House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 35% of the vote.
Status of Women May 5th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, when women's groups speak out, they get their funding cut. When public servants, like Richard Colvin, testify, they get smeared. When independent watchdogs try to do their job, they get fired. When Parliament asks tough questions, the Conservatives shut the Parliament down.
When will the Conservative Party and the government stop intimidating their critics and start listening to them?
Status of Women May 5th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, on Monday, a Conservative senator told women's rights organizations to shut up, because with this Prime Minister, if you keep quiet, you will not be punished.
Twenty-four hours later, the government cut funding to 11 women's organizations.
Will the Prime Minister agree to put an end to this campaign of intimidation and restore funding to these groups?
Afghanistan April 28th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, this side of the House respects the need to protect national security and the operational security of our troops.
Will the Prime Minister and his government work together with us and respect the will of the House and your ruling in order to protect the safety of our troops? Furthermore, will they tell Canadians the truth?
Afghanistan April 28th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I still did not hear a clear answer to the question as to whether the government will comply with your ruling. My question is now about his understanding of that ruling.
Does the Prime Minister now understand that the ultimate decision to invoke national security to prevent the disclosure of documents rests with this House, with the elected representatives of the people, and not with the government?
Afghanistan April 28th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I hope I speak for everyone in this House when I salute your historic decision yesterday.
I would like to ask the Prime Minister if he will fully comply with your ruling yesterday, Mr. Speaker, and whether he will now work with us in good faith to do what we first proposed five months ago, which is to respect the authority of Parliament, deliver the documents and provide Canadians with the truth that they deserve.
International Co-operation April 27th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, this is a curious position for a government to take that has defied parliamentary resolutions time and time again.
The government is reversing a 25-year-old position of consensus in Canada on this question. One simply cannot promote reproductive health for women unless one respects a woman's right to choose and unless one includes access to safe and legal abortion.
How is it acceptable to have one policy at home for Canada and another abroad?
International Co-operation April 27th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have broken a 25-year-old Canadian consensus. They have broken the consensus with Canada's G8 partners. They are destroying Canada's credibility on maternal health.
Why is the Prime Minister so determined to deny that maternal health must include access to safe, legal abortions in Canada and abroad?
International Co-operation April 27th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the government announced a reversal of Canada's abortion policy, which has been a position of consensus for 25 years in Canada.
Does this mean that the Prime Minister will exclude countries where abortion is legal, like Haiti, from his maternal health plan?
Afghanistan April 26th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the government refuses to answer the most basic questions about these issues even when Canadian lives are at stake.
Today we learned that there are new reports of a government-wide ban on transparency, ordered by the Prime Minister's Office. Officials talk about it, and call it unprecedented, draconian and Orwellian. The Prime Minister's obsession with secrecy means that Canadians have to read in American newspapers about what Canadian troops are doing in Afghanistan.
Why this Conservative culture of deceit?
Afghanistan April 26th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, if we take part with the Americans and they are willing to talk about it openly to their people, why can the government not do the same with ours?
The issue here is that U.S. officials say that a decisive combat operation will be initiated in Kandahar in the coming weeks. The Conservative government has said nothing to the Canadian people about this important matter.
Again I ask the question, what will be Canada's involvement in these operations? Why can the government not tell Canadians the truth about it?