Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Beijing Communists laundered money into the Trudeau Foundation to gain influence with the Prime Minister. Foundation members who received Beijing's foreign-influence cash were then hand-picked by the Prime Minister to investigate the foreign interference their foundation facilitated. The PM, unbelievably, claims he has no ties to the Trudeau Foundation, yet his office hosted a meeting…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Winnipeg North certainly has a rather dysfunctional relationship with the truth. In fact, what he had to say matched reality about as well as his tie matches his jacket, which is not at all. The reality is that decisions made during the Louis St-Laurent government led to the forced cancellation of the Avro. I found it quite ironic that the member talked so much about…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I used to be on the board of the Alberta Aviation Museum, so I invite my colleague to come to Edmonton to see probably one of the very best aviation museums. We actually have a Super Sabre there, which I believe is the first physical plane to break the sound barrier in Canada. Getting back to the maritime surveillance aircraft that Canada is looking to procure and sole-source, does …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from South Shore—St. Margarets for his comment with respect to Liberal government support. Industry is always saying, “With a government like that, who needs enemies?” He touched upon the so-called luxury tax. The Aerospace Industries Association of Canada figures that it is going to cost about 3,000 jobs. When asked about this, the finance minister said…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Canada Revenue Agency and post-payment assessment for compliance of Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) recipients: (a) what risk parameters are used in assessing whether CEWS payments need post-payment verification; (b) how is each risk parameter used in assessing whether CEWS payments need post-payment verification and are all CEWS payments assessed for post-payment verificat…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, this being such an important private member's bill, we should have quorum here. And the count having been taken:
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this today. I want to thank my colleagues. There were a lot of really heartfelt speeches. I have asked the member before about when she opens her remarks. It was hilarious. It was a great story about the general neutrality of it, so I want to say thanks and to thank my colleagues today for some really great speeches. I hope that we could actu…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that we learned last week that Edmonton has lost another of its finest. Constable Corinne Kline passed away after a brief illness. She knew she wanted to be a police officer from the moment she started volunteering with the Edmonton Police Service. She served with the EPS for 21 years, working in multiple roles, including patrol, assisting domestic violence su…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Canada Revenue Agency's post-payment compliance work related to the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy: (a) what metrics are being used in the assessment of risk of non-compliance; (b) how is each metric in (a) used; (c) how many recipient companies were audited for suspected non-compliance; (d) how many of the audits in (c) (i) are completed, (ii) resulted in a finding of non-comp…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and the Canada Emergency Business Account, broken down by program: (a) how many organizations which received funding are (i) in receivership, (ii) insolvent; and (b) how much funding did the organizations in (a) receive?
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the sixth report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, entitled “Supplementary Estimates (C), 2022-23”.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his continued advocacy for victims of crime, but also for his service to the people of Kamloops when he was a Crown prosecutor. He brought up a lot of very good points. One of the issues I want to bring up is that the government just released its departmental plans for the coming year. These plans set out the priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise to table two dissenting reports. The first one is on the Auditor General's report on processing disability benefits for veterans. The Auditor General's report shows that Veterans Affairs is in crisis. At the time of the audit, the median wait time for processing for veterans was 39 weeks. The standard is 16 weeks. Despite achieving just 13% of annual targets, Veterans Affairs p…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, the member talked a lot about the workers benefit. In the update, the Liberals changed the rules. Yes, it is prepaid, but what if it turns out someone was not eligible after the fact? Normally the money would be clawed back, but they changed the rules so that the government will not be clawing back that money even if people were not eligible for it. The Parliamentary Budget Officer st…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, my colleague across the way talks a lot about GHG emissions. In the public accounts, we are actually studying the government's plan for greening government, which is called the greening government strategy. Part of the role set out by the Treasury Board is that the assistant deputy minister has to sign off on the integrity of the government's GHG emissions, but 75% of the ADMs refus…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates in relation to the motion adopted on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, regarding the federal government consultant contracts awarded to McKinsey & Company.