Parliamentary Speeches

Madam Speaker, there are too many scandals and abuses of power for me to read it. However, I can tell the member that the real issue here is that now we have the leader of the Conservative Party who is actually borderline in contempt of the House of Parliament, I would argue, for what he is doing. He is holding the House of Commons hostage and not allowing things to be debated. It is no surprise that he was parliamentary secretary to the prime minister when Stephen Harper was held in contempt of Parliament; the only prime minister in the history of Canada and the British Commonwealth to be held in contempt of Parliament. Also, he now refuses to get the security clearance. There was a litany of abuses of power. Why should Canadians believe there is any genuineness in regards to this issue with the Conservative Party? They are part of the problem—

Madam Speaker, the member is one of well over 100 members who continue to stand up and intentionally go off topic to try to justify their behaviour, which I would argue is borderline contempt in the House of Commons. They are putting the ambitions and interests of the leader of the Conservative Party and the Conservative Party's interests ahead of Canadians' best interests. I find that shameful. When can Canadians expect the Conservatives to do the honourable thing, the right thing, and allow this matter to come to a vote? It is their motion. When are they going to do that?

Madam Speaker, the leader of the Conservative Party is virtually bordering on contempt because of the multi-million dollar game that the Conservatives are playing, and the member opposite says not to worry, that they have a quote from a newspaper. Let me provide a quote. This is from Steven Chaplin's Hill Times story. He states: It is time for the House of Commons to admit it was wrong, and to move on. There has now been three weeks of debate on a questionable matter of privilege based on the misuse of the House’ power to order producing documents Who should we believe: Steven Chaplin or some reporter whom the member is referring to?

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the Conservative Party has an idea. His idea is to cut social housing programs, and one of the best examples I can cite is the housing accelerator plan. Many Conservatives know about that plan because many of them have been advocating for it, saying that it is a good plan. However, the leader of the Conservative-Reform party has made the decision that it is not good for Canadians. How unfortunate that is. He is putting at risk about half a million homes, which is serious stuff, and the type of leadership we are getting from the Conservative right today. It is all about cuts. He does not care about what is happening in our communities. When housing is a concern, where are the Conservatives? They are cutting away, to the disservice of all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I present a petition today to highlight that universal public health care is a core part of our Canadian identity. Free availability, accessibility, equity and fairness in quality medical care across Canada are necessary parts of our universal public health system. Mental health is a real and important factor of an individual's well-being that is insufficiently provided for in the current system. Long-term care and prescribed medications also need to be considered as part of our national health care system. Health care investments in quality care should be transparent and accountable through data and science. The petitioners are, in essence, calling for the different provinces working with the federal government to protect our Canadian identity; our health care system is part of this.

Mr. Speaker, this is nothing more than a cheap, or should I say a very expensive, political game, which is being orchestrated by the leader of the Conservative Party. It shows an absolute disrespect of what takes place in the House of Commons, on the floor here inside the chamber. I refer the member to a story in The Hill Times. The author of the story is Steven Chaplin, a former senior legal counsel in the office of the House law clerk and parliamentary counsel. He is an expert, and he gives a very stark warning to all members of the House because of this game the official opposition is playing. He wrote, “It is time for the House to admit its overreach before the matter inevitably finds its way to the courts which do have the ability to determine and limit the House’s powers, often beyond what the House may like.” The game that the Conservatives are playing is borderline contempt in itself, and it is coming from the office of the Conservative leader. I am wondering if the member has read the story, and if he has not read the story, would he commit to read the story and maybe share some of those conclusions with his leader?

Mr. Speaker, the member made reference, in a response to one of the questions from the Conservative Party, to a lack of respect. Let me highlight the fact that the lack of respect is rooted within the Conservative leadership today. The current leader of the Conservative Party was the parliamentary secretary to Stephen Harper, who is the only prime minister in the entire Commonwealth who has been found in contempt of Parliament. Fast-forward to today, we have a leader of the official opposition who is virtually in contempt of the process here on the floor of the House of Commons. No matter what the Conservatives are saying, I ask the member to recognize this. If the member were someone from outside of the Ottawa bubble, would he be following the Conservative Party, or would he be following the recommendations of the RCMP, the Auditor General of Canada and the former law clerk of the House of Commons, who are saying that the game the Conservatives are playing is, in essence, wrong? It is the Conservatives who are wrong, no matter how much they chirp from their seats.

