Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, the member, the soon-to-be minister, has answered his own question. In some cases, we have unredacted documents. These departments have followed through on the order from Parliament, which is here to hold the government accountable. However, in many other departments, the documents have come back redacted, indicating there is something to hide, something that must be explosive. The …
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Madam Speaker, all the government has to do, to get on with its business that it claims is so important, is to release the documents as Parliament ordered, unredacted, as per the law clerk who said it is obliged to do. That would end this and that would ensure the government is able to get ahead of its priorities. However, the government is not willing to do that, and that is why we are debating t…
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Madam Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to congratulate my province's premier-designate, Susan Holt, who was elected Monday night. Ms. Holt has the distinction of being New Brunswick's first woman premier, although we must acknowledge that voters did not elect her because she is a woman. She is a person of some achievement, who I hope will keep my province moving forward. Ms. H…
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Madam Speaker, I completely agree. This is about holding the government to account for its decisions. As I said before, the Conservative Party is not alone in demanding this. The Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the Conservative Party are unanimous on this issue. The government must answer to Parliament and produce these documents.
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Madam Speaker, it is because the government has an order from the Parliament, passed by a majority of members of the House, not just Conservatives, for the government to produce the papers. Time and time again, whether it is the Winnipeg lab documents or this case, the government is more interested in covering up secrets than in coming clean with Canadians. The filibuster here is on the government…
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Madam Speaker, that is a good question. When we formed the government, there were some questions, but our government worked with Parliament to produce the documents. I am talking about the documents concerning Afghanistan that caused a kerfuffle. In the end, we found a way to allow the opposition parties to have access to those documents. This government is not prepared to do the same now and that…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, DFO officials, in writing, told me 10 months ago that they would work with the harbour authority at Seeleys Cove on critical wharf repairs. Yesterday, DFO announced that this federal wharf would be condemned, and I have discovered that no discussions about repairs at Seeleys Cove happened with the harbour authority. In other words, I was misled by a public servant. This was after the …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 44th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, entitled “Cybersecurity of Personal Information in the Cloud”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the unparliamentary language; the rest stands.
Read full speech →Oral Questions
Mr. Speaker, after nine years of NDP-Liberals, tax is up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up for this costly coalition's carbon tax scam. Nine premiers are now against the Liberal carbon tax. Today in New Brunswick, Premier Blaine Higgs is challenging this scam in court. Provinces do not get a rebate for heating schools and fuelling ambulances. Carbon taxes are not revenue-neutral when provi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, when I called the question, the member indicated a desire to speak. I said the question had been called. I was not in a position to grant that. I explained that her only option was to challenge the chair, which she did, as is the right of any member. My ruling was upheld by the committee and we proceeded to the vote. I am not going to comment on the hon. member's motivation for comi…
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Madam Speaker, yesterday in the House, the hon. member for Mississauga—Erin Mills rose on a point of order stating that she had been denied an opportunity to participate in debate at the public accounts committee. She confessed that it was unusual, because the Speaker does not normally intervene in committee matters. As chairman, I thought I should respond to the hon. member's point of order. I wo…
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of NDP-Liberals, tax is up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up, and so are job losses because of the incompetent Liberal fisheries minister. She does not listen to Atlantic Canada's fishing communities. The industry is left in the dark. Even former DFO scientists say that she is playing politics with lives and livelihoods. In July, the fisheries minister cut the…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following two reports of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. The 42nd report is entitled “Report 6, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, of the 2024 Reports 5 to 7 of the Auditor General of Canada”. Specifically, it was passed in the committee that we report it to the House; it asks the Auditor General to und…
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Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up. Costs are up. Crimes are up, and time is up for the atrocious Liberal fisheries minister. She has failed to protect one of Atlantic Canada's most important industries, the lobster fishery. In my riding, there are no DFO enforcement officers along the Canada-U.S. border. Poachers from Maine are illegally fishing lobsters in our waters…
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With regard to the action taken by the government to recognize Machias Seal Island as a part of Canada: (a) what specific actions, if any, have been taken to recognize the island as a part of Canada, broken down by each department and agency; and (b) on what date did each action in (a) take place?
