Ralph Goodale

[Government Expenditures, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, they are good at announcing but precious poor at delivering.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities confirms that the most cost-effective way to fight the recession, to put shovels in the ground and create jobs quickly, is to transfer federal infrastructure dollars to local governments on a per capita basis without demanding short-term cost sharing.

The money is available: $4 billion pre-approved, ready to go right now.

Why is the government making mayors and municipalities wait until the next fiscal year? Why are the Conservatives delaying the fight against the recession?

[Government Expenditures, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is the minister who is muddled.

Thousands of Canadians are worried about their jobs, their family livelihoods, their savings and pensions, and the government could help immediately but it refuses.

It has $4 billion available right now. No other approval, no delay, is necessary.

That money could be invested today to help livestock producers, for example, or forestry workers, but the Conservatives simply want to use it to hide their humongous deficit.

Why will they not help vulnerable Canadians right now?

[Government Expenditures, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the government wants $3 billion for spending after April 1. That future stimulus will no doubt be necessary, but Canadians also need help right now. The recession is not just beginning next month. It has been going from bad to worse for the last year.

The government has $4 billion in its coffers right today, already approved by Parliament, available right now, but it refuses to invest it to help, for example, the 1,500 people who lost their jobs this week in both Windsor and Hamilton.

Why will it not use that money now? Why the delay?

[Business of the House, March 5th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, as usual on a Thursday, I would like to ask the government House leader about his work plan for the coming week and for the week following the regular mid-March break.

In particular, the House is anxious to know when the minister will designate all three of the remaining supply days. The last supply day, as the House knows, is especially important because that will be the day upon which any interim supply bill, including the Prime Minister's request for an extraordinary $3 billion, will be dealt with. Therefore, we would like to know when that supply bill is coming.

Of course, five sitting days before the final supply day is the date upon which the government must table its first report to Parliament accounting for its fight against the recession. That last supply day date, therefore, is an important date for the House to know.

Secondly, would the minister commit today that his government will consider fast-tracking Bill C-285 standing on the order paper in the name of the hon. member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine? The bill deals with the modernization of investigative techniques in the fight against drugs, gangs and other criminal matters. It is one of the measures specifically requested urgently by the province of British Columbia. Therefore, is the government ready to expedite that bill?

Finally, could I ask if there is general consent in the House today to fast-track the government's bills, Bill C-14 and Bill C-15, also dealing with gangs and drugs so that they both could be passed here and sent to the Senate before the end of next week? Would there be unanimous consent to move these two bills quickly? If there is, the official opposition would be prepared to move the appropriate motion right now.

[The Economy, March 3rd, 2009]

Your House leader has scheduled a vote this afternoon.

[Business of the House, February 26th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, my goodness, it is almost Friday. I have the normal Thursday question for the government House leader about his plans for organizing the business of the House for the next week or two. I wonder if he could be as specific as possible about his designation of opposition days in that period of time. He will know, of course, that the end of the supply period is March 26 and it would be very helpful to know which day on or before March 26 will be the last supply day in this particular supply semester.

As the government House leader knows, there is a reporting procedure now in place as a part of the amendment to the budget address that requires certain reporting to the House of Commons five days before the last supply day in this semester. Therefore, that day could be rapidly approaching; indeed, it could be as early as next week. It would be helpful if the minister could be as specific as possible about all opposition days, including the last one in this semester.

I would also like to ask the minister about a matter that appears in the main estimates that were tabled today by the President of the Treasury Board. The minister was kind enough to provide opposition spokespersons with some advance notice of this item. I am referring to page 1-116 of the main estimates and vote item number 35, which provides for an extraordinary power in relation to expenditures to be made between April 1 and the end of June, this year, related to certain budget matters.

Because that power is extraordinary, I would ask the minister if he would be prepared to entertain some discussion with respect to equally extraordinary reporting procedures with respect to any decisions that the government may take under that particular vote, bearing in mind that it is an unusual provision that I understand has never been included before in the estimates. Accountability is important, and I wonder if the minister would entertain some discussion about how to make sure that accountability is there.

[Business of the House, February 26th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, there have been a number of discussions among all the parties of the House, and I believe that you would find consent for the following motion. I move:

That at the conclusion of today's debate on the opposition motion in the name of the member for Parkdale—High Park, all questions necessary to dispose of this motion be deemed put, a recorded division deemed requested and deferred to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, 2009.

[Agriculture, February 25th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, as Mr. Wildeman knows, talk is cheap from this government.

Country of origin labelling is blatant trade protectionism. It is all the more disappointing coming only days after President Obama's visit. This could spell the end for many Canadian livestock producers. They are already selling off their breeding stock and sacrificing their futures. Canada needs to fight this on all fronts, industry to industry, province to state, administration to administration, MPs to senators and congressmen, Prime Minister to President.

Why is there no full-scale plan to fight country of origin labelling?

[Agriculture, February 25th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, Canadian livestock producers are facing unprecedented financial trouble and this week their problem got a whole lot worse. The U.S. agriculture secretary has just relaunched the issue of country of origin labelling. In three weeks, he will impose new labelling rules that are directly anti-Canadian. The Conservatives previously claimed this to be their one trade policy success. Now, that is all blown to smithereens.

Will they now relaunch Canada's WTO challenge on labelling, which they abandoned in January?

[Canada-U.S. Relations, February 13th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, hopefully the Prime Minister will learn about empathy from President Obama.

When people are seriously worried about their jobs and their family livelihoods, they need to know that their leaders really care, that their government is stepping up to the plate to help them with some enthusiasm. It is all about building confidence. President Obama obviously gets it, and it shows.

When will the Prime Minister rid himself of ideological millstones and embrace, with conviction, a vigorous role for government in recharging our economy and restoring Canadian confidence?