House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 24% of the vote.
National Defence November 7th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence is abandoning not only veterans, but also serving military personnel. The Department of National Defence departmental performance report reveals that the level of satisfaction among soldiers regarding the health care they receive is not even 67%, including for mental health care. That falls well below the 90% to 100% targets the department had set.
Why is this government failing to meet its commitments?
Veterans November 7th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the Canada Coalition for Veterans says it plans to boycott all government photo-ops.
It also says it will not agree to be quoted in any news releases until Ottawa improves its treatment of veterans. This government is not doing nearly enough for our veterans, particularly those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Why is it that veterans have to stage a protest for this government to treat them properly?
Red Tape Reduction Act November 6th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the NDP would like to request that the division be deferred until Monday, November 17, 2014, at the end of the time provided for government orders.
Red Tape Reduction Act November 6th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on her speech.
The purpose of this bill is to reduce paperwork, and obviously, it is important to give business people some relief from the administrative burden, but we still think it is important to have strong guarantees to protect regulations governing Canadians' health and safety.
Can my colleague comment on that?
Citizenship and Immigration November 6th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I just want to clarify something. The NDP is talking about asylum seekers, not refugees.
The minister said he disagreed with the court's decision. That means he thinks the following situation is acceptable: if a young female asylum seeker, a sex slave, were 18 weeks pregnant, she would not be allowed to choose to terminate the pregnancy because she does not have valid coverage.
Does the minister think it is okay to leave this young woman to her own devices? Does he really think that reflects Canadian values?
Employment October 29th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, nobody believes the minister any more. He cannot even count, and nobody can count on him.
The temporary foreign worker program is a real mess. More unskilled foreign workers are coming to Canada. Unemployment is still high, and the minister's job market numbers do not reflect the reality that businesses are experiencing.
When will the minister admit that he messed up?
Employment October 28th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the temporary foreign worker program train wreck is due in part to the lack of reliable data.
In fact, TD Bank no longer trusts the government's labour market information. After having to develop its own methodology, it discovered that Canada's labour market has been ailing for two years, contrary to what the Conservatives claim.
Instead of messing with the numbers and pretending that the labour market is not in big trouble, will the Conservatives tackle unemployment with a real job creation plan?
Canada-Korea Economic Growth and Prosperity Act October 27th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his speech.
He clearly pointed out in practical terms that New Democrats support Canada's trade development and prosperity. It goes without saying that it is crucial to diversify our economy with multiple players.
That said, I would like to hear more from my colleague about the weakening of our environmental standards, which he talked about in his speech. We proposed an amendment that the government unfortunately rejected.
What does he think that means?
Employment October 27th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, when it comes to temporary foreign workers, the government has failed across the board.
In 2013, its reform was supposed to restrict the number of unskilled workers coming into Canada. The latest data show that the number of unskilled temporary foreign workers has gone up again, even near reserves, where the unemployment rate is high. That makes no sense.
Will the minister acknowledge his deplorable error and take the time to thoroughly reconsider his reform?
Longueuil Community Fair October 27th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, today I would like to talk about the success of the first Foire communautaire de Longueuil, which was held last month.
I organized this event in my riding, and it attracted more than 150 constituents and involved 16 community organizations and federal entities, which were there to address problems that arise every day.
Over the past three years, I have seen the impact of this government's cuts on the people in my riding and the problems they have in trying to access the services to which they are entitled.
I would like to remind members of the importance of our community organizations and the exceptional work they do every day. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank them all, even though I only have time to mention a few: Place Rive-Sud, the Comité logement Rive-Sud, and the Carrefour d'information pour les aînés.
It is crucial that these organizations, which work to maintain the extremely fragile social fabric, continue to receive funding. The NDP is building bridges with people, organizations, and services for Canadians with events such as this. That is how we are building the Canada of tomorrow.