Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, as the member for Gatineau, and like all members of the House, I believe that the problems with the Phoenix pay system are unacceptable, but we are going to solve them. That said, I cannot believe I am hearing this from a member of the very party that left us the problem of the Phoenix pay system.

Winterlude  Mr. Speaker, Winterlude kicks off today in Ottawa-Gatineau and continues until February 20. On January 12, I had the pleasure of unveiling the official program for the 39th edition of Winterlude in this 150th anniversary year of Confederation. First of all, Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau will feature snow slides and many outdoor family activities.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, the member opposite is talking about accountability when, every two weeks, we send the deputy minister to give an update and talk to public servants, to everyone affected, to everyone who wants to know what progress is being made and what the new statistics are. New statistics are generated every two weeks.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his kind words and his speech. First, we agree on one thing, probably. It is completely unacceptable that federal government employees are not getting paid what they are owed. Public servants deserve much better. As the member for Gatineau, it goes without saying that many of my constituents were directly affected by the failures in this system.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I had the pleasure of serving with the hon. member on the finance committee. It was kind of a sheepish speech. The Conservatives are presenting a motion that they now are having to amend because the government has rejected any notion that what they are suggesting will happen will happen.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, the performance management program for executives is a government-wide program guided by a directive set by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and a responsibility of the deputy head, which is adhered to by SSC. Executives in the core public administration are eligible to earn performance pay when they meet the commitments outlined in their performance agreements.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), from October 1, 2015, to December 6, 2016, the Public Service Commission received five allegations of improper political activities concerning employees from Shared Services Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency, the Department of National Defence, the Department of Justice, and Natural Resources Canada.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), a total of 266 veterans were hired since October 19, 2015, of which 255 were statutory or regulatory priorities. This data originates from the Public Service Commission’s priority information management system. It includes appointments from organizations subject to the Public Service Employment Act, as well as appointments using similar criteria at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague, with whom I also have the pleasure of working on the Standing Committee on Finance. Unfortunately, he is proposing the same solutions in the House as on the Standing Committee on Finance. It is the same dog’s breakfast that was served up all through the Harper years.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member knows very well that nine million Canadians are going to benefit from a middle-class tax cut. To hear a Conservative talk about tax cuts and vote against tax cuts for the middle class is, quite frankly, a very astounding thing to hear, when we consider the debates that have come before us in this place.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, trust me; I do not need a lot of help from over on that side. What I do hear is a lot of regret that they opposed a tax cut on the very middle-class Canadians they purport to represent. After nine years of deficits, they are very disappointed that the government was able to bring in a tax cut that benefits nine million Canadians, and also benefits 300,000 Canadian children, bringing them out of poverty.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question. We are very proud of the Minister of Social Development for the innovative new programs he has tabled in the House, including the Canada child benefit, which will benefit Canadian families. My colleague also talked about the carbon tax.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague from Tobique—Mactaquac, whose family I have known for many years, for sharing his time with me. As 2016 draws to a close, I would like to thank the constituents of the most beautiful riding in Canada, Gatineau, for giving me the honour of representing them in the House of Commons.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege and pleasure of working with my colleague on the finance committee. The member raised the issue of the commodity collapse in Alberta, and he knows a lot about that. He was the treasurer of Alberta in days when oil prices were at historic highs.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from the Standing Committee on Finance for his speech. During the last election, the NDP promised to balance the budget at all costs, but, as is standard for them, our friends in the NDP were short on ideas with respect to growing the Canadian economy.