2016-02-02

Mr. Speaker, asbestos has been called the greatest industrial killer the world has ever known and my colleagues have been fighting hard to get this carcinogenic and toxic material out of buildings and people's lives. This known carcinogen has claimed the lives of thousands of Canadian workers, so people were shocked to learn that while the federal government is spending millions to remove it from some buildings, it is installing new asbestos in other buildings.Will the Liberals now employ some common sense, stand up for worker safety, and immediately put a stop to this?

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report is damning. Half of the departments audited had not conducted a gender-based comparative analysis, which is compulsory. This is 2016. This is unacceptable. We must do better.Will the Liberal government commit to issuing a clear directive for all departments to honour their commitment and finally conduct gender-based analyses?

Mr. Speaker, let us compare. The Conservative Party's first bill was the Federal Accountability Act, to get big union money out of politics. The Liberal Party's first bill is to reward big union bosses by getting rid of transparency and accountability for their expenses. Now we know that the unions spent a lot of money to help the Liberals get elected, in fact at least one illegal union donation. Why is political payback to big union bosses priority number one for this Prime Minister?

Mr. Speaker, dairy producers are not the only ones to lose under this job-killing deal. The TPP would also expand loopholes to bring in temporary foreign workers with no regard for the impact on Canadian jobs and wages. The Conservatives allowed rampant abuse of the temporary foreign worker program on their watch and now the Liberals are about to make matters even worse.Will the minister cancel her trip to New Zealand and take the time to look at the cost to Canadians instead of rushing to sign this reckless deal?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party has always complied with Elections Canada laws and has always stood up for the enforcement of those laws. We are proud of our record on this. Conservative Party members' constant attacks on unions are shameful. That is why we are going to repeal bills C-377 and C-525, which are unfair and undemocratic attacks on Canada's unions.

Mr. Speaker, obviously we have much to learn from the Auditor General's report, and indeed how we deliver services in a responsible way, including Shared Services, which is IT around the government. It is extremely important. What we have seen through our first months is that it is not enough to do as the previous government did and simply announce things. It is actually important to follow up on them, give the tools to get things done, and execute them responsibly. That is exactly what Canadians elected us to do.

Mr. Speaker, Canadians were deeply saddened by the recent brutal attack on their fellow citizens by terrorists in Burkina Faso and Indonesia. The killing of six Canadians on a humanitarian mission in Burkina Faso and the killing of a Canadian in Indonesia has shocked us all.On a visit to Nigeria a couple of years ago, I also came very close to becoming a victim of a terrorist attack.Our NGO community volunteers are working all over the world, often in dangerous places. The government owes it to Canadians to take decisive action in fighting terrorism.When will it act?

It really is Groundhog Day all over again, Mr. Speaker. Another Auditor General report, another scathing indictment of the previous government.Today the Auditor General reported on how that federal government made a complete mess of the CPP disability program: long wait times, a needlessly complicated 42-page application process, and no consistent standards for decisions.The Conservatives may have been the ones to make this mess, but it is up to the Liberals to fix it. What exactly is the new government going to do to fix it?

Mr. Speaker, I was happy to write on behalf of the government to people whose appointments were made by that member's government to take effect after the election, with no ability to be scrutinized by Parliament.The member well knows that there is a difference between writing to a government official about the nature of an appointment and writing to a government official about a specific case before him or her. The member should know that very well. To confuse the two is a disservice to Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, theMinister of Foreign Affairs is in Rome today to discuss the coalition's campaign against ISIS. In the 2015 campaign, the Liberals promised to end the bombing, yet it is 2016 and the bombing is still continuing. Today, the Liberal government is discussing its plans with our allies in Rome while at the same time refusing to tell Canadians anything. The media is now reporting that the government is planning a new, expanded mission on the ground in Iraq. Can the Minister of Defence confirm that he is considering expanding the number of Canadian troops on the ground in Iraq, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, more than 10,000 Ukrainians are dead. More than a million and a half civilians are displaced. During the election the now Minister of International Trade called for tough new measures against the Putin regime. The MP for Etobicoke Centre called for lethal weapon aid for Ukraine. However, since the election, we have heard only sunny platitudes from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Why have there been no specifics regarding enhanced military and defence co-operation with Ukraine?

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, the parliamentary secretary indicated that she had no problem gutting the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. Does she not realize that transparency and accountability mean readily accessible information? It does not mean having a report sitting in the basement of the department of indigenous affairs.How can the minister justify to band members that they must plead or go to court to get basic financial information?

Mr. Speaker, he cannot simply tell resource workers and their families to wait for things to get better. The Prime Minister should not be causing additional damage.Unfortunately, his national carbon tax plan will hurt the families of Alberta workers just when they will find it particularly difficult to pay more taxes.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and put his national carbon tax on ice?

Mr. Speaker, the government takes the health and safety of all of its workers seriously and, in fact, of any visitors to our buildings. That is why whenever the presence of asbestos is identified, we move immediately to remediate the situation. We certainly will undertake a review to make sure that asbestos is not a product that is used on an ongoing basis.

Mr. Speaker, the logical extension of that argument would be to say that it is inappropriate for a government minister to talk to anybody about a potential appointment. For example, when the Attorney General is about to appoint somebody to the bench, she should not possibly talk to that person? We should have what? Some anonymous message sent from an account?That is completely ridiculous.The government has the responsibility to talk to people whose appointments we are questioning or whose appointments we are about to make. We did not talk to people about specific cases or their work with respect to any independent tribunal. The members knows that well. She is confusing the issues.

Mr. Speaker, we are not the only ones. Canadians, and more important, the parliamentary budget officer, know that the Conservative government leaving a surplus has to do with bank balances. Maybe the Liberals should check their snapshot when they came in in November, because I am pretty sure it was in the black, not in the red, where they will drag it after the end of this fiscal year.The question is still the same. Does the Minister of Finance believe his caucus, who are the only ones saying we are in deficit, or does he believe the deputy minister of finance?

Mr. Speaker, that is another example that when faced with tough policy decisions, at home or abroad, the government favours procrastination over principled decision-making. When Liberals play honest broker, they prefer bafflegab to straight talk. During the election campaign Liberal MPs made strong commitments to match our Conservative government's support and defence of Ukraine, so why, after more than three months in office, can the government not actually denounce the Russian invasion and call it an illegal occupation?

Mr. Speaker, I hope that in the minister's supplemental she will actually answer the question I posed a moment ago.Here is the problem. In its Senate reference ruling, the Supreme Court says that any appointment process that limits the independence of senators is unconstitutional. The fact that it is impossible for an individual to submit an application without working closely with a nominating organization, coupled with the 14-day deadline for phase I applications, which ends right after Valentine's Day, gives nominating organizations enormous control over those whom they sponsor. Therefore, is the phase I nomination process not an unconstitutional violation of the principle that senators must be independent?

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are very concerned with the comments made by the Minister of Defence yesterday when he said we must not “repeat the mistakes of the past”. Over 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan. One hundred and fifty-nine gave their lives. Was it a mistake that the hard work of our armed forces enabled millions of children to go to school, including over three million girls? Was it a mistake that we restored the rights of women so they could work and have health care? Does the minister believe these successes, as we fought the Taliban, were all just a mistake?

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ending the air strikes, but we do work in a coalition and we have to do it in a responsible manner. There are a lot of things to factor in. When we do end it, it will be done in a responsible manner.

Mr. Speaker, the government House leader cannot answer a question on ethics because he does not know what they are.This letter was sent on behalf of the Prime Minister of Canada. It is right there in black and white. It is not enough that the Liberal House leader appears to be breaching ethical rules, but the Prime Minister himself is involved.Will the Prime Minister stand and tell this House how he will fix the obvious ethical breach?

Mr. Speaker, it is sad to listen to my colleague. Running deficits is not the answer for stimulating the economy.When Canadians are managing their budgets, they know that when times are tough it is not the time to be spending more. On the contrary, they know that when times are tough it is time to look closer at their spending, manage it responsibly, and save money. Spending does not create wealth. We do not become richer by spending money we do not have.I would ask the Minister of Finance and the government to stop living in a parallel universe where spending equals prosperity and to deliver a balanced budget for all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that prosperity does not come from government spending but rather from entrepreneurs investing. The finance minister is completely wrong when he thinks that we can spend our way to prosperity on borrowed money.Will he work with us? Will he work with job-creating entrepreneurs by lowering taxes and balancing the budget?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians gave the previous government the boot for its many failures; now we want to know how the current government is going to undo the damage. For example, the previous government completely failed in the transition to Shared Services Canada: missing deadlines, failing to communicate with partners, data left unsecured, and millions misspent.Exactly what concrete steps is the minister going to take to ensure that Shared Services actually works and that information is actually protected?

Mr. Speaker, the minister keeps pointing Canadians to her website on the Senate appointment process. However, all that is found there is how this process will take place behind closed doors and leave Canadians in the dark. Let us go over what the website says: the advisory board meets in secret; then provides a non-binding list in secret; then the Prime Minister might choose a senator from the list. Of course, it all happens completely in secret. Why do the Liberals want to leave Canadians completely in the dark on this?

Mr. Speaker, our government promised greater involvement of citizens in decision-making. I am proud to announce today that my department has launched an online public consultation on the memorial to the victims of Communism. I call on Canadians from coast to coast to coast to share their vision on how we can honour the millions of people who fled communist regimes to find refuge in Canada. Based on these consultations, I will announce next steps.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for reminding us about the tragedies that have happened recently and the respect that Canadians have paid to those families whose lives tragically ended in Burkina Faso. It is important to continue to remember.When we will be acting, will be very soon. I am starting to talk like Minister Dion.

He is in Rome now. I should aim so high. He will be arriving back from Rome. He, together with the Minister of National Defence, will be pleased to represent our position.