Madam Speaker, let me be perfectly clear that the Conservatives are playing a multi-million dollar political game that is full of misinformation and completely off the topic of the motion the Conservatives brought forward. What we are witnessing is the leader of the Conservative Party virtually using a contempt attitude toward the functionality of the chamber, which highlights the fact that he was the parliamentary secretary to the only prime minister, Stephen Harper, who has been held in contempt of Parliament. The games are continuing today when we still see the leader of the Conservative Party refusing to get the security clearance. Why is that? What is in the background of the leader of the Conservative Party that he is so scared to get the security clearance? We know he is hiding something. What is he hiding, and why will the Conservative Party not stop the multi-million dollar game it is playing and get down to telling Canadians why the leader of the Conservative Party is so scared to tell Canadians about his past?

Madam Speaker, the member for Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo is saved by the Conservative member who yelled “No” to having that impressive letter released. I was talking about how the Conservative policy they just announced would actually be to the detriment of Canadians. It is a dud of a policy. The Conservatives would cancel the accelerator fund, among many other things. That is true. It is just one program they would cancel. In doing that, the Conservatives would make it more difficult for Canadians to find an affordable home. They would make it more difficult for municipalities and many other stakeholders to increase the housing stock. How many people who are living in homeless shelters, are homeless or are making $30,000 or $40,000 a year would be helped by the policy the Conservatives just announced? At the end of the day, we have mayors, other local officials and Conservative members of Parliament who all recognize the true value of the accelerator fund. Earlier this year, we had the Prime Minister of Canada, the Premier of Manitoba, the mayor of Winnipeg and, I believe, David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Métis Federation, talking about how working together, through programs like the accelerator fund, would improve the housing situation for Canadians. The Conservatives' idea is to get rid of it. I have a sense of who is generating their ideas. We see it in the flip-flop on the price on pollution. It goes back to that far-right element within the Conservative Party today. It is that same grouping, that MAGA right, who is ultimately saying, “We want to cut.” It does not matter which program. We can articulate the true value of the housing accelerator program, but the Conservatives do not care. They would just cut it. We can think about the dental program. One million-plus Canadians have now benefited from the first-ever nationwide Canadian dental program. The Conservative Party says, “Who cares? We are going to cut that program too.” The Conservatives talk a great deal about the economy. As a government, we are focused on Canada's middle class and those aspiring to be a part of it. We want an economy that works for all Canadians. Nothing has changed on that since 2015, when we brought in tax breaks for the middle class, brought in dramatic increases for individuals receiving the guaranteed income supplement and reformed the Canada child benefit program so millionaires would not be receiving the benefits; we enhanced the overall benefit for the average Canadian. The Liberal government has created over two million jobs, which is double the number Stephen Harper did in the same amount of time. No government in the last 50 years has invested more real dollars in infrastructure than the Liberal government. The Conservative Party has made it very clear it would cut the Canada Infrastructure Bank. Members can take a look, do a Google search, and see the billions of dollars of additional funding that has complemented the millions that the Government of Canada has invested. We are building a stronger, healthier infrastructure, something we never saw under Stephen Harper. This is a government that understands the importance of infrastructure, whether it is coming up with supportive programs for housing or building the streets and communities where we live. All of that is being supported by the type of question I posed earlier today on the issue of international trade. Contrary to the misleading information the Conservatives talk about, no government has signed off on more trade agreements than the current government in the history of Canada. Canada is a trading nation, which is something that elevates all of us and something the government continues to invest in. We see the true value in reaching out, working with Canadians and dealing with the provinces in the best way we can on how to build a healthier economy and support Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Those are the types of policy decisions, whether on budgetary or legislative measures, that the government has been taking since day one. I talk about this silly multi-million dollar game the Conservative leader is playing because we could still be doing a lot more if the Conservatives would stop thinking about their personal interests and the interests of their party and refocusing on what is right for Canadians. There is substantial legislation not being debated because of the multi-million dollar filibuster game they are playing. The sooner they get over it, the sooner we will be able to get down to business here in the House and do a whole lot more for Canadians. I appeal to my Conservative friends on the other side of the aisle to start looking and behaving in that way. A good starting point would be the leader of the Conservative Party getting the security clearance and stopping the filibuster.

