Scott Brison

[Democratic Reform, May 3rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians applauded, too, when the Conservatives were defeated.

We will not take lessons from a party that paid a $250,000 fine for breaking the law, that used robocalls to send people to the wrong polls—

[Democratic Reform, May 3rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, with Bill C-76, our government is making it easier for Canadians to vote, and tougher to break the rules. The defeated Harper Conservatives, on the other hand, made it tougher for Canadians to vote, and they broke the rules. We will not take lessons from the defeated Harper Conservatives—

[Finance, May 3rd, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we respect Parliament and we respect the work of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. In contrast, it was the Conservatives who had to be taken to court by the PBO to get information. It was the same Conservatives who called the PBO “unbelievable”, “unreliable”, and “not credible”. Of course those are the same Conservatives who took millions of dollars from a border infrastructure fund to build gazebos and fake lakes hundreds of kilometres away from the border. The Conservatives were the first government in the British Commonwealth to be found in contempt of Parliament for not giving Parliament the information it deserved. We will take no lessons from the Conservatives.

[Democratic Reform, May 1st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, when the Conservatives, in their so-called Fair Elections Act, took away vouching and took away voter identification cards, they were warned by hundreds of experts that it would suppress the vote and reduce participation in the Canadian election. They went ahead anyway.

In the 2015 election, according to Statistics Canada, over 170,000 Canadians were unable to vote. That is why Elections Canada recommended the restoration of both voter identification cards and vouching. That is what we are doing. Unlike the Conservatives, we think democracy is stronger when more Canadians participate in it.

[Government Spending, May 1st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our government respects the work of the Parliamentary Budget Officer. In fact, I spoke with him earlier today, and I discussed with him the fact that this is the first time ever that when MPs are voting on the main estimates, they will know, initiative by initiative, where the budget money is going. This is a huge step forward in terms of parliamentary oversight.

We have been very clear that the government is bound by the amounts listed in the allocation for each budget initiative, for instance in Table A2.11. To increase any of these initiatives would require further approval by Parliament through the supplementary estimates process.

We will continue to raise the bar on openness--

[Democratic Reform, May 1st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the New Democrats for what they said yesterday, that they actually agree with some of the provisions in Bill C-76. In fact, they agreed broadly with the principle that Bill C-76 could actually strengthen our democratic process.

Eighty-five per cent of the recommendations of Elections Canada are in fact proposals in Bill C-76,, so we have every confidence that Elections Canada can make this work before the next election.

[Democratic Reform, May 1st, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-76 would strengthen Canada's electoral system and increase the participation of Canadians in our electoral process. Yesterday, I spoke to the acting Chief Electoral Officer about the legislation. The potential to increase the transparency of our electoral process, and to make elections more accessible and the electoral process more secure, is important. That is why it is important that we pass the bill through Parliament and the Senate, and make sure it is in place for the next election. I have every confidence that it will be.

[Democratic Reform, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, again, we are modernizing the Canada Elections Act and repealing the unfair parts of the Harper Conservatives' Fair Elections Act. Their actions made it harder for Canadians to vote.

We believe that our country is stronger when more Canadians, not fewer, participate in our democracy.

[Democratic Reform, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, there is a court case going on right now on this very issue. I will not comment on that court case, but let us be very clear. We want to make it easier for Canadians to vote and participate in the Canadian electoral process.

The Conservatives, on the other hand, when they were in government, made it more difficult for Canadians to participate. We think that was the wrong approach. We believe that engaging Canadians on the future of their country is exactly the way to proceed, and that is exactly what we are going to do.

[Democratic Reform, April 30th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward to modernize the Canada Elections Act, and we will be repealing the unfair parts of the Harper Conservatives' Fair Elections Act. In fact, the Harper Conservatives made it harder for Canadians to vote. That is what the Conservatives continue to applaud today, that they made it harder for Canadians to vote.

We will make it easier for Canadians to participate in the electoral movement, and to elect good, strong government serving all Canadians.