Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased that the House passed Bill C-50 at third reading this week, legislation that represents the next step in the strengthening of our political fundraising rules, making fundraising events involving ministers and party leaders more open and transparent th

Canada Elections Act  Madam Speaker, as I mentioned in my speech, I am very proud of the bill. This is an important step and it opens up fundraising activities in a way that we have not had before in Canada. It is yet to be determined what kind of impact it will have. However, the fact that the offici

Canada Elections Act  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend for her lovely comments. Very briefly, one of the things I mentioned was with regard to the charter and the right of Canadians to make contributions to political parties and the important element of democratic participation that th

Canada Elections Act  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his kind words and well wishes. I congratulate him on his new role as environment critic. We miss him at Democratic Institutions. I thank him for his question. I would clarify that there are several ways to make donations regardless of the

Canada Elections Act  Madam Speaker, I encourage all parties to act already in the spirit of the legislation, to post their fundraising events online five days in advance at a minimum, to report who attended these events, how much the tickets cost, and where these events took place. I would certainly

Canada Elections Act  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his kind words and his best wishes for the coming months. I would like to clarify one thing: all these fundraising activities are already legal. The activities of those on either side of the House do not break any laws. It is important to

Canada Elections Act  moved that Bill C-50, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (political financing), be read the third time and passed. Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise in the House today to speak to Bill C-50. This bill would amend the Canada Elections Act to create an unprecedented level

Canada Elections Act  moved that the bill, as amended, be concurred in with further amendments.

Democratic Institutions  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague opposite for her question. As I said last week, it is extremely important for everyone in the House to show leadership and encourage women to run for office. Clearly, there is room for far more women in the House. I would like to point out that

Canada Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I am saddened that the hon. member is no longer the critic for democratic institutions. I have tremendous respect for him. I know the colleague who replaces him has big shoes to fill but I am sure will do a good job. If these measures are so insignificant, why is th

Canada Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I can absolutely say that this is not a cynical bill. This is a bill that is making a substantial difference. It is unfortunate to hear from my colleague across the way on this topic in such a cynical manner, because to be perfectly honest, fundraising is an activity

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, when it comes to strengthening our democracy, Canadians want us to focus on what unites us, not on what divides us. We listened to Canadians. They expect us to protect the integrity of our democracy. My job is to strengthen and protect our democratic institutions a

Democratic Institutions  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for that excellent question and for her passion about getting more women into the House, which is something I definitely agree with. In my opinion, it is extremely important that all of us in the House do our part to encourage women to s

Democratic Institutions  Mr. Speaker, I applaud my colleague's efforts to make this place better and safer for more women. Just like her and I am sure so many in this House, I want to see more women running for office, getting elected, and being successful when they are here. Therefore, it is incumbent u

Democratic Institutions  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for her question. I am thrilled to see so many strong women here in the House, working hard for Canadians. I think everyone in the House needs to encourage more women to run for office. When they are successful in being elected to the