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With regard to the government’s announcement on August 12, 2021 to invest $1.44 billion into Telesat’s advanced low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, Telesat Lightspeed: (a) what are the details of government purchases or sales of Telesat equity or shares since the announcement, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) total price or amount, (iii) type of transaction (bought or sold), (iv)…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Mr. Speaker, after nine years of raising taxes, the Liberal-NDP government is doing it again with a new job-killing tax on health care, homes, farms, small businesses and fishing communities. Members heard me right. The taxaholics are again digging deeper into the pockets of Canadian taxpayers. The NDP-Liberals are raising taxes on doctors during a doctor shortage, on farmers while we have a food …
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Madam Speaker, the best time to buy a home or rent an apartment in this country was nine long years ago, before the NDP-Liberal government coalition broke our country. Its policies have doubled rent, doubled mortgage payments and doubled down payments. It is a housing nightmare for young Canadians. For families like the Hamiltons in Saint John, it means paying $1,500 each month to live in a leaky,…
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Madam Speaker, that is not good enough. Homes are not being built fast enough to help Canadians. Mr. Cory Hamilton is a husband and a father of four. He is worried. He believes his six-year-old son has been sick because of the family's living conditions. The Hamiltons, like many other Canadians across this country, have no decent options because of Canada's housing crisis caused by the Prime Minis…
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following two reports of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. The 40th report is entitled “COVID-19 Vaccines”, and the 41st report is entitled “Rehabilitation of Parliament's Centre Block”. I will note briefly, just to commend this committee's work, that the public accounts committee of Canada, of the Parliament of …
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to the table two petitions on behalf of my constituents in New Brunswick Southwest. The first petition is concerning the rising rate of crime in rural communities. The petitioners no longer feel safe in their communities because of the soft-on-crime laws passed by the Liberal-NDP government. They note that Bill C-75 made it easier for repeat violent offenders to obtain bail, Bi…
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition concerns the Liberal-NDP government's plan to restrict access to natural health products and traditional medicines in Canada. These important treatments are used by millions of Canadians on a daily basis. They are legally purchased from licensed pharmacists and grocery stores. The petitioners are shocked to learn that, through the government's latest omnibus budget…
Read full speech →Private Members' Business
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to rise this evening and speak to Bill C-377, an act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act, need to know. I thank the member for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound for championing this important bill to rectify an oversight that hinders the work that we do here in the House of Commons and over in the other place. Like the member for Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, I too recen…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador has contributed much to our great dominion, but few gifts from the Rock rival that of the now departed Rex Murphy. Inspired by his firm belief that Canada was founded on great principles, had achieved great things in the past, and could and should do much more in the future, Rex stood on guard for all of us with great wit and wisdom throughout his many news…
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Mr. Speaker, every year, Canadians pay more for less because of this Liberal government's inflationary deficits and bone-crushing taxes. The Liberal carbon tax is devastating pensioners, working families and small businesses. Today in New Brunswick, we pay over 62¢ more per litre for gasoline than families do in the neighbouring state of Maine. That price difference is all due to Canadian taxes. N…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 30th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, entitled “Main Estimates 2024-25: Vote 1 under Office of the Auditor General”.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I have heard neither a retraction nor an apology. You asked for it. It needs to be explicit. We need to hear it in this chamber, not just a running over of it like it did not happen. The member should retract and apologize.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 37th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts in relation to the motion adopted on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, regarding “Report 1: ArriveCAN” of the 2024 reports of the Auditor General of Canada. That motion reads: “That the committee report to the House that it calls on the government to prohibit any government e…
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Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, the New Brunswick premier has written the Prime Minister, calling on him to cancel the carbon tax. I seek unanimous consent to table this—
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Mr. Speaker, that is up to the committee members. If my hon. colleague would like to urge his member to seek support to do that, it is something we can consider. Generally, our committee follows the reports from the Auditor General, so I would not decide this on my own. If the Auditor General studies it, we will take it up. Again, today is about ArriveCAN, a program that has not worked, as well as…
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Madam Speaker, I said myself three years ago that we needed to put an end to ArriveCAN and that it did not make sense. Now we are seeing that it was very costly. It is not up to me to explain how the Bloc Québécois, the NPD or the Liberal Party votes. We are going to ask why they voted to support this program.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 36th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, entitled “Hydrogen’s Potential to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions”. I believe there will be a dissenting report coming from the official opposition shortly. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to t…
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Madam Speaker, as chairman of the public accounts committee, I have the responsibility for coordinating the oversight of how federal programs and departments are managed by the Liberal government. Every day brings more evidence that the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is just not up to the job. Since my appointment as chair two years ago, I have to admit that not a month has gone by without the committ…
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Madam Speaker, next the member is going to be blaming youth crime on individuals who were born during the Harper era. This is a Liberal scandal. Liberals have had eight years to reform and manage the public service as they saw fit. Those questions need to be directed to the government. How was a company able to fleece taxpayers, under its watch, of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars? That is a …
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Madam Speaker, again, a few days ago, the Conservative leader mentioned that the Bloc and the NDP voted with the federal government to support ArriveCAN.
