House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 71% of the vote.
Ministerial Expenses May 2nd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, we as a government are committed to the proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. In fact, it was a previous Liberal government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Martin, that first introduced proactive disclosure of ministers' expenses. It was our prime minister in opposition that for the first time ever members of Parliament proactively disclosed their expenses. We are committed to proactive disclosure, and we will continue to be as a government.
Ministerial Expenses April 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, our government is completely open and transparent. We report our expenses and we will continue to do so.
Ministerial Expenses April 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, Liberals have led the charge on openness, transparency, and proactive disclosure. In fact, it was a Liberal prime minister, Paul Martin, whose government was the first to proactively disclose cabinet ministers' expenses. It was a Liberal leader, our Prime Minister, in opposition, who led the charge, being the first party in the House of Commons to proactively disclose members of Parliament's expenses.
We disclose our expenses. We will continue to disclose our expenses, because it is the right thing to do. Canadians deserve openness and transparency. Our government will continue to deliver that.
Ministerial Expenses April 21st, 2016
Mr. Speaker, our Minister of International Trade earned an international reputation as a global thought leader on economic and social issues well before she entered politics.
That is why she was given the opportunity to appear before millions of Americans, millions of viewers, on these high-profile panels. It is good for Canada to have a trade minister with that kind of international stature.
She should be celebrated for the work she is doing in defending Canadian values and defending Canadian interests.
Ministerial Expenses April 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, our ministers, our government, and our Prime Minister are of course committed to openness and transparency. We will follow all the rules of the Treasury Board.
I just want to say, in terms of the matter of our international trade minister, an exceptional public servant, that she actually became a parliamentarian after having garnered international attention for her work as a financial journalist and a writer who actually tackled some of the biggest issues facing the world, including that of inequality.
She was asked, in fact, because she has international—
Ministerial Expenses April 20th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, the President of the Treasury Board follows all the rules, as does every member of this cabinet. We are committed to an open and transparent government.
May I say that in terms of the matter of the accusations made about our Minister of International Trade, she is a person of exceptional international reputation, somebody who came back to Canada to serve Canadians as an internationally recognized expert on the economy and issues of inequality. We are proud to have a minister of her stature who is able to claim—
The Budget April 14th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, in fact, the reviews are in from economic experts, people like David Dodge, Kevin Lynch, and Larry Summers, former secretary of the treasury in the U.S., who have called for this kind of important investment in jobs and growth for some time.
Their calls were ignored by the previous government. We have listened.
We have also heard from the Governor of the Bank of Canada, who said that we have a better mix of policies today than we would have had without that fiscal change.
The reviews are in, and we are doing the right thing.
The Budget April 14th, 2016
Mr. Speaker, it is clear that our government is completely open and transparent. That is why we gave all the numbers to the parliamentary budget officer. We will continue to co-operate with his office because we have a great deal of respect for the work he does.
Points of Order March 22nd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the question from the hon. member in response to the question from the NDP earlier today. I think the hon. member would agree with me that there is a difference between supporting of provincial candidates who share values and alleging—
Ethics March 22nd, 2016
Mr. Speaker, I was asked this question a couple of weeks ago and, in fact, I spoke with cabinet colleagues earnestly in order to determine what the federal role would be today in this issue. The reality is that it is a provincial issue.
I know the hon. member has some experience in provincial politics, and I remind him that now he is in federal politics and he ought to stick to federal politics, particularly during electoral periods provincially. On this side of the House, we will not interfere in provincial elections.