Mr. Speaker, the bombing missions against ISIS authorized by the Conservatives will end in just a few weeks. The government has not yet announced its new plan, even though one was promised during the election campaign.Naturally, all kinds of rumours have been circulating in the meantime, including rumours about an expanded ground mission in Iraq.Canadians have the right to know.Where is the minister's plan? Will he increase the number of Canadian troops on the ground?

Mr. Speaker, now that the Auditor General's report has been released, we expect the government to be clear about the concrete actions it plans to take. The backlog at the Social Security Tribunal of Canada has more than doubled. It is a long and complicated process that takes almost 900 days. That kind of management has a direct impact on people going through a hard time.Can the minister share his plan to end the interminable waiting?

Mr. Speaker, I think we need to remind the member across the floor that the election is over, that we do not have to take things out of context. When we look at creating our plan we also look at learning from lessons from the past. As we move forward we will be making a comprehensive plan with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Development. When we come up with the plan it will be a plan that Canadians can be proud of.

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General also highlighted some troubling practices at the Canada Border Services Agency. Because the agency is understaffed, high risk parcels are leaving the country without even being examined. Canada does not want to become a sieve for illegal goods. We have international commitments and we must honour them. The Conservatives gutted the agency, and now we are seeing the consequences of those cuts. Will the government reinvest in the agency so that it can fulfill its mandate properly?

Mr. Speaker, we have seen this government fill its offices with former Dalton McGuinty staffers. McGuinty has cost Ontario taxpayers billions of dollars in higher taxes, big spending, and gas plant scandals.After hiring every McGuinty staffer it could find, will the government at least promise that Dalton McGuinty never gets a patronage appointment, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, we are extremely concerned with what the Auditor General brought forward. We are working very hard to repair some of the errors made in the past, because Canadians deserve a government that is open, transparent, and able to deliver in a responsible way the things that Canadians expect it to deliver.

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, political interference is political interference.This is just not about the government House leader. His own letter says that he was writing on behalf of the Prime Minister.Why does the Prime Minister think that he has the right to openly interfere with judges and quasi-judicial board members?

Mr. Speaker, as I said, as soon as we learned about these irregularities, we acted immediately. We worked with Elections Canada and the unions to set everything straight instead of resorting to the previous government's bad habit of fighting all the time.What we underscored is that we think unions are important partners in developing our economy. That is why we are reversing the attacks the previous government made on the unions.

Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House and all Canadians understand that our employment insurance program needs modernization.We have committed to lowering premiums, cutting benefit wait times, and providing more flexibility to all Canadians when they need it.

Mr. Speaker, we will not confirm a personal appointment for anybody, but we are very happy to share with members of the House and the country our review of the appointments processes we know will serve Canadians extremely well.

Mr. Speaker, in the matter of the illegal financing of the Liberal Party of Canada by the unions, the government is not being transparent, to say the least.Last week, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons said they were in the dark. Yesterday, we submitted a document here, but unfortunately the government refused to have it tabled. We showed that this document proves that it was the Liberal Party that asked the union boss to fill the room.Since the Prime Minister is here, could he tell us at what point he knew that the union paid its members $100 to pretend to be Liberal supporters?

Mr. Speaker, political interference is political interference.The Liberal House leader has written a number of letters that directly interfere with operations of the immigration review board and citizenship judges. In the past, this exact issue has required ministers to resign.Just how low are the Liberal standards when it comes to ethical guidelines?

Yes, Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we intend to do. CBSA performs very important functions for all Canadians, as well as our international customers. We intend that this should be a first-class organization. We follow the advice of the Auditor General. There is an action plan being implemented that will implement the vast majority of the recommendations before the end of this year.

Mr. Speaker, I am always amazed when I hear my colleague opposite.Canadians know that the time to invest is when interest rates are low. That is what we said. We began in December with our plan to cut taxes for the middle class. In the next budget, we will introduce the Canada child benefit and make historic investments in infrastructure.Canadians know that the time to make investments that will grow the economy is when interest rates are low.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the defence minister said our past military activity was a mistake. Earlier today, when he was asked what his anti-ISIS plan was, he said, “I don't know, ask the foreign minister, he's in Rome”. Canadians really want to know who is in charge of the Canadian Armed Forces. Is it the minister of defence or the minister of global affairs?

Mr. Speaker, I think that the most important and difficult decision we are called upon to make as parliamentarians is the decision to send our men and women in uniform on foreign missions and military deployments. This topic came up today during question period. I apologize if I got passionate and let you down, and I apologize to the members of the House.That said, I know that I have to treat all members of the House with respect and I expect to be treated with the same respect by all members, including you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure program launched in 2014 is not working in Quebec. Since Ottawa is interfering in the selection process and wants to approve each project, even if they fall under Quebec or municipal jurisdiction, nothing is moving forward and the negotiations are never-ending. We do not need a repeat of this fiasco, with more money.Does the government plan on following through on the Prime Minister's election promise and emulating the gas tax transfer, by making a block transfer, without conditions?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's advice for hard hit resource workers and their families is to wait it out, but what workers and their families really need is for the government to not make things worse. Unfortunately, making things worse is exactly what the Prime Minister is doing. His plan for a national carbon tax will mean more costs piled on to Alberta families, on top of the carbon taxes they are already paying.Will the Prime Minister commit today to do no further harm to Alberta workers and abandon his national carbon tax plan?

Mr. Speaker, I know the members opposite seemed to look at this fall as some sort of dress rehearsal, but we actually got immediately to work and lowered taxes for the middle class while raising them for the wealthiest 1% with our very first piece of legislation.That was a commitment we made to Canadians. It is a commitment we have kept, along with many other commitments that Canadians expect us to keep. I thank the members very much for noticing.

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years the members opposite tried to do everything they could for Alberta, and they ended up making it worse.The members opposite were unable to get the resources to market. They were unable to diversify the economy. They were unable to recognize that combining environment and economy is the only way to build a strong resilient economy in the 21st century.Their lack of understanding of the nature of the new economy is what led, in part, to the challenges we are facing now.

Mr. Speaker, in 1990, a minister had to resign for making a telephone call to a judge.In 1996, a minister had to resign because he wrote a letter to the Immigration and Refugee Board.In 2013, a minister resigned for writing a letter to the federal Tax Court.All of these ministers resigned because of inappropriate contact with judges and tribunals.Will the Prime Minister be setting the same standard for his government?

Mr. Speaker, we welcome the Auditor General's report on gender-based analysis for the federal government. Our government believes strongly in being accountable for our obligations to ensure that meaningful GBA informs our policies, programs, and legislation.I am especially proud of the leadership and tone set by our government from the very top that will ensure that this remains a focus for our government.

Mr. Speaker, we will fix the obvious ethical breach of the previous government by taking a series of appointments that were made inappropriately and putting them before the standing committees of this House. That is exactly how we are proposing to clean up the ethical mess left to us by the previous government.

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member across the floor knows very well, I served from the start of the combat mission right to the end. I was there to witness the issues that happened. I was there also for the successes. This is the conversation that we had on the ground. This is where we talked about how our political leadership failed us. This is why I will take the time to make sure, as we create future plans, that those lessons are not lost.

Mr. Speaker, to reiterate, we are steadfast allies of Ukraine. When we were provoked—and this was underscored by the opposition—by the foreign minister of Russia, we said that just because he wanted warmer relations did not mean we did, until they demonstrate respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

Mr. Speaker, let us move to the Social Security Tribunal. It is a complete mess, and it is the most vulnerable Canadians who are paying the price. Some are waiting 900 days for a decision to be made. The tribunal itself identified more than 60 areas of improvement, but it will require staff and resources.Is the new government willing to reverse the Conservative cuts, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Finance have confidence in his department's officials, or will he dispute their findings that the Conservative government left them in surplus?

Mr. Speaker, the government is engaged with industry stakeholders on the outcome of the TPP. We understand the importance of compensation to the supply management sector. I have met with many stakeholders in the supply management sector and I met with the Canadian Dairy Farmers today. They understand we are working together to make things right.

Mr. Speaker, for over 20 years, the various reforms introduced by the Liberal and Conservative governments have decreased benefits for unemployed workers and restricted eligibility so that only two in five workers can access these benefits.The current government must commit to making employment insurance a real insurance program for our workers, rather than a labour tax. Will the government also commit to taking into account the specific characteristics and needs of workers in the regions, particularly seasonal workers? Will it commit to allowing regional stakeholders to participate in the process?

Mr. Speaker, we will see if double standard and Liberal government are still synonymous.The reason I asked the previous question is that the government House leader wrote on behalf of the Prime Minister to a citizenship judge. He has been busy.The government House leader also wrote to five members of the Immigration and Refugee Board, the same board that former Liberal minister David Collenette wrote to and had to resign over.How is the Prime Minister going to hold his House leader responsible for this clear violation of ethical guidelines?

Mr. Speaker, everyone, including the first nations, wants transparency and accountability, but we will achieve this by working with first nations on a nation-to-nation basis. Top down solutions have never worked. Band members in most places from coast to coast to coast are able to find this information. We will work with first nations and achieve the goal of transparency and accountability with them.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in growing the economy, but as we have said from the start, we will follow three cardinal principles in our approach. We will reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio, make prudent investments in our infrastructure, and return to a balanced budget before the end of our term.That is what we promised Canadians and that is exactly what we will do.

Mr. Speaker, we are looking at all of these matters precisely because we promised Canadians that we would consult on the TPP. We are signing the agreement precisely to give us time, in order to put the TPP before Parliament for it to be studied in committee. That is what we promised we would do, and that is what we are doing.

