Peggy Nash

[Business of Supply, September 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his comments, and I thank him and the previous speaker from his party for their support for our call for the federal government to meet with the territorial and provincial leaders at the upcoming meeting this fall.

I also want to recognize that during a previous government led by his party, it was a period of very dramatic spending cuts, some of the deepest social spending cuts in the history of the country. A former prime minister bragged they took us back to the spending levels of the 1950s, and pollution increased to unprecedented levels under that government.

However, my question for him is this. Does he support the position of our party and the position of the leader of the official opposition in matters concerning the environment? Does he support the basic principle of polluter pay? Does he support that principle in that motion?

[Business of Supply, September 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I want to point out a couple of facts that the hon. member may not be aware of, the fact for instance that the Conference Board of Canada recently gave Canada a C grade for income inequality in this country. We are now above the OECD average in terms of increasing inequality in Canada. We are witnessing the erosion of our social safety net, including EI and OAS. Moreover, we have gone from a $26 billion current account surplus to a $50 billion deficit. A key part of that has been the manufacturing deficit, which has increased six-fold. Indeed, Ontario now has 8% unemployment, and under the current government we have lost over 300,000 manufacturing jobs.

My question for the member opposite is why would the Prime Minister not meet with the premier of Ontario and the other premiers and leaders right across this country to address these pressing economic issues affecting the daily lives of Canadians in Ontario and right across this country? Why will they not meet?

[Business of Supply, September 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Leader of the Opposition for his detailed vision about a real economic plan for Canada.

This spring we saw the Conservatives' hidden agenda with their omnibus budget bill, Bill C-38, where without any notice to Canadians they cut EI benefits, had massive cutbacks in so many areas and gutted environmental regulations.

My question to the Leader of the Opposition is this. Does this negative experience with Bill C-38 not explain and detail to us why it is so important to have consultations with the provinces and territories about how we work together as a country?

[Enhancing Royal Canadian Mounted Police Accountability Act, September 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague about the importance of debate and discussion and I want to join with her in encouraging all members of this House to fully participate in this important discussion. I want to acknowledge that it was a number of my NDP colleagues who, with repeated questions in this House about conduct in the RCMP, prompted the other side to come forward with this bill and a previous bill. We do believe this bill needs work and I thank my colleague for her recommendations.

I want to pick up on one particular point which is about changing the culture of an organization. I have worked with and in organizations that were dominated by one gender as opposed to another. It is a difficult transition. It is a cultural change to try to broaden and diversify that kind of a work setting. There are many organizations that have successfully made that kind of transition and there have been recommendations to the RCMP that this is exactly the kind of cultural change that needs to happen. Could the member elaborate on what exactly needs to be included in this bill?

[Petitions, September 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, lastly, I present a petition in support of the motion put forward by my colleague from Trinity—Spadina calling for a public transit strategy.

The Board of Trade in the city of Toronto says that we have a $6 billion annual deficit because of a lack of transit infrastructure investment. Canadians want to make this happen.

[Petitions, September 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is in support of the Katimavik program, an important program for youth leadership development. A constituent of mine, who had been accepted in the summer program, was bitterly disappointed when she was told that she was not allowed to participate.

I am happy to present a petition calling for the continuation of Katimavik program.

[Petitions, September 18th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present three petitions today.

I am honoured to present a petition signed by men and women from across Canada who are opposed to Conservative Motion No. 312, a thinly veiled attempt to reopen the abortion debate in Canada. It is a debate we have already had and Canadians want to move on. Men and women in Canada look forward, not backward, and want to achieve true gender equality in Canada.

[Petitions, September 17th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition from constituents calling for a national transit strategy.

The OECD says that Toronto and the GTA have some of the longest commute times in the world and that this gridlock is a $6 billion annual drag on our economy.

We are calling for a national transit strategy.

[Petitions, June 21st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I also rise to present a petition signed by over 100 of my constituents in Parkdale—High Park, calling on Parliament to support the NDP motion to reject the proposed change to the eligibility age of old age security from 65 to 67, and maintain funding—

[Petitions, June 21st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present two petitions. The first petition is in support of stronger animal cruelty legislation.

Stories like the horrific culling of sled dogs in 2001 shock and anger all of us, and yet our animal welfare laws are largely unchanged since 1892. So far I have received over 4,500 signatures in support of this petition calling for the government to recognize animals as beings that can feel pain, and to strengthen the animal cruelty section of the Criminal Code.