Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, providing clarity and strong legislation is critically important. We are seeing that in this bill. Would the member apply the very same principle that he is talking about now with respect to this bill to private members' bills, which are numerous from the Conservative Party, where the criminal law already covers it? Would he suggest that—
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Mr. Speaker, the government is not looking for a rubber stamp from the Conservative opposition. We would like to ultimately see the legislation go to committee. Just to highlight a couple of very key points, it is important to recognize that this is in fact a campaign promise to make it illegal to physically obstruct or intimidate to prevent access to a space used primarily by an identifiable grou…
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Mr. Speaker, on the same point of order, it is about 20 minutes before we will potentially adjourn. However, I think that the decision you, Mr. Speaker, are making is without any sort of indication of the issue being brought forward or the time in which it occurred. At the very least, you should maybe take it as notice for other members who may want to provide comment on it as opposed to making a …
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Mr. Speaker, again I want to be very clear about Bill C-9. We would actually be creating a stand-alone hate offence that could be applied across federal law, from the Criminal Code to the National Parks Act, so that any hate-motivated law-breaking would be treated with the gravity it deserves. I think that to try to give the false impression that the legislation is all covered from within does a d…
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Mr. Speaker, when we talk about hate speech and the issues that are related to it and the violence, we have to take into consideration, as a federal government, that we want to bring forward changes to the criminal law that would actually have a tangible impact and would give additional tools to law enforcement officers and provincially appointed Crown attorneys who take these individuals to the c…
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Madam Speaker, when I stand to speak, periodically these frivolous points of order are raised. I want to make sure the time is stopped. Quite frankly, I think I should get a bonus minute every time someone stands.
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The Conservative Party takes the attitude that it is okay for it to significantly change the legislation and that we should just forget about members' being able to speak to it; heaven forbid that. However, when it comes to government legislation, the Conservatives have their politically motivated methods of filibustering. Let us talk about Bill C-26 and Bill C-8. What is Bill C-8? It is a reflect…
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To open the mail, we still have to get the warrant.
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Madam Speaker, misinformation is really important on this. What the member is trying to say is that if any of the 55,000 people who work for Canada Post have any sense that there is any sort of a drug in a number 10 envelope, they will have the authority to open that envelope. I believe he knows full well that is not the case. A warrant would be required. Bill C-2 legislation would put Canada Post…
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Madam Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
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Madam Speaker, my question is on Bill C-8, which we know is kind of a replacement, with some modifications, of Bill C-26. The member himself introduced a private member's bill just last week, talking about how it was reformative and about the many changes that would result as a direct response. That is programmed, so we know that after two hours of debate, it is going to committee. This particular…
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Madam Speaker, when I look at legislation, whether it is on finance, telecommunications, energy or our transportation industry, these are responsibilities that the federal government has. It is the federal government's responsibility to take a look at one of the greatest threats, that being cybersecurity. Putting in a framework and establishing this legislation is critically important. I do not th…
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Madam Speaker, the member brought up the issue of foreign interference, and I just cannot resist. We all know, when it comes to foreign interference, that the Leader of the Conservative Party has yet to actually get his security clearance. If the Conservative Party wants any credibility whatsoever in dealing with the issue of foreign interference, would the member not agree that their own politica…
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Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for London West. It was interesting to listen to the last speaker. I would like to take up on some of the comments he put on the record, along with those of my friend from Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola. They need a reality check. First, let us flash back to December of last year when the Conservatives, the Bloc and the New Democrats, all oppositi…
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Madam Speaker, the answer is no, the government did not intentionally kill Bill C-26. As the member may be aware, there was a Senate-related issue, so it had to come back to the House. If there had not been as much filibustering as we witnessed last November and December, we would have been trying to see legislation pass that is in the best interest of Canadians. All the member needs to do is look…
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Madam Speaker, I can assure the member that the minister, even in his opening comments, made reference to extensive consultations having been done. I would like to think that, as a member of Parliament, I also have the opportunity to consult with, for example, Manitoba Hydro. I know hydro is a very important issue related to this particular legislation. Hopefully the member has consulted with Hydr…
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Madam Speaker, Bill C-26 was killed because of the Conservatives' irresponsibility last fall. That is the reason Canadians do not have it. Let me extend a hand of co-operation to the Conservative Party. At the end of the day, we can all reflect about what came out of the last election. The Government of Canada cannot pass legislation unless it gets the opposition's co-operation. The opposition kno…
