Canada Pension Plan  Mr. Speaker, the member knows that according to McKinsey & Company, 83% of Canadian households are on track to maintain their current living standards in retirement. Statistics Canada says that the share of Canadian seniors living on low incomes, which I think is called the LICO, has gone from 29% in 1970 to 3.7% today.

Canada Pension Plan  Madam Speaker, a few times now the Minister of Finance has said that the debate is at a stalemate. I do not know how it has been stalemated in any way. We have had eight days of debate. This is the ninth time the government has moved time allocation on a bill. The minister said that 70 members of Parliament have risen and spoken, among them about 40 Conservatives.

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, my family fled the communist regime in Poland, so I know a bit about communist repression. After decades of brutal repression in Cuba, this past weekend was a time when Cubans could finally dream of freedom. Under Castro's rule, Cubans who opposed him faced torture, imprisonment, forced exile, or death by firing squad.

Request for Emergency Debate  Mr. Speaker, I wrote to you to press for an emergency debate on the jobs crisis in Alberta's energy sector, pursuant to Standing Order 52. Albertans are facing the worst economic headwinds in several generations. Over 122,000 energy workers have lost their jobs since the oil crash, and Alberta's unemployment rate now sits at 8.5%.

Venezuela  Mr. Speaker, last week, the Prime Minister travelled to South America, choosing to stop in Cuba but skipping Venezuela. Venezuelan opposition leaders are unjustly imprisoned by the Chavista regime of Maduro that receives heavy support from the Castros in Cuba. Sky-high crime rates, vast corruption, chronic food shortages, and spiralling inflation have Venezuela on the verge of collapse.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table a petition on electoral reform. It is signed by 144 petitioners, who are calling upon the House of Commons to pass a motion affirming the need for a national referendum on any proposal to change Canada's current method of electing members of Parliament before that proposal is implemented into law.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I will say I support a carbon tax if it is 0% collected and 0% levied. Basically, no carbon tax is the only one I will accept. We are an export-driven economy, and when I look at the markets that we compete against internationally, none of them are really moving full hog towards a carbon tax.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, the member's question is very short and is more of a philosophical question. I will not answer it directly, but maybe we could have a conversation offside about it. I have said in this House before that I have been a big promoter of all pipeline projects across Canada, as long as they go through the regulatory process as it is supposed to be done, without protestors intervening in panel meetings, without people trying to actively undermine the process that was established by law.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be joining this debate on what is now the amendment to the amendment of the bill. Sadly, this will be the last day, so I am lucky to be getting a chance to get up and speak in the House. I will probably not get a chance to speak at committee, although the Liberals are saying that it will be a great opportunity for all of us to go there to participate.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Madam Speaker, the member talked about the generous programs of the government, which it is basically financing with debt, large volumes of debt that will be paid for by future generations. This debt will have to be paid by them through higher taxes. That is quite the legacy the government is leaving for our children, the next generation that comes after us, and probably our grandchildren.

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to the appointment of Mary Jean McFall to the position of Chief of Staff to the Minister of Agriculture: (a) how many meetings has she had with representatives from any organization that represents chicken, egg, or poultry farmers; and (b) what are the details of those meetings, including (i) date, (ii) location, (iii) name of organization(s) represented, (iv) titles of attendees, (v) topics discussed?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to the visit of the Chinese Premier to the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, in September 2016, including the installation of a privacy wall outside of the Hotel: (a) on what date did the government become aware that the wall would be constructed; (b) in what manner was the government notified that the wall would be constructed; (c) who notified the government that the wall would be constructed; (d) what are the details regarding any communication the government has had with Chinese representatives regarding the wall; (e) did the National Capital Commission give the Westin permission for the construction of the wall; (f) did any other government department give the Westin permission for the construction of the wall; (g) did the Prime Minister or anyone from the PMO ever raise the issue of the wall with members of the Chinese government; (h) if the answer to (g) is affirmative, what are the details of such interactions including the dates and titles of individuals involved in the communication; (i) did the government pay any costs to the Westin Hotel associated with the visit of the Chinese delegation and, if so, what was the amount; (j) what is the breakdown of any costs associated with (i), including number of rooms, number of nights, and amounts spent on food and beverages?

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, last week the foreign affairs minister and two of his Liberal colleagues held a private round table on appeasing Iran. Two attendees said it was unfairly balanced toward supporters of Iran, stacked in favour of those who want to cozy up to this serial human rights abuser.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, a Trans Mountain ministerial panel has submitted its report to the Minister of Natural Resources, who will eventually bring to cabinet a recommendation on Kinder Morgan's project by December. However, the minister has said that he will not champion pipelines. He will not champion the energy jobs they create and the families they support.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 2  Mr. Speaker, I do not think I can call what Albertans do rip and strip. Do we accuse the lentil industry of not making soup in Canada because it found markets overseas to send upgraded lentils to? Do we accuse farmers exporting wheat of ripping and stripping from the natural landscape because they will not produce bread here and instead export their wheat to other countries?