Thomas Mulcair

[Public Safety, November 23rd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, all police officers receive in-depth training and are subject to strict rules when it comes to the use of deadly force. Tasers are a grey area that can give a false sense of security to police officers. Another tragic death yesterday in Nova Scotia is of concern to all of us.

Is the Minister of Justice prepared to declare a moratorium on tasers, in the best interests of the public and police officers, until a clear protocol is developed for their use?

[Airbus, November 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, sustainable development is about taking care of future generations. Sustainable corruption is producing the same effect: Marc Lalonde, Liberal minister; Elmer MacKay, Conservative minister; Allan MacEachen, Liberal minister; Brian Mulroney, Conservative prime minister. There were decades of shady dealings with Karlheinz Schreiber, the summum of which was a $2.1 million Liberal payment to Mulroney for hurting his feelings.

Will the Prime Minister take a first concrete step and inform Canadians that we will at least get our $2.1 million back?

[Airbus, November 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, today's La Presse makes it clear, as it was to Mr. Schreiber, that the field was a broad one.

For example, Elmer MacKay, whose son is the Minister of National Defence, once worked in Germany for Mr. Schreiber's arms company. Mr. MacKay senior even posted $100,000 bail for Mr. Schreiber.

Can the Prime Minister tell us whether his Minister of National Defence was at the cabinet meeting where this matter was discussed? Did he recuse himself, yes or no?

[Economic Statement, November 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance pretends to be something he is definitely not, and that is a friend to ordinary Canadians.

He did not get the job done on abusive ATM fees. He did not get the job done on retail prices. Harry Potter still costs more in Canada. Now we know who his real friends are: the banks, the oil companies and the Liberals who are letting him do it.

Now that he has decided that his priority is to give billions more to the banks, does he think he finally has the leverage he needs to get his buddies to lower ATM fees, or is he too afraid that they will send him packing again and humiliate him?

[Economic Statement, November 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, our Minister of Finance, who describes himself as an elf, cannot decide whether it is Halloween or Christmas.

Our national elf went to his workshop to make a little present for his friends—including the banks—which will get at least $12 billion more.

The Conservatives made a solemn promise to the municipalities to transfer 5¢ per litre of the gas tax to them.

Instead of paying the banks, will the Minister of Finance honour his formal commitment to the municipalities and—

[Brian McKenna, November 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to congratulate the recipient of the 2007 Pierre Berton award, Mr. Brian McKenna, a resident of the riding of Outremont.

In April 2006, Brian McKenna's latest production, The Great War, first aired on CBC-TV signalling a groundbreaking approach to historical documentary television.

Mr. McKenna calls his approach “observational history” and believes that involving families in the telling of social history provides a greater chance that this next generation of Canadians will retain and share the lessons of our past.

Over the course of his 37-year career, Mr. McKenna has gained an international reputation for his documentaries on Canadian history, in the realms of film, television and print media. His award-winning and controversial movies and televised documentaries have helped us to better understand key Canadian cultural and historic events.

I hope we can all join in congratulating Mr. Brian McKenna, this year's recipient of the Pierre Berton Award in Canadian History.

[Finance, October 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we have seen this movie before. Last year the minister asked the banking sector to reflect as quickly as possible and nothing has happened. The minister's idea of action is to go begging and then provide his own excuse when nothing occurs.

The Conservatives are posturing a lot these days about their strong desire to govern. Here is a chance to do just that. Instead of whining, why not act like parliamentarians on behalf of Canadian consumers, do the right thing and offer the public something other than the sophomoric excuses for inaction that have just been served up by the minister?

[Finance, October 22nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, our intrepid Minister of Finance is set for a repeat of last year, when he asked banks to reduce ATM fees and was met with a resounding refusal.

Now, his focus is on the retail sector. It is hard to make an argument for the benefits of a free market when it is clear that consumers are getting swindled.

Aside from his missionary work, when will the Minister of Finance start to act like a responsible parliamentarian, to put an end to this mistreatment and help Canadian consumers?

[Resumption of debate on Address in Reply, October 18th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from West Nova for his question, and I will take the liberty of recommending that he carefully read the record of what his own leader said yesterday. He may realize that his position is rather at odds with that of his leader on this very important question, which has often led to heated discussions here in Canada.

If the member would like to know the NDP position on this issue, he need only read the important bill on child care. It contains a very clear provision which exempts Quebec from the application of this legislation, since Quebec already has a position. That is what the NDP leader clearly stated yesterday.

I can also say to the member that what is being proposed here does not create any difficulties for us, quite the contrary. If he were to examine NDP history, he would see that for the past 30 years we have always clearly understood that Quebec is a nation. It is not just a nation in a vague and vacuous sense. There must be meaning to this expression.

That is an indication that this position will restrict federal intervention in areas of exclusive jurisdiction, bearing in mind the different definitions that have been proposed. We are all waiting to see—

[Resumption of debate on Address in Reply, October 18th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Peterborough for his comments. I want to assure him that in my view, we have worked on this issue long enough to offer a valid opinion.

From our point of view, there is less security in this poor country—and I use that word on purpose. Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world that has been at war almost without pause since the former Soviet Union's invasion in December 1979.

Afghans have the right to benefit from all of Canada's peacekeeping experience and credibility. Since Operation Enduring Freedom, the creation of the international security assistance force and the exclusion of certain parties from the Bonn process, we have become more or less stuck in a U.S. led war. We feel this is a serious mistake.

Let us use our credibility and our peacekeeping experience. Let us go back to being peace builders. The women and children the hon. member so eloquently spoke of would truly be able to live a better life in the future.