Madam Speaker, the member is absolutely all over the map on the issue. I am trying to understand what the report itself is actually about; I am listening very closely. Let me pick up on one of the biggest flip-flops in Ottawa, probably in the last generation or so, which has to do with what the member is talking about: the price on pollution, the carbon tax, versus the carbon rebate. The reality is that every member of the Conservative caucus who participated in the last federal election said, “Yes, we support a price on pollution.” Then they got a new, shiny, far-right leader with MAGA principles, and he came out and said that they were going to do a flip-flop on the issue. As a result, the Conservatives are now all opposed to the price on pollution. My question to the member opposite is this: Does he not believe that the MAGA far right has been a bad influence on the Conservative Party?

Madam Speaker, the degree to which Conservative members will mislead is truly amazing. The member said that we have a failed trade policy. We should reflect on that statement. That is what he tells his constituents. No government in the history of our Confederation has signed off on more trade agreements than this government. In the first three-quarters of 2023, we had the highest foreign investment in the world. In real dollars, it is the third best—

Madam Speaker, before I get into my real speech, I want to make reference to what we just witnessed on the floor. When I posed a question about misleading Canadians, what did the member do? He doubled down. He said that it was Stephen Harper who signed the trade agreement between Canada and the European Union, which is made up of a number of countries. That is just not true. I do not know how much clearer I can be. It is history. Members can take a look at the documents and when the trade agreement was signed. It is just not true. Still, his Conservative colleagues gave him a virtual ovation because, once again, he was spreading misinformation with his comments. This is the issue we see with the Conservative Party of Canada today. They will go outside the chamber and say all sorts of bizarre things, whether it is about what members have said in the House or the leader of the Conservative Party going around Canada saying how Canada is broken, when, in fact, it is not broken. Canada is the best country in the world to call home. Only a Conservative, only a MAGA right Conservative—

Madam Speaker, as I was saying, only a MAGA right Conservative, a far-right person like the current leader of the Conservative Party, would take that sort of tactic. It is a tactic coming up from the United States and being funnelled through the leader of the opposition's office, quite frankly, or at least greatly encouraged. That is why I was very serious when I posed the question to the member opposite about the degree in which that far-right element was infiltrating and playing such a strong role in policy development in the Conservative Party today. I do not say that lightly, because all we need to do is look at what will be a very important issue in the next election, the price on pollution; the carbon rebate versus the carbon tax. I would like to highlight a couple of points on that. First is the fact that Erin O'Toole, former leader of the Conservative Party, had 337 candidates and an election platform, which indicated that they were campaigning on a price on pollution, a carbon tax. It is nothing new. In fact, I believe 17 to 19 Conservatives campaigned on it a second time. A good number of them, including their former leader, the current House leader, campaigned on it not once, but twice. The new shiny leader comes in, that far-right MAGA guy, and what does he do? He takes this huge flip-flop on this, like a fish on a dry dock. He changed the direction and said that they would cut the tax, or axe the tax. I do not want to misquote the Conservative slogan on this issue. Behind that slogan is a pile of misinformation. The Conservatives are spending millions of dollars promoting misinformation. They try to give people, like the residents of Winnipeg North, the impression that they have a net loss of disposable income as a direct result of the carbon rebate versus carbon tax. That is just not true, and they know that. We would think that would stop them from saying it, but absolutely not. They continue to spread misinformation. Literally dozens of economic and university professors have said that what we have said is true, and the Parliamentary Budget Officer has reinforced that. However, the Conservatives have no qualms in spreading that misinformation. That is not what I want to share today. I want to address many of the issues brought up by members opposite. Some of this stuff may be completely irrelevant when they start with the character assassination of the Prime Minister. When they talk about the Prime Minister, they do not tell us about Stephen Harper, the person they glorify, and I can understand why. Their current leader is tied so closely to him. Not only was he in his cabinet, but before being in his cabinet, he was his parliamentary secretary. I have this booklet and it is entitled “ Stephen Harper, Serial Abuser of Power.” People would not believe the number of scandals. The leader of the Conservative Party today is even referenced on a couple of occasions. They are talking about the filibuster in their comments. Stephen Harper and the current leader were found in contempt of Parliament. They are the only prime minister and parliamentary secretary who have been found in contempt of Parliament. Let us fast-forward to the comments we hear from the Conservatives today. They are talking about how we have this privilege issue, and they are right. There is a privilege issue before us today. The reason it is still with us today is because the current leader of the Conservative Party has learned nothing from the past. He is engaged in a multi-million dollar political game on the floor of the House of Commons that is in his personal best interest and in the interest of the Conservative Party. That is what we are witnessing. The leader of the Conservative Party is not putting Canadian interests ahead of his party's political interests, and that is unfortunate. This is why I call it a multi-million dollar game. They make reference to the Prime Minister and a few of the issues to try to generate public interest. I can talk about public interest on a number of issues, in particular, with respect to the leader of the Conservative Party, who continues to refuse to get a security clearance. One of my colleagues has suggested that the rumours are true. The rumours are that the leader of the Conservative Party is hiding something from Canadians. Something is going to prevent him from getting the security clearance and that is the real reason why he refuses to get it. After all, every other leader in the House of Commons has that security clearance. Every other leader is taking the issue of foreign interference seriously and getting that clearance. Only the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada has chosen not to get security clearance. Why? When the Conservatives start focusing on the Prime Minister, as they have already done this morning, I suggest that they need to start focusing on their leader, because when he is too scared to get a security clearance, something in his past is going to come back and possibly haunt them. That is the real reason. Then we had the Conservatives talk about the economy. They talk about ideas and how they want to contribute to the economy. Our inflation rate is below 2% today, which is good news. Interest rates are on a downward trajectory. I think they have gone down now maybe three or even four times. We are leading the G7 on the issue. Canada's economy is getting healthier and stronger, yet the Conservatives continue to downplay Canada's economy. It is unfortunate. The other day the Conservatives, who have been very critical of the government's approach in regard to housing, had this big rollout of the shiny, brand-new housing policy of the Conservative Party of Canada, going into the next election. Earlier in my comments, I talked about a flip-flop. The Conservatives seriously need to do another flip-flop on this issue. Their housing announcement is a dud. It is a laughable policy. When we have affordable housing being a serious issue, the Conservative Party of Canada says that it will get rid of the programs that will address the issue. It makes no sense at all. Even within the Conservative Party members are already sending mixed messages. Conservative members have actually written the Minister of Housing asking for more support from the housing accelerator fund. They are encouraging local governments—

