Rodger Cuzner

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 5th, 2014]

With regard to materials prepared for ministers or their staff, from June 4, 2014 to the present: for every briefing document prepared, what is (i) the date on the document, (ii) the title or subject matter of the document, (iii) the department's internal tracking number?

[Employment, November 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the minister knows that in the past year 80% of the jobs that have been created are part-time jobs. He also knows there are 66% more Canadians working for minimum wage since his government took power. He should also know we have the third highest proportion of low-wage jobs among the richest countries in the world. This is nothing to be really proud of.

Is the minister not troubled that one in six Canadians who go to a food bank come from the working poor? Honest Canadians trying to feed their families are being forced to go to food banks. Does this not trouble him?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, October 30th, 2014]

With regard to Part III of the Canada Labour Code: (a) which recommendations from the 2006 comprehensive review of Part III of the Labour Code conducted by Commissioner Harry Arthurs has the government (i) implemented, including when and why, (ii) not implemented and why; (b) what measures has the government implemented since 2006 besides those listed in (a), including (i) the rationale for implementation, including listing any studies and their document or reference number that was done to support the change, (ii) when the changes were implemented; and (c) what studies has the government undertaken on making changes to Part III of the Canada Labour Code since 2006 not listed in (b), including the rationale for undertaking each, and their document or reference number?

[International Trade, October 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, with the CETA deal officially signed and the legal scrub of the text having started, there are still some questions that remain unanswered. One such question surrounds the articles around patent protections for pharmaceutical products.

Can the government tell us what commitments it has made to compensate the provinces and territories as a result of the pharma provisions of CETA?

[Rouge National Urban Park Act, October 8th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have tried to follow this debate, to keep an open mind and get a best feel for it. My colleague talked about bona fides and past Liberal governments. I am very fortunate to represent an area that benefited from a Liberal government that was very committed to environmental stewardship. It put $280 million toward the cleanup of the worst toxic site in our country, the Sydney tar ponds. This is the first year people have come and enjoyed the place.

I will give my colleague an opportunity to expand further on how he feels confident in our party's approach to all environmental issues.

[Employment Insurance, September 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Employment and Social Development boasted that the new Social Security Tribunal has reduced EI appeals by 90%. However, he has not told unemployed Canadians that their actual chance of winning an appeal has been greatly reduced.

Before in the tribunal, Canadians appealing had the decision overturned over 50% of the time. The success rate has now dropped to 38% under the new system.

Could the minister explain to affected Canadians why such a drastic drop in the success of appeals?

[Employment, September 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, when the human resources minister's predecessor boasted that she had loosened regulations on temporary foreign workers, making it quicker and easier to get workers, we knew that decision was based on no information, and it hurt Canadian workers. Now this minister is trying to clean up her mess, using bad information and hurting Canadian businesses. It is like being on an elevator with no numbers on the button; we just keep pushing to see where we land.

When will the Conservative government admit that it has lost this program, turn it over to a committee of the House for study, and fix this program that is important to both workers and business?

[Employment, September 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the member was half right. We did introduce this program, but it was the minister's predecessor who took the shackles off of it. She nearly separated her shoulder patting herself on the back because it was going to be no problem getting temporary foreign workers.

Conservatives are trying to clean up their own mess, but they did not even include the youth reciprocal program. There is no labour assessment needed for the youth reciprocal program. How do we know that Canadian students are not being pushed aside because of this program and the lack of controls over this specific part of it?

[Employment, September 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the government has had it wrong, on both sides of the temporary foreign worker program. Business owners in western Canada are facing incredible staffing challenges because of the government's incompetence. In essence what the government has done is to push back the entire House in order to tighten the clothesline. Western Canadian businesses are being penalized for a crime they did not commit.

When will the government swallow its pride, admit it is lost on the program, and ask a House committee to fix this broken program?

[Safeguarding Canada's Seas and Skies Act, September 18th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, this particular bill is mainly technical in scope, but the committee heard from a wide array of witnesses.

When we talk about rail safety, everybody is very much aware of some of the horrific accidents that took place, Lac-Mégantic being at the forefront of most people's recollections. We know that the Auditor General did an extensive study of all the events surrounding that accident.

I know that if we stand in the House during question period and ask the minister for particulars, the minister will stand and go on about how much money the government has spent specifically on rail safety. I would like to ask my colleague whether the minister is on solid ground when she says that. I guess that is the essence of my question.