Public Safety committee  Can you tell me a little bit about how much funding is being provided from the federal level to specifically the Doug Ford government in Ontario?

Business of Supply  Without these independent journalists, it is much easier for the opposition to peddle fake news stories, such as the ongoing attack ads using public funds, paid for by Doug Ford's government. That is why the Conservatives are vehemently disparaging journalists. However, unlike the Conservatives, our government is not afraid to be held to account by Canadians.

Business of Supply  I do not know about other members, but I have met many journalists and none of them can be influenced or bought by a government, yet the Conservatives keep trying to follow Doug Ford's lead and imply that journalists are the enemy. Their staff said that they would “go for the jugular” when it came to the media. The opposition continues to be out of touch with real Canadians.

Energy Costs  I would suggest that the Conservative Party and those deep thinkers within it, and here I am talking about people like Doug Ford and Jason Kenney, the potential leadership contenders in the next go-around, need to sit down with Stephen Harper and the current leader and start revisiting the types of issues they have to try to overcome between now and the next election.

International Trade  When it comes to our retaliatory tariffs, which achieved a full lift, the Conservatives urged us, Doug Ford lectured us, on how we needed to drop them. Canadians should be—

International Trade  The Conservatives were on the record and were absolutely wrong in the approach they advocated. Doug Ford's government publicly called for Canada to drop its retaliation. Had we done that, just imagine how devastating the result would have been. Members on that side of the House agreed with that wrong-headed and, frankly, weak approach.

International Trade  We immediately retaliated dollar for dollar with Canada's strongest trade action since World War II. Despite calls by Doug Ford and the the Conservative leader to back down, we stood firm. We have the tariffs lifted. We have a good deal, and we are now able to ratify it and continue this process.

Industry committee  Can you explain in particular some of the changes that have been made to maternity leave? As well, I noted with great significance that one of Doug Ford's first actions was to get rid of the chief science officer for Ontario. However, you were tasked with creating a chief science officer for Canada. Can you explain the importance of a chief science officer as well?

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thanks to all the officials also for joining us in the committee today. Minister, among the many mean-spirited cuts in the last Ontario budget by the Doug Ford government, one of them was to eliminate the legal aid funding for refugees and immigration law services. The Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers warns that these abrupt changes will have dire consequences for many.

Accessible Canada Act  We cannot allow the legal voice of this community to be silenced, and I hope the Conservatives opposite will talk to Doug Ford—

Committees of the House  I think Stephen Harper is in the lobby there somewhere giving the Conservatives direction as to what they should do. Some of my colleagues say not to factor out Doug Ford. Yes, Doug Ford has also had a great influence on the current Conservative leader. This was so even in the days when I was in opposition. Members only need to read the members' statements when the Conservatives were in the government benches.

The Environment  It reminds me of the Stephen Harper decade of environmental backsliding and muzzling of scientists. While a cabal of provincial Conservative leaders like Doug Ford, Jason Kenney and Scott Moe wish to spend time and money fighting carbon pricing in the courts instead of fighting climate change, the federal Conservatives are still choosing to ignore science.

Business of Supply  It also has the support of folks like Stephen Harper's former director of policy, Mark Cameron. Doug Ford's chief budget adviser, who testified before the Senate in 2016, said that the most effective thing we can do to transition to a low-carbon economy is put a price on pollution. Notable Conservatives like Preston Manning support this kind of approach.

Official Languages  We just reinvested $62 million to make sure that our kids have the capacity and the chance to become bilingual. Will the Leader of the Opposition stop taking his orders from Doug Ford and denounce these cuts the provincial Conservative government is making in Ontario?

Carbon Pricing  Speaker, the price of gas has gone up 1¢ because of the price on pollution, but in the party opposite, all they do is spread misinformation, whether it is Doug Ford or Jason Kenney or the party opposite, who refuse to actually tell their constituents in their flyers that the biggest incentive that they can get through the tax system is a climate action incentive.