Mr. Speaker, we are confident that the process we have introduced would lead to a stronger Senate. I do appreciate the hon. member's interest in the process here, and I have to ask this. Where was this commitment to good process when his government appointed nearly 60 senators? Was there a process?Whatever the process, it was flawed. I urge the member to join us as we implement a more open and transparent process for appointing senators.

Mr. Speaker, of course, we have denounced that over and over, and we are steadfastly standing with the Ukraine, as the member well knows.However, Canada is basing its foreign policy on a policy of engagement. That is much more difficult than a policy of isolationism and choosing to believe one's own point of view. It is a hard path for us and we are choosing it, not to find agreement all the time but to be able to hold other countries to account because we are talking.

Mr. Speaker, once again, my colleagues on the other side of the House do not understand how important it is to show that we can build a responsible economy by developing and protecting the environment at the same time.Their lack of understanding got us into this extremely vulnerable position, and that is exactly where many Albertans find themselves now.We will work with the Government of Alberta and with Albertans to build a future that will be more prosperous for everyone.

Mr. Speaker, as in many areas across Canada, youth unemployment is a significant concern in my riding. As we know, the youth unemployment rate in Canada is much higher than for the rest of the population and youth studying at colleges and universities are already looking for summer jobs to help them save for their next year's tuition.Can the minister advise the House what steps she is taking to help Canadian youth enter the labour market, and specifically to find summer jobs to help pay for their education?

Mr. Speaker, talking about ethical guidelines, when we are talking about a previous government's decision at five minutes to midnight to appoint a series of individuals to jobs to take effect after it lost the election, with no ability for this House to scrutinize those appointments, from our perspective that was abuse of process.The member knows absolutely well that it is appropriate for ministers to talk to people about potential appointments. That is how the Governor in Council appointment process works. She should know that very well.

Mr. Speaker, we have committed to a thorough and thoughtful process for appointing senators. We have done so collaborating with different departments, and we are confident that the process we have implemented will enhance the performance of the Senate without compromising the Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, as I just said to the hon. colleague, the previous government has put us on track for a $3-billion deficit for this year.We have a plan to grow the economy, to invest in Canadians, to create investments to grow our economy, and to invest in infrastructure. That is what we said, and that is exactly what we will be doing.

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank the people of Brome—Missisquoi for electing me to represent them in the House.Many rural areas like mine, which is located about an hour from Montreal, do not always have access to high-speed Internet. It is therefore difficult for us to compete with the major centres, attract young entrepreneurs, and help off-site workers.What does the government intend to do to get the regions connected faster? It is urgent.

Mr. Speaker, did the Minister of Democratic Institutions receive written advice from the justice department legal counsel as to the constitutional validity of the phase I Senate nomination process that is now under way? In particular, did she receive advice regarding the Supreme Court's conclusion that there is a constitutional requirement that in any such process senators remain independent? In the event that the minister was given such a counsel, will she table it to the House?

Mr. Speaker, I am a little surprised that this question is coming from the party to our right and not the party across the way.In any case, in response I would say that of course we want to see the Social Security Tribunal of Canada operating properly, because that tribunal deals with cases involving some of the most vulnerable Canadians and most disadvantaged members of our society. It is important that that tribunal work properly in terms of both efficiency and fairness.

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the old building Canada fund established by the previous government needs some improvements in the process so we can get the money out to the provinces as quickly as possible.We have met with representatives from the Province of Quebec, and we are trying to fix that problem, because we understand that investing in infrastructure is critical and that we need to do it in a speedy way.

Mr. Speaker, we know that unions are important allies for the Liberal Party, but not for all Canadians.There was the event in Waterloo as well as two other events organized by big union bosses to help the Liberal Party. One was in Vaughn and the other in Oakville. That is at least three events.Can the Prime Minister tell us whether there was illegal funding in these cases, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for reminding us that the issue the Auditor General raised in his very welcome report is an important one. I was very concerned about the findings in the report regarding the fate of the most vulnerable members of our society. I met with the Auditor General immediately, and I can assure the House that we will do whatever it takes to fix this problem.

Mr. Speaker, the only people who believe the Conservatives did not leave us with a deficit are the Conservatives themselves. The “Fiscal Monitor” is a snapshot in time. It is looking at our bank statement before we have paid the bills. It does not tell the whole story. The economic and fiscal update clearly shows that the previous government put us on track for a $3-billion deficit for this year. That train has left the station. After 10 years of weak economic growth, this government has a chance to grow the economy and create jobs by focusing on the middle class, investing in infrastructure and—

I would first like to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to thank the member for his work on this very important file.The Government of Canada, through the connecting Canadians program, is working to extend and enhance broadband service to an additional 280,000 Canadian households. Computers, mobile devices, and other modern technologies touch every part of our lives and it is for this reason that the government is working with both public and private partners to help deliver reliable high-speed Internet access at affordable prices. This is good for the consumer and it is good for business.

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, residents of my riding often objected to the process used by the previous government to impose the location of the memorial to the victims of Communism. Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage provide this House with an update on the status of that memorial and public consultations?

Mr. Speaker, I recommend a second look at the website. The deadline for applications is February 15 at noon.The process we have introduced is more open and more transparent than anything the former government implemented, and we are confident that it will lead to a stronger Senate, establishing the confidence of Canadians in this important democratic institution.

Mr. Speaker, Canada's summer jobs program is accepting applications now and the application deadline is February 26.For those individuals who are getting the opportunity, employment could begin as early as May. This is of particular importance to young people who are looking for experience in the job market and finding the job opportunities we all want them to succeed at.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for pointing out that today the Minister of Foreign Affairs is meeting with a small group of the global coalition within ISIL. Discussions are ongoing of course within government and with our coalition partners to refocus and optimize our contributions.The U.S. Secretary of State said last week, when we met with our North American partners, that he has great confidence in the contribution Canada has made and will continue to make.

Mr. Speaker, colleagues will well know that when the government was sworn in, we released a very important document called “Open and Accountable Government”. It set a new standard in terms of transparency and accountability, not only for members of the cabinet but for members of their staff, for the relationship between Canadians and cabinet ministers, and for Canadians and the public service. We are very proud to have raised the bar on that important endeavour.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said that he understands the importance of protecting supply management and of having a plan to compensate dairy producers. The Minister of International Trade has said that she does not feel bound to pay the compensation announced by the Conservative government, but in the meantime the uncertainty producers are experiencing has already resulted in the loss of 257 family farms in Quebec.The government is going to sign the trans-Pacific partnership agreement tomorrow. Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food assure the producers who came to Ottawa today that there is a plan to provide more compensation than the Conservative government promised?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that prosperity does not come from government spending but rather from entrepreneurs investing. The finance minister is completely wrong when he thinks that we can spend our way to prosperity on borrowed money.Will he work with us? Will he work with job-creating entrepreneurs by lowering taxes and balancing the budget?

Mr. Speaker, the minister keeps pointing Canadians to her website on the Senate appointment process. However, all that is found there is how this process will take place behind closed doors and leave Canadians in the dark. Let us go over what the website says: the advisory board meets in secret; then provides a non-binding list in secret; then the Prime Minister might choose a senator from the list. Of course, it all happens completely in secret. Why do the Liberals want to leave Canadians completely in the dark on this?

Mr. Speaker, in the matter of the illegal financing of the Liberal Party of Canada by the unions, the government is not being transparent, to say the least.Last week, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons said they were in the dark. Yesterday, we submitted a document here, but unfortunately the government refused to have it tabled. We showed that this document proves that it was the Liberal Party that asked the union boss to fill the room.Since the Prime Minister is here, could he tell us at what point he knew that the union paid its members $100 to pretend to be Liberal supporters?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians were deeply saddened by the recent brutal attack on their fellow citizens by terrorists in Burkina Faso and Indonesia. The killing of six Canadians on a humanitarian mission in Burkina Faso and the killing of a Canadian in Indonesia has shocked us all.On a visit to Nigeria a couple of years ago, I also came very close to becoming a victim of a terrorist attack.Our NGO community volunteers are working all over the world, often in dangerous places. The government owes it to Canadians to take decisive action in fighting terrorism.When will it act?

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are very concerned with the comments made by the Minister of Defence yesterday when he said we must not “repeat the mistakes of the past”. Over 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan. One hundred and fifty-nine gave their lives. Was it a mistake that the hard work of our armed forces enabled millions of children to go to school, including over three million girls? Was it a mistake that we restored the rights of women so they could work and have health care? Does the minister believe these successes, as we fought the Taliban, were all just a mistake?

Mr. Speaker, we know that unions are important allies for the Liberal Party, but not for all Canadians.There was the event in Waterloo as well as two other events organized by big union bosses to help the Liberal Party. One was in Vaughn and the other in Oakville. That is at least three events.Can the Prime Minister tell us whether there was illegal funding in these cases, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years the members opposite tried to do everything they could for Alberta, and they ended up making it worse.The members opposite were unable to get the resources to market. They were unable to diversify the economy. They were unable to recognize that combining environment and economy is the only way to build a strong resilient economy in the 21st century.Their lack of understanding of the nature of the new economy is what led, in part, to the challenges we are facing now.

Mr. Speaker, it is sad to listen to my colleague. Running deficits is not the answer for stimulating the economy.When Canadians are managing their budgets, they know that when times are tough it is not the time to be spending more. On the contrary, they know that when times are tough it is time to look closer at their spending, manage it responsibly, and save money. Spending does not create wealth. We do not become richer by spending money we do not have.I would ask the Minister of Finance and the government to stop living in a parallel universe where spending equals prosperity and to deliver a balanced budget for all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, as I said, as soon as we learned about these irregularities, we acted immediately. We worked with Elections Canada and the unions to set everything straight instead of resorting to the previous government's bad habit of fighting all the time.What we underscored is that we think unions are important partners in developing our economy. That is why we are reversing the attacks the previous government made on the unions.

