Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet

[Tackling Contraband Tobacco Act, June 11th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, a little while ago, my colleague from Brossard—La Prairie asked a question to which he did not receive a very precise reply.

When he asked whether there had been any consultations, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice replied that consultations were continuing.

Does that mean that no consultations were held before the bill was drafted? This happened, for instance, with Bill C-49, when the minister made the decision first and then consulted people about what should be done after the fact.

[Prohibiting Cluster Munitions Act, June 11th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, we have now reached the 45th time allocation motion. This makes no sense.

Does the government intend to move time allocation motions for all bills until the end of the session? Are the Conservatives planning on proroguing so they can pack up and go home because of all the scandals coming out these days? Are they not willing to answer any more questions from parliamentarians or the public?

[Library and Archives Canada, June 11th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, on another topic, it seems that Library and Archives Canada is currently in discussions with Canadiana regarding a project to digitize archives and set up a paywall.

The minister found a way to compensate for the cuts the Conservatives are making to this institution: charge people for services, yet people are already paying for these services when they pay their taxes.

Does the minister really intend to charge Canadians for access to publicly owned archives?

[Government Appointments, June 5th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, they did not even need to break the law. If they had lost the election, they were guaranteed a job in the Social Security Tribunal.

Take another example. Claude Durand, who ran in 2008, was parachuted into the EI Board of Referees, where she promptly broke the rules by continuing to make donations to the Conservatives. Was she punished? No. She was appointed to the Social Security Tribunal.

Why do they continue their Duplessis-style patronage, even when those who benefit do not follow the rules?

[Safer Witnesses Act, May 30th, 2013]

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

As he said, and as we have already indicated, the bill contains enough improvements to the program for the official opposition to support it at third reading, despite our concerns regarding funding.

I wonder if my colleague knows why the bill does not contain more of the recommendations that came out of the Air India inquiry, such as ensuring that the eligibility process is more transparent.

[Safer Witnesses Act, May 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with my colleague that criminals can use certain tools, such as the Internet, to find witnesses.

However, the NDP has been calling for changes to the witness protection program since at least 2007, and many other groups have been calling for changes for a long time. The Internet existed before 2007. It is not a new concept.

Why did the Conservatives take so long to introduce this bill?

[Safer Witnesses Act, May 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, here is what Andy McGrogan had to say. He is the chief of police of the Medicine Hat Police Service, which serves a city that is not exactly tiny:

Provincially, they're working on witness protection legislation, as well. Again, the chiefs across the province are concerned about the costs that are involved. Right now we're looking at how to absorb those costs. If you look at a community such as ours, the protection of one witness, if funded through the municipality, has a major impact on our budget.

Small cities are not the only ones having problems, according to this chief of police.

[Canadian Museum of History Act, May 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I completely agree.

The government has indeed eliminated many archeologist jobs, but the preservation of artifacts is also a concern. Quebec City, for example, has one remaining archeologist, while two were moved with their collection here to Gatineau.

Moving the collection here to Gatineau is itself a major step. When a collection is moved away from its researchers, it ends up being neglected. I worked in archeology labs where forgotten boxes just sat there gathering dust. The risks to a collection increase substantially when it is moved away from where it was found.

In addition, these artifacts are not being preserved right now. A metal artifact that is not cared for will break down and rust. The same applies to objects made of wood or bone. The preservation of our heritage objects is therefore in considerable jeopardy.

[Canadian Museum of History Act, May 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it is fine to have a law, but that usually does not stop the Conservatives.

They will continue to exert pressure on people. They could influence a museum director, just as they could an archives director, for example. We know what happens next. The same thing will happen. There is a culture of terror among the museum’s employees.

Why would it stop with this bill?

[Canadian Museum of History Act, May 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, yes, I am familiar with the bill.

We heard earlier that the museum is at arm’s length. However, the minister has already imposed changes. What will prevent the minister or his department from making other changes?

There is a culture of terror with this Conservative government. What will stop it from continuing in this manner with the Canadian Museum of Civilization, as it already does just about everywhere else?