Madam Speaker, the Government of Canada has chosen to listen to the RCMP, the Auditor General, the former deputy law clerk and many other stakeholders. In the Hill Times story on this silly game the Conservatives are playing, the conclusion is that the Conservatives are abusing power. We have the leader of the Conservative Party abusing his authority on the floor of the House of Commons while he is in opposition. It reminds me of when he was the parliamentary secretary to the former prime minister when that prime minister was held in contempt of Parliament, which was the first time ever in the British Commonwealth. Seriously, the Conservatives should stop the game and let us start dealing with the interests of Canadians.

Madam Speaker, it is interesting. For the first time ever, for 2026, we are on target to hit our climate goals. I see that as a very strong, positive thing. One of the differences between the Bloc and the government is that we recognize that in order to grow the economy, we have to be sensitive and respond to the environment also. We can do well on both. Sustainable development can be done in a very successful fashion, and we have demonstrated that as a government. I do not think we want to shut down industries. This is not the end goal. The end goal is to have a healthier, stronger and cleaner environment that is acceptable by Canadian norms and standards, and I think we have made major strides, whether the price on pollution, the ban on single-use plastics or the cap on emissions we just put in.

Madam Speaker, there is a very serious issue before us, the issue of foreign interference. Whether it is about extortion, an assassination that has taken place or foreign interference in the leadership of the Conservative Party, there are Conservative parliamentarians who the Conservative leader needs to be aware of. What is the leader of the Conservative Party actually doing? He has chosen to be silenced. He does not want the security clearance. It is disgraceful. As leader of the official opposition, there is an obligation for him to do the right thing, and doing the right thing means getting the security clearance. This is a Conservative scandal in the making, in a serious way.

Madam Speaker, I have confidence that, as a government, we will be able to achieve our goal in 2026. I also believe that we are on track for zero emissions by 2050. At the same time, there has been concern in regard to the NDP softening on the price on pollution. I am hoping we will see the NDP recognize that there is value in it. We should continue to work together and fight for a price on pollution. That is a good thing, especially when we factor in the carbon rebate providing that incentive for people to do things like, as the member for Waterloo made reference to, encouraging the consumption of less fossil fuel. That is good for the environment and it helps support a greener economy.

Madam Speaker, imagine if we had a Stephen Harper government that had invested in infrastructure in the same fashion that we have invested in infrastructure. Montreal might not have to do that dumping and the property taxpayers of Montreal may not have seen the same increase in taxes they have seen. At the end of the day, as we continue to invest in infrastructure, including building better water treatment facilities across the country, the Conservatives' track record on infrastructure has been dismal. Ultimately, they also have to take some of the responsibility for a lot of the things that we are experiencing today, because they refused to take action back then, when action was necessary. Infrastructure was not just created when we came into government. We have invested in infrastructure like no other government before us, in terms of real dollars, but I can say that the biggest disappointment on infrastructure was likely Stephen Harper. By the way, the member's current party leader was in that cabinet and was parliamentary secretary to the prime minister at the time.

