House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 64% of the vote.
Public Safety June 16th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the issue at hand is, of course, the former long gun registry. It was this Parliament and this government that passed legislation explicitly to destroy that registry. The RCMP is acting upon that legislation. We obviously encourage them to do that.
I know that the Liberal Party wants to bring back the long gun registry, but that is against the wishes not only of this Parliament but also against the wishes of Canadians.
The Economy June 16th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, all the New Democrats care about are big bureaucracies and union bosses. That is not how to create jobs. Canada has one of the best job creation records and growing middle-class incomes, precisely because we make sure we are serving ordinary Canadian families and Canadian workers with policies that benefit them directly.
The NDP would like to take those away and give those to the bureaucracy. That is something that Canadian families and Canadian workers do not want. Countries that have tried it have terrible unemployment and terrible economic results.
The Economy June 16th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, this government has the best job creation record among major industrial countries after the recession, with over 1.2 million net new jobs, the vast majority being well-paying, private sector, full-time jobs.
That is why the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, among others, have endorsed this government's economic action plan, and why they do not want the kind of tax hikes that the NDP proposes, not just for business, but for ordinary Canadians and ordinary families. Those would be bad for the economy, bad for Canadians.
We are determined to stay on the path we are on and have a good record for Canadians.
The Economy June 16th, 2015
Mr. Speaker, obviously, the facts are quite the opposite.
Canada has one of best economic track records in the period following the great global recession. We now have a balanced budget with lower taxes for Canadian families. We know very well that the NDP wants instead to increases taxes on families. That is a fundamental difference between our two parties.
Aboriginal Affairs June 2nd, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I am not sure there ever was an original relationship that, quite frankly, was as satisfactory as the hon. leader of the Liberal Party would like to say.
What I would say is that obviously the commission has spent a long time on this report, a commission established by this government. It has issued a large number of recommendations. We are still awaiting the full report. The government will examine all of these and, obviously, read them before deciding what the appropriate next steps are.
Aboriginal Affairs June 2nd, 2015
Mr. Speaker, the government will begin by examining the report and the commission's recommendations before deciding what the next steps should be.
We have been following through on specific measures in this area for quite some time. In the most recent budget, we addressed employment, economic development, education and health. Every time, the Liberal Party votes against our specific initiatives to help aboriginal people. I encourage the Liberals to change tactics.
Aboriginal Affairs June 2nd, 2015
Mr. Speaker, once again, it was this government that for the first time in Canadian history recognized the full extent of the damage done by residential schools, not just the destruction of communities and families, and the abuse but also the loss of life in many cases.
That is why we issued the historic apology. That is why we signed the settlement and moved forward with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and have moved forward with various initiatives in every single budget, every single year, on a series of things to improve the lives of aboriginal Canadians.
I encourage the Liberal Party to actually support some of those rather than just give us rhetoric.
Aboriginal Affairs June 2nd, 2015
Mr. Speaker, this government arrived at an historic agreement with the Assembly of First Nations to do just that, to make investments to modernize the education system so first nations children would have all the same opportunities, accountabilities and curriculum of other Canadians. The NDP fought that tooth and nail.
We will continue to move forward with investments and continue to move forward with willing partners, because it is important that first nations children have those opportunities.
Aboriginal Affairs June 2nd, 2015
Mr. Speaker, our government has taken action on many fronts to improve the lives of aboriginal people.
I would just mention that in the most recent budget we put in place funding for training first nations people for available jobs, and new opportunities for economic development through the first nations land management regime. Vast amounts of money are being made available for further progress and reform on first nations education, including more post-secondary scholarships and opportunities. There are also some health investments, particularly in mental health, on reserves. These are concrete things.
I would encourage the NDP, rather than opposing them all, to actually support some of these initiatives.
Aboriginal Affairs June 2nd, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I addressed these issues some seven years ago in the House of Commons when I spoke about the devastation caused by a policy of Indian residential schools. This was a policy of forced assimilation that not only destroyed the lives of individuals but of entire families and societies, and it has had long-lasting implications on entire communities in our country.
That is why we have moved forward with the apology and why this government has taken multiple actions over the years to improve the lives of aboriginal Canadians. We continue to do so. These are concrete steps that are taken. The NDP members have voted against every single one of them. I would encourage them to start to do something positive on this.