Sadia Groguhé

[Black History Month, February 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Black History Month is an opportunity for us to reflect on the contribution that people of African and Caribbean origin make to the history of Canada and the world.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, an emblem of the affirmation of Blacks on the social and political scene. He showed us the power of civic engagement, leading by example and by his words, “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything, so, stand for something.”

I am proud to acknowledge the remarkable members of the community who stand up and get involved day after day to make things happen . Some of those community members will be honoured in Montreal throughout this month.

There is Lydie Olga Ntap, who founded Canada's first women's museum, in Longueuil. There is also Bebeto Lonsili, an artist activist, who promotes African culture in Montreal and throughout Quebec. I am also thinking of Adelle Blackett, who devotes her time and energy to defending human rights and labour rights.

There are so many inspiring examples. There are so many people, who, in their own way, are building a Canada of inclusion and equality, a Canada that reflects who we are and a Canada that brings us together.

[Business of Supply, February 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my colleague for his speech and congratulating him. He is an honourable representative and a credit to his province.

The Conservatives made a promise to Newfoundland and Labrador, and they have to keep that promise. As my colleague said, even a child knows what a promise is and how important it is to keep promises. My colleague talked about how important the fishery is and the impact of breaking that promise on a province's economy.

Can my colleague go into a little more detail about the economic consequences of breaking that promise? I figure it must be disastrous.

[Employment, January 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, shirking one's responsibilities is not showing leadership.

Speaking of leadership, our leader presented a credible and responsible plan this week to stimulate job creation in the manufacturing sector and small business. We have lost 400,000 jobs in this sector, and this cannot continue. Our plan has tangible solutions to stimulate innovation and modernize businesses.

When will the government support manufacturers that invest in research and development and create good jobs?

[Intergovernmental Affairs, January 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, provincial premiers are meeting in Ottawa today to talk about the economic crisis our country is facing and job insecurity. The need to reinvest in our infrastructure and funding for health care will also be on the agenda.

The federal government has an important role to play here, as it unilaterally cut $36 billion from provincial transfers.

Why is the Prime Minister boycotting the meeting of the Council of the Federation when it is discussing issues that are important to Canadians?

[Seniors, January 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday a resident of the Jazz Longueuil seniors home jumped from the ninth floor of her building. This act of desperation has shaken the entire city of Longueuil and everyone in my riding.

With National Suicide Prevention Week just around the corner, this terrible tragedy reminds us of the scope of the problem among seniors. Every year some 150 seniors in Canada, feeling isolated and abandoned and with nowhere to turn, commit suicide. The situation is urgent and is getting worse.

In my riding alone, the number of seniors will increase by 80% in the next 10 years. Community organizations in my riding such as Action-services aux proches aidants de Longueuil and Les Petits Frères are doing remarkable work, but they have been abandoned by the federal government.

The NDP is not turning its back on this problem. That is why we are the only party to have proposed a national aging strategy.

Everyone has a right to age with dignity. We need to act now.

[Protection of Canada from Terrorists Act, January 30th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on her speech. On matters of public safety and civil liberties, the NDP is at the forefront and will do everything in its power to ensure that a bill such as Bill C-44 helps as many people as possible. We will make sure that there is a truly democratic dialogue among all members to further this very important cause.

Regarding the relationship between radicalization and terrorist acts, my colleague showed that this bill lacks concrete measures to create conditions that will prevent radicalization from taking root in our communities.

Can my colleague comment further on that and give the House some ideas for dealing with the phenomenon of radicalization?

[Employment, January 29th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, here is another example of the Conservatives' incompetence: we have learned that the government knew for 18 months that the temporary foreign workers program was adversely affecting youth employment.

It took this government 18 months to do something. For 18 months, the Minister of Employment ignored his departmental officials' warnings. He did nothing.

Why did the minister bury his head in the sand while his program was throwing our youth into the unemployment line?

Why did the media and the official opposition have to get involved before he finally decided to act?

[Petitions, January 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by over 150 people from the south shore of Montreal. They are concerned about the threat that patenting seeds could pose to biodiversity and farmers' ability to freely use the seeds that are produced by their work.

The petitioners are therefore calling on the government to take action to support small-scale farmers and protect their right to save, use and exchange their seeds as they wish.

[Committees of the House, January 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the dissenting opinion of the NDP, the official opposition, regarding the study on the renewal of labour market development agreements.

This dissenting opinion presents the many relevant recommendations made by labour market stakeholders for creating good jobs for the middle class, recommendations that the committee did not include in its report. The purpose of this dissenting opinion is to make the government aware of these recommendations so that it can respond to them.

[Employment, January 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' deplorable management and their inability to diversify our economy are really catching up with them.

Since the holiday break, thousands of jobs have been lost: Target, Sony, Mexx, Suncor, Arianne Phosphate in Chicoutimi, Bombardier in Thunder Bay and La Pocatière, Épicia in Quebec City and central Quebec, and now Tim Hortons, which has also announced layoffs, including 50 in Lachine.

When will the government finally start showing some leadership and introduce measures to breathe some life into our businesses, which create jobs?