Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, talk about extreme statements. We will have to review Hansard, but I believe the member said that seniors are now being starved to death.
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Mr. Speaker, he says yes. We have a Conservative leader who tours the country, as well as other Conservatives, saying that Canada is broken. Canadians are not stupid, and they are not going to believe the type of misinformation that the Conservatives pump out day after day. The extreme statement of saying that seniors are starving to death in Canada just highlights the type of irresponsible statem…
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Mr. Speaker, I am wondering if the member could give a clear indication of whether the NDP supports in any way increasing natural resource exports. In particular, does the NDP support any sort of pipeline extensions or expansion?
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Mr. Speaker, I would request a recorded vote, please.
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Mr. Speaker, I suspect if you canvass the House, you will find unanimous consent to call it 7:18 p.m. at this time so we can get into the late show.
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Mr. Speaker, I must say I am not surprised, but I am disappointed in the Conservatives for their position on Bill C-11. I think they undervalue the tremendous work that former Justice Arbour did in providing the recommendations that the essence of the legislation is all about. There were 48 recommendations. I believe 36 of them have already been implemented. At the core is the transfer of cases fr…
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Mr. Speaker, can the Conservative Party now confirm that it wants us to go back to the old system and not have the civilian justice system involved?
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, the Prime Minister and the government understand the real value of our public health care system. One of the wonderful initiatives we are taking is investing $5 billion over three years to improve the infrastructure of our health care systems. These are things such as improvements to emergency services, hospital capital and other health care facilities, so pr…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 12 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives talk about jobs, but in reality, they do not want us to do anything. Listen to what the Conservatives say. Their policies, in one word, suck. Let me tell members something. When we look at what this government has done over the last year, we see that we have been building major projects, looking to expand export opportunities and bringing billions of dollars in inves…
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Mr. Speaker, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 974, 975, 976, 977, 979, 980, 981, 982, 983, 984, 985, 986, 987, 988, 989, 990, 991, 992, 993, 994, 995, 996, 997, 998, 999, 1000 and 1001, and a response to Starred Question No. 978, could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled in an electronic format immediately.
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Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand at this time.
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Mr. Speaker, we heard a lot about the consultations that have taken place. I would refer the member to Justice Arbour's report and the amount of work involved in the presentation of that report. I have made reference to the 48 recommendations in total, of which I believe three dozen have been implemented. The essence of this bill deals with one specific recommendation that is based on literally hu…
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Mr. Speaker, in one sense, I am encouraged that the Bloc members are going to be supporting the legislation, recognizing that we do need to take cases of sexual assaults and abuse out of the military system and put them into the civilian justice system. That is encouraging. I hope to address the concerns of the member and of the previous speaker in my comments shortly. I would reinforce that the b…
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise to speak to Bill C‑11 and to share a few thoughts. I would like to address both the previous speakers from the Bloc, who talked about the government since it has become a majority. I want to be very respectful. The last member spoke about when a bill goes to committee and whether she should prepare amendments, as she is not sure whether the amendments would ac…
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Mr. Speaker, I have confidence, given the direction from Madam Arbour, that for offences that take place outside Canada there is a role for the military police, and that they are more than capable of fulfilling that role, such as the gathering of evidence and working with civilian authorities back in Canada. I think that is the right direction, as has been instructed by Madam Arbour's report, whic…
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Mr. Speaker, I addressed the issue of collaboration at the very beginning of my comments. I talked about how, at the first opportunity we had when we had a majority of members on the floor of the House of Commons, the first action that was taken was the passage of Bailey's law, which was a Conservative private member's bill. We have the silver alert legislation, which is again another Conservative…
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Mr. Speaker, I truly appreciate the question because I think it goes two ways. The government has a responsibility. We are living up to that responsibility. Again, I will reinforce that, after this bill passes, the 48 recommendations will in fact be put in place. They are respectful, inclusive and absolutely critical. We need to continue to support our forces in the manner in which we have over th…
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Mr. Speaker, I believe the recommendation is fairly clear. It is recommendation number five from the Arbour report. I recommend that the member opposite read the recommendation. I do believe that military police, in dealing with the issue outside of Canada, have a level of expertise in collecting and protecting the integrity of evidence and securing the situation so that we can ultimately see just…
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Mr. Speaker, I will give it my best shot. It is because of a specific recommendation. Justice Arbour knew, consulted and worked with hundreds if not thousands of people, directly or indirectly, including victims. Her recommendation says that these offences “should be prosecuted exclusively in civilian criminal courts in all cases.” There is an exemption if it takes place outside of Canada. I perso…
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Mr. Speaker, I suspect if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent at this time to call it 1:30 p.m. so we could begin private member's hour.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 109, I table the government's response to the 20th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, entitled “Becoming a Candidate in an Election: A Review of the Criteria”. The government wishes to thank the committee for its work on this important matter. The government is pleased to see that all seven legislative amendments recommended by …
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Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 34 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate and value what the minister has put clearly on the record to provide assurances and make sure that there is some reality in the debate we are having today. I share the concern with regard to misinformation because of the damage it causes. I think about issues such as reconciliation and how important it is that we continue to move forward on that. It is important that we c…
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Mr. Speaker, I had a good discussion with the member for Vancouver Quadra. The concern that he raised, and I fully agree with him, about this attempt by the Conservative Party is the damage it would do to things like reconciliation between indigenous people and Canada. There is a very negative side to what the Conservatives are putting on the table. I wonder if the member could provide his thought…