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, residents of my riding often objected to the process used by the previous government to impose the location of the memorial to the victims of Communism. Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage provide this House with an update on the status of that memorial and public consultations?

It really is Groundhog Day all over again, Mr. Speaker. Another Auditor General report, another scathing indictment of the previous government.Today the Auditor General reported on how that federal government made a complete mess of the CPP disability program: long wait times, a needlessly complicated 42-page application process, and no consistent standards for decisions.The Conservatives may have been the ones to make this mess, but it is up to the Liberals to fix it. What exactly is the new government going to do to fix it?

Mr. Speaker, I hope that in the minister's supplemental she will actually answer the question I posed a moment ago.Here is the problem. In its Senate reference ruling, the Supreme Court says that any appointment process that limits the independence of senators is unconstitutional. The fact that it is impossible for an individual to submit an application without working closely with a nominating organization, coupled with the 14-day deadline for phase I applications, which ends right after Valentine's Day, gives nominating organizations enormous control over those whom they sponsor. Therefore, is the phase I nomination process not an unconstitutional violation of the principle that senators must be independent?

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General also highlighted some troubling practices at the Canada Border Services Agency. Because the agency is understaffed, high risk parcels are leaving the country without even being examined. Canada does not want to become a sieve for illegal goods. We have international commitments and we must honour them. The Conservatives gutted the agency, and now we are seeing the consequences of those cuts. Will the government reinvest in the agency so that it can fulfill its mandate properly?

Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House and all Canadians understand that our employment insurance program needs modernization.We have committed to lowering premiums, cutting benefit wait times, and providing more flexibility to all Canadians when they need it.

Mr. Speaker, asbestos has been called the greatest industrial killer the world has ever known and my colleagues have been fighting hard to get this carcinogenic and toxic material out of buildings and people's lives. This known carcinogen has claimed the lives of thousands of Canadian workers, so people were shocked to learn that while the federal government is spending millions to remove it from some buildings, it is installing new asbestos in other buildings.Will the Liberals now employ some common sense, stand up for worker safety, and immediately put a stop to this?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the defence minister said our past military activity was a mistake. Earlier today, when he was asked what his anti-ISIS plan was, he said, “I don't know, ask the foreign minister, he's in Rome”. Canadians really want to know who is in charge of the Canadian Armed Forces. Is it the minister of defence or the minister of global affairs?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's advice for hard hit resource workers and their families is to wait it out, but what workers and their families really need is for the government to not make things worse. Unfortunately, making things worse is exactly what the Prime Minister is doing. His plan for a national carbon tax will mean more costs piled on to Alberta families, on top of the carbon taxes they are already paying.Will the Prime Minister commit today to do no further harm to Alberta workers and abandon his national carbon tax plan?

Mr. Speaker, let us compare. The Conservative Party's first bill was the Federal Accountability Act, to get big union money out of politics. The Liberal Party's first bill is to reward big union bosses by getting rid of transparency and accountability for their expenses. Now we know that the unions spent a lot of money to help the Liberals get elected, in fact at least one illegal union donation. Why is political payback to big union bosses priority number one for this Prime Minister?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians gave the previous government the boot for its many failures; now we want to know how the current government is going to undo the damage. For example, the previous government completely failed in the transition to Shared Services Canada: missing deadlines, failing to communicate with partners, data left unsecured, and millions misspent.Exactly what concrete steps is the minister going to take to ensure that Shared Services actually works and that information is actually protected?

Mr. Speaker, dairy producers are not the only ones to lose under this job-killing deal. The TPP would also expand loopholes to bring in temporary foreign workers with no regard for the impact on Canadian jobs and wages. The Conservatives allowed rampant abuse of the temporary foreign worker program on their watch and now the Liberals are about to make matters even worse.Will the minister cancel her trip to New Zealand and take the time to look at the cost to Canadians instead of rushing to sign this reckless deal?

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank the people of Brome—Missisquoi for electing me to represent them in the House.Many rural areas like mine, which is located about an hour from Montreal, do not always have access to high-speed Internet. It is therefore difficult for us to compete with the major centres, attract young entrepreneurs, and help off-site workers.What does the government intend to do to get the regions connected faster? It is urgent.

Mr. Speaker, we have seen this government fill its offices with former Dalton McGuinty staffers. McGuinty has cost Ontario taxpayers billions of dollars in higher taxes, big spending, and gas plant scandals.After hiring every McGuinty staffer it could find, will the government at least promise that Dalton McGuinty never gets a patronage appointment, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, for over 20 years, the various reforms introduced by the Liberal and Conservative governments have decreased benefits for unemployed workers and restricted eligibility so that only two in five workers can access these benefits.The current government must commit to making employment insurance a real insurance program for our workers, rather than a labour tax. Will the government also commit to taking into account the specific characteristics and needs of workers in the regions, particularly seasonal workers? Will it commit to allowing regional stakeholders to participate in the process?

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report is damning. Half of the departments audited had not conducted a gender-based comparative analysis, which is compulsory. This is 2016. This is unacceptable. We must do better.Will the Liberal government commit to issuing a clear directive for all departments to honour their commitment and finally conduct gender-based analyses?

Mr. Speaker, more than 10,000 Ukrainians are dead. More than a million and a half civilians are displaced. During the election the now Minister of International Trade called for tough new measures against the Putin regime. The MP for Etobicoke Centre called for lethal weapon aid for Ukraine. However, since the election, we have heard only sunny platitudes from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Why have there been no specifics regarding enhanced military and defence co-operation with Ukraine?

Mr. Speaker, I think that the most important and difficult decision we are called upon to make as parliamentarians is the decision to send our men and women in uniform on foreign missions and military deployments. This topic came up today during question period. I apologize if I got passionate and let you down, and I apologize to the members of the House.That said, I know that I have to treat all members of the House with respect and I expect to be treated with the same respect by all members, including you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we are extremely concerned with what the Auditor General brought forward. We are working very hard to repair some of the errors made in the past, because Canadians deserve a government that is open, transparent, and able to deliver in a responsible way the things that Canadians expect it to deliver.

Mr. Speaker, in 1990, a minister had to resign for making a telephone call to a judge.In 1996, a minister had to resign because he wrote a letter to the Immigration and Refugee Board.In 2013, a minister resigned for writing a letter to the federal Tax Court.All of these ministers resigned because of inappropriate contact with judges and tribunals.Will the Prime Minister be setting the same standard for his government?

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Finance have confidence in his department's officials, or will he dispute their findings that the Conservative government left them in surplus?

Mr. Speaker, I am always amazed when I hear my colleague opposite.Canadians know that the time to invest is when interest rates are low. That is what we said. We began in December with our plan to cut taxes for the middle class. In the next budget, we will introduce the Canada child benefit and make historic investments in infrastructure.Canadians know that the time to make investments that will grow the economy is when interest rates are low.

Mr. Speaker, theMinister of Foreign Affairs is in Rome today to discuss the coalition's campaign against ISIS. In the 2015 campaign, the Liberals promised to end the bombing, yet it is 2016 and the bombing is still continuing. Today, the Liberal government is discussing its plans with our allies in Rome while at the same time refusing to tell Canadians anything. The media is now reporting that the government is planning a new, expanded mission on the ground in Iraq. Can the Minister of Defence confirm that he is considering expanding the number of Canadian troops on the ground in Iraq, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, the logical extension of that argument would be to say that it is inappropriate for a government minister to talk to anybody about a potential appointment. For example, when the Attorney General is about to appoint somebody to the bench, she should not possibly talk to that person? We should have what? Some anonymous message sent from an account?That is completely ridiculous.The government has the responsibility to talk to people whose appointments we are questioning or whose appointments we are about to make. We did not talk to people about specific cases or their work with respect to any independent tribunal. The members knows that well. She is confusing the issues.

Mr. Speaker, the only people who believe the Conservatives did not leave us with a deficit are the Conservatives themselves. The “Fiscal Monitor” is a snapshot in time. It is looking at our bank statement before we have paid the bills. It does not tell the whole story. The economic and fiscal update clearly shows that the previous government put us on track for a $3-billion deficit for this year. That train has left the station. After 10 years of weak economic growth, this government has a chance to grow the economy and create jobs by focusing on the middle class, investing in infrastructure and—

Mr. Speaker, we will see if double standard and Liberal government are still synonymous.The reason I asked the previous question is that the government House leader wrote on behalf of the Prime Minister to a citizenship judge. He has been busy.The government House leader also wrote to five members of the Immigration and Refugee Board, the same board that former Liberal minister David Collenette wrote to and had to resign over.How is the Prime Minister going to hold his House leader responsible for this clear violation of ethical guidelines?

Mr. Speaker, as I just said to the hon. colleague, the previous government has put us on track for a $3-billion deficit for this year.We have a plan to grow the economy, to invest in Canadians, to create investments to grow our economy, and to invest in infrastructure. That is what we said, and that is exactly what we will be doing.

Mr. Speaker, political interference is political interference.The Liberal House leader has written a number of letters that directly interfere with operations of the immigration review board and citizenship judges. In the past, this exact issue has required ministers to resign.Just how low are the Liberal standards when it comes to ethical guidelines?

Mr. Speaker, we will fix the obvious ethical breach of the previous government by taking a series of appointments that were made inappropriately and putting them before the standing committees of this House. That is exactly how we are proposing to clean up the ethical mess left to us by the previous government.

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, the parliamentary secretary indicated that she had no problem gutting the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. Does she not realize that transparency and accountability mean readily accessible information? It does not mean having a report sitting in the basement of the department of indigenous affairs.How can the minister justify to band members that they must plead or go to court to get basic financial information?

