Mr. Speaker, I think it is pretty interesting that so many colleagues are here, including my friend from Edmonton—Leduc. They are all waiting for the supplemental here and the late show performance.
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 74% of the vote.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada April 25th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I think it is pretty interesting that so many colleagues are here, including my friend from Edmonton—Leduc. They are all waiting for the supplemental here and the late show performance.
Employment April 25th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the minister, there are 400,000 unemployed young Canadians out there who do not care if she can read her laundry list or recite the Conservative phone book. Her programs are not effective. Her programs are hollow. They do not work. The parrot is dead.
On behalf of the young Canadians who are out there and cannot find work, will she stop these wrong-minded cuts and put money back into the program so we can get the kids back to work?
Workplace Safety April 25th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, April 28 marks the National Day of Mourning for those killed or injured due to workplace accidents or hazards. More than 1,000 Canadians die each year because of work-related injury or illness. That is almost four people every workday, four people who leave for work in the morning, kiss their spouse and children goodbye and never come home.
On May 9, 1992, 26 miners left for work at the Westray mine in Nova Scotia and never came home again because of lax safety protocols, poor oversight and mismanagement, which led to an explosion that took their lives and left an entire province in mourning.
The Westray disaster led directly to Bill C-45, which was brought forward by my former colleague, Andy Scott. It amended the Criminal Code in 2004 to impose criminal negligence liability on employers. There is still more that can be done to identify and predict hazardous work situations before the occur.
On behalf of our leader and the entire caucus, we pay our respects to all Canadians and their families who have lost their lives in the workplace. We honour those who are suffering in illness and injury.
Employment April 24th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, no matter how many nickel and dime programs the minister might want to talk about, the fact is they are not working. Sixty-three thousand fewer young Canadians are being served now than when the Conservatives took over. She is sleepwalking when she should wake up and start helping young Canadians.
How can the minister brag about cutting 63,000 summer student jobs when 400,000 young Canadians cannot find work? When is she going to wake up and help these young people?
Justice April 23rd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, in December 2011 I asked the Minister of Justice to order an inquiry into the handling of sexual abuse charges against Fen McIntosh. He said at the time that he would not consider any action until a final decision was made by the Supreme Court of Canada, and I agreed with and supported his decision.
In light of the Supreme Court's decision yesterday rejecting the Crown's appeal, will the minister now order the federal inquiry I requested so that the victims of these horrible crimes may get the answers they so rightly deserve?
Employment April 22nd, 2013
Mr. Speaker, middle-class Canadian families have always known that summer job opportunities provided financial support and work experience to young Canadians.
We know that five years ago the Conservative government wanted to cut that program out totally. We know that last year, according to StatsCan, they have hit the worst summer student numbers since StatsCan started recording, yet this year they are going to cut still more jobs and they have closed the student employment centres.
The new definition by the Conservatives for summer jobs is “Summer is here; most are gone.”
Points of Order April 18th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, during question period on Tuesday, in response to a question I posed to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, the minister made reference to a letter I had sent in support of the temporary foreign worker program. We have had an opportunity in the office to go back through all records and saw no such correspondence.
In an attempt to try to put some truth to this issue, I ask the minister to table that letter.
Mr. Speaker, does the member have to respond to the request to table such a document?
Rita MacNeil April 17th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I rise with sadness and pride today to pay tribute to a gentle soul, a great person and a much-loved Canadian.
Rita MacNeil passed away last night. During her stellar career, Rita recorded 24 albums, selling millions and earning countless ECMAs, CCMAs, Junos, a Gemini and, of course, the Order of Canada.
Rita's personal story is almost as well known as her music. She overcame many challenges to achieve her dreams and many of her songs speak of having the courage to rise above life's difficulties.
I am reminded today of a line from one of Rita's most famous songs, Flying on Your Own: “When you know the wings you ride can keep you in the sky...there isn't anyone holding back you”.
Rita rode the wings of her Cape Breton home on her journey to stardom, and we will continue to hold her up through her music even though she is gone.
On behalf of my colleague for Sydney—Victoria and the entire House, I offer my deepest condolences to Rita's children, Wade and Laura and her entire family.
Employment April 16th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, since the Conservatives came to power seven years ago, one in seven jobs created have been filled by a temporary foreign worker, while at the same time a quarter of a million new Canadians have found themselves unemployed.
Blaming rogue companies, feigning concern, and promising reviews just does not cut it anymore. Canadians do not trust the government to run this program, to review this program, and certainly not to fix this program.
My question is to the minister. Will she let Parliament do its job and let it fix this Conservative mess?
Business of Supply April 16th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I appreciated quite a bit of my colleague's speech. However, the intent of the motion is to bring some fact around this issue and to fix the program.
What we have seen is that the Conservative government is driven by ideology, as opposed to evidence-based policy development. The intent of the motion is to bring experts together around this issue, pick their brains, get some advice, and try to fix the program for all involved. It is an important part of the Canadian workforce. However, it is important that we get to the truth.
She says let us just change it. However, I am concerned about the NDP's position. What we see is that one in eight jobs created are filled by temporary foreign workers. That should be of great concern.
Yesterday, in relation to the number of jobs filled, her leader said 40% went to temporary foreign workers. I ask her, could she explain where she got that figure?