Thomas Mulcair

[Infrastructure, May 10th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, speaking of appointments, we see that the government is ready to fill positions on the board of directors of the infrastructure bank. The only problem is that the infrastructure bank has not been created yet. Can the Prime Minister explain how he thinks it is appropriate to try to fill positions for something that does not exist?

[Official Languages, May 10th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister has violated the Official Languages Act and must apologize.

The problem is that he has not learned his lesson. First of all, appointing someone from his inner circle to this position is a clear conflict of interest. Second, this undermines the authority and the credibility of the commissioner of official languages as an institution. Lastly, it is an insult to all Canadians who strongly believe in the importance of official languages.

Will the Prime Minister withdraw that appointment, which defies all logic?

[Official Languages, May 10th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the media has just reported that the Prime Minister have chosen a former Liberal cabinet minister to be the new Commissioner of Official Languages. These officers of Parliament, these commissioners, have to be above the fray. They cannot be weighed down by the baggage of partisan loyalty.

Could the Prime Minister tell us if that is exactly what is going on here? He is under a record number of investigations by commissioners. Has he simply decided that the best thing for him is that he decides from now on who gets to investigate him?

[Softwood Lumber, May 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, thank goodness for Jared Kushner, I guess.

President Trump imposed massive tariffs on Canadian softwood, risking hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs. The Prime Minister apparently did not see any of this coming; he did nothing on this important file until this phone call from Trump's son-in-law.

The next time the Donald gets cranky, is the Prime Minister just going to stand by the phone and wait for his directions from Jared?

[International Trade, May 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, today we learned more about the Prime Minister's little story, where he features as the sole architect of Mr. Trump's change of heart on NAFTA.

Allegedly, Donald's son-in-law contacted the PMO to ask the Prime Minister to call his father-in-law to help him see reason, as though this were all handled among friends.

Will the Prime Minister admit that this was nothing more than a public relations stunt by Donald Trump and that he, our Prime Minister, is just playing a bit part?

[Infrastructure, May 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, let us then imagine that we learned that the federal government was holding secret meetings behind closed doors with private corporations to cook up a new plan to privatize infrastructure.

Would the Liberals, and especially the member for Papineau, not have been the first to stand up and point out that this is a conflict of interest?

[Infrastructure, May 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, that is from middle-class Prime Minister to middleman Prime Minister in one fell swoop.

Imagine for a moment that the Conservatives were in power and that—

[Infrastructure, May 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal platform says that the so-called infrastructure bank will “...provide loan guarantees...to provinces and municipalities to ensure that the projects are built.” It is funny there is nothing in here about corporations profiting from public infrastructure. They must have left that out by accident.

The Liberals have so far refused to answer this question, but I am sure today the Prime Minister will be crystal clear: will Canadians face user fees or tolls so that rich private corporations can get their cut, yes or no?

[Disaster Assistance, May 8th, 2017]

That may be a tangible commitment, Mr. Speaker, but it does not amount to much.

Canadians are suffering through floods, from Kelowna, British Columbia; to Île Mercier in Quebec; to Saint John, New Brunswick. Some of the regions affected have never seen floods like this before, and many are worried about what will happen next.

Will the federal government commit here and now to fully support these communities in the aftermath of these terrible floods?

[Disaster Assistance, May 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, there is not now and there never has been a public inquiry into the transfer of Afghan detainees.

Thousands of people are watching helplessly as their homes are destroyed. These floods are making many homes unsafe, destroying memories, and ruining lives.

What tangible commitment is the government making to help those who have been affected by all of this devastation?