Mr. Speaker, the NDP agrees to apply the vote, and it will vote yes.
House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 32% of the vote.
Safe Food for Canadians Act November 20th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the NDP agrees to apply the vote, and it will vote yes.
Petitions November 20th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by many citizens concerning the protection of Gatineau Park.
It is the most visited park in Canada, and it is crucial that the government examine this issue and bring in legislation to protect the park for all time.
National Capital Act November 8th, 2012
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-465, An Act to amend the National Capital Act (Gatineau Park).
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce my bill to protect Gatineau Park, and I thank the member for Pontiac for supporting its introduction.
Gatineau park's size, beauty and importance make it a real national treasure. It is one of the most visited parks in Canada, yet it does not currently benefit from protections that would allow us to ensure it will be preserved for future generations.
My bill would fix that by making some amendments to the National Capital Act. It would enshrine the park's boundaries in the act, give these boundaries parliamentary protection and prohibit the sale of public lands located within the park.
If we want to leave a healthy park to future generations that looks like the park we know today, we must take action now. I urge all members of all of the parties represented in the House to support my bill at second reading.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)
Social Services November 8th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Parliamentary Budget Officer says that 85% of Conservative cuts are to front-line staff and services Canadians rely on. Service Canada is already in bad shape. One in four EI applications are not being processed on time. The majority of calls are not being answered.
Why is the only Conservative response to this more privatization?
Social Services November 8th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the government's disengagement is not going to put more money in people's pockets.
The other model that the minister is using is that of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. The people of Great Britain opposed it, and their government had to rethink its plan four times.
What the minister is proposing here is merely a public relations exercise to justify new cuts to services for Canadians. Why imitate a plan that failed so miserably in the United Kingdom?
Social Services November 8th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, today, we learned that the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development will announce a plan to privatize social services. One of the models that she wants to use to justify the government's massive cuts to public services is that of Goldman Sachs, the commercial bank accused of fraud in the American real estate scandal no less.
Can the Conservatives tell us exactly what services they are going to privatize and why those services are no longer part of the government's plans?
Committees of the House November 7th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the NDP agrees to apply the results of the vote just taken and will vote no.
Petitions November 1st, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I also wish to present a petition on behalf of citizens of Ontario. The petitioners are calling on the government to reverse its decision to close down this research and education centre that benefits people across Canada.
Jobs and Growth, 2012 October 30th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, last spring, the Conservatives invoked closure to have the House vote on Bill C-38. The bill contained 425 pages and amended approximately 70 laws and regulations.
Many Canadians and media outlets decried this way of doing things. Even the National Post, generally considered a right-wing newspaper, called into question the Conservatives' approach. This fall, just a couple of months after Bill C-38 was passed, the Conservatives are at it again and have introduced yet another mammoth bill, Bill C-45.
Bill C–45 contains 445 pages and amends 60 Canadian laws. Together, these two bills contain approximately 870 pages and thousands of measures that are, in many instances, unrelated to each other.
I have an important question to ask my colleagues opposite: at what point does all this become undemocratic? Where will it all end? While they are at it, the Conservatives could very well convene Parliament only once per session and invoke closure to introduce and pass one single gigantic bill, and then shut down Parliament. Why not? This is a relevant question, if you look at it in the cold, hard light of day.
Canadians are wondering in whose name the Conservative party is acting when it garnered fewer than 40% of the vote. The Conservatives seem to forget that our parliamentary system is democratic, and should remain so, and that it attributes importance to public debate on proposed legislation, policies of public interest, and the conduct of the executive branch. This notion is crucial, and is part and parcel of democracy.
Democracy is not simply about the electoral process, it is an ongoing process. Once elections have been held, members have the duty and obligation to monitor the government's activities on behalf of all Canadians. They are duty bound and obliged to closely review all legislation that is introduced in Parliament and express varying points of view that must be voiced and defended in the public sphere.
If this is not possible, then I wonder what purpose the members we elect serve. What kind of democracy is it when the majority prevents elected opposition members of Parliament from doing their job? It is completely unacceptable that things would work this way in this Parliament. It is truly unacceptable.
If the government wants to govern autocratically, it should say so openly. The government should tell Canadians that it thinks that winning fewer than 40% of the popular vote entitles it to flout our democratic traditions. We will see how Canadians react to this. That is exactly what this government is doing.
The Conservatives are governing as if the most elementary rules of the democratic process did not exist. They are behaving like there is no need to be accountable to Canadians, and like they have no duty and obligation to be transparent. I believe—and I am choosing my words carefully—that the way the Conservatives are behaving is scandalous.
The Conservatives' actions demonstrate a flagrant lack of respect for our institutions and a democratic tradition that has existed in this country since its founding.
If Bill C-38 and Bill C-45 only made minor technical changes, it would be a different story. We could perhaps live with that. We are not necessarily against omnibus bills. It is possible to conceive of certain situations where they may be useful. For example, when it comes time to make minor technical amendments to certain pieces of legislation. But that is not what the Conservatives are proposing.
Bill C-38 was an attack on old age security, employment insurance, and federal health transfers, and plunged us back into the stone age in terms of environmental regulation.
Bill C-45 does the same thing. We completely oppose this bill at second reading. We believe that the bill further weakens environmental protections, guts the Navigable Waters Protection Act, amends the Canada Labour Code, and takes aim at public service pension plans.
Workforce Integration Organization October 26th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to commemorate the 30th anniversary of La Relance Outaouais, a dynamic social economy enterprise in my riding. Founded in 1982, La Relance Outaouais now has 180 employees. It provides training and workforce preparation programs to the public and offers services to promote workforce integration.
La Relance Outaouais helps a wide range of clients, from students to people with functional limitations or retirees who wish to return to the workforce.
La Relance Outaouais has dozens of personalized programs and tools to offer job seekers high-quality services and advice so that they are well equipped and supported in their efforts.
On behalf of myself and my colleagues in the Outaouais region, I want to congratulate La Relance Outaouais for its 30 years of service to our community.
Congratulations to the entire team.