Madam Speaker, when I think of the energy needs of Canada going into the future, I cannot help but reflect on how we can use greener policies. With Bill C-49, the Atlantic accord, we can think of the power generation potential from using our coastlines, the billions of dollars of investment that would be attracted to that and the thousands of jobs, which would be of great benefit to Atlantic Canada. However, I do not quite understand why the Bloc voted against the Atlantic accord. We talk about reducing emissions, and I would suggest that this is one of the ways we can achieve net zero by 2050. Can the member explain why the Bloc opposed Bill C-49, the Atlantic accord?

Mr. Speaker, we are talking a lot about climate action. It is interesting, with the Conservative Party and the leader of the Conservative Party in particular, and here is where it is really important for members across the way to understand this, that we have the far-right, MAGA Conservative leader who is actually causing all sorts of reactions, such as the flip-flop on the price on pollution. There is an issue in there that is really important—

Mr. Speaker, I will start from the top, and I withdraw the comment. The leader of the Conservative Party has done a flip-flop with regard to the price on pollution. That is being heavily influenced by the far-right, in particular the MAGA Conservatives in the United States. It has crept in and is ultimately being endorsed by the leader of the Conservative Party today. I am talking about fake news, fake facts and how Conservatives say whatever they want that they can easily justify. This is just like how the leader of the Conservative Party has made the determination that he is not going to get the security clearance, and one needs to ask the question why. Can the member opposite give a clear indication of why the leader of the Conservative Party made the decision to not get his security clearance? Does he not believe Canadians have a right to know what he is hiding? What in his background is he scared to share with Canadians because, ultimately, I do not think he would be able to get the security clearance.

Mr. Speaker, this is nothing more than a multi-million dollar game that the Conservative Party continues to play at great expense to Canadians. As opposed to the government listening to the Conservatives, we are listening to the RCMP, the Auditor General of Canada, the former law clerk and other stakeholders who say the tactic the Conservatives are using is wrong. One expert even indicated that it is virtually abusive. If anything, the leader of the Conservative Party, the leader of an opposition party, is virtually in contempt with what is taking place in the House. That should not surprise any of us because he was the parliamentary secretary to Stephen Harper, the only prime minister to ever be held in contempt of Parliament in the Commonwealth. Does the member opposite not agree that the Conservative leader needs to start putting Canadian interests ahead of his own personal interests and the interests of the Conservative Party? Let us allow the Conservative motion to be voted on.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that member is number 98 in terms of the number of Conservatives who have spoken on the Conservative filibuster, and there are still a lot more to come. There is no doubt about that. I want to take the member to an issue that is very serious here in Canada today and get his comment. The issue of foreign interference is very real. It is something that Canadians are concerned about, and there is only one leader in the House of Commons who has made the decision not to get the security clearance. That begs the question as to why it is that the leader of the Conservative Party continues to not get the security clearance. Many, including myself, believe that he actually has something to hide and that there is something that he should be telling Canadians, but he is choosing not to do that, and that is the reason he has made the decision not to get the security clearance, unlike every other leader in the House of Commons. Does the member not agree that the leader of the Conservative Party should put his personal interest to the side, come clean and share with Canadians why he does not feel he should have to get the security clearance? What is he hiding?

Mr. Speaker, Steven Chaplin is a former senior legal counsel in the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel. There is nothing more than a Conservative game here. We have the leader of the Conservative Party virtually holding the House of Commons at ransom. That is no surprise. This is the same leader who refuses to get a security clearance. When is the Conservative Party going to do the right thing, direct its leader to behave in a more responsible fashion and, to start off, get a security clearance and stop the games?

Mr. Speaker, I think it is really important we recognize that the Conservative Party of Canada is doing nothing more than playing a millions-of-dollars game at great expense. The leader of the Conservative Party is literally abusing power in a position in opposition. That should not surprise Canadians, because he was the parliamentary secretary to Stephen Harper when Stephen Harper was found in contempt of Parliament. Nothing has changed. The Conservative record still is there and it is going to haunt Canadians. The question I have for the member opposite is related to something a bit different. The leader of the official opposition is the only leader of the House of Commons who says he does not want the security clearance. Canadians have a right to know why. What is the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada hiding from Canadians? What in his past is not allowing him to get the security clearance? Can the member indicate why the leader of the Conservative Party is scared to get a security clearance?

