Blaine Calkins

Red Deer-Lacombe, AB - Conservative
Sentiment

Total speeches : 171
Positive speeches : 114
Negative speeches : 41
Neutral speeches : 16
Percentage negative : 23.98 %
Percentage positive : 66.67 %
Percentage neutral : 9.36 %

Most toxic speeches

1. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-06
Toxicity : 0.542756
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Mr. Speaker, this is just in. The individual who organized the Prime Minister's Vancouver fundraiser in November with Chinese millionaires is now bragging the fundraiser was a quid pro quo. He got an invitation from the Prime Minister to meet the Chinese premier in Ottawa and then offered to host the cash for access fundraiser in return. The gig is up. This rotten, stinking, filthy, corrupt cash for access fundraising scheme has finally been exposed for what it is, so the only question is: When will the Prime Minister stop it?
2. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-14
Toxicity : 0.497086
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Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. The Prime Minister's cash for access events are a national embarrassment, and he is quickly becoming a mockery around the world. The Prime Minister is selling access to his government. He knows it, the Chinese government and its detractors know it, his caucus knows it, and Canadians know it. It is called corruption.The Prime Minister has become a laughingstock on the matter of ethics. It is time for the Prime Minister to act like a leader and put an end to these unethical cash for access events. The only question is, when will he do it?
3. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-13
Toxicity : 0.439367
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Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing that the House leader has to answer these questions with the same old, tired talking points. She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House. So the Liberal caucus—
4. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-08
Toxicity : 0.430061
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Mr. Speaker, I actually feel bad for the members across the way, the ones not in cabinet, and the ones who actually believed the Liberal government would be different from the corrupt Liberals of the past. They believed, I am sure, the Prime Minister when he published his open and accountable government rules. They probably thought he was going to live up to those standards, and I am sure they are very disappointed.The Prime Minister makes the House leader stand every day and repeat these pathetic talking points. It is insulting to her, and it is insulting to every member of the House.Everyone, except the Prime Minister, can see that he is selling access. When will he wake up and put an end to these events?
5. Blaine Calkins - 2019-02-22
Toxicity : 0.406866
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Madam Speaker, section 139(2) of the Criminal Code says everyone who “wilfully attempts in any manner....to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice is guilty of an indictable offence”. The Clerk of the Privy Council has confessed that he, the Prime Minister's staff, and the Prime Minister himself have all attempted to influence the course of the SNC-Lavalin trial.If the Liberals believe they have done nothing wrong, why was the former attorney general fired, and why did Gerry Butts resign?
6. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-29
Toxicity : 0.33527
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Mr. Speaker, it seems like Cheech and Chong are stuck in Groundhog Day with these answers.Abi Roach of the Cannabis Friendly Business Association told the media, “They took our money happily without question” and, that, “no one vetted [me] ”. She also said, “I would rather to speak to a politician one-on-one in an office than have to pay.”I guess everyone got the memo that if one wants to talk to the current Liberal government one has to pay up. It sounds like cash for access to me.When will the Prime Minister put an end to these unsavoury hash for—I mean, cash for access events?
7. Blaine Calkins - 2017-03-23
Toxicity : 0.322377
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Mr. Speaker, it is the first time the PCO has needed private island guidelines.The Prime Minister has increased taxes on Canadians who use Uber or public transit to get to work, because the Prime Minister has made it very clear he needs the extra cash to pay for his caviar and champagne when he travels to private islands. The Prime Minister is so out of touch that he is raising taxes on struggling Canadians to fund his lavish lifestyle, and Canadians are getting fed up.Will the Prime Minister actually stand and answer questions of behalf of struggling Canadians or will he just sit there with a smug look on his face, while he daydreams about his next vacation?
8. Blaine Calkins - 2019-06-14
Toxicity : 0.321912
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Mr. Speaker, Alberta has been shown nothing but disdain from the Liberal government for the last three and a half years. The Liberals continue their assault on the energy sector. Last night they shut down debate on Bill C-69, which has devastated many of my constituents.People have lost their businesses, their jobs and their homes. They have lost hope. Some have even taken their own lives.When everyone is telling the environment minister that her plan is a disaster, she chooses to ignore this advice. Everyone has been repeating it so long and saying it so loud. Why will she not listen?
9. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-27
Toxicity : 0.282356
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians do not believe the Liberals on the exclusive cash for access fundraisers. We know the Lobbying Commissioner has opened an investigation into the Liberals' behaviour, because, well, she does not believe them either. I am not asking about election financing laws, and frankly, it is embarrassing for the Liberals to keep trying to hide behind them. Either the Prime Minister needs to start enforcing his own rules or he should stand up and admit that he broke his promise to Canadians.
10. Blaine Calkins - 2017-03-22
Toxicity : 0.277788
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister thinks he is elected royalty and Canadians should lavish him with exotic island vacations, nannies, and a jet-setting lifestyle. The Prime Minister spent $127,000 on his island excursion with the famjam and his BFFs. Seventeen hundred dollars were spent on food and drinks alone for a three-hour flight. There are people in my riding who are struggling to pay the mortgage, but the Prime Minister thinks he is entitled to his caviar and champagne.Why does this wealthy trust-fund Prime Minister think he can abuse taxpayers' dollars entertaining himself this way?
11. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-14
Toxicity : 0.27778
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Mr. Speaker, apparently the ethics commissioner was not satisfied with the defence the Prime Minister attempted to use to clear up the ethical mess of his new year's trip. As a matter of fact, she confirmed in writing yesterday that she is launching yet another formal investigation.The ethics commissioner, like all Canadians, is not buying the Prime Minister's nonsensical talking points, so when will the Prime Minister admit that he broke the rules, and finally admit that he is not above the law?
12. Blaine Calkins - 2017-04-11
Toxicity : 0.276274
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It seems as if the minister is shirking her responsibilities, Mr. Speaker. Something is clearly wrong. The science minister does not obviously feel comfortable around the cabinet table. She feels the need to use $20,000 of taxpayer money to have Liberal insiders at Canada 2020 lobby her cabinet colleagues on her behalf. Will the science minister finally be honest with Canadians and admit that this is a blatant misuse of taxpayers' funds, and that it is her way of pandering to the Prime Minister and his Liberal friends at Canada 2020?
13. Blaine Calkins - 2018-11-26
Toxicity : 0.275255
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have admitted, on multiple occasions, that Russia interfered in the last federal election, but they have refused to give any details to Canadians. Canadian elections belong to Canadians and we have a right to know how our elections have been influenced by foreign entities.However, instead of being transparent and open, the Liberals refuse to say how the Russians manipulated the last election. Why will the Prime Minister not come clean with Canadians and take foreign influence in our elections seriously?
14. Blaine Calkins - 2016-05-11
Toxicity : 0.273486
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Mr. Speaker, it is no surprise that the Liberals are not being open and transparent about their trip to Washington. The more we know, the more concerned we get. We now know that it cost almost $13,000 for just three ministers and their staff to go on this junket, but the numbers keep changing. Last week, they claimed it was $25,000 for 44 people, and no one believes that number.Can the Liberals be honest with taxpayers and tell them what the actual total cost of this trip was?
15. Blaine Calkins - 2017-03-21
Toxicity : 0.271798
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Mr. Speaker, lots of Canadian families travel by plane on a special getaway once a year. On these flights, one could buy a sandwich or maybe a diet Coke and a bag of chips for a snack. It is not great, but it is certainly reasonable. What is not reasonable is over $1,700 worth of food and drinks for a three-hour flight between Canada and the Bahamas, which is how much the taxpayer was billed by the Prime Minister getting to his private island vacation. My question is simple. Just what in the world was the Prime Minister eating on that plane ride?
16. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-19
Toxicity : 0.271574
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade's story just does not add up. She had a reserved seat on the government jet leaving Manilla, but she wanted some TV time on a popular U.S. show, so the minister instructed her staff to book some last-minute meetings and a first class ticket for her personal vanity project.This minister cost Canadian taxpayers almost $20,000 just so she could get schooled by an American comedian. Why does the minister believe that Canadians should have to pay for her hard-knock life lessons?
17. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-23
Toxicity : 0.270516
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It is clear, Mr. Speaker, that the government members do not understand the question being asked. This is not about following the rules. The Liberals have an ethical problem following their own rules that the Prime Minister has set out for himself. He set the bar here for his government's ethical behaviour. We are not talking about the election financing laws. We are talking about the bar that was set here. He has failed miserably to come close to even meeting that standard. This is about his rules, about his word, about his promise to the House and to Canadians.When will the Prime Minister put a stop to these shady shenanigans?
18. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-20
Toxicity : 0.262627
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Mr. Speaker, I wish her luck explaining the next several years of this. The Liberals' sense of entitlement is never ending. The Minister of Foreign Affairs approved $146,000 to relocate nine political staff. The Prime Minister gave a whopping $220,000 to five political staff, one of whom was handed $126,000 alone. These costs are at the discretion of the ministers and the Prime Minister. At a time when Alberta families are losing their homes, how can the Prime Minister justify these ridiculous expenses?
19. Blaine Calkins - 2015-12-09
Toxicity : 0.261291
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Mr. Speaker, the government cannot just excuse this kind of improper behaviour. Now the Liberals are selling access to Christmas, so it would seem. The rules are actually very clear: ministers are not allowed to use their positions for partisan purposes. However, the environment minister has also used her position to recruit support for the Liberal Party.The current government left Canadians with the impression that it would do things differently. Can the environment minister assure Canadians that this will never happen again? Do we need to be the government's conscience all the time?
20. Blaine Calkins - 2017-05-16
Toxicity : 0.254818
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is currently under two investigations by the Ethics Commissioner for breaking the law.The current Ethics Commissioner is set to retire this July. In an attempt to save face, the Prime Minister has appointed his House leader to choose the person who will be investigating the Prime Minister. What a joke. I am sure the government House leader, who serves at the Prime Minister's pleasure, is so grateful for the opportunity to be entangled in the Prime Minister's ethical mess.Did the Prime Minister provide the government House leader with a short list of Liberals who are fit for the position, or did he only provide her with a single name?