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Madam Speaker, I can assure him that will not be the case. In terms of what took place last November and December, I would highly recommend to the member that he read the Hansard. He will find that the Conservative Party in particular was a destructive force on the floor of the House of Commons for going all out at preventing—
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Mr. Speaker, I could reference page 112, “Privileges and Immunities”, in Bosc and Gagnon—
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Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
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Mr. Speaker, I am very sympathetic to the affordability issue for our seniors and always have been. In the 2011 election, there were numerous examples of sad stories about seniors because of Harper. When the Trudeau government first came to be, we made dramatic increases in the guaranteed income for seniors. Every year, there are annual increases that go to the OAS and the GIS. There have been spe…
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Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Toronto—St. Paul's. I want to do a bit of follow-up on how misinformation gets to the floor of the House of Commons. Let me give a good example. The member opposite talked about the food program. Somehow he believes that the food program is an absolute total waste, that the Government of Canada should never have had the school nutrition pr…
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Mr. Speaker, the member is saying it is personal, but let us look at the attacks the Conservatives make every day. Take a look at the late show last night and the character assassination that was being used on the floor of the House of Commons. That is the reality. I am sharing with the Conservatives the facts. They are proposing, through votes and by the things they say in the chamber, to get rid…
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Mr. Speaker, I want to apologize to the member because, when I speak, he feels uncomfortable with the reality of what has actually taken place and the type of misinformation the Conservatives continue to put on the record to try to misinform people and ratchet up debate, in order to try to justify their fundraising drives. That is what it is all about for the Conservatives. They are more concerned…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on the same point of order. When I made reference to the member, I said that he was listening to what it was that I said. That has nothing to do with whether he was sitting inside the chamber or in the MP lobby, listening. I would suggest that it is definitely not a point of order.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the Liberal caucus work day in and day out to ensure we are dealing with the issues that are important to Canadians. Affordability is one of those issues, along with building a stronger and healthier Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, we have a very progressive Minister of Agriculture who has been out and about, meeting, consulting and working with farmers. It is one of the aspects that I think are really important to recognize in this particular debate. We owe a great deal to our farmers. I am a prairie boy. I have lived in all three prairie provinces. I value the many contributions our farming communities and far…
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would highlight this: When we look at the most powerful nations, the G7 countries, Canada is one of only two with a AAA credit rating. Second, I would suggest taking a look at our net debt-to-GDP ratio and again contrast it with other G7 countries, where we find that Canada is doing an exceptionally good job. We might even be leading the pack on that particular issue. …
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Mr. Speaker, I think the member should reflect on the leader of the Conservative Party, who spoke just prior to him. When he spoke, he indicated that certain information on the Bank of Canada website is just not there. Then the member gets a question that questions the integrity of his leader, and he chooses not to defend his leader. Does the member believe that the Bank of Canada is correct, or d…
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Mr. Speaker, we had a federal election a few months ago. During that election, the Prime Minister made a series of commitments to build a strong, one Canada economy. In a relatively short period of time, there have been a number of initiatives the Prime Minister, cabinet and the Liberal caucus have taken action on. For example, we have the tax break for 22 million Canadians, the middle class. Anot…
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Mr. Speaker, I would ask the member to comment on two points. The government does understand and appreciate what is taking place in terms of the affordability issue. I have provided ample comment in regard to that, and we are taking actions to support Canadians and put more disposable income in the pockets of Canadians. Having said that, I am wondering if the member would acknowledge that in the m…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order, or possibly even a privilege issue. You just made reference to the potential of saying, “misleading information” in the House, and that is what I want to make reference to. It is a very serious issue, and in doing a very quick search, I found that the Speaker made, I believe it was on October 30, 2013, an indication, and he was talking about misleading info…
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Mr. Speaker, the member and other members have made reference to canola, which is something that was actually developed through the University of Manitoba and the University of Saskatchewan. It was farmers in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan who ultimately got it off the ground, working with a lot of federal dollars to support it. I will not say which political party was in government at the time, b…
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Mr. Speaker, having grown up on the prairies, the very first farm I ever visited was Stoin farm around the Moose Jaw area. I concur with many of the statements the members put on the record here this afternoon in regard to how important the role is that our farmers play in providing food, not only for the people in the Prairies but for all of Canada. In fact, we feed the world in many different wa…
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Madam Speaker, I suspect if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent at this point to call it 6:30 p.m. so that we can get to the late show.