Mr. Speaker, this is an incredibly expensive, multi-million dollar game that the leader of the Conservative Party is playing. As of now, when the member sat down, 93 Conservatives have stood up to participate in this game and an additional 42 at the first amendment. They applaud the waste and the abuse that the leader of the Conservative Party is putting on Canadians, by putting the interests of his party and his leadership ahead of the interests of Canadians. Let me quote Steven Chaplin, from a wonderful story in the Hill Times, and I encourage members opposite to read it: “It is time for the House of Commons to admit it was wrong, and to move on.” Further down, it says, “It is time for the House to admit its overreach before the matter inevitably finds it way to the courts which do have the ability to determine and limit the House’s powers, often beyond what the House may like.” It is time that the Conservatives stop this multi-million dollar abuse of power, and let us start moving on so we can start dealing with the issues of Canadians. When will this member advise his leader to do the right thing, stop the abuse, and, while he is doing that, get the security clearance?

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that the NDP brought up Stephen Harper corruption. I have a booklet called “Stephen Harper, Serial Abuser of Power” on scandals and corruption. The current Conservative leader is actually mentioned in it and was, in fact, a point man on many of those issues. Let us get back to today. What we are witnessing today is a multi-million dollar game being played by the leader of the Conservative Party. Much like when his prime minister was held in contempt of court, the leader of the official opposition is on a power trip, abusing legislative and common powers, even when he is in the opposition benches. All one needs to do is understand the game the Conservatives are playing, at great expense. Nothing has changed with the leader. A question has been posed to the Conservatives that they do not answer directly. The Conservative leader is playing a game by putting the Conservative Party and his personal interests ahead of Canadians and not getting a security clearance. What is he hiding? What in his background is preventing him from doing the honourable thing, putting Canadians ahead of the Conservatives and getting a security clearance? Why not?

Madam Speaker, it is very important we all recognize that we are witnessing nothing more than a Conservative Party tactic, directed by the leader of the Conservative Party. We have now seen 95 members of the Conservative Party stand up to filibuster an amendment to a motion that they actually introduced to the House. All we want to see is for the Conservative Party to stop the multi-million dollar filibuster and start putting Canadians' interests ahead of their own leadership ambitions and above the Conservative Party of Canada. It is disrespectful. It is a continuation of the contempt of Parliament Stephen Harper showed when the current leader was his parliamentary secretary. Now we get the leader of the Conservative Party abusing power here on the floor of the House of Commons, even when he is the Leader of the Opposition. My question for the member is this: How can we expect the Leader of the Opposition not to control his abusive ways, which we have witnessed in the past and are seeing again today?

Madam Speaker, I am wondering if I can express what I believe a vast majority of Canadians are in fact concerned about. We have the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, who wants to be the prime minister but refuses to get the security clearance. It begs the question as to why. What is it that the leader of the Conservative Party is so scared of? Is there something personal in his background that he does not want Canadians to know? That is a legitimate question. I believe that Canadians have a right to know. The Greens, the Blocs, the NDP and the Liberals all have it. The leader of the Conservative Party has chosen not to get it. Does he believe Canadians have a right to know why?

Mr. Speaker, the simple answer is the Conservative policy on housing is a dud. That is the bottom line. Let me speak about an issue Canadians are truly concerned about. We have the leader of the Conservative Party who continues to refuse to get a security clearance. I believe Canadians have a right to know why it is the Conservative leader refuses to get it. What is he hiding? Is there something about his past Canadians should know about? It is time the leader step up and be honest with Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, we all know the leader of the Conservative Party had a flip-flop when it came to the price on pollution, but where we are really disappointed is that the leader of the Conservative Party refuses to put Canadians' interests ahead of his personal interests and the interests of the Conservative Party. It is time for the Conservative leader to step up to the plate and get the security clearance needed to deal with foreign interference. What is he hiding? He needs to be transparent. He has to tell us about his past. There is something there that he needs to tell Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, let me tell members what an insult is. It is the leader of the Conservative Party continuing to focus his attention on his personal interests and the interests of the Conservative Party. Let us be clear: The leader of the Conservative Party is hiding something. There is something about his past he does not want Canadians to know. There is an obligation for the leader of the Conservative Party to come clean and tell Canadians what he is hiding. Why will he not get a security clearance?