Michael Ignatieff

[Government Spending, September 20th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, if that is the case, he is going to have to explain the waste to Canadians, $1 billion on a G8 and G20 summit photo opportunity and $10 billion to $13 billion on prisons when crime is actually declining.

The Prime Minister is going to have to explain these priorities to Canadians. He is going to have to explain why it is that it makes sense to give corporations a $6 billion tax cut when we are in a $54 billion deficit.

How does he explain those priorities to Canadians?

[Government Spending, September 20th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, this summer, I listened to the concerns of Canadians. They are concerned about their mortgages, health care and pensions and about their children's education. The concerns of this government are fighter planes, prisons and an absurd battle against the census.

My question is for the Prime Minister. Why is he ignoring the real concerns of Canadians? They are the ones calling the shots, not him.

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we always cheer Canada, but we cannot cheer $1.3 billion in waste.

The Prime Minister has not only lost control of the costs, he has lost control of the agenda. He wanted to talk about women's rights, but he is not providing any protection for women's rights overseas. He wanted to talk about the economy, but there is no progress on banking reform. He started calling climate change a sideshow and then was forced to put it back on the agenda. Anyone looking at this would think this is chaos.

How can the Prime Minister explain that Canada has lost control of its own summit?

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, they are going to cut funding for Africa. They are going to cut aid for African countries. They do not have the courage even to admit it to the African leaders who are coming to Toronto.

It is also a question of the government changing the venue at the last minute, splurging on decorations, inviting half the guest list with 10 days left, and the Prime Minister is going to shut down the entire neighbourhood. A bake sale would not be run like this. A children's birthday party would not be planned like this. Canadians have to pay the bill.

How is the Prime Minister going to explain to Canadians that he has lost control of Canada's summit?

[G8 and G20 Summits, June 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know what the G8 has turned into. What incoherence and hypocrisy. Just as the government is turning its back on Africa, it dares to invite African leaders. What hypocrisy.

How can the Prime Minister explain his incoherent summit planning and his hypocritical foreign policy?

[Afghanistan, June 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I remind the minister opposite that it was seven weeks ago that the Speaker ruled on this matter. We have had a tentative agreement about a month ago. The government keeps inventing excuses to avoid dealing with this matter.

How long will this stalling go on? When will the government sit down, do the business, and respect the will of Parliament and respect the will of the Speaker?

[Afghanistan, June 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the tentative accord safeguards national security. The minister knows full well that it is fully possible to reach an accord this afternoon. But it is also clear that the government is dragging its feet, with no good reason.

Will the Prime Minister and the government issue clear instructions to their representatives to conclude an accord today to respect the judgment of the Speaker of the House of Commons?

[Afghanistan, June 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, your ruling on the Afghan detainee documents was very clear. You said it was up to Parliament, not the government, to decide which documents could be seen by the members of the House. But so far, the government has not reached a final agreement on this matter.

When will the Prime Minister tell his representatives on the committee to reach a final agreement and comply with the ruling of the Speaker of the House?

[Creating Canada's New National Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 Act, June 14th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I am rising today to speak on behalf of this project.

I spent a very happy Friday morning at Pier 21, as it happens, with that force of nature, Ruth Goldbloom, and Wadih Fares and all the incredible civic leaders of Halifax who have made this dream a reality.

I want to announce the support of my party for this wonderful project, but I also stand for a very personal reason. One of the greatest things about Pier 21 as a project is that it contains all the records of Canada's immigration service in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, not just for the port of entry at Halifax but for the ports of entry at Quebec City and Montreal and other ports of entry. Therefore, all Canadians will be able to go to Pier 21 and find the place where their part in the national story begins.

That is what happened to me on Friday. I asked Pier 21 whether they could locate a certain George Ignatieff, age 15, who came ashore in Canada in Quebec City in September 1928. I wanted to find the moment at which my family's story began in Canada. Thanks to the wonderful researchers at Pier 2, they went down the long columns of those admission registers, and they found that young 15-year-old, my father.

It is meaningful to me to stand in this great Parliament and acknowledge with gratitude what Canada has done for my family. I think that everyone who goes to this great national museum, everyone whose life started as an immigrant, who started the new adventure in Canada, will find this museum especially moving, especially emotional, because it is the place where when we study all those records, Canadians can find the moment when their dream began.

For that reason, I feel especially proud to stand as the leader of this party and urge the House to give rapid assent to this marvellous bill so that we can create a museum that will allow all Canadians the joy and pleasure that I enjoyed on Friday. Thanks to the work of Ruth Goldbloom and Wadih Fares and that wonderful team, all Canadian families will enjoy that moment of thrill, discovery, and emotion I experienced on Friday.

[Creating Canada's New National Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 Act, June 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support Bill C-34, an act to create a national museum at Pier 21 in Halifax-Dartmouth. I am very pleased to give my personal support to this bill.

Before I continue, Madam Speaker, I would like to ask for consent to split my time with the hon. member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour.