Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, it seems like the Liberals need some help with their math homework. First, the Minister of Democratic Institutions announced eight principles to guide electoral reform, but then, poof, a couple of weeks later, those principles were magically down to five. Now the min

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, I will give the minister an idea on how to engage Canadians. Have a referendum. In 1992, a referendum was held on the Charlottetown accord, and nearly three-quarters of eligible Canadians voted; that is 13,736,634 Canadians. To reach the same number of people, 40,00

Tourism Week  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Canada's vibrant tourism sector as we celebrate Tourism Week. This week, I invite my hon. colleagues and all Canadians to celebrate tourism's contribution to Canada's economy. This $90 billion per year industry is Canada's largest ser

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, on electoral reform the Liberals keep claiming that they are listening to Canadians but three-quarters of Canadians want a referendum on any changes to their system of democracy. It seems that Canadians have already spoken. Will the Liberals drop the lip service and

Democratic Reform  No, Mr. Speaker, Canadians have spoken. Seventy-five per cent of them want a referendum. The Minister of Democratic Institutions claims that a referendum is not the best way to consult Canadians but at the same time the minister is speaking out of the other side of her mouth by

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, it seems that sunny ways have quickly turned into “Sonny, get the bleep out of my way”. That is the elbows up approach the Prime Minister took in this Parliament yesterday, but it also seems to be the approach he is taking to voting reform. He is trying to rig the ne

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, the Liberals arrogance knows no bounds. It is quite evident that the Prime Minister has absolutely no respect for this place and the democracy it represents. The Liberals are trying to ram through electoral reform just like they tried to ram through the opposition ye

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Democratic Institutions seems to really love Liberal doublespeak. On one hand, she claims to want Canadians to be able to participate in a democratic process, but on the other, she appointed six Liberal MPs to rig the future of Canadian democracy. Th

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, to encourage more Canadians to vote, the Liberals first have to realize that we cannot accomplish that by taking away their right to vote at all. Canadians are demanding the right to have a say in a referendum before any changes are made to their electoral system.

Airdrie Health Foundation  Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the leadership and commitment demonstrated by Michelle Bates of Airdrie. Ms. Bates has endured every parent's worst nightmare, the immeasurable loss of a child. Her 5-year-old son, Lane, fell ill and passed away in an ambulance en route to a hos

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have stacked the deck on electoral reform. All the decisions would be made by six Liberals who have given themselves a majority on the committee. Without a referendum on electoral reform, six Liberal MPs will make the decision on the future of Canadian d

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, what will happen is that Canadians will miss the boat unless the Liberals give them a referendum. The minister claimed that she is going to consult. However, back here in reality, it is six Liberal MPs who hold all the power. Those six Liberal MPs are the only voice

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, I do not think the media believe it will be built on compromise and middle ground. Let us go over some of the comments that have been made on the Liberal plan to change the way that Canadians vote. National Post columnists said that the minister “is adrift in a sea o

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, we were happy to engage in a dialogue, but Canadians need to have a chance to have their say on whatever the results are in a referendum. Listening to Canadians is at the heart of a healthy democracy. Despite those being the words of the minister, it is obvious the

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are once again flip-flopping so much that they cannot even keep the same talking points together for a whole press conference. On the one hand, the Liberal House leader stated that all options are possible when asked if maintaining the current system was