Megan Leslie

[The Environment, March 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is the deadline for announcing greenhouse gas reduction targets as part of the Paris climate conference.

Mexico has already submitted its action plan, and the United States is expected to officially announce its commitments tomorrow. However, true to form, the Conservatives have no plan.

Why is this government still lagging behind?

[The Economy, March 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is funny. That did not really look like the finance minister. In fact, the finance minister has not been responding for weeks, and he has only answered questions on four days this year.

Nobody is buying that it is because he is too busy to draft a budget. What is he using, an abacus? Is he getting out his pot of ink and his feather quill? Dab, dab, dab. Slide another bead across. Come on.

Does anyone on that side get that Canadians want answers and they want action on a budget?

[The Economy, March 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, according to the finance minister, because of falling oil prices he cannot do his job and table a budget. Yet, yesterday, Alberta, which is far more dependent on oil, tabled a budget.

Something does not add up here, and it is not just the Conservatives' plan to take billions away from the middle class and give it to the wealthy few.

The finance minister cannot seriously expect Canadians to accept his worn-out excuse. When will he stop hiding and table a budget that stands up for Canadians?

[Citizenship and Immigration, March 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Conservatives congratulate themselves for being two years late when it comes to fulfilling a promise to bring Syrian refugees to Canada and measures that would save the lives of ISIL's victims are now left on the backburner. Yet the Prime Minister cannot move fast enough when it comes to launching Canada into a war with no exit strategy and no end in sight.

Could that minister explain why the motion of the Conservatives does not include any new money for refugees?

[Citizenship and Immigration, March 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the government has just achieved its 2013 objectives. It took two years longer to welcome 1,300 refugees from Syria, without taking into account its promise to welcome 10,000 more refugees in the next three years.

What is the minister's plan to ensure that the government will honour its promises in a timely manner?

[Citizenship and Immigration, March 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister chose to ignore our concerns about the war in Iraq and in Syria, at the expense of the humanitarian assistance those countries need.

At a time when refugee claims in Iraq and Syria have reached a record high in 22 years, can the government explain its inaction?

[The Environment, March 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we did not agree to more study; we agreed to action. The motion was clear and it called on the government to list microbeads as a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Instead of promising real action, all the Conservatives are saying is that they are going to try to add it to the agenda of a meeting. We did not vote on that.

Do the Conservatives plan to stand by their vote or are they just trying to weasel their way out of responsibility for protection of the environment?

[The Environment, March 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, all the parties voted unanimously for the NDP motion that would eliminate microbeads and put an end to the pollution of our waterways.

Now, we need to follow the example of the American states and the other countries that have taken action in this regard. Promising to organize a meeting on the issue is not enough. That is not taking action.

What is the government's concrete plan to put an end to the use of microbeads and protect our environment?

[The Environment, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, plastic microbeads from cosmetics have been polluting our lakes and rivers, and harming wildlife for decades. Their use has exploded in recent years, with no federal government response. Even the national Canadian cosmetics industry association is calling for federal action. I am glad to hear the Conservatives plan to support our motion and finally act to control these harmful substances.

Given the growing consensus among scientists, municipalities and industry, will the Minister of the Environment or the Minister of Health commit to fast-tracking regulations to control these microbeads?

[The Environment, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, researchers at McGill University have found significant amounts of microbeads in the St. Lawrence River. These microbeads are found in various beauty products and are so small that once they get into the water, they are eaten by aquatic wildlife.

A number of American states have already banned microbeads, and other countries are prepared to follow suit. How does the government plan to fix this serious problem?