21. Blaine Calkins - 2017-03-09
Toxicity : 0.252
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is under multiple investigations. He refuses to answer questions about his ethical shortcomings. The Minister of Innovation was forced to admit that he misled Canadians over the Anbang boondoggle. The Minister of Finance is engaged in a carbon tax cover-up and the secret sell-off of airports. When will the Prime Minister finally act like a leader and be honest with Canadians instead of thinking he is above the law?
22. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-07
Toxicity : 0.249437
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Mr. Speaker, the ethical ship the Liberals sailed in on is sinking like the Titanic.Day after day, more and more people are coming forward, admitting they have paid to play with the Prime Minister. It is abundantly clear to everyone the Prime Minister never intended to follow his own open and accountable government rules.When will the Prime Minister stop the charade, and put an end to these unethical, shady, cash for access events?
23. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-24
Toxicity : 0.249128
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Mr. Speaker, I wondered what kind of defence they would try to chuck across the floor today. It is obviously a lot different than the one they tried yesterday.Canada 2020 gets it. The Commissioner of Lobbying gets it. The Ethics Commissioner gets it. The former Liberal deputy prime minister, Sheila Copps gets it. I watched Peter Mansbridge last night. I think he got it. Good God, even the Toronto Star gets it. They all understand that these Liberal cash for access events are unethical. When will the Prime Minister put a stop to these cash for access events?
24. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-16
Toxicity : 0.247907
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are embarrassing. Day after day, the Prime Minister refuses to stand in this House and answer the questions that Canadians have. Instead, the government House leader makes a mockery of this House by responding to our questions by saying that the Prime Minister will respond to our questions. Where is the answer? Canadians deserve better. They deserve an answer. I will ask the Prime Minister again: Did anyone at PMO or PCO advise him that it would be illegal to travel on a private aircraft for his island vacation, yes or no?
25. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-28
Toxicity : 0.2473
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Mr. Speaker, Brookfield's senior vice-president stated that relocation directives were explained in detail to all employees who were being moved. He also stated that they go over, extensively, the personalized cash payouts with each employee.This abuse of taxpayer money falls squarely on the shoulders of the Prime Minister as he was the one who approved the payouts. If the company handling the move says the Prime Minister's BFFs were briefed, why is the PMO misleading Canadians?
26. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-29
Toxicity : 0.244993
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Mr. Speaker, we are just trying to weed out the truth here. The Cannabis Friendly Business Association paid the entrance fee and got their 10 minutes of face time with the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Justice.Abi Roach said, “There was lot of people from the cannabis industry as well who were vying for his attention, more from the licensed producers’....”Licensed producers? Did the Liberals take money from unlicensed producers as well? Does the Prime Minister actually believe in his own open and accountable government document, or did the paper it was written on go up in smoke?
27. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-22
Toxicity : 0.243429
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister owes Canadians and this House some straight answers. He needs to answer for his lack of judgment. The Prime Minister gave over $200,000 in moving expenses to his BFFs. People in Alberta are losing their jobs and homes, yet the Prime Minister gave six-figure relocation payouts to his buddies. Can the Prime Minister stand in his place and justify to struggling Albertans why he thinks his friends deserve these absolutely egregious payouts?
28. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-04
Toxicity : 0.243172
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have a love affair with padding the pockets of their friends with taxpayer money. Documents released last week revealed that the Liberals signed off on $200,000 for their so-called deliverology wizard from the U.K. This self-acclaimed guru sold Ontario a bunch of buzzwords that did not work when he was brought in to deliver for the Liberals in Queen's Park. Why are these Liberals paying $200,000 for the same person to deliver the same useless bill of goods?
29. Blaine Calkins - 2017-10-05
Toxicity : 0.240229
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Mr. Speaker, with the Liberals killing energy east, British Columbia's Trans Mountain pipeline is quickly becoming Canada's only option for getting our energy to new markets, but the B.C. NDP government is doing everything in its power to stop this project, including court action. Unfortunately, the NDP has several allies in the Liberal government including the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries. Approving this project is one thing; getting it built is another. When will the Prime Minister do his job and tell Premier Horgan to back off and ensure that Trans Mountain gets built?
30. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-01
Toxicity : 0.239128
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear that when someone wants something from the Liberal government, all one has to do is pay the entry fee to one of its consultations. Its friends at Canada 2020 and Bluesky Strategy Group know it. Their friends at Apotex know it, Chinese billionaire bankers know it, and their pot friends know it too. Everyone can see it. The Liberals are only fooling themselves. When will the Prime Minister finally do the right thing and put an end to his cash for access fundraisers?
31. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-29
Toxicity : 0.227656
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to his ethical screen, perhaps the minister has misunderstood the definition of the word “screen”. Maybe he is thinking about an enormous screen door with great big holes in it, big enough for him and his friends to jump through. However, I do not think that is what Canadians have in mind.Where is the minister's judgment?
32. Blaine Calkins - 2016-02-26
Toxicity : 0.220527
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday this House heard the justice minister was the former chair of the First Nations Finance Authority and now her husband, conveniently, is its paid lobbyist.We now know that the current government is hiding behind ethical smokescreens. The justice minister sits on six cabinet committees and is directly responsible for funding the aboriginal justice strategy. It is clear to Canadians that the justice minister is in a conflict. When will she do the right thing and recuse herself from these cabinet committees?