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the old building Canada fund established by the previous government needs some improvements in the process so we can get the money out to the provinces as quickly as possible.We have met with representatives from the Province of Quebec, and we are trying to fix that problem, because we understand that investing in infrastructure is critical and that we need to do it in a speedy way.

Mr. Speaker, now that the Auditor General's report has been released, we expect the government to be clear about the concrete actions it plans to take. The backlog at the Social Security Tribunal of Canada has more than doubled. It is a long and complicated process that takes almost 900 days. That kind of management has a direct impact on people going through a hard time.Can the minister share his plan to end the interminable waiting?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for pointing out that today the Minister of Foreign Affairs is meeting with a small group of the global coalition within ISIL. Discussions are ongoing of course within government and with our coalition partners to refocus and optimize our contributions.The U.S. Secretary of State said last week, when we met with our North American partners, that he has great confidence in the contribution Canada has made and will continue to make.

Mr. Speaker, did the Minister of Democratic Institutions receive written advice from the justice department legal counsel as to the constitutional validity of the phase I Senate nomination process that is now under way? In particular, did she receive advice regarding the Supreme Court's conclusion that there is a constitutional requirement that in any such process senators remain independent? In the event that the minister was given such a counsel, will she table it to the House?

Mr. Speaker, the bombing missions against ISIS authorized by the Conservatives will end in just a few weeks. The government has not yet announced its new plan, even though one was promised during the election campaign.Naturally, all kinds of rumours have been circulating in the meantime, including rumours about an expanded ground mission in Iraq.Canadians have the right to know.Where is the minister's plan? Will he increase the number of Canadian troops on the ground?

Mr. Speaker, the government House leader cannot answer a question on ethics because he does not know what they are.This letter was sent on behalf of the Prime Minister of Canada. It is right there in black and white. It is not enough that the Liberal House leader appears to be breaching ethical rules, but the Prime Minister himself is involved.Will the Prime Minister stand and tell this House how he will fix the obvious ethical breach?

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member across the floor knows very well, I served from the start of the combat mission right to the end. I was there to witness the issues that happened. I was there also for the successes. This is the conversation that we had on the ground. This is where we talked about how our political leadership failed us. This is why I will take the time to make sure, as we create future plans, that those lessons are not lost.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party has always complied with Elections Canada laws and has always stood up for the enforcement of those laws. We are proud of our record on this. Conservative Party members' constant attacks on unions are shameful. That is why we are going to repeal bills C-377 and C-525, which are unfair and undemocratic attacks on Canada's unions.

Mr. Speaker, that is another example that when faced with tough policy decisions, at home or abroad, the government favours procrastination over principled decision-making. When Liberals play honest broker, they prefer bafflegab to straight talk. During the election campaign Liberal MPs made strong commitments to match our Conservative government's support and defence of Ukraine, so why, after more than three months in office, can the government not actually denounce the Russian invasion and call it an illegal occupation?

Mr. Speaker, let us move to the Social Security Tribunal. It is a complete mess, and it is the most vulnerable Canadians who are paying the price. Some are waiting 900 days for a decision to be made. The tribunal itself identified more than 60 areas of improvement, but it will require staff and resources.Is the new government willing to reverse the Conservative cuts, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, I think we need to remind the member across the floor that the election is over, that we do not have to take things out of context. When we look at creating our plan we also look at learning from lessons from the past. As we move forward we will be making a comprehensive plan with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Development. When we come up with the plan it will be a plan that Canadians can be proud of.

Mr. Speaker, I am a little surprised that this question is coming from the party to our right and not the party across the way.In any case, in response I would say that of course we want to see the Social Security Tribunal of Canada operating properly, because that tribunal deals with cases involving some of the most vulnerable Canadians and most disadvantaged members of our society. It is important that that tribunal work properly in terms of both efficiency and fairness.

Mr. Speaker, of course, we have denounced that over and over, and we are steadfastly standing with the Ukraine, as the member well knows.However, Canada is basing its foreign policy on a policy of engagement. That is much more difficult than a policy of isolationism and choosing to believe one's own point of view. It is a hard path for us and we are choosing it, not to find agreement all the time but to be able to hold other countries to account because we are talking.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for reminding us about the tragedies that have happened recently and the respect that Canadians have paid to those families whose lives tragically ended in Burkina Faso. It is important to continue to remember.When we will be acting, will be very soon. I am starting to talk like Minister Dion.

Mr. Speaker, Canada's summer jobs program is accepting applications now and the application deadline is February 26.For those individuals who are getting the opportunity, employment could begin as early as May. This is of particular importance to young people who are looking for experience in the job market and finding the job opportunities we all want them to succeed at.

Mr. Speaker, the government takes the health and safety of all of its workers seriously and, in fact, of any visitors to our buildings. That is why whenever the presence of asbestos is identified, we move immediately to remediate the situation. We certainly will undertake a review to make sure that asbestos is not a product that is used on an ongoing basis.

Mr. Speaker, once again, my colleagues on the other side of the House do not understand how important it is to show that we can build a responsible economy by developing and protecting the environment at the same time.Their lack of understanding got us into this extremely vulnerable position, and that is exactly where many Albertans find themselves now.We will work with the Government of Alberta and with Albertans to build a future that will be more prosperous for everyone.

Mr. Speaker, I know the members opposite seemed to look at this fall as some sort of dress rehearsal, but we actually got immediately to work and lowered taxes for the middle class while raising them for the wealthiest 1% with our very first piece of legislation.That was a commitment we made to Canadians. It is a commitment we have kept, along with many other commitments that Canadians expect us to keep. I thank the members very much for noticing.

Mr. Speaker, we are not the only ones. Canadians, and more important, the parliamentary budget officer, know that the Conservative government leaving a surplus has to do with bank balances. Maybe the Liberals should check their snapshot when they came in in November, because I am pretty sure it was in the black, not in the red, where they will drag it after the end of this fiscal year.The question is still the same. Does the Minister of Finance believe his caucus, who are the only ones saying we are in deficit, or does he believe the deputy minister of finance?

Mr. Speaker, to reiterate, we are steadfast allies of Ukraine. When we were provoked—and this was underscored by the opposition—by the foreign minister of Russia, we said that just because he wanted warmer relations did not mean we did, until they demonstrate respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

Mr. Speaker, obviously we have much to learn from the Auditor General's report, and indeed how we deliver services in a responsible way, including Shared Services, which is IT around the government. It is extremely important. What we have seen through our first months is that it is not enough to do as the previous government did and simply announce things. It is actually important to follow up on them, give the tools to get things done, and execute them responsibly. That is exactly what Canadians elected us to do.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we intend to do. CBSA performs very important functions for all Canadians, as well as our international customers. We intend that this should be a first-class organization. We follow the advice of the Auditor General. There is an action plan being implemented that will implement the vast majority of the recommendations before the end of this year.

Mr. Speaker, talking about ethical guidelines, when we are talking about a previous government's decision at five minutes to midnight to appoint a series of individuals to jobs to take effect after it lost the election, with no ability for this House to scrutinize those appointments, from our perspective that was abuse of process.The member knows absolutely well that it is appropriate for ministers to talk to people about potential appointments. That is how the Governor in Council appointment process works. She should know that very well.

Mr. Speaker, he cannot simply tell resource workers and their families to wait for things to get better. The Prime Minister should not be causing additional damage.Unfortunately, his national carbon tax plan will hurt the families of Alberta workers just when they will find it particularly difficult to pay more taxes.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and put his national carbon tax on ice?

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, political interference is political interference.This is just not about the government House leader. His own letter says that he was writing on behalf of the Prime Minister.Why does the Prime Minister think that he has the right to openly interfere with judges and quasi-judicial board members?

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ending the air strikes, but we do work in a coalition and we have to do it in a responsible manner. There are a lot of things to factor in. When we do end it, it will be done in a responsible manner.

Mr. Speaker, we are confident that the process we have introduced would lead to a stronger Senate. I do appreciate the hon. member's interest in the process here, and I have to ask this. Where was this commitment to good process when his government appointed nearly 60 senators? Was there a process?Whatever the process, it was flawed. I urge the member to join us as we implement a more open and transparent process for appointing senators.

He is in Rome now. I should aim so high. He will be arriving back from Rome. He, together with the Minister of National Defence, will be pleased to represent our position.

Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure program launched in 2014 is not working in Quebec. Since Ottawa is interfering in the selection process and wants to approve each project, even if they fall under Quebec or municipal jurisdiction, nothing is moving forward and the negotiations are never-ending. We do not need a repeat of this fiasco, with more money.Does the government plan on following through on the Prime Minister's election promise and emulating the gas tax transfer, by making a block transfer, without conditions?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for reminding us that the issue the Auditor General raised in his very welcome report is an important one. I was very concerned about the findings in the report regarding the fate of the most vulnerable members of our society. I met with the Auditor General immediately, and I can assure the House that we will do whatever it takes to fix this problem.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in growing the economy, but as we have said from the start, we will follow three cardinal principles in our approach. We will reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio, make prudent investments in our infrastructure, and return to a balanced budget before the end of our term.That is what we promised Canadians and that is exactly what we will do.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said that he understands the importance of protecting supply management and of having a plan to compensate dairy producers. The Minister of International Trade has said that she does not feel bound to pay the compensation announced by the Conservative government, but in the meantime the uncertainty producers are experiencing has already resulted in the loss of 257 family farms in Quebec.The government is going to sign the trans-Pacific partnership agreement tomorrow. Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food assure the producers who came to Ottawa today that there is a plan to provide more compensation than the Conservative government promised?

Mr. Speaker, colleagues will well know that when the government was sworn in, we released a very important document called “Open and Accountable Government”. It set a new standard in terms of transparency and accountability, not only for members of the cabinet but for members of their staff, for the relationship between Canadians and cabinet ministers, and for Canadians and the public service. We are very proud to have raised the bar on that important endeavour.