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I too rise to present a petition from many of my constituents and people across the country calling on the Government of Canada to block any attempt to allow the killing of children, as has been proposed at committee by a member of the Collège des médecins du Québec, who mentioned expanding euthanasia to babies from birth to one year. Killing children and killing babies is always wron…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Canada Revenue Agency and linkage studies that link citizens who complete the census with tax data: what are the details of all such studies which have taken place since January 1, 2018, including, for each, (i) the date, (ii) the methodology, (iii) the scope, including the number of individuals whose data was linked, (iv) the topics studied, (v) the findings, (vi) who conducted…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize two veterans from Edmonton, John Kennedy and Bruce Given. John served for two decades with tours in Cypress and Rwanda. After retiring, John helped found the Edmonton location of the Veterans Association Food Bank, serving as the assistant operations manager. Bruce served for 23 years in the forces, including tours in Croatia, Sarajevo and Haiti. Due to health issu…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has again exposed the incompetence of the government, saying $32 billion were wasted paying COVID cash to prisoners, the deceased, people living overseas and non-eligible corporations. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has found more waste—
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General has again exposed the incompetence of the government, saying $32 billion were wasted paying COVID cash to low-income prisoners, low-income deceased, people living overseas and non-eligible corporations. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has found $4 billion more wasted, with people being sent money who will actually earn more income than the program will allow them …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, recent Auditor General reports exposed what appears to be a competition among the Liberal cabinet on who can be the most incompetent. Billions of dollars were spent by the housing minister with no clue whom they were housing. Indigenous Services Canada paid out hundreds of millions for remediation because it repeatedly ignored calls to fix infrastructure. Natural Resources and Environ…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, entitled “Supplementary Estimates (B), 2022-23”.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I would have had longer, I am sure, if the member for Kingston and the Islands had not stood on a point of order, and probably the most ridiculous one I have heard in seven years here in the House. Now, I am glad that at least one member of the Liberal Party is bringing forward some legislation that would help seniors. It had been promised in the government's throne speech, but of c…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will take up my colleague's offer to discuss the CBSA. I have the public accounts here from a previous year detailing cuts from the time the government took over. Funding was higher in the final year of the Harper era and was cut in the Liberal era. This is from the public accounts. Who is lying, the public accounts or perhaps someone else?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I will address that. I did not accuse the member of lying. I asked a simple question: Who is lying, the public accounts or someone else?
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, I believe the member has already had his 10-minute speech. We do not need another one. Perhaps we could get onto some questions from members in the House.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I cannot imagine, should this bill pass, Canadians being subjected to the member speaking over and again in the House. He clearly has a very dysfunctional relationship with the truth about late sittings. One of the biggest problems we have with late sittings is a lack of resources. We do not have enough interpreters. We run the risk of losing our committees. Right now, at the operat…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to performance audits or similar types of assessments related to passport processing times which were completed or ongoing between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021: what are the details of each audit or assessment, including, for each, the (i) start and end date of the time period audited or assessed, (ii) summary and scope of the audit or assessment, (iii) findings, (iv) recomme…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA): (a) how many CEWS recipients were in arrears or had an amount owing related to (i) GST/HST remittances, (ii) other required tax payments, when they received funding under CEWS; (b) what is the dollar amount of owed taxes in (a)(i) and (a)(ii); (c) how many CEBA recipients were in arrears or ha…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to Deputy Minister Working Groups and working groups which report to a deputy minister or equivalent: (a) how many such groups exist as of September 23, 2022; and (b) what are the details of each group, including, for each, (i) the title or name, (ii) the purpose, (iii) the number of members, (iv) the titles of members, (v) the number of meetings the group has had since January 1, 2022…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the 4-year post-payment verification plan identified in the 2021 Spring Report of the Auditor General: (a) how many recipients of payments under the CERB have been identified as fraudulent or otherwise ineligible; (b) what dollar amount of payments were received by the recipients in (a); (c) what amount of money has been recovered to …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I will start by wishing you a belated happy birthday. I am pleased to rise on Bill S-5. I have not spoken in the House for a while. I have been too busy covering committees. It is nice to be back. Of all the hundreds of bills I have debated, this one has to have the sexiest title: an act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, to make related amendments to the Food a…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I grew up in Vancouver, so it is nice to chat with someone from there. It is funny he talks about what we would do. What we would not do is put out government emissions reports that our own bureaucrats refused to sign off on and refused to state, yes, those were correct. We would not do that. We would have results achieved. We would not sit by and congratulate ourselves for failing 86…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, I will be supporting this bill. There are a lot of good points in it. There has been some engagement with the industry, which has commented on what it liked. There are some issues we will be seeking amendments to in committee. Yes, while we will be supporting the bill, there are some amendments we do need to consider.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I recognize their ideological base wants to shut down our oil and gas. Our reality is these same issues he has brought forward are the same drivers of our economy and the same drivers of our prosperity that allow us to enjoy the living we have. To move away from this would strip our economy of tens of billions of dollars. The Auditor General report on the just transition alone states …
