Nycole Turmel

[The Budget, April 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share my time in this budget debate with the hon. member for Parkdale—High Park.

The budget that the Conservatives recently tabled is an austerity budget. It will result in major job losses and scaled-back services to the public, and it will make seniors, women and children more vulnerable. This budget even attacks our health care system.

Let us stop beating around the bush. The Conservatives' budget is an austerity budget. We will be dealing with fallout from this budget for years. To justify their choice, because it is certainly a choice, the Conservatives are trying to convince us that the sky is falling, that there is an urgent need to scale back services to the public, to limit environmental studies, and to make seniors in need work two years longer before collecting old age security.

The Conservatives are basing their arguments on fear, not facts. As many economists have said over and over again, our system is viable; it is not in trouble.

After tabling their budget, the Conservatives were all over the place explaining that their budget cuts were based on their commitment to manage public moneys responsibly, to save money and cut costs. That may be, but I must say that, coming from the Conservatives, such arguments do not hold much water.

This government has proven over and over again that it has a special talent for misusing public funds. When the Minister of National Defence uses a military helicopter to go to a fishing camp, is that responsible? Is that trying to save money?

When the government authorizes over a billion dollars—yes, a billion—in spending on the G8 and G20 summit festivities—

[Employment, April 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, so much for a jobs-based budget. The Conservatives think they are going to stimulate the economy by cutting 19,000 jobs out of the public service. The first public servants affected by these cuts will be notified today. What the government is not saying is that the cuts will also lead to the loss of 40,000 jobs in the private sector. These cuts will not only affect the national capital region, but will have a domino effect across the country.

Do the Conservatives realize that they are hurting the economy?

[The Budget, March 28th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the government is about to cut public services and penalize thousands of workers. Now it has decided, for the first time in history, to exclude people representing workers who want access to information that affects them directly and affects services that Canadian families need.

The government should have nothing to hide. Why is it suddenly changing the rules of the game, and why is it preventing those representatives from being part of the closed-door session?

[Member for Hull—Aylmer, March 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank all of the parties and my leader for their kind words. I am very proud of what we have accomplished. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to serve. Even though Jack is no longer with us, I would like to thank him. I would like to thank him for the honour of serving our party. It was a wonderful, emotional, stressful experience, just as my colleagues described it.

It is a great pleasure and honour to serve our country, to serve Canadians. It has been a constant pleasure to meet people from across the country who expect so much from us and our political parties, who want us to support their causes. That is the purpose of our work. I sincerely thank everyone.

I thank everybody for everything, for all their support, especially my caucus, which has been behind me all the time.

[Government Priorities, March 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in the House today to celebrate the election of our new leader. The NDP stands united behind this man of conviction who will lead us to power in 2015.

Over the past few weeks, I held pre-budget consultations with the people in my riding of Hull—Aylmer. I met with representatives of community organizations, business people and seniors.

There was a clear consensus: the people fear this government. They disapprove of its policies and will oppose the cuts it intends to make.

This government must revise its priorities. Canadian families need help making ends meet, not help tightening their belts. Seniors need to live in dignity, not in poverty.

On behalf of the people in my riding, I am asking this government to cancel the cuts it intends to make. The people in my riding do not want these cuts.

[41st General Election, March 15th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, at least we keep our constituents informed. It is very important that they know what they are entitled to.

On voter fraud, the Conservatives have avoided taking any responsibility. They are the only ones being investigated. Their database is being examined by Elections Canada. Now they are trying to scapegoat the staffer they fired. Surprise.

This is my last question for the Prime Minister as the NDP leader. Why will he not call a public inquiry? Why will he not show leadership? What is he afraid of?

[Employment, March 15th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, families cannot wait. They need to know.

Canadian families deserve better. Instead of reckless cuts, we need a real jobs plan. More than 60,000 full-time jobs have disappeared since September. Canadians are giving up their search. Families are giving up hope.

The New Democrats have a better plan. The Conservatives even voted for it. Why will they not implement the NDP's jobs plan in their budget and get Canadians back to work.

[Government Services, March 15th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, while the other parties are too busy with their own scandals, we are taking action for families. For example, yesterday, the NDP proposed a solution to essential drug shortages.

Families are very worried about how cuts to the services they need will affect them. The government says that families will not know what to expect until the fall. That is unacceptable.

Will the Prime Minister finally tell us the truth? Will he tell us which public services are going to be eliminated?

[41st General Election, March 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I must say, the answers we are getting are not very reassuring for families or people who are sick. Quite frankly, it does not look as though the Prime Minister is taking this crisis seriously.

Another matter the Prime Minister is not taking seriously is the issue of fraudulent calls during the election. At the time of the sponsorship scandal, an RCMP investigation and a public inquiry were conducted simultaneously. One does not preclude the other. Elections Canada can conduct an investigation at the same time as a public inquiry.

What is the Prime Minister waiting for to launch a public inquiry?

[Health, March 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the NDP proposed a concrete plan to manage the current drug shortage and adopt a pan-Canadian strategy to prevent shortages from happening again. That is what the health experts and the provinces are calling for.

Canadians need a federal government with a system in place to avoid drug shortages. We must work together to protect patients.

Will the Prime Minister support the NDP motion to put an end to drug shortages?