House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 32% of the vote.
Firearms Registry December 13th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' insistence on destroying the data in the firearms registry is completely illogical. The police are saying it and the bar associations are saying it. Now the Government of Quebec is taking legal action against the Conservative government to save the registry data.
Will the Prime Minister avoid unnecessary legal fees, listen to Quebec and share the data with the provinces that are prepared to take over the registry to protect the public?
The Economy December 12th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, we need a job creation strategy now.
The Conservative tax strategy is undermining the Canadian economy. Fiscal restraint will only make matters worse. Even the OECD has recognized this. The Parliamentary Budget Officer's report shows that the government's estimates are too optimistic, that the economy is performing below its potential.
Instead of increasing the structural deficit by giving billions of dollars in gifts to large corporations, the government needs to change course immediately, help small and medium-sized businesses and get Canadians back to work.
When will you think about changing course?
The Economy December 12th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, if only the Conservatives would at least be transparent.
The report of the Parliamentary Budget Officer shows that the government's estimates concerning the deficit are once again too optimistic. That is their rose-coloured glasses policy. The Conservatives are not being straight with Canadians. The report explains that the numbers concerning trade, the GDP and tax revenues are incomplete or unavailable.
Why is the government hiding this information? Why such a lack of transparency? Is it to hide the fact that their economic inaction plan is a complete failure?
The Economy December 12th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, after creating the biggest deficit in the history of Canada, the Conservative government will be in a structural deficit until at least 2017. That is what the Parliamentary Budget Officer said.
With their reckless corporate tax cuts, the Conservatives are gutting the fiscal capacity of the government to provide people the services they need. Why do they continue to harm Canada's finances by digging the structural deficit even further with even more corporate tax giveaways?
Canadian Wheat Board December 8th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, what a transparent answer to a question that we need answered.
Let us move on to another issue. The Canadian Wheat Board Act states that the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food cannot introduce a bill without first consulting the board and, in particular, without farmers voting in a referendum about these changes. The Canadian Wheat Board asked for this referendum.
Yesterday, the Federal Court handed down its ruling: the Conservatives broke the law. The government is acting illegally. That is what the ruling states.
If they are so certain they are right, why do the Conservatives not consult the farmers? The law is the law.
Canada-U.S. Relations December 8th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, it is always interesting to get incomplete answers to certain questions on issues that were not even debated in the House.
I will give another example. A lot of personal information will be collected by authorities when people enter and leave the country at the border crossings.
Do Canadians have the right to know how long their personal information will be stored in American databases? Will it be a week? A month? Six months? A year? Five years? Ten years?
Can we have an answer?
Canada-U.S. Relations December 8th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, yesterday we asked the government simple questions about the new border deal with the United States. We got no answers. Since Parliament will not get to review or debate this agreement, can we at least get some answers about the border deal? For starters, will the government tell Canadians how much it will cost and where the money will come from?
Canada-U.S. Relations December 7th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are worried, and rightly so. They want to know how far Uncle Sam will be able to pry into their business because of this agreement. We still do not know what information is at stake. It is a secret that the government refuses to disclose.
Can the government elaborate on the information that will be shared with the Americans? Are the Conservatives going to heed the Privacy Commissioner's recommendations for enhancing privacy protection?
Canada-U.S. Relations December 7th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, we are quite far from the Wheat Board.
The Prime Minister is in Washington today to sign a new border agreement with the United States. I guess Canadian politicians can go to Washington after all.
Very little information has filtered from these secret negotiations. Canadians have had almost no input. The government will not even say what it has been negotiating away behind closed doors.
Could the government confirm that the cost of the new border deal will be $1 billion?
Canadian Wheat Board December 7th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, a federal court judge has ruled that the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Conservative government have broken the law. They breached the Canadian Wheat Board Act by making changes without holding a referendum among producers first.
In light of this development, will the government do the right thing and back off the Wheat Board?