Raymonde Folco

[Ethics, February 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I am surprised to hear such things, seeing as Mr. Cadman's legislative assistant confirmed that everything Mr. Cadman's widow said was true. What are they trying to accomplish by saying things like that?

There are plenty more examples of suspicious activity. A former member of Parliament for the Prime Minister's riding, Ezra Levant, also received a lot of money to give up his seat to the Prime Minister himself. This government does not hesitate to flout election laws, and it could not care less about respect. Words fail me—

[Ethics, February 28th, 2008]

Obviously, the Conservatives are not in the mood to listen.

Unfortunately, there are many examples of this government's lack of integrity. We have evidence that Jim Hart, who was a Canadian Conservative Reform Alliance Party member of Parliament, was offered large sums of money to give up his seat to the Minister of Public Safety.

This is the government that gave us the Federal Accountability Act, so why is it refusing to comply with its own legislation?

[Ethics, February 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, Chuck Cadman was a man whose integrity was beyond reproach. Sadly, the same cannot be said of this government.

[Cigarette Smuggling, February 25th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, additional resources are not enough. We need exact figures. Cigarette smuggling is not a problem just because it costs the government revenue. Smugglers also undermine all the anti-smoking programs created to maintain public health. Moreover, cigarette smugglers contribute to the rise of organized crime.

What exactly is the government doing to make sure the illicit tobacco trade does not affect public health or the welfare of aboriginal communities?

[Cigarette Smuggling, February 25th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, once again, cigarette smuggling is in the news. This sort of problem has reared its head before. In the early 1990s, smugglers cost various levels of government billions of dollars in lost tax revenue. The authorities sometimes make successful busts, but that is only the tip of the iceberg.

How does this government plan to fight tobacco smuggling?

[Government Contracts, February 12th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I am raising it.

In 2006 the Prime Minister said, “$132,000 is a lot of money.... It represents the total taxes paid by 27 single working Canadians earning $40,000”.

His finance minister did not get the message or he would not have given his friend a $122,000 contract to write a budget speech. What does the finance minister have to say to those 1,200 Canadians who lost their jobs today about that big fat untendered contract?

[Government Contracts, February 12th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, by announcing the tabling of the budget, the Minister of Finance wants to divert attention away from the contracts he handed out to his friends from the Mike Harris era. Mr. MacPhie earned almost $22 per word for last year's budget speech, a contract awarded in contravention of Treasury Board guidelines.

Will he also write this year's speech, or will the President of Treasury Board do his job and crack down on the abuses of his colleague, the Minister of Finance?

[Health, February 6th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' vindictive, dishonest and incompetent attitude persists. Linda Keen was fired for putting the nuclear safety of Canadians ahead of the wishes of this government. The government was dishonest about the medical crisis. Its own medical advisor even said that the government had exaggerated the situation.

Why did the Prime Minister fire Ms. Keen, who was doing her job, instead of firing his own incompetent ministers?

[Forestry Industry, January 31st, 2008]

What I am asking, Mr. Speaker, is that the bill be introduced in the House so that we can vote on it and help the workers in these provinces. The Liberals are not asking for thanks; they are asking the Conservatives to help Canadians find jobs.

The Donnacona plant is in Quebec City. As of tomorrow morning, Conservative MPs from that region will have 200 more unemployed among their constituents. These people have not heard or seen their MPs go to any great lengths to protect their jobs.

Do these members have a plan to protect the manufacturing industry before it is too late or do they intend to ignore it and do nothing?

[Forestry Industry, January 31st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, hundreds of workers employed by Bowater in Donnacona, Quebec, and Dalhousie, New Brunswick, are going to work for the last time today. This has been coming for months. The Conservatives refuse to quickly vote on assistance for laid-off Canadian workers.

Why do the Conservatives not yet have a plan to prevent the unemployment line from becoming longer?