House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 32% of the vote.
41st General Election February 27th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, voters want more than that. They want to know that the government is going to protect them from election fraud.
Even the Prime Minister's riding association uses the services of RackNine, one of the firms involved in this affair, so it is understandable that people have doubts about the process.
Is the Prime Minister prepared to force byelections to restore voter confidence?
41st General Election February 27th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, thousands of Canadians received fraudulent telephone calls during the last election from individuals claiming to be from Elections Canada, telling people to vote at the wrong place. There were even people who got phone calls in the middle of the night. The government must take action.
What is the Prime Minister going to do to prevent these fraudulent tactics? What is he really going to do to restore people's confidence and increase, rather than decrease, the voter turnout? That is the issue: people's confidence in the election process.
Citizenship and Immigration February 16th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, at the time, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism was singing a different tune. He said, “There is a remarkable spirit of co-operation around this bill. It is amazing to see that a consensus could be reached on such a sensitive issue by all the parties in the House with their divergent views.” That is what the government was saying at the time. The minister was right: we did improve the refugee system.
Why undo this good work? Why change something that is working? Why be so shamelessly partisan and renege on the consensus reached with regard to refugees?
Citizenship and Immigration February 16th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, talking of broken promises, it is disappointing to see the Conservatives break their word on refugees as well.
During the minority, government and the opposition worked together and came up with a balanced bill on refugee reform. That is what Canadians wanted us to do, work together and do the right thing. Why destroy all the good non-partisan work that was done on refugee reform?
Pensions February 16th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, people are worried about their retirement. They are planning their retirement now. Will there be changes to the old age security program?
Canadians are really worried about their retirement. They need to know now. Will the age of eligibility for OAS be increased to 67? Is it happening or not, yes or no?
Public Safety February 15th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, today is a sad day for victims of violence. It is a day that exposes the Conservatives' hypocrisy when it comes to justice. On one hand, they say they want to destroy the firearms registry because it is an invasion of privacy; on the other hand, they give themselves the right to pry into everyone's computers. It makes no sense. It is illogical. It is hypocritical.
How does the Prime Minister justify this?
Government Priorities February 15th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, there is always a choice. The Prime Minister's choices are bad choices. The Prime Minister can hardly accuse Fitch and Moody's of being New Democrats. This is what they say:
...doing it [cutting] too rapidly has negative effects and can be counterproductive as revenues grow [more slowly]... It is a risk [to growth].
Why is the Prime Minister stubbornly ignoring this fact and foolishly proceeding with cuts in services to the public?
Government Priorities February 15th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' plan to cut services to Canadians is not necessary and could do more harm than good. Do not take the NDP's word for it. This morning it is coming from two international ratings firms. Analysts with Moody's and Fitch are questioning the Conservatives' plan to cut services. It will hurt the economy, it will hurt services and it will hurt families.
If the Prime Minister wants to cut, he should cut the size of his cabinet instead of punishing Canadians.
National Defence February 14th, 2012
Again, Mr. Speaker, that was not very clear.
Another thing that is not clear is what Conservatives will do about the F-35. For months Conservatives ignored warnings from the NDP. They claimed the program was on track. Suddenly the second defence minister says it is ludicrous for Canada not to reconsider the purchase. The defence minister will not say if Canada will modify its order.
Can the Prime Minister confirm that Canada is reconsidering the F-35 purchase?
Pensions February 14th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, while the Prime Minister was away, his Minister of Finance confirmed that cuts to old age security would be made starting in 2020. However, there is still some confusion.
Can the Prime Minister confirm to us and to the 27 million Canadians who are 57 or younger that his Minister of Finance told the truth and that they will have to wait until they are 67 before they can retire?