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For three years now, we have been saying—
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Mr. Speaker, while common-sense Conservatives will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime, the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister is not worth the cost, the crime or the corruption after eight years. Canadians are paying higher prices because of sky-high taxes. Today in New Brunswick, we pay almost 60¢ more for gasoline per litre than they do in neighbouring Maine. On April 1, the…
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Mr. Speaker, let us remember, these Liberals promised they would never increase the carbon tax by more than $50 a tonne. It is skyrocketing, up to $270 a tonne. It is going to go up again on April 1. Voters in my district see that every day when they cross the line to buy gas in Maine. It is 50¢ a litre cheaper. On top of that, the Liberals are now collecting the HST and the GST on gasoline and en…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, with an ever-increasing number of Canadians struggling with mental illness, we need a government that will listen to mental health advocates and professionals. Common-sense Conservatives believe that those who are struggling with mental health deserve support and treatment, not despair and death. We know that recovery is possible. If the government moves forward with legislation that …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it is not about the current speaker, but I wanted to catch it early so that I did not cut him off and I hope he will be given the chance to begin anew. I missed the debate earlier, but I have been in this chamber before when the question of T-shirt wearing was raised and I want to press that again. I understand that you said there was an agreement that had been struck that if a member…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, some parliaments ago there was a debate in the chamber over the rights of members to express themselves vis-à-vis their whips. The Speaker at the time ruled clearly that debates from both sides of the chamber had to be made in this room and not in the corridor behind us, so members came to this chamber and made their best arguments to inform the Speaker so the Speaker could make a bet…
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I think that the advice you are getting from the table officers has to be explained to the House. It is an honour to stand in the House—
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order that is not on this issue, as you will be coming back to the House. The chamber is the place for members to voice their concerns with respect to—
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With regard to government funding provided for projects at or in the vicinity of North Head Harbour on Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick: what are the details of all funding, since November 4, 2015, broken down by department or agency, including, for each, (i) the date, (ii) the amount, (iii) the type of funding (i.e. repayable loan, grant, contract), (iv) the purpose of funding or the project des…
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With regard to government funding provided to Greenfield Construction or its subsidiaries: what are the details of all funding, since November 4, 2015, broken down by department or agency, including, for each, (i) the date, (ii) the amount, (iii) the type of funding (i.e. repayable loan, grant, contract), (iv) the purpose of funding or the project description, (v) the repayment terms, if applicabl…
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 35th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, entitled “Specific COVID-19 Benefits”. There are also three dissenting reports to this committee report. We will hear from the official opposition on one of those in a moment. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehe…
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Madam Speaker, my hon. colleague would not answer the question about Ukraine, a democracy, and Israel, a democracy, both being threatened. Why does the member insist on a ceasefire and not that Hamas surrenders? If Hamas were to surrender, it would mean a ceasefire, it would mean the release of hostages, and importantly, it would mean that Hamas would be held accountable for its atrocious actions.…
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Madam Speaker, pardon me. Why not call for an unconditional surrender as opposed to a ceasefire, which would leave Hamas in place and allow it to massacre Jews once again? Why?
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Mr. Speaker, I was just going to suggest that if you do that, I will then ask that he retract the retraction. It was a good-natured comment and the member has nothing to apologize for.
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