Ethics  Mr. Speaker, leaders take responsibility. The Prime Minister appointed Mike Duffy—

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to the many Canadians at all levels of government and in the public service who played a role in the achievement of the agreement between Canada and the European Union, including the Prime Minister, the Minister of International Trade and people like former premier Jean Charest.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, leaders take responsibility when things go well but also when things go wrong. Clearly, when it comes to the scandal engulfing the PMO, things have gone very wrong. The Prime Minister appointed Mike Duffy; he hired Nigel Wright. His inner circle, with whom he meets daily, has worked for months to cover up this scandal.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, it does not make any sense. When it comes to an agreement involving hundreds of people, various departments and a number of levels of government for many years, the Prime Minister is happy to take all the credit, but when it comes to the actions of his right-hand man, he goes into hiding.

Lac-Mégantic  Mr. Speaker, three months ago a railway explosion and fire devastated Lac-Mégantic. Many people are still in shock over this tragic event. I went to Lac-Mégantic twice after the catastrophe and my heart goes out to the many families who had to deal with the loss of loved ones and the resulting distress.

Government Accountability  Mr. Speaker, these past months I have travelled across this vast country, in particular spending a lot of time in Manitoba. Nobody has forgotten about Mike Duffy, Nigel Wright, and the scandal that has engulfed the Prime Minister, but the Conservatives obviously still do not think they did anything wrong.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have been claiming for close to eight years that economic growth is their priority, but they have the worst economic record since R. B. Bennett during the depths of the Great Depression. It does not take a rocket scientist to understand that their approach is not working.

Government Accountability  Mr. Speaker, in places like Brandon and Steinbach I hear Canadians' frustration that they elected MPs to be their voice in Ottawa but instead received only the Prime Minister's voice in their communities. Canadians, and I am sure many members of the Conservative caucus, want us to raise the bar on openness and transparency.

Canadian Economy  Mr. Speaker, of course, everyone can use a break on their bills. That is certainly fine as far as it goes. However, the issue is that it does not go very far. Our young people are spending longer and longer living in their parents' basements, even after they graduate from university, because they cannot find jobs.

Canadian Economy  Mr. Speaker, it was actually quite astonishing to me, because I crossed this country this summer and heard from millions of people through our website and through online engagement, which continues, their frustration with finding jobs, with getting help, and with fixing the mismatch that exists between jobs without people qualified to do them and people who desperately want to do jobs they are unqualified for.

Canadian Economy  Mr. Speaker, I am disturbed at the almost frightened and xenophobic tone that our question has provoked. The NDP members should be well aware that the salaries paid to Canadians by the big exporting companies are on average 50% higher. Indeed, the Canadians who work in these companies receive higher salaries than those who work in companies that are not export-based.

Canadian Economy  Mr. Speaker, if my friend from Acadie—Bathurst wants to campaign against the 1990s Liberals during the 2015 campaign, I wish him the best of luck. The Liberals of 2013 to 2015 are steadfastly focused on the future, on middle-class Canadians and the challenges they are facing. We will continue to work hand in hand with Canadians to build a more prosperous, open and secure future.

Canadian Economy  Mr. Speaker, I am extremely pleased that after a year and more of my emphasis on the struggles of the middle class in this country, the Conservatives have finally taken note that Canadians are hurting. The Conservatives are so incredibly out of touch, arrogant and disconnected that they think that throwing a few little baubles at Canadians to buy them off with their own money is going to be enough to respond to the very real anxieties Canadians feel about where we are going as a country.

Canadian Economy  Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to take part in this debate. Let me start by stating my disappointment that we are not actually debating the Speech from the Throne. Instead, we are having a short debate on the self-congratulatory motion from the government. After eight years, we have grown used to that tone.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, a simple question. In the weeks following Nigel Wright's resignation, has any member of the cabinet or any senior member of the Prime Minister's Office met with him?