Mr. Speaker, I recommend a second look at the website. The deadline for applications is February 15 at noon.The process we have introduced is more open and more transparent than anything the former government implemented, and we are confident that it will lead to a stronger Senate, establishing the confidence of Canadians in this important democratic institution.

I would first like to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to thank the member for his work on this very important file.The Government of Canada, through the connecting Canadians program, is working to extend and enhance broadband service to an additional 280,000 Canadian households. Computers, mobile devices, and other modern technologies touch every part of our lives and it is for this reason that the government is working with both public and private partners to help deliver reliable high-speed Internet access at affordable prices. This is good for the consumer and it is good for business.

Mr. Speaker, as in many areas across Canada, youth unemployment is a significant concern in my riding. As we know, the youth unemployment rate in Canada is much higher than for the rest of the population and youth studying at colleges and universities are already looking for summer jobs to help them save for their next year's tuition.Can the minister advise the House what steps she is taking to help Canadian youth enter the labour market, and specifically to find summer jobs to help pay for their education?

Mr. Speaker, everyone, including the first nations, wants transparency and accountability, but we will achieve this by working with first nations on a nation-to-nation basis. Top down solutions have never worked. Band members in most places from coast to coast to coast are able to find this information. We will work with first nations and achieve the goal of transparency and accountability with them.

Mr. Speaker, we will not confirm a personal appointment for anybody, but we are very happy to share with members of the House and the country our review of the appointments processes we know will serve Canadians extremely well.

Mr. Speaker, we have committed to a thorough and thoughtful process for appointing senators. We have done so collaborating with different departments, and we are confident that the process we have implemented will enhance the performance of the Senate without compromising the Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, our government promised greater involvement of citizens in decision-making. I am proud to announce today that my department has launched an online public consultation on the memorial to the victims of Communism. I call on Canadians from coast to coast to coast to share their vision on how we can honour the millions of people who fled communist regimes to find refuge in Canada. Based on these consultations, I will announce next steps.

Mr. Speaker, I was happy to write on behalf of the government to people whose appointments were made by that member's government to take effect after the election, with no ability to be scrutinized by Parliament.The member well knows that there is a difference between writing to a government official about the nature of an appointment and writing to a government official about a specific case before him or her. The member should know that very well. To confuse the two is a disservice to Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, the government is engaged with industry stakeholders on the outcome of the TPP. We understand the importance of compensation to the supply management sector. I have met with many stakeholders in the supply management sector and I met with the Canadian Dairy Farmers today. They understand we are working together to make things right.

Mr. Speaker, we are looking at all of these matters precisely because we promised Canadians that we would consult on the TPP. We are signing the agreement precisely to give us time, in order to put the TPP before Parliament for it to be studied in committee. That is what we promised we would do, and that is what we are doing.

Mr. Speaker, we welcome the Auditor General's report on gender-based analysis for the federal government. Our government believes strongly in being accountable for our obligations to ensure that meaningful GBA informs our policies, programs, and legislation.I am especially proud of the leadership and tone set by our government from the very top that will ensure that this remains a focus for our government.

Mr. Speaker, we welcome the Auditor General's report on gender-based analysis for the federal government. Our government believes strongly in being accountable for our obligations to ensure that meaningful GBA informs our policies, programs, and legislation.I am especially proud of the leadership and tone set by our government from the very top that will ensure that this remains a focus for our government.

Mr. Speaker, we are looking at all of these matters precisely because we promised Canadians that we would consult on the TPP. We are signing the agreement precisely to give us time, in order to put the TPP before Parliament for it to be studied in committee. That is what we promised we would do, and that is what we are doing.

Mr. Speaker, the government is engaged with industry stakeholders on the outcome of the TPP. We understand the importance of compensation to the supply management sector. I have met with many stakeholders in the supply management sector and I met with the Canadian Dairy Farmers today. They understand we are working together to make things right.

Mr. Speaker, I was happy to write on behalf of the government to people whose appointments were made by that member's government to take effect after the election, with no ability to be scrutinized by Parliament.The member well knows that there is a difference between writing to a government official about the nature of an appointment and writing to a government official about a specific case before him or her. The member should know that very well. To confuse the two is a disservice to Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, our government promised greater involvement of citizens in decision-making. I am proud to announce today that my department has launched an online public consultation on the memorial to the victims of Communism. I call on Canadians from coast to coast to coast to share their vision on how we can honour the millions of people who fled communist regimes to find refuge in Canada. Based on these consultations, I will announce next steps.

Mr. Speaker, we have committed to a thorough and thoughtful process for appointing senators. We have done so collaborating with different departments, and we are confident that the process we have implemented will enhance the performance of the Senate without compromising the Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, we will not confirm a personal appointment for anybody, but we are very happy to share with members of the House and the country our review of the appointments processes we know will serve Canadians extremely well.

Mr. Speaker, everyone, including the first nations, wants transparency and accountability, but we will achieve this by working with first nations on a nation-to-nation basis. Top down solutions have never worked. Band members in most places from coast to coast to coast are able to find this information. We will work with first nations and achieve the goal of transparency and accountability with them.

Mr. Speaker, as in many areas across Canada, youth unemployment is a significant concern in my riding. As we know, the youth unemployment rate in Canada is much higher than for the rest of the population and youth studying at colleges and universities are already looking for summer jobs to help them save for their next year's tuition.Can the minister advise the House what steps she is taking to help Canadian youth enter the labour market, and specifically to find summer jobs to help pay for their education?

I would first like to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to thank the member for his work on this very important file.The Government of Canada, through the connecting Canadians program, is working to extend and enhance broadband service to an additional 280,000 Canadian households. Computers, mobile devices, and other modern technologies touch every part of our lives and it is for this reason that the government is working with both public and private partners to help deliver reliable high-speed Internet access at affordable prices. This is good for the consumer and it is good for business.

Mr. Speaker, I recommend a second look at the website. The deadline for applications is February 15 at noon.The process we have introduced is more open and more transparent than anything the former government implemented, and we are confident that it will lead to a stronger Senate, establishing the confidence of Canadians in this important democratic institution.

Mr. Speaker, colleagues will well know that when the government was sworn in, we released a very important document called “Open and Accountable Government”. It set a new standard in terms of transparency and accountability, not only for members of the cabinet but for members of their staff, for the relationship between Canadians and cabinet ministers, and for Canadians and the public service. We are very proud to have raised the bar on that important endeavour.

Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in growing the economy, but as we have said from the start, we will follow three cardinal principles in our approach. We will reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio, make prudent investments in our infrastructure, and return to a balanced budget before the end of our term.That is what we promised Canadians and that is exactly what we will do.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said that he understands the importance of protecting supply management and of having a plan to compensate dairy producers. The Minister of International Trade has said that she does not feel bound to pay the compensation announced by the Conservative government, but in the meantime the uncertainty producers are experiencing has already resulted in the loss of 257 family farms in Quebec.The government is going to sign the trans-Pacific partnership agreement tomorrow. Can the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food assure the producers who came to Ottawa today that there is a plan to provide more compensation than the Conservative government promised?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for reminding us that the issue the Auditor General raised in his very welcome report is an important one. I was very concerned about the findings in the report regarding the fate of the most vulnerable members of our society. I met with the Auditor General immediately, and I can assure the House that we will do whatever it takes to fix this problem.

Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure program launched in 2014 is not working in Quebec. Since Ottawa is interfering in the selection process and wants to approve each project, even if they fall under Quebec or municipal jurisdiction, nothing is moving forward and the negotiations are never-ending. We do not need a repeat of this fiasco, with more money.Does the government plan on following through on the Prime Minister's election promise and emulating the gas tax transfer, by making a block transfer, without conditions?

He is in Rome now. I should aim so high. He will be arriving back from Rome. He, together with the Minister of National Defence, will be pleased to represent our position.

Mr. Speaker, we are confident that the process we have introduced would lead to a stronger Senate. I do appreciate the hon. member's interest in the process here, and I have to ask this. Where was this commitment to good process when his government appointed nearly 60 senators? Was there a process?Whatever the process, it was flawed. I urge the member to join us as we implement a more open and transparent process for appointing senators.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ending the air strikes, but we do work in a coalition and we have to do it in a responsible manner. There are a lot of things to factor in. When we do end it, it will be done in a responsible manner.

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, political interference is political interference.This is just not about the government House leader. His own letter says that he was writing on behalf of the Prime Minister.Why does the Prime Minister think that he has the right to openly interfere with judges and quasi-judicial board members?

Mr. Speaker, he cannot simply tell resource workers and their families to wait for things to get better. The Prime Minister should not be causing additional damage.Unfortunately, his national carbon tax plan will hurt the families of Alberta workers just when they will find it particularly difficult to pay more taxes.Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and put his national carbon tax on ice?

Mr. Speaker, talking about ethical guidelines, when we are talking about a previous government's decision at five minutes to midnight to appoint a series of individuals to jobs to take effect after it lost the election, with no ability for this House to scrutinize those appointments, from our perspective that was abuse of process.The member knows absolutely well that it is appropriate for ministers to talk to people about potential appointments. That is how the Governor in Council appointment process works. She should know that very well.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what we intend to do. CBSA performs very important functions for all Canadians, as well as our international customers. We intend that this should be a first-class organization. We follow the advice of the Auditor General. There is an action plan being implemented that will implement the vast majority of the recommendations before the end of this year.

Mr. Speaker, obviously we have much to learn from the Auditor General's report, and indeed how we deliver services in a responsible way, including Shared Services, which is IT around the government. It is extremely important. What we have seen through our first months is that it is not enough to do as the previous government did and simply announce things. It is actually important to follow up on them, give the tools to get things done, and execute them responsibly. That is exactly what Canadians elected us to do.

