Mr. Speaker, I too rise on a point of order. I simply want the hon. member to know that there is a tacit agreement whereby the other parties are consulted when unanimous consent is sought, something the hon. member did not do this time.
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 35% of the vote.
Committees of the House May 13th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I too rise on a point of order. I simply want the hon. member to know that there is a tacit agreement whereby the other parties are consulted when unanimous consent is sought, something the hon. member did not do this time.
Petitions May 12th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition signed by several hundred citizens, most of whom are from the North Shore, but come also from the Upper North Shore, Forestville and Rivière-Portneuf RCMs.
The petitioners are asking the government to make extensive changes to the employment insurance program, to put an end to transitional measures, to increase workers' benefits and to adopt a universal employment insurance program.
I should point out that the petitioners signed this petition before the announcement made yesterday by the Minister of Human Resources Development and Skills Development. This announcement is deemed totally inadequate by the unemployed on the Upper North Shore, particularly seasonal workers. I am convinced that these people would immediately sign the same petition again.
Employment Insurance May 11th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I invite the minister to come to the regions to explain his reform, if it is such a good one. What the minister is saying is “Wait until after the election. The Liberal task force will carry on its exercise until 2005 and then we will see about a true reform”.
How can we lend any credibility to this Prime Minister, to this government and to all these Liberals, when even the hon. member for Bonaventure—Gaspé—Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Pabok admits that the need for major changes to the employment insurance program is far from being unanimously recognized in this government? What can the unemployed expect from the Liberals? Zero.
Employment Insurance May 11th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I remind the minister that even Claude Béchard, the Quebec Liberal minister responsible for employment, said that it was not enough. To my knowledge, Mr. Béchard is not a sovereignist, but a federalist.
It is all the workers and the unemployed who have been betrayed by these so-called reforms, which are once again delaying the real solutions. This has a distinct air of improvisation about it.
How can the minister be credible when all he is announcing are schemes cobbled together at the last minute, on the eve of an election, in an attempt to win votes, when what is needed is an in-depth reform?
Gasoline Prices May 10th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, we are not talking about the same thing. Even though we know an election will soon be called, why does the government not take advantage of our offer to cooperate and create a petroleum monitoring agency? We could go through all the stages in this House in less than 24 hours and the agency would be created. What is the government's problem with this? When—
Gasoline Prices May 10th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Industry recommended the establishment of a petroleum monitoring agency. Even the oil companies bought the idea and said they would be prepared to live with such a monitoring agency.
In light of soaring gasoline prices, and considering that the committee, consumers and oil companies all want it, why is the government refusing to create a petroleum monitoring agency?
Petitions May 7th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition signed by people who live in the ridings of Témiscamingue and Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik. They are calling on Parliament to put pressure on the federal government to put an end to transitional measures, to increase benefits and to adopt a universal employment insurance program. This petition is being presented specifically because this region has been hard hit by the softwood lumber crisis and because of the particular situation of workers in seasonal industries.
Standing Committee on Public Accounts May 7th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has already admitted that there was some political direction behind the sponsorship scandal. The Liberal tactics in committee just do not hold up to scrutiny. Just as the committee closes in on the political leaders, it is shut down.
Can the government deny that it is trying to lull the public's curiosity and that its real strategy is to call an election before the public can figure out exactly what happened in the sponsorship scandal?
Standing Committee on Public Accounts May 7th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the sponsorship scandal, the Liberal members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts said, with a single voice, that they wanted to hear key witnesses. But the opposite is true, in fact. They no longer want to hear witnesses. They want the committee to stop working and produce an interim report as quickly as possible, even rushed through before the election.
Can the government deny that its ultimate goal is to put a lid on this affair and call an election before everyone finds out what really happened?
Supply May 6th, 2004
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. Given the importance of this matter, I am sure that all my colleagues in this House will agree that this motion should be made votable so that the House can look into this most important matter.