Nathan Cullen

[First Nations Financial Transparency Act, November 22nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it is somewhat ironic that the 29th closure motion introduced by the government since the last Parliament, breaking the record set by any government in Canadian history for its pace of shutting down debate, is now happening on a bill that is meant to enforce accountability with Canada's first nations.

The government is invoking closure and walking away from accountability while telling first nation governments around the country that they should do something that the Conservative government is not willing to do, which is to be accountable to the Canadian people.

Time and again, the government has reverted to this tactic. We have had one day of debate at this stage of the bill. Why does the government so often find it necessary, 29 times since the last election, to shut down the work of members of Parliament, to shut down basic accountability and democratic values and rights in this country? Why does it so often resort to this measure?

[Points of Order, November 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I seek the unanimous consent of the House to submit, in both official languages, a document from the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. I will be seeking support to help out the Conservatives, who continued in question period today to misrepresent the fundamental facts about what the member for Trinity—Spadina has uttered. Being shamed in the pages of Macleans, The Globe and Mail and on CTV does not stop the Conservatives from perpetuating this. I seek to submit the committee hearing so they can understand what was actually said—

[Business of the House, November 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise on behalf of the official opposition to ask the government what it has planned for the House for the remainder of this week and next week.

As MPs head back to their ridings to mark the solemn occasion of Remembrance Day, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the ultimate price that has been paid all too many times by men and women, affecting all too many families, in the name of Canadians and our most cherished rights and freedoms at home and abroad. We will never forget their sacrifice particularly over the week of Remembrance Day ceremonies.

I have two specific questions for the House leader today. First, what does he have planned for the House in the days following the Remembrance Day constituency week? Second, given the absolute disaster and sham of a process that the government has set up on the committees study of its monster budget bill in which a number of ministers, parliamentary secretaries and government MPs have contradicted one another as to what the process actually is, does the government leader simply expect more from his most senior Minister of Finance on something so important as the budget of Canada, or is this sham of a process going to suffice from now until the budget's reintroduction in the House?

[The Environment, November 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the hard truth about the Conservatives' recent monster budget bill is an affront to democracy and a direct attack on our environment. By warping a law meant to protect our rivers into a pipeline promotions act, by ignoring the good people of Victoria, Haida Gwaii and the coastal communities of British Columbia, this Conservative government is threatening the very resources we rely upon.

When will B.C. Conservative MPs actually stand up for our beautiful province in this place? When will they stand up for British Columbia and stop selling it out?

[Public Safety, November 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the aftershocks of the massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Haida Gwaii over a week ago was still shaking the B.C. coast last night. It was a close call, far too close.

Instead of cutting programs that help community emergency response, as the Conservatives are doing, we need to ensure that every protection is available to our towns and villages in the event of a major natural disaster.

Will the minister commit today to work with the people of Haida Gwaii and make all the necessary investments to keep our communities safe?

[Canada Labour Code, November 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I will be seeking unanimous consent in a moment for a motion that we believe would accomplish a reasonable compromise on a bill that has been sitting, without being called by the government, since February 17 of this year, more than nine months. It is Bill C-32, an act to amend the Civil Marriage Act. The government has chosen not to call the legislation for all this time. We need to balance the expediency of having this legislation finally passed through the House, not only for a royal recommendation but also to ensure that the bill has appropriate time to be studied.

I seek unanimous consent for the motion, which reads as follows: That notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, Bill C-32, an act to amend the Civil Marriage Act, be disposed of at all stages as follows: not more than one sitting day shall be allotted for the consideration at second reading; if the bill is not reported back on the fifth sitting day after the bill is disposed of at second reading, during routine proceedings, it shall be deemed to have been reported from the committee without amendment; upon being reported from the committee, the bill shall be deemed concurred in at report stage and deemed read a third time and passed.

[Budget Implementation, November 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are worried about a government that hides the truth from them day after day. The Conservatives withhold basic critical information from the Parliamentary Budget Officer, hide hundreds of measures in an omnibus bill and now Conservative committee members are blocking any real study of their monster budget bill.

We remember the old Reform Party and agreed with it on almost nothing except this. Governments that avoid oversight and accountability are governments that avoid their basic responsibility to Canadians. What happened to those lofty principles? What happened to you guys?

[Budget Implementation, November 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' dubious plan to have their monster bill examined by committees is collapsing under the weight of Conservative belligerence. Most committees only have a couple of hours to study hundreds of clauses. Witnesses Conservatives do not like are blocked and accountability is being avoided at all costs. It is now becoming clear that their plan to have committees study these bills was nothing but a sham. Why are they so afraid of basic oversight? What are they trying to hide from Canadians?

[Points of Order, November 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, very briefly, on a point of order arising out of question period today, I noted the Conservatives were quite obsessed with the number of meetings that our members have been holding with members of workers' unions across the country.

I would like to add to the record that Conservative ministers have met 28 times with big union bosses, including the Prime Minister—

[Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, November 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the reason the government members justify their actions today is that they have hit the parliamentary panic button. They have said that we need to shut down discussion and close off debate, because this is of such economic interest.

They also have to go back in time and remember that they killed this legislation. They prorogued Parliaments. They called elections before the actual law said they were allowed to call elections. Yet all that time this was delayed by their own actions, I guess Canadian farmers and businesses were suffering. Now they have hit the panic button. Now they say that Parliament must be curtailed for the 29th time. They cannot justify these things to Canadians anymore. This is a tendency. The government often gives into this tendency to say that Parliament should not matter, that Parliament is an encumbrance a government has to get around rather than a place where we exchange things.

The member still has not answered the question. Does this free trade agreement finally take care of the tax havens that have been so rife in Panama for so long, where Canadian businesses and wealthy Canadians have been hiding their money and not paying their fair share for all the services we so desperately need?