Nycole Turmel

[Aboriginal Affairs, November 30th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has to take responsibility. He has to take charge. It is his duty to help the people of Attawapiskat, an entire Canadian community living in third world conditions in the Arctic cold. It is minus 22°C today. That is what we see right now.

The Prime Minister should go there and see for himself. He should sleep in a shack in a sleeping bag. He would see that the sleeping bags provided by the Red Cross are not the solution. We need better. Winter is coming. Where is the action? Where is the leadership?

[Aboriginal Affairs, November 30th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with the Prime Minister that we cannot just throw money at Attawapiskat and think that all its problems will be solved. It is true that this requires a short-, medium- and long-term plan. It takes political will, which we have not seen in the past 10 years. What is the Prime Minister waiting for? Where is his leadership?

[Aboriginal Affairs, November 30th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I was in Attawapiskat yesterday, and I want to tell the Prime Minister about the situation in that community. It is terrible, unimaginable, worse than anything we could imagine. People are living in shacks, tents and trailers. There is no running water, no heating. The little heat they do have could turn their shelters into fire traps. They are sleeping on mouldy mattresses and their children are living outdoors. What will the Prime Minister do? Will he show some leadership and go to visit these people?

[President of the Treasury Board, November 24th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, on another matter, why does the Prime Minister continue to defend his President of the Treasury Board?

In committee, we asked the minister if he would table all the documents sent to his office. In committee, he said yes. He said “sure” twice. Not once, but twice. Not only has he not tabled the documents, but the minutes were changed and he has the gall to ask for an investigation into the matter.

Does the Prime Minister realize that this farce has gone on long enough?

[Health, November 24th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister is committed to supporting the provinces, he should be able to tell us his position.

What is he bringing to the table? More specifically, what will be the term of the next accord? What escalator is he proposing? And will he commit to closing the door on privatization? Canadians want to know the Prime Minister's position.

[Health, November 24th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, provincial health ministers are meeting today and they will be joined by their federal counterpart tomorrow. The NDP believes that privatization should be off the table.

The government should bring forward a 10-year health accord proposal, including a 6% escalator of the federal contribution. In return, we need a clear, monitored and enforced commitment to respect the Canada health accord.

Does the Prime Minister agree?

[Justice, November 23rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Conservatives defeated amendment after amendment, and rammed through their prisons agenda.

Their short-sighted approach is simply not justified. Even the Department of Justice has shown that strict mandatory sentences do not work. They did not work in the United States. In fact, the U.S. is now backtracking.

Why does the Prime Minister refuse to listen to crime experts, the provinces, and the opposition?

[Justice, November 23rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the NDP moved the amendments suggested by the Government of Quebec. The amendments are based on facts, namely, that rehabilitation has proven to be successful and that the crime rate is declining in Canada. However, the Conservatives put ideology before the facts and before science.

I am again asking the Prime Minister to table the scientific studies that prove that their approach will reduce crime and rehabilitate offenders. Let him table the studies.

[Justice, November 23rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Justice put on quite a performance for his Quebec counterpart. When Jean-Marc Fournier asked for the studies that justify the Conservatives' repressive and regressive approach to justice, the Minister of Justice spoke about personal impressions.

Can the Prime Minister table the scientific studies that prove that maintaining the goal of long-term protection and restricting the publication of young offenders' identities are detrimental to public safety?

[Health, November 22nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, since the last accord was signed there has been little progress on wait times or primary care reform, a failure to hire enough doctors and nurses, a failure on pharmaceuticals, a failure on home care and a near complete failure on reporting results.

Where is the plan for improving health care now?

With two years still to go, will the Prime Minister finally take health care seriously and deliver results now on the current health agreement?