year to work in Colombia for the Canadian International Development Agency. However, serving the House of Commons was stronger than any other call.
Returning to the House of Commons in 1980, he held roles as deputy principal clerk, principal clerk of Committees, clerk assistant and Deputy Clerk of the House of Commons before finishing his career as Clerk of the House of Commons from 2000 to 2005.
His intimate knowledge of the procedures and traditions of the House, coupled with his passionate and jovial nature, made him a delightful person to work with.
Working with Bill Corbett was a real pleasure. I worked in close co-operation with Bill when I was one of the chair occupants, and I can attest not only to his tremendous competence, but also to his joie de vivre and his infectious enthusiasm. It was a pleasure working with him.
My Liberal colleagues and I would like to offer our most sincere condolences to Mr. Corbett's family and also to his extended family, by which I mean all those in Procedural Services who had the pleasure of knowing and working alongside Bill over the years.
The House has lost a great man and we mourn his departure.
On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada, I pay tribute to the memory of William Corbett and offer our most sincere condolences to his family.
Thank you, Bill.
Government Programs May 13th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister tinkered with the rules at the last minute to eliminate those organizations that do not serve his interests. Do we want deceit and intimidation? Well, there we go. That was his tactic with women's groups and with the FrancoFolies and now he is increasingly hostile in his attacks against the CBC. He is now accusing the CBC of waging a faith war. This is reminiscent of the dark ages.
Is there anyone in the party opposite who will rise and condemn this Prime Minister's arrogance, intransigence and abuse of power.
Government Programs May 13th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, Montreal's cultural community is in shock. No one understands why the Conservatives are attacking the FrancoFolies. Their funding has been cut one month before the start of the festival and the selection criteria were tinkered with after the fact. Quebeckers have had enough of this spiteful Prime Minister who is now taking aim at a festival that enhances Quebec's international reputation. The Conservatives have made cut after cut after cut to culture.
Why has the Prime Minister embarked on a demolition derby against culture, the French language and Quebec?
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Jaffer admitted having access to a green fund. It is public knowledge that the administrator of the green infrastructure fund is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and that green energy is the responsibility of the Minister of Natural Resources.
Who did Mr. Jaffer and his partner meet with? Did he meet with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, the former or the current natural resources minister, or all of them?
We know that Mr. Jaffer or his partner lobbied seven agencies and departments. We also know that Natural Resources Canada gave more than $342 million to TransAlta Keephills.
When will these ministers and parliamentary secretaries testify and be accountable to Canadians for the funds allocated from the green infrastructure fund?
Mr. Speaker, on April 12, I rose in the House to get some clarification on the Jaffer affair, more specifically the subsidies from a certain green fund.
The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities avoided the question, which is what this Conservative government does when it has something to hide from Canadians. There is something fishy going on. Why else are we missing some of the documents?
Why did the former Minister for the Status of Women, the former Minister of Natural Resources and the current Minister of Natural Resources not testify before the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates? This is a serious situation since a minister was stripped of her responsibilities and dismissed. The Prime Minister also kicked her out of the Conservative caucus. She is even being dropped as the candidate for her own riding.
This former minister maintains that she does not know the nature of the allegations that prompted the Prime Minister to call in the RCMP to investigate her conduct. All these actions suggest that some serious misdeeds were committed and the public has the right to know what happened.
Since the Conservatives took office, we have all noticed that their leader revels in a culture of secrecy. However, Canadians have a right to know what all these omissions and this sidestepping are hiding. Even the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is said to have used a large fund for green energy, of which a significant amount may have been given to a business of which her son-in-law is the vice-president.
What funds are we talking about? We are all referring to the green infrastructure fund, which is managed by the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and which is a $1 billion program.
Rahim Jaffer, who is a former member of this honourable House and the husband of the expelled minister and political caucus orphan, is said to have told a group of business people that his company could help clients get public funds. He said, in the April 8 edition of the Toronto Star, that he could easily get money and that he also had access to a green fund.
Mr. Jaffer and Patrick Glémaud, his partner in Green Power Generation Corporation, are said to have met the parliamentary secretary responsible for approving projects for the green infrastructure fund. These two individuals seemingly presented three projects to the parliamentary secretary, who had the authority to approve or deny funding to the corporations that Mr. Jaffer was representing, no doubt as a lobbyist.
The Conservatives used a loophole in the Lobbying Act that allowed parliamentary secretaries to meet lobbyists in secret. The Liberals helped correct that flaw by supporting a motion putting an end to the powers that the Conservatives were using to help their friends.
The current Minister of Natural Resources and the former Minister of Natural Resources, who are the primary managers of the government's green energy fund, refuse to testify before the House of Commons regarding their involvement in the Jaffer case. Mr. Jaffer's partner, Patrick Glémaud, has cooperated fully with the Department of Natural Resources.
Did the Prime Minister tell his ministers not to testify? What do the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Natural Resources have to hide?
Official Languages May 7th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Conservative members of Parliament from Quebec have decided to fall in line like sheep behind the Prime Minister, regardless of consequences to Quebec. On the registry like on the women's group issue, they are ignoring the voters from Quebec.
After intimidating women, diplomats and Steven Guilbeault, will the Prime Minister now intimidate his new senators from Quebec, Jacques Demers and Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, to force them to deny the importance of the French language at the Supreme Court of Canada, or will he let them vote with their hearts?
Firearms Registry May 6th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, a spectacular democratic rally is taking place today on the Hill. Members of associations of police officers, chiefs of police and police boards; female students and graduates of the École Polytechnique; and representatives of shelters for women who are victims of spousal violence are rallying on the Hill to call on members to save the gun registry.
Quebec, its families and its police officers want to save the registry, but the Conservatives from Quebec want to scrap it, against the will of their constituents. This is no doubt because they do not know what they are talking about, just like the member for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, who said yesterday that the gun registry and gun control had nothing to do with the killings at the École Polytechnique. The hon. member should take another look at the history of Quebec, and the NDP members should as well.
How can they stand the fact that their party is responsible for scrapping the registry? I urge all members to vote for gun control and safety in our communities.
Pay Equity Task Force Recommendations Act May 4th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I question the relevance of the member going on and on. My understanding of it is that that side had been filibustering in that particular committee. Now we are on a private member's bill in regard to equity.
Mr. Speaker, I think you should look into the relevance.