Mylène Freeman

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 1st, 2015]

With respect to all Governor in Council appointments for each year since 2006: (a) what is the total number of appointments made, broken down by administrative tribunals, agencies, boards and Crown corporations; and (b) what is the total number of female appointments made, broken down by administrative tribunals, agencies, boards and Crown corporations?

[Ethics, June 1st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have the right to know what is happening in the Prime Minister's Office. While we know that PMO staff doctored a report on senators' expenses at least seven times, the Auditor General is about to release his report on the expenses of 105 senators. Nearly half of all senators are under suspicion of fraud.

Why did the Prime Minister's Office try to hide the truth about the fraud committed by senators appointed by the Prime Minister?

[Petitions, May 29th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I am quite proud to present this petition on behalf of Canadians who are asking the government to remove the federal tax on feminine hygiene products. The NDP is very proud to have convinced the government to remove this unfair tax. We now hope that the vote will be held soon, so that women can stop paying this tax, which makes absolutely no sense.

[National Defence, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that this government does not recognize how serious the situation is.

We learned this morning that there is an investigation being conducted into a new case of sexual assault at the Royal Military College. In their workplaces, their communities and their homes, too many women are still victims of violence.

Yesterday, the government had the opportunity to take action, but it chose to vote against the NDP motion to move forward with a national action plan and end violence against women.

When will the government understand that action is urgently needed and come up with a real strategy?

[National Defence, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Royal Military College is facing another sexual assault allegation. This allegation follows on earlier incidents and a scathing report, which found that the Canadian Forces has a culture where harassment and abuse are overlooked. Earlier this week, Major General Whitecross even admitted that there is no consensus from military leadership on the gravity of the problem.

Will the minister finally show leadership and put an end to sexual harassment and sexual violence in the military?

[Petitions, May 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition calling on the government to reject Canada Post's plan to cut services. Between 6,000 and 8,000 Canada Post workers will lose their jobs, and seniors, people with reduced mobility, self-employed workers and small businesses will suffer the most as a result of these cuts.

[Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, May 14th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I feel extremely fortunate to have spent these past four years with the people of Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, a rural, diverse riding where agriculture, heritage and industry intermingle and the people are so welcoming. Working closely with my constituents, I have denounced the demolition of the Mirabel terminal and defended the people whose land was expropriated for the airport, called for the Grenville Canal to be restored, called for continued funding for the Saint-Placide kite festival and Amnesia Rockfest in Montebello, and begged for us to do better for our first nations, including the community of Kanesatake.

I was able to bring forward a motion on a housing strategy for women, debate a motion on bringing septic systems up to standard and introduce a bill to protect 37 lakes and eight rivers under the the Navigable Waters Protection Act.

Thanks to my permanent and mobile offices, and with support from one end of my riding to the other, I made it my priority to meet all of my constituents.

After four years, I am convinced that what we need now is to fix the damage caused by the Conservatives. It is time to finish the job and form an NDP government.

[Taxation, May 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, this is a simple question, but we cannot seem to get a clear answer from the Conservatives.

They could take action now to put an end to the unfair tax on feminine hygiene products. We have been forced to pay tax on these essential items for 24 years now even though consumer goods such as wedding cakes are exempt. That is just not fair.

Will the Conservatives amend their budget bill to remove this unfair tax once and for all?

[Taxation, May 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, why not put an end to this unfair tax immediately?

Every year $36 million in tax is paid on feminine hygiene products. The Conservatives supported the NDP's motion to eliminate this unfair tax, which was an important victory for the NDP. The Conservatives now need to take action to honour their promise.

Will they include provisions to eliminate the unfair tax on tampons in their budget bill?

[Business of Supply, May 8th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, this is a perfect example of being able to change things through advocacy and social media.

It is amazing. This is a bill that had been introduced before, but it was not publicized, and these girls did not hear about it. However, because of outreach by the member for London—Fanshawe, they looked at this issue and realized that this is something that is unfair and they decided to do something about it. The petition went viral online. It had 72,000 signatures, which is quite amazing.

When we talk to young women and menstruators, we all think it that it is not fair and does not make any sense. It is a basic sort of thing we can be doing to remove a disproportionate financial burden for women. It is a tax, essentially, on menstruating women. We are the only ones who have to pay it. It does not make any sense, because these are normal products that we need to use throughout the course of our lives. These products are not at all a luxury but are very much a basic necessity.