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for the excellent private member's bill. I also want to thank him for paying tribute to Mr. Michael Dagg, a hero to whistle-blowers in Canada, who, along with Allan Cutler and several others, helped our committee write the gold bar for whistle-blower protection, one that the government has ignored for five years. What does my colleague think about the go…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, Edmonton's Veterans Association Food Bank is in need. The shelves are empty and donations are down. It has been asking the government for help. However, what is the Liberals' spending priority? It is $54 million for ArriveCAN. That is $54 million for an app that could have been created by a bunch of pimply faced teenage hackers over a weekend using a Commodore 64. That is $54 million …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I rise to table the Conservatives' dissenting report on the 2021 public accounts report. The government misleadingly states that the carbon tax is revenue-neutral. The 2021 public accounts, though, showed that $100 million of the carbon tax was diverted to spending programs and not returned to Canadians. We therefore recommend that the PBO present an independent and true analysis of t…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are getting walloped by not just inflation. Even after paying more for everything because of Liberal inflation, Canadians are spending more on taxes than food, clothing and shelter combined. Here come the Liberals with another tax hike come January. There is no way for the Liberals to spin these tax hikes. Come January, Canadians will have less money in their pockets and sma…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Kingston and the Islands for his comments, but I do want to point out one thing about his comment on sending cheques to millionaires. The Auditor General herself pointed out that the Liberal government actually changed the tax code when it was giving away the child benefit bump of $500. It actually changed the tax code so that families making up to $3…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to recognize Oula and Linda, the two wonderful ladies who run my Edmonton constituency office. The two are probably the most experienced team in Alberta, with Oula having worked with MPs Peter Goldring and Laurie Hawn before me, and Linda having worked with Laurie Hawn as well. My friend, the Hon. Laurie Hawn, often compared his constituency to a car. He would exp…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I am a bit out of breath after running over here from the all-important operations committee. I am pleased to rise on this private member's bill. I want to address all my comments to the bill itself. I am sure the member who presented it is a wonderful parliamentarian. I served with her on OGGO, but I have to say I am not a big fan of this bill. It is almost like it is “bad private me…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I understand that the member for Winnipeg North has to get his comments in. I think it has been probably 35 seconds since he actually last spoke in the House, so even when it is nonsensical, he has to get a word in. These bills I am talking about are much like the other issues I spoke about earlier, which have perhaps more importance to the people of the riding than the one we are tal…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise on Bill C-245, especially after about three hours of sleep due to a late flight. Thanks, Air Canada. I wish we were debating something about Air Canada. I am in the mood for that right now. Bill C-245 would nominally change Canada's failed Infrastructure Bank from a colossal, failed boondoggle that is wasting taxpayers' money to a potentially massive failur…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
With regard to the contract initially awarded by Shared Services Canada to BMC Software Incorporated (BMC) worth approximately $32.4 million for IT service management: (a) why did the contract increase in value to over $50 million in February 2020; (b) which departments and agencies have migrated all of their IT service management to the BMC software; (c) of the departments that have not yet migra…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I do not think we have quorum in the House again.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Madam Speaker, the Liberals continue to fail Canadians on transparency. Official complaints on access to information requests are up 71%. The Treasury Board has delayed its ATIP review for years and the government continues to keep most of its ATIP staff at home, yet somehow it managed to pay over $36 million to private consultants to process information requests, including over $300,000 for one s…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, normally I quite enjoy my interactions with the member opposite, but I have to say that I am quite disturbed and quite disgusted by this measure. We started with the fact that the heritage committee would get first dibs on all House resources, and we are studying some very important things in various committees today. The one I share with the member opposite, the operations committee,…
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, Edmonton's food bank is facing record demand. At the same time, it is facing a 30% increase in operating costs due to runaway Liberal gas inflation. These are resources taken directly away from the people they are trying to help. Edmonton charities need help. The Liberals can help immediately by reducing gas taxes and suspending the carbon tax. Will the Liberals commit to helping thos…
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