Mr. Speaker, to reiterate, we are steadfast allies of Ukraine. When we were provoked—and this was underscored by the opposition—by the foreign minister of Russia, we said that just because he wanted warmer relations did not mean we did, until they demonstrate respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.

Mr. Speaker, we are not the only ones. Canadians, and more important, the parliamentary budget officer, know that the Conservative government leaving a surplus has to do with bank balances. Maybe the Liberals should check their snapshot when they came in in November, because I am pretty sure it was in the black, not in the red, where they will drag it after the end of this fiscal year.The question is still the same. Does the Minister of Finance believe his caucus, who are the only ones saying we are in deficit, or does he believe the deputy minister of finance?

Mr. Speaker, I know the members opposite seemed to look at this fall as some sort of dress rehearsal, but we actually got immediately to work and lowered taxes for the middle class while raising them for the wealthiest 1% with our very first piece of legislation.That was a commitment we made to Canadians. It is a commitment we have kept, along with many other commitments that Canadians expect us to keep. I thank the members very much for noticing.

Mr. Speaker, once again, my colleagues on the other side of the House do not understand how important it is to show that we can build a responsible economy by developing and protecting the environment at the same time.Their lack of understanding got us into this extremely vulnerable position, and that is exactly where many Albertans find themselves now.We will work with the Government of Alberta and with Albertans to build a future that will be more prosperous for everyone.

Mr. Speaker, the government takes the health and safety of all of its workers seriously and, in fact, of any visitors to our buildings. That is why whenever the presence of asbestos is identified, we move immediately to remediate the situation. We certainly will undertake a review to make sure that asbestos is not a product that is used on an ongoing basis.

Mr. Speaker, Canada's summer jobs program is accepting applications now and the application deadline is February 26.For those individuals who are getting the opportunity, employment could begin as early as May. This is of particular importance to young people who are looking for experience in the job market and finding the job opportunities we all want them to succeed at.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for reminding us about the tragedies that have happened recently and the respect that Canadians have paid to those families whose lives tragically ended in Burkina Faso. It is important to continue to remember.When we will be acting, will be very soon. I am starting to talk like Minister Dion.

Mr. Speaker, of course, we have denounced that over and over, and we are steadfastly standing with the Ukraine, as the member well knows.However, Canada is basing its foreign policy on a policy of engagement. That is much more difficult than a policy of isolationism and choosing to believe one's own point of view. It is a hard path for us and we are choosing it, not to find agreement all the time but to be able to hold other countries to account because we are talking.

Mr. Speaker, I am a little surprised that this question is coming from the party to our right and not the party across the way.In any case, in response I would say that of course we want to see the Social Security Tribunal of Canada operating properly, because that tribunal deals with cases involving some of the most vulnerable Canadians and most disadvantaged members of our society. It is important that that tribunal work properly in terms of both efficiency and fairness.

Mr. Speaker, I think we need to remind the member across the floor that the election is over, that we do not have to take things out of context. When we look at creating our plan we also look at learning from lessons from the past. As we move forward we will be making a comprehensive plan with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Development. When we come up with the plan it will be a plan that Canadians can be proud of.

Mr. Speaker, let us move to the Social Security Tribunal. It is a complete mess, and it is the most vulnerable Canadians who are paying the price. Some are waiting 900 days for a decision to be made. The tribunal itself identified more than 60 areas of improvement, but it will require staff and resources.Is the new government willing to reverse the Conservative cuts, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, that is another example that when faced with tough policy decisions, at home or abroad, the government favours procrastination over principled decision-making. When Liberals play honest broker, they prefer bafflegab to straight talk. During the election campaign Liberal MPs made strong commitments to match our Conservative government's support and defence of Ukraine, so why, after more than three months in office, can the government not actually denounce the Russian invasion and call it an illegal occupation?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party has always complied with Elections Canada laws and has always stood up for the enforcement of those laws. We are proud of our record on this. Conservative Party members' constant attacks on unions are shameful. That is why we are going to repeal bills C-377 and C-525, which are unfair and undemocratic attacks on Canada's unions.

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member across the floor knows very well, I served from the start of the combat mission right to the end. I was there to witness the issues that happened. I was there also for the successes. This is the conversation that we had on the ground. This is where we talked about how our political leadership failed us. This is why I will take the time to make sure, as we create future plans, that those lessons are not lost.

Mr. Speaker, the government House leader cannot answer a question on ethics because he does not know what they are.This letter was sent on behalf of the Prime Minister of Canada. It is right there in black and white. It is not enough that the Liberal House leader appears to be breaching ethical rules, but the Prime Minister himself is involved.Will the Prime Minister stand and tell this House how he will fix the obvious ethical breach?

Mr. Speaker, the bombing missions against ISIS authorized by the Conservatives will end in just a few weeks. The government has not yet announced its new plan, even though one was promised during the election campaign.Naturally, all kinds of rumours have been circulating in the meantime, including rumours about an expanded ground mission in Iraq.Canadians have the right to know.Where is the minister's plan? Will he increase the number of Canadian troops on the ground?

Mr. Speaker, did the Minister of Democratic Institutions receive written advice from the justice department legal counsel as to the constitutional validity of the phase I Senate nomination process that is now under way? In particular, did she receive advice regarding the Supreme Court's conclusion that there is a constitutional requirement that in any such process senators remain independent? In the event that the minister was given such a counsel, will she table it to the House?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for pointing out that today the Minister of Foreign Affairs is meeting with a small group of the global coalition within ISIL. Discussions are ongoing of course within government and with our coalition partners to refocus and optimize our contributions.The U.S. Secretary of State said last week, when we met with our North American partners, that he has great confidence in the contribution Canada has made and will continue to make.

Mr. Speaker, now that the Auditor General's report has been released, we expect the government to be clear about the concrete actions it plans to take. The backlog at the Social Security Tribunal of Canada has more than doubled. It is a long and complicated process that takes almost 900 days. That kind of management has a direct impact on people going through a hard time.Can the minister share his plan to end the interminable waiting?

Mr. Speaker, we understand that the old building Canada fund established by the previous government needs some improvements in the process so we can get the money out to the provinces as quickly as possible.We have met with representatives from the Province of Quebec, and we are trying to fix that problem, because we understand that investing in infrastructure is critical and that we need to do it in a speedy way.

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, the parliamentary secretary indicated that she had no problem gutting the First Nations Financial Transparency Act. Does she not realize that transparency and accountability mean readily accessible information? It does not mean having a report sitting in the basement of the department of indigenous affairs.How can the minister justify to band members that they must plead or go to court to get basic financial information?

Mr. Speaker, we will fix the obvious ethical breach of the previous government by taking a series of appointments that were made inappropriately and putting them before the standing committees of this House. That is exactly how we are proposing to clean up the ethical mess left to us by the previous government.

Mr. Speaker, political interference is political interference.The Liberal House leader has written a number of letters that directly interfere with operations of the immigration review board and citizenship judges. In the past, this exact issue has required ministers to resign.Just how low are the Liberal standards when it comes to ethical guidelines?

Mr. Speaker, we will see if double standard and Liberal government are still synonymous.The reason I asked the previous question is that the government House leader wrote on behalf of the Prime Minister to a citizenship judge. He has been busy.The government House leader also wrote to five members of the Immigration and Refugee Board, the same board that former Liberal minister David Collenette wrote to and had to resign over.How is the Prime Minister going to hold his House leader responsible for this clear violation of ethical guidelines?

Mr. Speaker, as I just said to the hon. colleague, the previous government has put us on track for a $3-billion deficit for this year.We have a plan to grow the economy, to invest in Canadians, to create investments to grow our economy, and to invest in infrastructure. That is what we said, and that is exactly what we will be doing.

Mr. Speaker, the only people who believe the Conservatives did not leave us with a deficit are the Conservatives themselves. The “Fiscal Monitor” is a snapshot in time. It is looking at our bank statement before we have paid the bills. It does not tell the whole story. The economic and fiscal update clearly shows that the previous government put us on track for a $3-billion deficit for this year. That train has left the station. After 10 years of weak economic growth, this government has a chance to grow the economy and create jobs by focusing on the middle class, investing in infrastructure and—

Mr. Speaker, the logical extension of that argument would be to say that it is inappropriate for a government minister to talk to anybody about a potential appointment. For example, when the Attorney General is about to appoint somebody to the bench, she should not possibly talk to that person? We should have what? Some anonymous message sent from an account?That is completely ridiculous.The government has the responsibility to talk to people whose appointments we are questioning or whose appointments we are about to make. We did not talk to people about specific cases or their work with respect to any independent tribunal. The members knows that well. She is confusing the issues.

Mr. Speaker, theMinister of Foreign Affairs is in Rome today to discuss the coalition's campaign against ISIS. In the 2015 campaign, the Liberals promised to end the bombing, yet it is 2016 and the bombing is still continuing. Today, the Liberal government is discussing its plans with our allies in Rome while at the same time refusing to tell Canadians anything. The media is now reporting that the government is planning a new, expanded mission on the ground in Iraq. Can the Minister of Defence confirm that he is considering expanding the number of Canadian troops on the ground in Iraq, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, in 1990, a minister had to resign for making a telephone call to a judge.In 1996, a minister had to resign because he wrote a letter to the Immigration and Refugee Board.In 2013, a minister resigned for writing a letter to the federal Tax Court.All of these ministers resigned because of inappropriate contact with judges and tribunals.Will the Prime Minister be setting the same standard for his government?

Mr. Speaker, does the Minister of Finance have confidence in his department's officials, or will he dispute their findings that the Conservative government left them in surplus?