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Mr. Speaker, the essence of the motion that we have before us today is that it is trying to give the false impression that the government does not support private land rights, which is just not the case. Every Conservative member knows that. The damage of bringing forward motions of this nature, which significantly mislead Canadians, has a great cost. We talk a great deal about reconciliation, and…
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Mr. Speaker, I will quote the Prime Minister directly and ask for my colleague's comments on it. This is what the Prime Minister said, just the other day: “All federal agreements with first nations, with indigenous peoples and with rights holders protect private property rights and protect indigenous peoples' rights.” The Prime Minister has been very clear on the issue. Can the member just reinfor…
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Mr. Speaker, once again I find myself disappointed in the Conservative Party of Canada, as the far right has taken a position of stirring the pot and promoting fear over facts. It is indeed unfortunate, because there is a substantial cost to that when misinformation is promoted. How does the member feel that the Conservative positioning on this file helps in terms of building a stronger Canada, wh…
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Mr. Speaker, the essence of the motion is to promote and encourage fear among Canadians and ultimately, I would argue, spread misinformation. We listened to the members opposite, who even tried to misquote or misrepresent what the Prime Minister was saying. I would like to quote the Prime Minister directly. He stated: The government will always defend private property rights. We immediately appeal…
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Mr. Speaker, I do take some exception to the member's belief that the government is somehow feeding misinformation, I believe that the government has been very straightforward, whether it has been the Prime Minister, in the statements that he made earlier this week, or the minister responsible, who stood up today and articulated, in great detail, a number of points that the member opposite just ra…
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Mr. Speaker, when we think of the modern treaties or agreements between the federal government and first nations and so forth, there has never been an example where the federal government has forfeited private property rights. That is a challenge I would put to Conservatives. I would ask them to give me an example of where that has taken place. Is the leader of the Green Party aware of any?
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Mr. Speaker, I really enjoyed listening to the secretary of state responsible for rural development. I think he sends a very powerful message that it is time we recognize the need for and the importance of collaboration, working together to try to build that stronger Canada and listening to what his father would have said in giving him advice about Canada, building it together and building it stro…
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Mr. Speaker, as we know, it is against the rules for me to say whether the member has been in the House or not, but I can guarantee that he has not been listening because there have been many members of Parliament from the government caucus addressing this issue today. If he would have been listening, he would have seen good representation from B.C. However, I can tell the member opposite that thi…
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question, but I disagree with what the member is implying in terms of a conclusion. I would suggest that we all need to be humble and working for Canadians first and foremost. The very first action we did when new members were introduced and we had the majority was that we passed Bailey's law. Bailey's law was a Conservative bill. Yesterday, again, we talked about a C…
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Mr. Speaker, the rule of law and respect for judicial independence are so critically important in Canada. If we take a look at the motion, it is suggesting that we have a standing committee do what our courts are in the process of doing. It is somewhat bizarre, if we really want to stop to think about it. Maybe what might have been more appropriate is if the official opposition were to consider ra…
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to think I am always truthful. I can tell the member that, any time I have had any form of discussion or been part of a discussion with the Prime Minister about anything dealing with economic development, he is one of the individuals who constantly raises the issue of indigenous peoples' concerns and making sure that we advance the—
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I suspect that if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent to call it 5:30 p.m., so we could begin Private Members' Business.
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, I applaud the member for his general approach in dealing with Bill C-230. He has identified an issue that has been a priority for the government, and he has put forward something, working in a collaborative fashion. Some changes were made at the committee stage. He might have like to have added a little more value from his perspective, but he put forward the idea of working in collabo…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise and speak to Bill C-230. I referred to the efforts by the member opposite in bringing forward the legislation. The government sees the legislation, as amended, as very much part of what the government wants to see happen: more accountability, more transparency and protecting the integrity of the CRA and the system, because it is of the utmost importance. The i…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 11 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we would request a recorded vote, please.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 966, 967, 968, 969, 970, 971, 972 and 973 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled in an electronic format immediately.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I ask that all notices of motions for the production of papers be allowed to stand.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that the Conservative Party of Canada does not recognize fantastic programs that have been a part of Canadian society for many years. I am talking about the Red Seal program. Under the Red Seal program, this government and this Prime Minister have made a commitment that we are going to see anywhere from 80,000 to 100,000 new skilled professional Red Seal recipients…
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Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have adopted this policy of “just get out of the way”, and it is unfortunate. The government has been able to achieve a great deal over the last year. Canadians elected a new Prime Minister. This new Prime Minister made a commitment to build Canada strong by looking at things such as major projects, which means working with premiers and others. In fact, in Alberta, t…
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Mr. Speaker, on that particular note, I have two quick points. I wonder if I could get the member to provide his thoughts on the national food program that was instituted and made permanent by our government. It is going to be there well into the future. I wonder if he could provide his thoughts on that. Within the budget we talk a lot about building capital infrastructure. There is a hospital des…
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Mr. Speaker, the member is just wrong. It is a sovereign wealth fund. Many countries around the world have sovereign wealth funds. Conservatives can say whatever they want, but at the end of the day, it is a sovereign wealth fund. The other thing that is very clear is that we have the unholy alliance of the Conservatives and the Bloc making the decision that Canada should not have a sovereign weal…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today, as someone who represents an area where a lot of attention has been drawn to the issue because of an outstanding individual in a very sad situation. When we have discussions or debates inside the House, they take many different forms. On this legislation that has been brought forward, there is a great deal of interest. I am anticipating that after today…
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