Megan Leslie

[Government Appointments, May 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, not only is it patronage as usual under the Conservatives, but they are using their Trojan Horse budget bill to quietly get rid of the patronage-fighting Public Appointments Commission.

ACOA employees are receiving pink slips and the government is dismantling the watchdog while Conservative insiders keep making big bucks. Five out of seven board members are Conservative Party donors and their donations total over $9,000 since 2007.

When will the Conservatives realize that appointments should go beyond their friends, their donors and their ex-employees?

[Government Appointments, May 11th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Public Service Commission is now investigating 11 questionable appointments to ACOA, more jobs handed to Conservative supporters on a golden platter.

Merit and competence were thrown out the door and now it is the old boys' network of who one knows: a close friend of the Minister of National Defence, one of his former staffers and a failed Conservative candidate for good measure.

Why are Conservatives not looking beyond their Facebook friends when they appoint people to this taxpayer-funded group?

[The Environment, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would argue that the Conservatives are under-informed about what the environment commissioner had to say.

Yesterday at the committee the Conservatives blocked the environment commissioner from talking about environmental assessments and their impact on future contaminated sites. They blocked the environment commissioner from talking about the environment.

Will the minister find his backbone and put a stop to this environmental train wreck?

[The Environment, May 9th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Commissioner of the Environment gave Canadians a serious warning.

The Conservatives have failed on every count when it comes to managing climate change and cleaning up contaminated sites. Their short-term vision includes cuts that will have disastrous consequences for our economy and future generations.

Why does the minister believe that our children should pay for his mistakes?

[The Environment, May 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the government has not even done a simple cost-benefit analysis. There is no implementation plan to reduce emissions. Conservatives have no idea what their failed approach will cost the Canadian economy in the future.

Last fall the minister made the bizarre claim that withdrawing from Kyoto would save us money, but it seems he has not done a full life cycle accounting of his own plan.

Why will the minister not come clean with Canadians? Why is he hiding the full costs of the Conservative approach?

[The Environment, May 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' targets are already too low, and yet they still cannot meet them. Furthermore, they have no idea how much their plan is going to cost. The Environment Commissioner has slammed the Conservatives' sector-by-sector approach to reducing GHG emissions. This plan is simple ineffective.

Is the minister trying to hide the cost, or is the government simply incompetent and does not know how much it will cost?

[Armbrae Academy, May 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, 125 years ago this month, the Halifax Ladies College opened its doors to the curious and creative minds of Canadian women. The college was founded by Anna Leonowens, a trailblazer in her own right, who struck out on her own to teach around the world in the 19th century.

Soon after it opened, the college became home to Lucy Maud Montgomery, who used it as inspiration for part of her beloved Anne of Green Gables novels.

When disaster struck with the Halifax explosion, the college was even transformed into a temporary hospital to treat thousands of injured Haligonians.

Known today as the co-ed school Armbrae Academy, this Halifax institution has become a beacon of acceptance and excellence in our community. Armbrae has kept the spirit of its history alive with a close-knit, forward-thinking school environment.

Tomorrow, I will be hosting a group of Armbrae students on Parliament Hill. I cannot wait to meet Halifax's next set of great minds.

My best wishes on the college's 125th anniversary.

[The Environment, May 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, so, still no apology, and the minister refuses to stand up for the environment.

In addition, the government is unapologetically trying to cover up its anti-environment agenda with a campaign of smears and intimidations against critics. However, Canadians refuse to be silenced, because there is too much at risk. Citizens are standing up to push back against plans to weaken environmental protections and to shut out concerned Canadians.

Will the minister shake the oil out of his ears, listen to Canadians and stop his unprecedented gutting of environmental legislation?

[The Environment, May 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, so there is no apology.

In a scathing editorial today, a national newspaper calls on the government to “halt its smear campaign”. Conservatives will stop at nothing to push through risky projects for their oil lobbyist friends. They have no concerns about passing on environmental and economic costs to future generations.

Will the minister stop making Canada a laughingstock and will he cease and desist his baseless smear campaign?

[The Environment, May 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, silencing electors is not enough for this government. It also wants to silence scientists and all of its critics.

The Minister of the Environment has gone too far in his attempt to discredit the people who criticize him. A group representing over 1,300 charities in the country has written an open letter to the minister asking him to retract his comments about environmental groups, which he accused of money laundering.

Will the minister apologize?