Mr. Speaker, I am always amazed when I hear my colleague opposite.Canadians know that the time to invest is when interest rates are low. That is what we said. We began in December with our plan to cut taxes for the middle class. In the next budget, we will introduce the Canada child benefit and make historic investments in infrastructure.Canadians know that the time to make investments that will grow the economy is when interest rates are low.

Mr. Speaker, we are extremely concerned with what the Auditor General brought forward. We are working very hard to repair some of the errors made in the past, because Canadians deserve a government that is open, transparent, and able to deliver in a responsible way the things that Canadians expect it to deliver.

Mr. Speaker, I think that the most important and difficult decision we are called upon to make as parliamentarians is the decision to send our men and women in uniform on foreign missions and military deployments. This topic came up today during question period. I apologize if I got passionate and let you down, and I apologize to the members of the House.That said, I know that I have to treat all members of the House with respect and I expect to be treated with the same respect by all members, including you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, more than 10,000 Ukrainians are dead. More than a million and a half civilians are displaced. During the election the now Minister of International Trade called for tough new measures against the Putin regime. The MP for Etobicoke Centre called for lethal weapon aid for Ukraine. However, since the election, we have heard only sunny platitudes from the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Why have there been no specifics regarding enhanced military and defence co-operation with Ukraine?

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's report is damning. Half of the departments audited had not conducted a gender-based comparative analysis, which is compulsory. This is 2016. This is unacceptable. We must do better.Will the Liberal government commit to issuing a clear directive for all departments to honour their commitment and finally conduct gender-based analyses?

Mr. Speaker, for over 20 years, the various reforms introduced by the Liberal and Conservative governments have decreased benefits for unemployed workers and restricted eligibility so that only two in five workers can access these benefits.The current government must commit to making employment insurance a real insurance program for our workers, rather than a labour tax. Will the government also commit to taking into account the specific characteristics and needs of workers in the regions, particularly seasonal workers? Will it commit to allowing regional stakeholders to participate in the process?

Mr. Speaker, we have seen this government fill its offices with former Dalton McGuinty staffers. McGuinty has cost Ontario taxpayers billions of dollars in higher taxes, big spending, and gas plant scandals.After hiring every McGuinty staffer it could find, will the government at least promise that Dalton McGuinty never gets a patronage appointment, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to thank the people of Brome—Missisquoi for electing me to represent them in the House.Many rural areas like mine, which is located about an hour from Montreal, do not always have access to high-speed Internet. It is therefore difficult for us to compete with the major centres, attract young entrepreneurs, and help off-site workers.What does the government intend to do to get the regions connected faster? It is urgent.

Mr. Speaker, dairy producers are not the only ones to lose under this job-killing deal. The TPP would also expand loopholes to bring in temporary foreign workers with no regard for the impact on Canadian jobs and wages. The Conservatives allowed rampant abuse of the temporary foreign worker program on their watch and now the Liberals are about to make matters even worse.Will the minister cancel her trip to New Zealand and take the time to look at the cost to Canadians instead of rushing to sign this reckless deal?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians gave the previous government the boot for its many failures; now we want to know how the current government is going to undo the damage. For example, the previous government completely failed in the transition to Shared Services Canada: missing deadlines, failing to communicate with partners, data left unsecured, and millions misspent.Exactly what concrete steps is the minister going to take to ensure that Shared Services actually works and that information is actually protected?

Mr. Speaker, let us compare. The Conservative Party's first bill was the Federal Accountability Act, to get big union money out of politics. The Liberal Party's first bill is to reward big union bosses by getting rid of transparency and accountability for their expenses. Now we know that the unions spent a lot of money to help the Liberals get elected, in fact at least one illegal union donation. Why is political payback to big union bosses priority number one for this Prime Minister?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's advice for hard hit resource workers and their families is to wait it out, but what workers and their families really need is for the government to not make things worse. Unfortunately, making things worse is exactly what the Prime Minister is doing. His plan for a national carbon tax will mean more costs piled on to Alberta families, on top of the carbon taxes they are already paying.Will the Prime Minister commit today to do no further harm to Alberta workers and abandon his national carbon tax plan?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the defence minister said our past military activity was a mistake. Earlier today, when he was asked what his anti-ISIS plan was, he said, “I don't know, ask the foreign minister, he's in Rome”. Canadians really want to know who is in charge of the Canadian Armed Forces. Is it the minister of defence or the minister of global affairs?

Mr. Speaker, asbestos has been called the greatest industrial killer the world has ever known and my colleagues have been fighting hard to get this carcinogenic and toxic material out of buildings and people's lives. This known carcinogen has claimed the lives of thousands of Canadian workers, so people were shocked to learn that while the federal government is spending millions to remove it from some buildings, it is installing new asbestos in other buildings.Will the Liberals now employ some common sense, stand up for worker safety, and immediately put a stop to this?

Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House and all Canadians understand that our employment insurance program needs modernization.We have committed to lowering premiums, cutting benefit wait times, and providing more flexibility to all Canadians when they need it.

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General also highlighted some troubling practices at the Canada Border Services Agency. Because the agency is understaffed, high risk parcels are leaving the country without even being examined. Canada does not want to become a sieve for illegal goods. We have international commitments and we must honour them. The Conservatives gutted the agency, and now we are seeing the consequences of those cuts. Will the government reinvest in the agency so that it can fulfill its mandate properly?

Mr. Speaker, I hope that in the minister's supplemental she will actually answer the question I posed a moment ago.Here is the problem. In its Senate reference ruling, the Supreme Court says that any appointment process that limits the independence of senators is unconstitutional. The fact that it is impossible for an individual to submit an application without working closely with a nominating organization, coupled with the 14-day deadline for phase I applications, which ends right after Valentine's Day, gives nominating organizations enormous control over those whom they sponsor. Therefore, is the phase I nomination process not an unconstitutional violation of the principle that senators must be independent?

It really is Groundhog Day all over again, Mr. Speaker. Another Auditor General report, another scathing indictment of the previous government.Today the Auditor General reported on how that federal government made a complete mess of the CPP disability program: long wait times, a needlessly complicated 42-page application process, and no consistent standards for decisions.The Conservatives may have been the ones to make this mess, but it is up to the Liberals to fix it. What exactly is the new government going to do to fix it?

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, residents of my riding often objected to the process used by the previous government to impose the location of the memorial to the victims of Communism. Can the Minister of Canadian Heritage provide this House with an update on the status of that memorial and public consultations?

Mr. Speaker, as I said, as soon as we learned about these irregularities, we acted immediately. We worked with Elections Canada and the unions to set everything straight instead of resorting to the previous government's bad habit of fighting all the time.What we underscored is that we think unions are important partners in developing our economy. That is why we are reversing the attacks the previous government made on the unions.

Mr. Speaker, it is sad to listen to my colleague. Running deficits is not the answer for stimulating the economy.When Canadians are managing their budgets, they know that when times are tough it is not the time to be spending more. On the contrary, they know that when times are tough it is time to look closer at their spending, manage it responsibly, and save money. Spending does not create wealth. We do not become richer by spending money we do not have.I would ask the Minister of Finance and the government to stop living in a parallel universe where spending equals prosperity and to deliver a balanced budget for all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, for 10 years the members opposite tried to do everything they could for Alberta, and they ended up making it worse.The members opposite were unable to get the resources to market. They were unable to diversify the economy. They were unable to recognize that combining environment and economy is the only way to build a strong resilient economy in the 21st century.Their lack of understanding of the nature of the new economy is what led, in part, to the challenges we are facing now.

Mr. Speaker, we know that unions are important allies for the Liberal Party, but not for all Canadians.There was the event in Waterloo as well as two other events organized by big union bosses to help the Liberal Party. One was in Vaughn and the other in Oakville. That is at least three events.Can the Prime Minister tell us whether there was illegal funding in these cases, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we are very concerned with the comments made by the Minister of Defence yesterday when he said we must not “repeat the mistakes of the past”. Over 40,000 Canadians served in Afghanistan. One hundred and fifty-nine gave their lives. Was it a mistake that the hard work of our armed forces enabled millions of children to go to school, including over three million girls? Was it a mistake that we restored the rights of women so they could work and have health care? Does the minister believe these successes, as we fought the Taliban, were all just a mistake?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians were deeply saddened by the recent brutal attack on their fellow citizens by terrorists in Burkina Faso and Indonesia. The killing of six Canadians on a humanitarian mission in Burkina Faso and the killing of a Canadian in Indonesia has shocked us all.On a visit to Nigeria a couple of years ago, I also came very close to becoming a victim of a terrorist attack.Our NGO community volunteers are working all over the world, often in dangerous places. The government owes it to Canadians to take decisive action in fighting terrorism.When will it act?

Mr. Speaker, in the matter of the illegal financing of the Liberal Party of Canada by the unions, the government is not being transparent, to say the least.Last week, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons said they were in the dark. Yesterday, we submitted a document here, but unfortunately the government refused to have it tabled. We showed that this document proves that it was the Liberal Party that asked the union boss to fill the room.Since the Prime Minister is here, could he tell us at what point he knew that the union paid its members $100 to pretend to be Liberal supporters?

Mr. Speaker, the minister keeps pointing Canadians to her website on the Senate appointment process. However, all that is found there is how this process will take place behind closed doors and leave Canadians in the dark. Let us go over what the website says: the advisory board meets in secret; then provides a non-binding list in secret; then the Prime Minister might choose a senator from the list. Of course, it all happens completely in secret. Why do the Liberals want to leave Canadians completely in the dark on this?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that prosperity does not come from government spending but rather from entrepreneurs investing. The finance minister is completely wrong when he thinks that we can spend our way to prosperity on borrowed money.Will he work with us? Will he work with job-creating entrepreneurs by lowering taxes and balancing the budget?