Mathieu Ravignat

[Employment Insurance, March 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately we are becoming accustomed to the lack of transparency on the part of the Conservatives, who do not answer our questions and hide financial information.

Yesterday, when we spoke to the lack of information about employment insurance in the main estimates, the parliamentary secretary spat out a talking point on EI reform. Let us be serious.

Now that the Conservatives have had 24 hours to think about it, can the President of the Treasury Board tell us why there are no details about employment insurance in the main estimates?

[The Budget, February 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, what? Are they spying on veterans now?

The Conservatives got rid of the long form census and made all kinds of cuts to Statistics Canada, and now they are at it again.

This time, they are cutting $15.6 million. They say that they are trying to find other sources of data to replace the census.

Why are they being so hard on Statistics Canada? Why do the Conservatives want to prevent Canadians from knowing what is going on in their own country?

[The Budget, February 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as expected, the report on budget expenses is in line with the government's draconian cuts to services for Canadians.

Still, I was surprised to see that the budget for some items was actually increased. For example, Communications Security Establishment Canada, the electronic spy agency, is now getting almost twice as much money.

Why are the Conservatives wasting $400,000 on electronic spying after cutting essential services to Canadians?

[Ukraine, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Chair, when I was paying attention to my hon. colleague's speech, I thought it was particularly interesting that he mentioned economic issues. I think the political economy of Ukraine is one of the central elements of what is going on there. To focus more particularly on energy policy, when I was in Europe for the CETA agreement study, the committee heard a number of things about what Europe could offer as an energy package to eastern Europe. The weakness that the European economy has gone through has made it difficult for Europe to offer a robust energy package; therefore, this issue of energy in Ukraine has to be solved. Some of the aid that is going toward economic aid should definitely go to ensuring that Ukraine is not dependent on Russian energy sources. If not, this problem may reoccur in the future. I wonder if my hon. colleague has any thoughts on that.

Whenever a democracy is fragile, it should concern us all. It concerns me. I have been paying particular attention to this, though I am not of Ukrainian decent, nor do I have many Ukrainians in my riding, although I am sure there are few. However, it is of concern to me as a democrat and a parliamentarian. We should all be concerned when a democracy is fragile.

Does my hon. colleague have any thoughts on the energy policy side of things?

[The Budget, February 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I paid close attention to what my colleague had to contribute to this debate.

I am afraid that in my riding, small businesses are not as enthusiastic about this budget, particularly chambers of commerce. For example, the elimination of the tax credit for hiring is something they were fundamentally looking for. Unfortunately, the riding of Pontiac is one of the ridings in Quebec that has the toughest time when it comes to jobs. The people in my riding are quite discouraged that this budget does not do enough to stimulate jobs, particularly in rural areas like the Pontiac.

Another factor is how this budget has attacked public servants in my riding and in the ridings around Ottawa. I wonder what my hon. colleague would say to them.

[The Budget, February 13th, 2014]

Sure. Can you bring me some?

[Petitions, February 12th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present two petitions signed by Canadians who urge the House of Commons to adopt legislation that would give Gatineau Park the necessary legal protection to ensure its preservation for future generations.

[Public Service of Canada, February 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the President of the Treasury Board has waged a lengthy misinformation campaign against public servants about their sick leave. The problem, as the Parliamentary Budget Officer confirms, is that what he says is not true. Public sector employees take as much sick leave as private sector employees.

Will the minister apologize, correct his false statements, and admit that he misled the House?

[Fair Elections Act, February 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot think of anything more fundamental that we can do as parliamentarians than when we begin to change electoral laws. It is fundamental to our democracy.

One of the reasons I sought to be elected was that our democracy is fragile, and its legitimacy is also fragile. There is a lot of cynicism about the democratic process, and we need to address that. One of the ways we can address that is through electoral reform, ensuring that more Canadians can participate and that they want to participate.

I am personally concerned about those who have difficulties registering as voters. I have two first nations in my riding, and levels of poverty, and those individuals may have difficulties registering in their current state.

I wonder whether the government has addressed this problem and what its strategy is to ensure that all Canadians, particularly my constituents, can vote.

[Committees of the House, February 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as the official opposition, the New Democratic Party is disappointed that the committee missed an important opportunity to make recommendations that would strengthen the Conflict of Interest Act.

Canadians are frustrated to see more and more rules being bent, broken and ignored in Ottawa. The Conservative Party was supposed to make changes in response to the Liberals' corruption and it passed the Federal Accountability Act.

However, in the seven years that the Conservative government has been in power, we are seeing more and more corruption and evidence of a culture of entitlement, as a result of legal exemptions and loopholes. However, the committee received a number of important recommendations that were not recognized.

The NDP would like to strengthen the Conflict of Interest Act. We see this as an opportunity to renew our commitment to create an open, transparent and accountable government.