Megan Leslie

[Democratic Reform, April 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, last Monday, the minister went to discuss the electoral “deform” bill with his friends in the Senate and said that he would be willing to amend his bill, as needed.

However, yesterday, here in the House, he said that amending the electoral deform bill was out of the question.

Can the minister tell us when he was telling the truth, before the Senate or in the House?

[Democratic Reform, April 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I suggest that the minister go back to the charter, because that is not exactly what they were talking about with mobility rights.

Conservatives have such a casual relationship with facts that it is no wonder that virtually every expert in the entire country is lined up against this fatally flawed bill.

If one has a visual impairment, the voting rules are challenging enough under the current rules, but the minister's unfair changes would make that process even more difficult.

Considering the fact that the bill would make it harder for people with a visual impairment to vote, does the minister still stand by his statement that everything in this bill is terrific?

[Democratic Reform, April 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, nothing is being fixed here, because yesterday we learned about massive loopholes when it comes to keeping records on calls that are made by live volunteers. Now we learn that the bill could shut down ongoing investigations into Conservative wrongdoing, so it is just not good enough for the minister to say that he might be open to some suggestions. The bill is fundamentally flawed.

Will he now withdraw it? Will he work with us on a bill that actually combats fraud, not one designed to give his party an unfair advantage?

[Democratic Reform, April 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I asked if he was willing to make changes to the bill and he replied that the question was false, so the minister is clear as mud, as usual. I guess it is too hard for him to admit his mistakes during question period.

The elections commissioner said that new rules will hurt current ongoing investigations, and these include voter suppression investigations from the 2011 election that were traced back to the Conservative Party.

Why is the minister using this bill to stop current investigations into the Conservative Party of Canada?

[Democratic Reform, April 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, after saying on Sunday that it was too early to consider amendments to this bill, the Minister of State for Democratic Reform is now saying that he is willing to consider changes. If the minister is really now willing to make changes to restore vouching, will he extend this new-found openness to other sections of the bill?

Will he consider changing the bill to require that robocall firms retain records for more than just one year?

[Democratic Reform, April 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' electoral “deform” will undermine the independence of the Commissioner of Canada Elections and will not give him sharper teeth or a longer reach, despite what the minister claims.

In fact, people with information relevant to his investigations will still be able to refuse to talk to him, as we saw with the robocall case.

Why deny the Commissioner of Canada Elections the power to compel witnesses?

[The Environment, April 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, in response to our questions about the IPCC report on the effects of climate change, the minister did not once use the words “climate change”. Perhaps that is because she does not believe in it, even though her part of the country is melting at an accelerating rate.

We need to regulate the oil and gas sectors if we want to combat climate change. Why is the minister refusing to take immediate action?

[The Environment, March 31st, 2014]

Is that a fact, Mr. Speaker? The fact is that Canada now ranks dead last among OECD countries when it comes to climate change. From pulling out of the Kyoto accord, to sabotaging international climate talks, to appointing a minister who doubts the climate science, the Conservatives' dismal record on climate change speaks for itself.

The IPCC report is clear. Canadians are already dealing with the stark realities of climate change, and it is only going to get worse.

When will the government drop the rhetoric and actually act on fighting climate change?

[The Environment, March 31st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, scientists from more than 100 countries contributed to the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which paints a bleak picture of the situation in Canada and throughout the rest of the world. Arctic temperatures are increasing four times faster than the global average, and all people on all continents will be affected by climate change.

Speaking of fossils, why does the minister refuse to regulate the oil and gas industry?

[Employment, March 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, the information was used to regressively attack wages and collective bargaining.

Why did the Conservatives try to trick Canadians by using data from Kijiji instead of data from their own Stats Canada?