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Madam Speaker, I would ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers be allowed to stand.
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Madam Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
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Mr. Speaker, whether it is the Conservative shadow minister or the member who just spoke, I have a concern after listening to what they had to say. I believe they oppose the legislation, and I hope that does not mean they are going to prevent it from ultimately going to committee. Does the member believe there is an opportunity for the Conservatives to support allowing the legislation to at least …
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Mr. Speaker, I want to be respectful. My question, specifically, is this. If we look at the turban, it is part of the identity of an individual. Is the member trying to say that, for example, a member of the RCMP should not be allowed to wear a turban? I am very interested in the Bloc's position on that in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, I think there are a number of areas where I differ from the member opposite, listening to what he has said today and yesterday. The question I have for him is this. For an individual of Sikh faith, a part of their faith dictates that they have to wear a turban, and many Sikh do, for example, in the RCMP. Does the Bloc feel that an RCMP officer who is of Sikh faith should be allowed to…
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Mr. Speaker, I reflect on the last federal election. We have a newly elected Prime Minister and a government with a full agenda, and it is really quite encouraging to see that not only the Prime Minister, but also the Liberal caucus, has put the whole idea of combatting hate on the agenda by bringing in legislation within six months of being in government. I see that as a positive, especially when…
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Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to address the chamber. Here we have before us a really important issue. The issue of racism and hatred is very much real and has been for many years. Over the last number of years, for different reasons, we have seen the escalation of hatred. This is something that all of us should be concerned about. There are reports of crimes motivated by hatred; I was prov…
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Mr. Speaker, it is interesting the way the Conservative Party, over the last number of years, always tends to deal with the Prime Minister or cabinet ministers. At the end of the day, we have a wonderful opportunity on the floor of the House of Commons to debate ideas and policies, to take a look at what the government is or is not doing and so forth. It is a fantastic opportunity that I would arg…
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Mr. Speaker, like prime ministers before him, the Prime Minister has put things into blind trusts and is being transparent. I am trying to provide some sense of accountability and transparency, in terms of the motivation of the Conservative Party of Canada and why its members continually attack personalities as opposed to dealing with substantial public policy. That is what I find quite unfortunat…
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Mr. Speaker, we take this issue very seriously. We are very much concerned about Canada's economy and the issue of employment. In fact, when the Prime Minister was elected six months ago, one of the first pieces of legislation we passed was to build one Canadian economy. This is something that is going to generate literally tens of thousands of jobs. Recently, we heard the announcement about major…
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Mr. Speaker, the member says, though I do not necessarily believe the number, that we lost 100,000 jobs in the last few months. When there is a new government and a new prime minister, we cannot expect that instantaneously the stats are going to reverse. Instead I would suggest taking a look at the initiative the Prime Minister has just announced with the different premiers and the stakeholders th…
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Mr. Speaker, you have commented on brevity during the introduction of private members' bills. We are finding that introductions are becoming more and more political. The statement that was just made is an excellent demonstration of this. I think you need to go back to the Standing Orders and provide a comment on how private members' bills are supposed to be introduced.
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Madam Speaker, it is with pleasure that I table a petition from residents who are genuinely concerned about health care, in terms of everything from dealing with credential recognition to the treatment that nurses and health care professionals get in facilities, capital infrastructure and so much more. They are asking for a higher sense of co-operation between the different levels of government, i…
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