Megan Leslie

[Shootings in Moncton, June 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the entire Atlantic region is in shock because of the horrific murders of the RCMP officers in Moncton. On behalf of all New Democrats, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims.

Our thoughts are also with the people of Moncton, whose sense of security has been shaken during this manhunt.

Be strong, Moncton. Our hearts go out to you.

Our thoughts and prayers are with a close-knit community facing a situation that one hopes would never happen in Canada. We extend our sympathy to families now huddled inside their homes wondering if danger is just outside their doors. We stand here in tribute to police officers killed and wounded in this horrible tragedy.

For all members of the New Brunswick RCMP and their families, they are not alone. We are thinking of them, and a whole nation stands with them.

[The Environment, June 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives have gotten ignoring everyone who disagrees with them down to a fine art, because they are not listening to Canadians who want action on climate change and they are turning a deaf ear on our U.S. neighbours, who are taking action on their biggest greenhouse gas emitters.

Instead of regulating emissions from Canada's biggest emitters, the oil and gas sector, the government gives them billions in subsidies. The numbers do not lie, so will Conservatives stop ignoring science, stop ignoring Canadians, and finally introduce rigorous greenhouse gas regulations for the oil and gas sector?

[The Environment, June 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives think that the best way to fight climate change is to advertise in the United States to promote the Keystone XL pipeline.

With the measures announced on Monday, the Americans will reach their Copenhagen reduction target of 17%. With the Conservatives' approach, Canada will not even get halfway to its 2020 goal. If the oil and gas sectors do not make an effort, we will not reach our goal. When will we find out what their target is?

[Natural Resources, June 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the minister still seems to be confusing America's big emitters, coal, with Canada's big emitters, oil and gas.

Speaking of oil and gas, the northern gateway puts thousands of jobs at risk and it threatens our coastline with oil spills. Today 300 scientists told the Prime Minister that the review panel was so flawed that it could not be used to justify the pipeline.

Will the Conservatives listen to public opinion and the facts, and turn down this pipeline?

[The Environment, June 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are having a hard time keeping all of their fossil fuel buddies straight.

We are talking about Canada's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, the oil and gas industry. Instead of regulating the industry, the Conservatives are giving it billions in subsidies.

Conservatives have made excuses. They have dragged their heels. They have broken promise after promise to act. They have said that we have to wait for the U.S. Now our largest trading partner is urging us to act.

No more excuses. When will we see regulations for the oil and gas sector?

[The Environment, June 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we need to take action on our largest emitter, and the only thing growing faster than our emissions is the number of climate change deniers around the cabinet table.

The Conservatives have said for years that we need to wait for the U.S. to take leadership. Here is the leadership. Obama is taking action, and yet still we wait for the Conservatives to introduce their long-delayed oil and gas regulations.

Last week at committee, the Minister of the Environment said she that did not know when they would be coming out. Could someone over there, anyone, tell us when these regulations will be tabled?

[International Development, May 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, sadly, the Conservatives' lack of accountability extends to maternal and child health as well. They lecture other countries, but they cannot produce proper statistics about maternal and child health in Canada, and they put ideological restrictions on the funding. Making commitments is a good start, but the real test is whether they follow through and the kind of impact they have. Will the government ensure that there are a full range of family planning options available to these women and girls?

[Privacy, May 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives were caught misusing the Communications Security Establishment. They were caught doing nothing while Canadians saw their privacy breached, and they put forward legislation allowing spying on Canadians based on suspicion alone. Our last privacy watchdog raised alarm bells about the government's privacy policy. Now the Conservatives are replacing her with the person who designed the policy. That is not balanced, so will the Conservatives reconsider this appointment?

[Privacy, May 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in spite of warnings from the opposition, the Prime Minister appointed Daniel Therrien as Privacy Commissioner. An officer of Parliament should not be judging the policies he developed, especially when they are controversial ones, such as the security perimeter policy.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada was very critical of this measure, so why did the Prime Minister appoint one of the negotiators of this initiative to head this office?

[The Environment, May 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, well, if the minister followed the news on her file, she would not have been caught off guard by that question.

Here is something else that is in the news: climate change is real. While media cannot contact most government scientists, it does have 24-hour-a-day access to meteorologists, yet draconian government rules and fear of losing their jobs puts a gag on these meteorologists. They are avoiding talking about the crucial and scientific connection between weather patterns and climate change.

When will the Prime Minister acknowledge that climate change is real and stop muzzling scientists?