Privilege  Mr. Speaker, it is with some regret, but also hope, that I rise to speak on the question of privilege raised by the member for Malpeque. I say “regret” because in Canada, in 2013, I believe we should not need to address the issue of a politician publicly grilling a witness appe

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, what is hurting the Canadian economy is Conservative incompetence on trade. The Conservatives' ideological approach to trade is now becoming totally incoherent. The Conservatives say they want to break down barriers, but now announce in the budget that they are hiki

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, yesterday's budget was beached before it arrived, like the S. S. Minnow's three-hour tour or an oil spill ship headed to a Conservative photo op. For the Conservatives, it is full steam ahead on cuts: to pensions, health care and EI. On top of their self-congratula

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, this is classic. The government will not talk about the negotiations, but it will spin things—for example, that fish will be a benefit to Canada. It wants to talk about the positives but not what Canada will be giving up. We can reach a deal with Europe that would b

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise again with respect to the comprehensive economic and trade agreement. I appreciate the opportunity to follow up on a question that I asked recently about leaked reports from the European Union that suggested that negotiations between Canada and t

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, here are some facts for the hon. member. The number of investment arbitration cases has surged in the last two decades from 38 cases filed in 1996 to 450 known investor state cases in 2011. Ontario has just been sued by an international company over its decision to

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand to speak about a very important part of our trade agreements in our country right now. Many Canadians are concerned about the foreign investment protection agreements and trade agreements the government signs and is currently negotiating. One of

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I have touched on this already. Four provinces in the country have abolished their senates with absolutely no harm done to their democratic structure or ability to govern, including Ontario and Quebec, which are both large provinces with many diverse regions. The ide

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I do not know why my friend thinks his particular version of the constitutional requirements is the correct one because we have a reference to the Supreme Court of Canada now. My hon. colleague thinks a change to the Senate would require unanimity in the Constitutio

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to stand in support of the motion today: That, in the opinion of the House, the government of Canada, in consultation with the provinces and territories, should take immediate steps towards abolishing the unelected and unaccoun

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my hon. colleague for a thoughtful speech. I would like to get his views on the following. First, I have heard members opposite say that we have to have a second chamber to counter what they have termed “majoritarian rule”. I am reminded

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, if I am correct, my research has told me that some four provinces of this country had senates at one time and abolished them. I think if we went to the citizens of those provinces, they would tell us they have absolutely no memory whatsoever of there being a senate n

Search and Rescue  Mr. Speaker, the fact is we were lucky no one was hurt this weekend. The situation is only going to get worse this summer when our coast is full of kids learning to sail, families on vacation and more marine traffic. Sea Island took 31 minutes, not 11 minutes, to respond in Engl

Search and Rescue  Mr. Speaker, this past weekend a ship ran aground in English Bay near Vancouver. If the Kitsilano base were still open, the Coast Guard could have responded in a matter of minutes, but instead the response time from Sea Island was over half an hour. British Columbians are concer

Enhancing Royal Canadian Mounted Police Accountability Act  Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. If we just stop and think for a moment, in 2013 I think Canadians expect that when men and women walk through the workplace door, they do not check their rights. When they walk through the workplace door, they expect to be treated professionally. They exp