Rosane Doré Lefebvre

[Petitions, December 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions to present to the House today. The first is about suspending the deportation of an individual residing in Laval.

[Privacy, December 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we knew that the government is not exactly the paragon of transparency, but frankly, we had no idea how bad it was.

Telecommunications companies want to disclose how many times they share subscriber information with the police, but the government is stopping them, supposedly for security reasons.

Why is the minister preventing telecom companies from finally being transparent?

[Public Safety, November 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, what is troubling is that the government is trying to deny its responsibility when it comes to the integrity of the RCMP.

This government is spending its time trying to suppress the integrity commissioner's report instead of addressing the reprehensible behaviour within the RCMP.

What is the point of having a Public Sector Integrity Commissioner if he cannot look into shortcomings in our federal police service? The minister really needs to take responsibility and stop hiding behind the courts.

What will he do to ensure integrity within the RCMP?

[Public Safety, November 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-44, which seeks to expand the powers of CSIS, raises important questions concerning its constitutionality.

Despite these questions, the Conservatives are limiting the amount of time this bill will be given in committee. They do not even want to know what the Privacy Commissioner thinks of it.

Does the minister really think that four hours of testimony in parliamentary committee is enough for a bill on the Canadian Security Intelligence Service?

[Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Drummond. I was especially touched by what he said regarding community involvement in dealing with these issues. He also told us about the excellent work being done by community organizations in Drummondville. That is so important.

This brings me to a question I had about the community aspect of the reintegration of offenders after they have served their sentence.

What does my colleague think that offenders need in order to reintegrate into society? Does he agree with the approach taken by this government, which has been making cuts to the very important funding needed by communities to support reintegration?

[Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to see that my colleague from Burnaby—New Westminster is passionate about this issue. Unfortunately, there are a number of things this bill does not address.

My colleague mentioned the Conservative government's chronic underfunding, which leads me to what happened at the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security during a study on social finance. The government's idea was to offload some of its responsibility for funding community organizations and relegating it to private organizations. It is ridiculous.

In committee, we heard from representatives of a very effective support agency that works with people who are at risk of reoffending in our communities. They gave us a good example of their work.

Among other things, they ensure that there is social support for the people who seriously reoffended in the past, including committing sexual offences against children. Funding helps the agency to reduce, even completely eliminate, the rate of recidivism. Unfortunately, the Conservative government decided to stop funding that agency.

Beyond the fact that the agencies working to prevent recidivism are underfunded, what does my colleague think of the government's decision to stop funding these agencies?

[Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising again to ask a question because I love to hear the hon. member for Saint-Jean. I know that he is very familiar with a number of files and speaks very eloquently in the House. I am pleased that he is speaking to Bill C-26 today.

I would like to mention another topic that is related to Bill C-26 and many other bills as well, unfortunately. I am talking about the fact that there are so many time allocation motions. Debate is often limited for various bills in the House. I am also thinking about committee work, which is very difficult at times, particularly, and oddly enough, when we are talking about bills that have so many important details to discuss with experts.

Can my colleague talk about his experience in committee, namely how it works, and the wish list he is hoping to take to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights when this bill is studied?

[Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that my colleague from Saint-Jean spoke today about this bill from the Conservative government.

I would like to know what my colleague thinks about my earlier comments on reintegration. I know that he cares a lot about reintegrating offenders in this country and protecting the public and our children from any potential repeat offences.

What does my colleague think about the Conservatives' cuts to public safety within our prisons? Since 2012, the government has cut millions of dollars in this area. Furthermore, more and more rehabilitation and reintegration programs are unfortunately being eliminated because the resources are no longer there to run them.

Could my colleague share his thoughts on that?

[Passport Canada, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, this is not a new problem. In 2008, the Auditor General said that the government was charging significantly more for consular fees on passports than it was spending on these services. In six years, this has not changed. Will the minister tell Canadians how much was spent on actual consular services from the consular fees on passports last year, and where the rest was spent?

[Passport Canada, November 21st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, passports are the Conservatives' new cash cow. Canadians paid more than $460 million in passport fees last year, but we have learned that it cost the government less than $257 million to produce those passports. Canadians are basically paying a $200 million tax just to be able to travel.

When will the Conservatives stop taxing travellers?