House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 32% of the vote.
Ethics June 21st, 2012
Mr. Speaker, this spring has not been easy for the Conservatives. The cabinet cannot agree among themselves, nor can Conservative backbenchers. It is total chaos over there.
There is growing dissent among the Conservatives, because they are attacking employment insurance, old age security, environmental assessment and fleet separation.
To bring back some order, they need to stop introducing sloppy legislation. Will they finally learn their lesson from the fiascos of this session of Parliament?
Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act June 20th, 2012
Madam Speaker, the NDP agrees with proceeding in this fashion and we will vote no.
Financial Literacy Leader Act June 20th, 2012
Madam Speaker, we agree with proceeding in this fashion, and the NDP will vote no.
Committees of the House June 18th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, we agree to apply the vote. The NDP will vote yes.
Business of the House June 15th, 2012
The NDP wants the bill to follow the legislative process. If the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons wants to introduce it, we want to discuss it. Then it will be referred to committee.
Business of the House June 15th, 2012
Madam Speaker, I would like to begin by saying, and I am sure the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons will agree, that we all had a very long day yesterday.
However, it was also a day when Canadians saw the opposition stand up and vote for 22 hours against a tyrant and against this government's reckless and regressive agenda.
Yesterday, the opposition asked the government to accept the challenge of taking a break in order to have a question period. We lost our opportunity to ask the government the Thursday question. I appreciate the fact that we are being given that opportunity here today. I would therefore like to ask the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons if he is prepared to tell us what the government has planned for next week. Specifically, we would like to know what bills the government plans to spring on us next week, without any real public consultation.
I would also like to point out that today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. It is ironic that Bill C-38 passed yesterday, considering that it will raise the retirement age from 65 to 67. It is a funny coincidence—although I do not find it very funny.
In March, the government introduced a bill on seniors. We had just two and a half hours of debate. Many members of the official opposition want to work on this bill in the House, with the government.
In the spirit of working together with all parties on this very important day, would the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons be willing to put this bill on the orders of the day this afternoon? If he did, and if this bill could be referred to committee this afternoon, we would have a speaker prepared to take part in the debate.
Essential Services June 15th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are behaving as though essential services have no impact on the Canadian economy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Services that Canadians rely on are key elements of economic stability. The Conservatives have slashed those services without evaluating the consequences of their actions.
We also need to think about what this means for the future of the thousands of Canadians who work hard to serve the public and who have received vague letters telling them their jobs might be eliminated. Imagine having to spend the summer with this sword of Damocles hanging over your head. Imagine the impact this would have on your family, your children—those long months not knowing what the future holds. Imagine how hard it would be to continue to participate in your community life and in put money into your local economy.
Entire regions are having to deal with this tough reality. This is a far cry from responsible economic management.
Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act June 14th, 2012
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
The hon. member for Ottawa—Orléans entered after you started reading the question.
Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act June 13th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his question.
Indeed, all four members from the Outaouais region share this concern. Right now, we sense uncertainty. There are employees, workers, who want to serve the public and who want to provide the programs that the people of Canada need. What is happening right now is that these workers are finding envelopes on their desks, which creates instability. So, right away, they are not going to have the same commitment, which will create a work environment and an economic climate of uncertainty in the national capital region for some time. This is very unfortunate for the economy.
Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act June 13th, 2012
Madam Speaker, my colleague gave an excellent explanation of the situation. At present, everything dealing with the budget and legislation that will be amended by this budget does not really encourage employment stability or economic stability.
A competition could easily be announced where salaries would be lower and working conditions would be worse. We must also consider pension plans, and it is no longer possible to have good pension plans.