House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 32% of the vote.
Government Ministers September 29th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is asking people to tighten their belts, to do without essential services, but his ministers are doing the contrary. The President of the Treasury Board thinks the consolidated revenue fund is all his and has wasted $50 million in his riding. The Minister of National Defence uses government aircraft for taxis and spends $3 million on private jets.
Does the Prime Minister see how his call for austerity lacks credibility when his ministers are behaving like this?
The Economy September 29th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wants to cut services instead of investing in infrastructure. The President of the Treasury Board, who has his own spending problems, has lost all credibility. He plans to cut hundreds of thousands of jobs by reducing public services. Economists are saying that is the wrong thing to do when we are on the verge of a recession.
Why is the Prime Minister insisting on cutting public services, yet in January he gave the most profitable corporations a gift of $4 billion?
Poverty September 28th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the National Council of Welfare said today that poverty costs Canada more than $24 billion a year, double what it would cost to lift every Canadian out of poverty. Tolerating poverty is bad economics.
The council calls for an investment approach toward poverty, for example, by investing in housing, early childhood education and aboriginal employment. Why not have a strategy to end poverty, save money and help the economy?
The Economy September 28th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, at the Standing Committee on Finance, economists said that the Prime Minister's fiscal approach is missing the mark. Doug Porter of BMO said that the Prime Minister's prescription for the economy, namely, more restraint, is the wrong approach.
The Prime Minister needs to realize this. He needs to realize that his economic strategy has created a structural deficit, the worst deficit in the history of the country. We are now facing a second recession under his watch.
Why does the Prime Minister insist on pursuing this course of action?
The Economy September 28th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister met with the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Bank of Canada.
Can the Prime Minister tell us what was discussed at that meeting and whether he now has an action plan to deal with the economic crisis?
The Economy September 27th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the consensus among economists and business gurus is that the Canadian economy will slow down. We are facing another recession.
The chief economist for BMO Nesbitt Burns compares the Prime Minister to President Hoover, who brought on the Great Depression by responding, like this government, with austerity measures.
Why will the Prime Minister not bring forward a job creation plan instead?
The Economy September 27th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has not taken any action in the face of the coming economic crisis. Since we returned, we have not seen any initiatives or any action plan. The only bill introduced has nothing to do with the economy, unless the Prime Minister is telling us that more prisons are the key to the recovery. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance are meeting with the Governor of the Bank of Canada today.
Will we have a job plan tomorrow?
Government Ministers September 27th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, in his Guide for Ministers and Ministers of State, the Prime Minister says, and I quote:
As a Minister, you are individually accountable to Parliament for the discharge of all responsibilities vested in you. You must answer all questions pertaining to your areas of responsibility...
Can the Prime Minister tell us what happens when his ministers do not follow his guide?
The Economy September 22nd, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are refusing to acknowledge Canada's economic challenges. Economists say that the real unemployment rate, which is all Canadians who would work if there were jobs for them, is up to 11%. That is almost two million unemployed Canadians. Today we learned that less than one in three qualify for EI.
Where is the plan to get people back to work?
The Economy September 22nd, 2011
Mr. Speaker, cuts to public services this year and next year will account for approximately 1% of the GDP. The IMF is saying that cuts of this order will have the same negative effect on the economy. In short, the cuts the Conservatives are making to public services will make a recession even more likely.
The Governor of the Bank of Canada is saying that the government can help the economy by making strategic investments. Why is the government doing the opposite?