33. Blaine Calkins - 2018-12-11
Toxicity : 0.218978
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Mr. Speaker, the pain Tori Stafford's family had to endure when it lost its daughter is unthinkable, but the pain it has had to endure since then is absolutely outrageous. The Liberals refused to back down after they sanctioned the transfer of Terri-Lynne McClintic to a resort style healing lodge. Now they are justifying Michael Rafferty's transfer to a medium-security facility, which they deliberately concealed from Tori's family. It is clear that the interests of child killers are more important to the Liberals than the interests of victims and their families. Why is the Liberal government putting Tori's family through hell? Has it not already been through enough?
34. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-21
Toxicity : 0.218794
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister personally signed off on $220,000 in moving expenses for his own political staff. The chief responsibility of the Prime Minister is to be honest and forthright with Canadians in the House. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about these expenses. They are wrong.Will the Prime Minister be honest with Canadians and rise today, and tell us which of his friends received these outrageous payouts?
35. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-13
Toxicity : 0.217938
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Mr. Speaker, we now know there is no one over at the Privy Council Office enforcing the rules set out in the Prime Minister's open and accountable government document. We also know that the vast majority of Canadians oppose these unethical and shady cash for access events that the Prime Minister and his cabinet are hosting. We even know that members of his own caucus are afraid to identify themselves when they speak about their disapproval of these very same events.When will the Prime Minister stop digging in the hole he has created for himself and end these unethical cash for access events?
36. Blaine Calkins - 2017-05-09
Toxicity : 0.216973
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is so out of touch with ordinary middle-class Canadians that he thinks $30,000 for Broadway show tickets is a great deal. His minister claims it is to honour the generosity of Newfoundlanders. However, average families in Newfoundland and Labrador are struggling to pay their bills. They cannot afford luxuries like Broadway tickets.Why is it that every time the Prime Minister needs to impress his fellow elites, he whips out the old taxpayer credit card to show everyone how big it is?
37. Blaine Calkins - 2017-03-22
Toxicity : 0.211717
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Mr. Speaker, it is no wonder the Prime Minister only wants to be here one day a week. When someone thinks he is elected royalty, he does not have to work, and the average Canadian can pick up the tab for caviar and champagne, but when the Prime Minister wants to fire up the old Challenger, jet off to an island, and get away to entertain his friends, he just pulls out the old taxpayer credit card.Can the Prime Minister justify to Canadians why they are on the hook for his $127,000 vacation and his $1,700 snack bill?
38. Blaine Calkins - 2015-12-09
Toxicity : 0.211373
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Mr. Speaker, it is not just the finance minister who is using his position inappropriately. Now we know that at least four other ministers are using their positions to fundraise for the Liberal Party. Airfare, hotel rooms, and access to ministers are being offered at an event this evening in return for generous donations to the Liberal Party. Will the Prime Minister put an immediate stop to this practice of selling access to his ministers?
39. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-04
Toxicity : 0.211287
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Mr. Speaker, we learned that the Prime Minister's BFF, Gerry Butts, brought in his good buddy from the U.K. to consult with the government on deliverology. The last time this individual consulted a Canadian government, Ontario became a have-not province and the most indebted sub-sovereign government in the world.Just who exactly is running this country? Is it Gerry, is it Katie, or is it the pinch-hitting guru from the U.K.?Can someone over there justify this atrocious waste of taxpayers' money?
40. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-23
Toxicity : 0.210545
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Mr. Speaker, here we go again. Another day, another investigation launched as a result of the Prime Minister's questionable cash for access events. First, the Ethics Commissioner and now the Commissioner of Lobbying are asking the Prime Minister about his unethical conduct. We already know the Prime Minister has zero regard for the rules and ethics laws, and we learned yesterday that the lobbying commissioner is investigating the Prime Minister's shady cash for access events with this wealthy lobbyist friends.Has the Prime Minister been questioned by the Commissioner of Lobbying regarding his cash for access fundraising activity?
41. Blaine Calkins - 2017-06-07
Toxicity : 0.206534
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He has recused himself by appointing his House leader, who reports to him, on who should be appointed as the Ethics Commissioner. It sounds a little mischievous to me.Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister is currently being investigated by the Ethics Commissioner for breaking the law. He is failing to uphold any level of ethical standards and refuses to even acknowledge if he has met with the Ethics Commissioner.The commissioner's term is set to end this July, and the Prime Minister has not even consulted the opposition about a viable replacement. Is it the Prime Minister's plan to send the Ethics Commissioner packing without appointing a replacement so he can just walk off scot-free?
42. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-08
Toxicity : 0.203704
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just does not get it. His hubris is astounding. He has hosted at least 16 or 17 elite cash for access events. His cabinet has hosted over 80 shady events this year alone. They claim to be consultations, but they come with a $1,500 entry fee. They are exclusive, whether they are in Bay Street law firms or the in the homes of millionaires. The Prime Minister is selling access to his government. He knows it, and he knows it is wrong. When will he show some leadership and end these unethical cash for access events?
43. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-14
Toxicity : 0.202551
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Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister is hosting an exclusive cash for access event, he claims that he is advocating for the middle class. Really? I honestly hope that was an attempt at humour. The Prime Minister has no regard for his own rules, his own party rules, and he laughs in the face of the ethics laws. When will the Prime Minister end these unethical cash for access events?
44. Blaine Calkins - 2016-05-31
Toxicity : 0.202046
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Mr. Speaker, we know Liberals just cannot help themselves when it comes to spending. Immediately after getting the keys to their new offices, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change spent $20,000 on furniture and TVs, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development spent $60,000 on renovation, and the Minister of Health even spent $27 on a towel bar when Walmart has over a dozen options for under $10. However, the show stopper is the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, who spent $835,000 on renovations and paintings. Do the Liberals really think it is okay to spend $1 million on TVs and towel racks?
45. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-22
Toxicity : 0.201512
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Mr. Speaker, they are working hard to oversee 10% unemployment in central Alberta for the first time in decades. The Prime Minister's BFFs made like bandits, selling their million dollar Toronto homes and raking in over a half a million dollars each personally in profit, yet the Prime Minister personally chose to give $200,000 of taxpayer money to his millionaire friends. The Prime Minister's impaired judgment is astounding and is, frankly, shocking. Can the Prime Minister tell struggling Alberta families exactly why he thinks his entitled millionaire BFFs deserve these outrageous payments?
46. Blaine Calkins - 2016-02-04
Toxicity : 0.201464
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Mr. Speaker, this is outrageous. This is political interference in the courts. Is there any court in Canada that can escape the reach of the new Liberal government? No one has ever done this before. No one has even had the gall to attempt something like this before. Every minister in the past who has interfered with these tribunals has resigned. When is he going to get to it?
47. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-16
Toxicity : 0.199735
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Mr. Speaker, Canadians deserve answers. The Prime Minister is not fooling anyone. It is not like he can just whip out his Challenger and land it wherever he wants. There is planning, scheduling, and security assessments that need to be done. The Conflict of Interest Act is clear. The Prime Minister claims that he has read it. If that is true, then he knows that it is illegal for him to accept travel on private aircraft. Will the Prime Minister confirm that he was advised by his officials in the Prime Minister's Office or the Privy Council Office that he would be breaking the law by taking this trip?
48. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-29
Toxicity : 0.196795
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Mr. Speaker, we already have a Toronto minister responsible for Atlantic economic development. We have the possibility that a Toronto judge could take the Atlantic Canada spot on the Supreme Court. Now to get in good with the Prime Minister's Atlantic kingpin, one has to get an invitation to a private reception in Toronto, literally being held on Toronto Street. The Minister of Fisheries secret event is billed “Get the Atlantic Edge”. Why does getting the Atlantic edge have to mean dodgy unethical cocktail parties in downtown Toronto?
49. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-18
Toxicity : 0.194863
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade was in Manila on November 19.She had her seat reserved on the government Challenger to make her way back home, but instead she booked herself through LA and charged the taxpayers nearly $20,000 for a trip to Hollywood. The reason: a vanity interview. While the interview with Bill Maher was painful to watch, it turns out it was just as painful for Canadian taxpayers.Why have Canadian taxpayers been stuck with the bill for her California dream?
50. Blaine Calkins - 2016-05-09
Toxicity : 0.19409
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Mr. Speaker, it is too bad there was nobody there to lobby for Keystone XL.We know that the honeymoon is over, and it is time for the Prime Minister to start taking his responsibilities to the Canadian taxpayers seriously, which is not exactly easy for someone who has never had to work a day in his life. Taxpayers do work hard every day. They do not want to see entitled Liberals taking lavish trips with VIP access for their friends and family. Why does the Prime Minister think that he is entitled to squander taxpayers' dollars in this way?

Most negative speeches

1. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-20
Polarity : -0.575
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Mr. Speaker, the finance minister defended his cash-for-access scheme, claiming that it was part of the consultation process for the budget. Average Canadians will be disgusted to learn that they now have to fork over a $1,500 donation to the Liberal Party to be heard on the upcoming budget. If the event was part of the consultation process, as the finance minister claims, will he rise in the House and tell Canadians who attended the event and what was promised to his friends?
2. Blaine Calkins - 2016-05-09
Polarity : -0.385417
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Mr. Speaker, it is too bad there was nobody there to lobby for Keystone XL.We know that the honeymoon is over, and it is time for the Prime Minister to start taking his responsibilities to the Canadian taxpayers seriously, which is not exactly easy for someone who has never had to work a day in his life. Taxpayers do work hard every day. They do not want to see entitled Liberals taking lavish trips with VIP access for their friends and family. Why does the Prime Minister think that he is entitled to squander taxpayers' dollars in this way?
3. Blaine Calkins - 2016-02-04
Polarity : -0.278409
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Mr. Speaker, this is outrageous. This is political interference in the courts. Is there any court in Canada that can escape the reach of the new Liberal government? No one has ever done this before. No one has even had the gall to attempt something like this before. Every minister in the past who has interfered with these tribunals has resigned. When is he going to get to it?
