Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, this week marks one year since the minister introduced the Phoenix pay system despite a number of reports advising against it. That decision has had some harsh repercussions for thousands of Canadians. I have some examples to share. Mr. Little is a federal correctional officer who has not been paid for months and is in danger of losing everything.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, in this story, the government is not the victim, it is the accomplice of the Phoenix fiasco. The opposition, the media, and public servants do not believe the Liberal government's story. It is refusing to take responsibility, and it is hiding behind excuses that nobody buys.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Longueuil—Saint-Hubert for his speech. I have enormous respect for him. He is entirely right. Every democratic state, especially liberal democracies, must exercise great vigilance toward all hateful or radicalizing trends, but also toward all political agendas of any religion whatsoever.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, my riding is home to 200 public servants who work for the Canada Revenue Agency. These public servants work very hard for Canadians and their families, and, as one can well imagine, they have bills to pay. For the past year, the Phoenix fiasco has been hitting them hard.

Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I wish my memory was that good. I do not know which word comes after “free trade” in the dictionary. I assume the hon. member knows which one it is, even if he is asking me. I sure would like to know.

Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, we have to be aware that the impacts might be numerous, wide-ranging, and certainly scary, if not problematic, for our economy, for the well-being of all Canadian citizens, and certainly for the residents of my riding. That is why I call upon the government to not just try to publicly seem to be doing a good job.

Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take part in the debate on Bill C-31, an act to implement the free trade agreement between Canada and Ukraine. I want to take a moment to talk about the history of humanity, which will hopefully yield some insight into the notion of free trade. What is trade, essentially?

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, let us talk a little about Phoenix. The parliamentary secretary and his minister have been providing very poor leadership. First, the minister never admitted that she made a mistake by implementing the Phoenix pay system in February 2016. Second, she is not taking responsibility for the situation.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, there is clearly a political controversy surrounding the procurement of the Super Hornet fighter jets. At the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates yesterday, the Liberals refused to hold an emergency debate, even though that committee's mandate is to examine procurement contracts.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix pay system fiasco has been going on for over a year now and things just keep getting worse. One day, public servants are being paid too much. The next, they are being paid too little. The worst part is that the Liberal government is going to lose hundreds of millions of hard-earned taxpayer' dollars.

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, that is the main point: it is not the right equipment. The Super Hornets will be operational for about 12 years, at most, and will cost Canadian taxpayers over $300 million per plane. Worse still, there are no significant industrial benefits on the horizon for Canadian workers or businesses.

Statistics Act  Mr. Speaker, all surveys are very important to our democratic society. They provide basic information, real objective data that enable members of society, such as academics, political parties, and departments, to design public policy that meets Canadians' needs. I myself have always been proud to respond to Statistics Canada surveys.

Statistics Act  Mr. Speaker, Statistics Canada must absolutely be independent. In passing, when we were in government, Canadian agencies and all crown corporations had the privilege of having a government that absolutely respected their independence. We see quite the opposite with this government.

Statistics Act  Mr. Speaker, when I saw my colleague here today, I knew he would be the first to ask a question. The bill states right there in black and white that its purpose is to strengthen the independence of Statistics Canada and give the chief statistician more tools with which to exercise that independence.

Statistics Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate having the opportunity to speak this morning. I will be sharing my time with the member for Richmond Centre. Like the members who have already spoken today, I want to talk about Bill C-36, which is meant to strengthen Statistics Canada's independence.