Omar Alghabra

[Automotive Industry, May 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are walking with their pink slips past the office of the Minister of Finance, so it is disappointing but not surprising that he is letting the minister from Calgary answer that question.

The Minister of Finance ran a $5.6 billion deficit in Ontario. It was that minister who said Ontario was the last place in which to invest. It was that minister who is bringing Canada to the brink of deficit. He obviously cares more about the job of Hugh MacPhie than his constituents.

How many more pink slips will it take before the Minister of Finance takes real action?

[Automotive Industry, May 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance, not the Minister of Industry.

This week the GM plant in Oshawa laid off another 900 workers, bringing the total up to 2,000 workers in just four months. The job losses are just down the street from the minister's office, but he does not bother to lift a finger to help. He is too busy giving his cronies untendered contracts.

Canadians deserve a minister who is responsive to their needs, not a minister who is missing in action. When will the minister at least act like he cares?

[Ontario Economy, April 29th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, that answer proves my point. The minister is delusional.

The minister ignores the manufacturing job crisis with his “laissez-faire, I don't care” attitude. Instead, he cares about phantom trains in his riding. He cares about rigging an application process to favour a group in his riding with which his wife is involved. He cares about giving his friends untendered contracts.

Canadians want to know: Why is the minister not working for them?

[Ontario Economy, April 29th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, Ontarians remember the failed policies of Mike Harris and that finance minister. Their policies gave Ontario a $5.6 billion hidden deficit, hospital closures, thousands of nurses fired, the Walkerton catastrophe, the Hydro mess, the heartless attacks on the homeless and Ipperwash. They even bungled meat inspections.

Canadians deserve effective policies. Why is the minister determined to recycle policies that we know have failed in the past?

[Income Tax Act, April 15th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I support the bill. I think it is a very well-intended and needed bill to help young couples buy their first home. However, I have a question that I hope the hon. member can answer.

By increasing this limit, it might reduce tax revenue for the government. With the RESP bill, we heard the Minister of Finance say that it would have put us into deficit. Have any calculations been done? Will this bill put us into deficit or not?

[Louise Arbour, April 14th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to rise in the House to recognize an extraordinary Canadian. Louise Arbour was the first francophone ever appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Renowned for her courage, she relentlessly pursued justice and dignity as chief prosecutor for both Rwanda's and Yugoslavia's international tribunals.

In 1999 Louise Arbour was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2004 Ms. Arbour became the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

During her tenure she spoke with clarity about the responsibilities governments have toward their citizens. She has always been a strong advocate for civil and political rights and did not spare despots or democracies when making her point.

Ms. Arbour led the world in exposing problematic practices in Darfur, Zimbabwe, China, Sri Lanka, the Middle East and the United States, to name a few.

Louise Arbour has shown the world the best of what Canada stands for. We hope that we will see even more from her.

On behalf of all Canadians, I want to thank Ms. Arbour for her brilliant record of public service to Canada and the world.

[Federal-Provincial Relations, April 3rd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, Ontario is facing real economic challenges, challenges like the struggling manufacturing sector, the weak forestry industry and the rising infrastructure deficit, to name a few. Instead of offering meaningful solutions to those challenges, the Minister of Finance decided to pursue his vindictive impulses.

Ontarians are familiar with that minister's bizarre and frequent outbursts. He recently has set a new low. His vindictive pursuit is petty and void of substance. The Minister of Finance needs to realize that his old and archaic policies have failed Ontarians in the past and are failing Canadians right now.

While the minister is determined to embarrass himself, where are his Ontario colleagues? Why are they not standing up for Ontario?

This is a minister who promised to end bickering with the provinces. Instead, he is initiating it. I cannot help but be reminded of what my colleague for Markham—Unionville has always said, that the Minister of Finance is out of his depth.

[Status of Women, March 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, later this week women around the world will celebrate International Women's Day and its theme, “Strong Women, Strong World”.

We will remember Canadian trailblazers, Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby, whose fierce determination overcame the prejudices of their time to pave the way for women to be recognized as persons in Canada.

This is also a time to remember that there is still more to do. Remember that Canadian women still only earn 71¢ for every dollar a man earns. Remember that the Conservative government cancelled the court challenges program. Remember that the Conservative government shut down the law commission. Remember that the Conservative government closed the doors of 12 out of 16 Status of Women regional offices.

On the eve of International Women's Day, we salute Canadian women and call on the government to stop making decisions that thwart their progress.

[Infrastructure, March 5th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, last November, Mississauga city council reluctantly voted to implement a special infrastructure levy. Much of the city's infrastructure is aging and, as one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, the needs continue to rise.

Mississauga mayor, Hazel McCallion, has launched a Cities NOW! campaign, calling on the federal government to address those urgent needs, not just for the benefit of city residents, but for the sake of Canada's future prosperity and environmental sustainability.

Cities are the economic engine of our country and ignoring their welfare is a huge mistake that will eventually cost us even more.

As a proud member of Parliament for Mississauga, it is my duty to inform the House about this massive infrastructure deficit and offer the Prime Minister the following advice.

First, he should stop insulting our premiers, mayors and Canadians. It is not only offensive but it is counter-productive. Second, he should end the over the top partisan approach and present Canadians with the urgently needed plan to address this infrastructure deficit.

[The Budget, March 4th, 2008]

That is not fair, Mr. Speaker. He had more than one minute to ask his question.

The fact is that the Liberal Party is the reason Canada has been experiencing so much economic and social growth over the last 13 years. I want to thank the hon. member for helping me to remind Canadians of that fact. Canadians remember that we had eight consecutive surplus budgets, which never happened before in Confederation. We had unprecedented economic growth. We had unprecedented social development. I thank my hon. colleague for reminding us of what happened.

As far as the budget is concerned, he has no ground to stand on. The opposition leader at the time, who is now the Prime Minister, abstained in 2005 from a budget because he chose when to bring down the government. We will choose when to bring down the government and--