Rona Ambrose

[Indigenous Affairs, December 6th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly a year since the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women was announced, and families are now saying they are being left in the dark.

Conservatives support the inquiry, but it is also our job to hold the government to account. There is no website, barely any staff has been hired, and no testimony will be heard until at least spring at the earliest, yet indigenous women are still suffering and there is no interim plan in place to help them.

Can the Prime Minister explain what action has been taken to help at-risk indigenous women?

[National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, December 6th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, today, December 6, is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women.

Twenty-seven years ago today, 14 women were killed in cold blood at École polytechnique in Montreal. This sad anniversary marks a dark day in Canada's history, and we will never forget the victims of those crimes.

However, our observance today strengthens our resolve to end violence against women. This is a duty that calls us all to action, men and women, government and business, community organizations, and everyday citizens, because remembrance is not enough. We need concrete actions. As parliamentarians, we have the power to help women who have been the target of violence, whether it is verbal, emotional, or physical.

Today, and every day, let us work together, men and women, to end violence against women.

[Ethics, December 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, we may have some of the strictest fundraising rules in Canada, but the Prime Minister is breaking them every time he holds one of these events when he is talking about government business. He is actually selling access to himself, the most powerful person in government. Discussing government business to fill Liberal Party coffers is wrong, it is unethical, and it is actually illegal.

When will the Prime Minister come to his senses and end this cash for access fundraising?

[Ethics, December 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the more we learn about the Prime Minister's cash for access fundraising practices, the worse it gets. We were all shocked when the Prime Minister first confessed that he was discussing business at these fundraisers. That is not only unethical, it is illegal. The Prime Minister discussed various issues at his events with Chinese billionaires, including changing Canadian investment rules to directly benefit them.

The Prime Minister's job is to defend Canadians' interests, not to put them up for sale. When is he going to realize that this wrong?

[Taxation, December 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, they are working so hard, that is for sure.

In the most recent budget, the Liberals cut tax breaks for small businesses and for families. Afterward, they announced Canada Pension Plan increases and the introduction of a carbon tax, which will cost families thousands of dollars each year. Now they want to tax drug and dental plans.

Can the Prime Minister tell Canadians what he intends to tax more to pay for his out-of-control spending?

[Taxation, December 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development knows full well that the measure that people look at is the number of full-time jobs created. We have lost 30,500 full-time jobs, and the government, the parliamentary secretary, and the Prime Minister have not created one additional full-time job since coming into office.

Now we hear he also wants to tax the health and dental benefits provided by employers, which will mean working Canadians will have to pay even more income tax. Can the Prime Minister now promise in the House that he is not going to tax the health and dental benefits that 13.5 million Canadians rely on?

[Employment, December 5th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, Canada has now lost 30,500 full-time jobs since the Prime Minister took office, and it is about to get a lot worse. While the Prime Minister continues to hike taxes and drive up the cost of doing business in Canada, the U.S. is going in the other direction. It is committed to cutting corporate taxes in half and lowering the price of energy.

How many more Canadian jobs need to be lost before the Prime Minister wakes up to this new reality?

[Health, December 1st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, World AIDS Day is when we show our support for those living with HIV and AIDS. But the Prime Minister is planning to cut funding to many community-based organizations, including the Canadian AIDS Society and the All Nations Hope Network, the only aboriginal AIDS network in Saskatchewan. It is on the front lines fighting against HIV/AIDS, and it may be forced to close its doors.

Instead of just raising flags on World AIDS Day, will the Prime Minister commit to stable, long-term funding for these important organizations?

[Democratic Reform, December 1st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the insults just keep coming from the other side of the House. Every opposition party worked together, worked hard, and came to a consensus.

The problem here is that the Prime Minister does not want to listen to Canadians and he does not want to listen to the other parties, just like he will not have a referendum because he thinks that Canadians are not smart enough, that they are not as smart as he is to pick the kind of system that we are to rely on. The Prime Minister is wrong. Canadians are smart enough to cast a vote.

[Democratic Reform, December 1st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, this is unbelievable. The multi-party committee spoke and it was clear, and Canadians have also spoken, that a referendum needs to be held. The only thing that we are hearing from the other side is that the Prime Minister thinks he is smarter than Canadians and that only he can decide how we vote and what our vote means. That is an insult to every Canadian in this country. If he wants to change the way we vote, he has to have a referendum.