4. Blaine Calkins - 2019-02-22
Polarity : -0.27
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Madam Speaker, section 139(2) of the Criminal Code says everyone who “wilfully attempts in any manner....to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice is guilty of an indictable offence”. The Clerk of the Privy Council has confessed that he, the Prime Minister's staff, and the Prime Minister himself have all attempted to influence the course of the SNC-Lavalin trial.If the Liberals believe they have done nothing wrong, why was the former attorney general fired, and why did Gerry Butts resign?
5. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-18
Polarity : -0.26
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade was in Manila on November 19.She had her seat reserved on the government Challenger to make her way back home, but instead she booked herself through LA and charged the taxpayers nearly $20,000 for a trip to Hollywood. The reason: a vanity interview. While the interview with Bill Maher was painful to watch, it turns out it was just as painful for Canadian taxpayers.Why have Canadian taxpayers been stuck with the bill for her California dream?
6. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-13
Polarity : -0.242857
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Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing that the House leader has to answer these questions with the same old, tired talking points. She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House. So the Liberal caucus—
7. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-25
Polarity : -0.233333
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Mr. Speaker, on November 7, the finance minister will be the star attraction at another cash-for-access fundraiser, organized by Barry Sherman, the chairman of Apotex. We know that Apotex has lobbied thefinance minister three times in the last six months. Now, we learn that Apotex is actively suing the federal government.Clearly, the Prime Minister's rules are being broken. Why will the Prime Minister not punish his ministers? Is it because the Prime Minister has secretly instructed his ministers to engage in these cash-for-access kickbacks anyway?
8. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-08
Polarity : -0.222403
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Mr. Speaker, I actually feel bad for the members across the way, the ones not in cabinet, and the ones who actually believed the Liberal government would be different from the corrupt Liberals of the past. They believed, I am sure, the Prime Minister when he published his open and accountable government rules. They probably thought he was going to live up to those standards, and I am sure they are very disappointed.The Prime Minister makes the House leader stand every day and repeat these pathetic talking points. It is insulting to her, and it is insulting to every member of the House.Everyone, except the Prime Minister, can see that he is selling access. When will he wake up and put an end to these events?
9. Blaine Calkins - 2015-12-09
Polarity : -0.2125
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Mr. Speaker, it is not just the finance minister who is using his position inappropriately. Now we know that at least four other ministers are using their positions to fundraise for the Liberal Party. Airfare, hotel rooms, and access to ministers are being offered at an event this evening in return for generous donations to the Liberal Party. Will the Prime Minister put an immediate stop to this practice of selling access to his ministers?
10. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-27
Polarity : -0.207143
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Mr. Speaker, it is not good enough that the government House leader keeps hiding behind the rules, saying that the rules were followed. She is misleading Canadians. The rules clearly state that these expenses are at the discretion of the minister and the Prime Minister. The rules did not make them do it.Why is the Prime Minister hiding behind the rules instead of admitting he used poor judgment when he signed off on these unreasonable personal cash payments?
11. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-23
Polarity : -0.2
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Mr. Speaker, in his answer today, the Minister of Fisheries actually referred to this document as artificial. It is the “Open and Accountable Government” document.I would like to seek unanimous consent to table this document in the House.
12. Blaine Calkins - 2017-04-12
Polarity : -0.195
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Mr. Speaker, we already know that Canadians are outraged at the Prime Minister spending now over $133,000 to take a personal vacation to billionaire island, and he reluctantly admitted to reporters, after pressing, that he took the helicopter, the Aga Khan's private helicopter, to get to Bell Island.We know from documents that have been released that this simply is not true, because a float plane was hired by the Government of Canada to get some staffers there.My question for the Prime Minister is clear. He says that he will talk to the Ethics Commissioner, but why will he not just tell Canadians why he is making up this story when we know he could have taken an alternative route. Why does he not just tell us the truth?
13. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-06
Polarity : -0.185714
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Mr. Speaker, this is just in. The individual who organized the Prime Minister's Vancouver fundraiser in November with Chinese millionaires is now bragging the fundraiser was a quid pro quo. He got an invitation from the Prime Minister to meet the Chinese premier in Ottawa and then offered to host the cash for access fundraiser in return. The gig is up. This rotten, stinking, filthy, corrupt cash for access fundraising scheme has finally been exposed for what it is, so the only question is: When will the Prime Minister stop it?
14. Blaine Calkins - 2016-02-03
Polarity : -0.168831
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Liberal House leader got it wrong. He tried to justify his interference with citizenship judges on the Immigration and Refugee Board just because he did not like who was appointed.These people were already appointed. He has no right to use his position to intimidate them. Judicial independence is paramount. These judges and tribunal members make rulings on matters between the government and Canadians. Will they now feel pressured to side with the new Liberal government in order to keep their jobs?
15. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-27
Polarity : -0.152778
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Mr. Speaker, 19 ministers and the Prime Minister—that is more than half of them—signed off on outrageous relocation costs for a handful of their friends. It was not until they were caught with their hands in the cookie jar that they claimed these so-called relocation costs were unreasonable and agreed to pay some of the money back. If these expenses are unreasonable and wrong today, then why did they accept the personalized cash payments in the first place?
16. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-11
Polarity : -0.15
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Mr. Speaker, on January 18, 2014, the member for Wascana wrote to the Ethics Commissioner, asking that she investigate the former member for Saint Boniface after she attended a political fundraiser. The member for Wascana stated in his letter that “Any breach of the Conflict of Interest Code undermines the confidence that Canadians have in our elected representative....” Given the nature of the justice minister's fundraiser this past week, how can the member complain on the one hand and then turn a blind eye to last week's Liberal fundraiser?
17. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-22
Polarity : -0.135833
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Mr. Speaker, they are working hard to oversee 10% unemployment in central Alberta for the first time in decades. The Prime Minister's BFFs made like bandits, selling their million dollar Toronto homes and raking in over a half a million dollars each personally in profit, yet the Prime Minister personally chose to give $200,000 of taxpayer money to his millionaire friends. The Prime Minister's impaired judgment is astounding and is, frankly, shocking. Can the Prime Minister tell struggling Alberta families exactly why he thinks his entitled millionaire BFFs deserve these outrageous payments?
18. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-08
Polarity : -0.1125
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister just does not get it. His hubris is astounding. He has hosted at least 16 or 17 elite cash for access events. His cabinet has hosted over 80 shady events this year alone. They claim to be consultations, but they come with a $1,500 entry fee. They are exclusive, whether they are in Bay Street law firms or the in the homes of millionaires. The Prime Minister is selling access to his government. He knows it, and he knows it is wrong. When will he show some leadership and end these unethical cash for access events?
19. Blaine Calkins - 2016-05-04
Polarity : -0.11
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Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if she is referring to Mitch Stewart from the Obama campaign or David Axelrod from the Obama campaign. Oh no, that was the Liberals who hired those strategists.The trade minister's trip to LA is yet another example of the Liberals being entitled to their entitlements. Officials were confused and uncomfortable with her trip. In one instance, her deputy minister requested that the minister tweet from her own account, not the department account. In another example, officials stated in an email to remove the reference in the program to the show. They did not want people to know about it in advance. Why is she using government officials to cover up her personal vanity?
20. Blaine Calkins - 2016-02-23
Polarity : -0.0900794
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Mr. Speaker, according to the city of Kelowna's website, the Kelowna RCMP supports victim services in the Westbank First Nation. This is the same first nation that has hired the Minister of Justice's husband as a lobbyist. The justice minister is the vice-chair of the government's cabinet committee for intelligence and emergency management, two issues that are integral to the RCMP's mandate. This is a blatant conflict of interest. Given her husband's lobbying activities, will the justice minister step down from the secret government committee?
21. Blaine Calkins - 2017-05-15
Polarity : -0.0896104
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is set to appoint a former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister as the new Commissioner of Official Languages. What is next? Is it maybe Dalton McGuinty as the ethics commissioner or Kathleen Wynne as the lobbying commissioner? What could possibly go wrong?The Prime Minister promised a new, merit-based appointment process. Sadly, what we are getting is yet another broken promise with this Liberal patronage appointment. Will the Prime Minister restore some integrity to this place and cancel this appointment?
22. Blaine Calkins - 2016-06-02
Polarity : -0.0770833
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And now there is no money left over for infrastructure, Mr. Speaker.Today the Quebec government pointed out the lack of infrastructure spending and the complicated process the Liberals have put in place. I guess Quebec did not get the memo that the only infrastructure money being spent is on posh Liberal cabinet ministers' offices. The infrastructure minister spent almost a half a million dollars on furniture to deck out sky palace 2.0, but there are empty offices and warehouses full of used furniture sitting collecting dust everywhere in the nation's capital. Does the minister realize that he came to Ottawa to serve the taxpayers and not have the taxpayers serve him?
23. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-20
Polarity : -0.0763889
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Mr. Speaker, I wish her luck explaining the next several years of this. The Liberals' sense of entitlement is never ending. The Minister of Foreign Affairs approved $146,000 to relocate nine political staff. The Prime Minister gave a whopping $220,000 to five political staff, one of whom was handed $126,000 alone. These costs are at the discretion of the ministers and the Prime Minister. At a time when Alberta families are losing their homes, how can the Prime Minister justify these ridiculous expenses?
24. Blaine Calkins - 2017-06-20
Polarity : -0.0680556
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to appointments it is clear that, if people are not Liberal, they need not apply. Whether it is trying to reward a retired Ontario Liberal cabinet minister or any long-time Liberal donors, the present Prime Minister has shown he has only one priority, which is to take care of his friends at the cost of the taxpayer.The appointments process is now so botched that the Liberals cannot even find impartial candidates to be the next ethics or lobbying commissioner. The Prime Minister has lost all credibility on this file. When will he get serious and let people who know what they are doing fix his appointments mess?
25. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-23
Polarity : -0.065
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It is clear, Mr. Speaker, that the government members do not understand the question being asked. This is not about following the rules. The Liberals have an ethical problem following their own rules that the Prime Minister has set out for himself. He set the bar here for his government's ethical behaviour. We are not talking about the election financing laws. We are talking about the bar that was set here. He has failed miserably to come close to even meeting that standard. This is about his rules, about his word, about his promise to the House and to Canadians.When will the Prime Minister put a stop to these shady shenanigans?
26. Blaine Calkins - 2016-02-03
Polarity : -0.05
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Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the government House leader is getting to know the Ethics Commissioner far too well. We still remember his ethical challenges, dating back to 2003. Then this December, he was held responsible for illegal fundraising. Now he is trying to deliberately intimidate arm's-length bodies.Why will the minister not admit that it was wrong to abuse his position by threatening judges and by trying to intimidate them? How much further is he prepared to go?
27. Blaine Calkins - 2017-05-08
Polarity : -0.0452381
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Mr. Speaker, what do RBC, BMO, Goldman Sachs, and The Blackstone Group have in common with 35 executives from TD Bank, other than making massive profits last year? They have all received free Broadway tickets courtesy of the Canadian taxpayer. Would the Liberals like to explain how buying Broadway tickets for banking executives does anything to help the middle class and those working hard to join it?
28. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-13
Polarity : -0.0435185
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Mr. Speaker, my point of order is arising out of question period in regard to the supplementary question I was asking. Mr. Speaker, if you check the record, and if you will permit me to read what I said into the record, the record will show this. My question was “Mr. Speaker, it is actually insulting and, frankly, embarrassing”.I will not go to that part, but I think the part that is in question is this: “She is forced to do the dirty work for her leader, who most of the time cannot even be bothered to show up and answer these questions himself in the House”.That did elicit a response. Mr. Speaker, I refer you to page 614, chapter 13, “Rules of Order and Decorum” in House of Commons Procedure and Practice. It states: “Allusions to the presence or absence of a Member or Minister in the Chamber are unacceptable”. Mr. Speaker, you will note that nowhere in my comments did I refer specifically, today, to the presence or absence of any individual at that particular point in time in the House. That is where I would ask you to reconsider what you have done. I will also point out that in the rules of debate in Beauchesne's, on page 141, it says in paragraph 481(c): “refer to the presence or absence of specific members”. The presence or absence of a specific member was not anywhere in the context of the conversation I was having in delivering my question on a matter that has been widely reported in the public debate, namely, the attendance record of the Prime Minister during question period.Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you review what I actually said and, hopefully, we can come to an understanding where you and I are back on good terms.
29. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-13
Polarity : -0.0416667
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Mr. Speaker, we now know there is no one over at the Privy Council Office enforcing the rules set out in the Prime Minister's open and accountable government document. We also know that the vast majority of Canadians oppose these unethical and shady cash for access events that the Prime Minister and his cabinet are hosting. We even know that members of his own caucus are afraid to identify themselves when they speak about their disapproval of these very same events.When will the Prime Minister stop digging in the hole he has created for himself and end these unethical cash for access events?
30. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-19
Polarity : -0.04
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Well, it gets worse, Mr. Speaker. The event was hosted at the waterfront mansion of Mr. Fred George, a land developer who just received a federal appointment to the Halifax Port Authority from his friend, the President of the Treasury Board. There could not be a bigger quagmire of conflicts of interest. The Liberals appoint a land developer who is conveniently a bagman for their party who oversees the port's development. This bagman then hosts a fundraiser for the finance minister, who controls the purse strings and possible investments of this same port. In what universe would the finance minister ever claim that this was either ethical or acceptable?
31. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-06
Polarity : -0.034375
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Mr. Speaker, it appears that China is now dictating how we spend money on health care for our seniors. Eighty elite business people attended a fundraiser in the home of a wealthy Chinese businessman where the Prime Minister was directly lobbied to support this Chinese foreign investment. This type of investment appears to need approval by cabinet under the Investment Canada Act. The Prime Minister has exposed himself by selling access to an issue that will have to come before cabinet. When will the Prime Minister finally put an end to these shady, corrupt cash for access events?
32. Blaine Calkins - 2016-01-27
Polarity : -0.0333333
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Mr. Speaker, unemployment is skyrocketing in Alberta. In the riding of Red Deer—Lacombe, people are faced with the prospect of losing their homes and their life savings. Some of my constituents are desperate to put food on their table and to pay their mortgage. They do not want to be left out in the cold. However, the Minister of Veterans Affairs yesterday callously referred to these as refreshing times. Does he think it is refreshing to lose one's home in Alberta in January?
33. Blaine Calkins - 2016-05-02
Polarity : -0.0291667
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Mr. Speaker, documents released through access to information indicate the Minister of International Trade left her officials in the dark about her vanity trip to California and there are significant factual inconsistencies with the answers the minister has provided about her California dream trip. She billed the taxpayer-funded junket to L.A. around her late night TV appearance. Does the minister believe that her ministry is just an extension of her so-called celebrity journalism career?
34. Blaine Calkins - 2018-12-11
Polarity : -0.0256944
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Mr. Speaker, the pain Tori Stafford's family had to endure when it lost its daughter is unthinkable, but the pain it has had to endure since then is absolutely outrageous. The Liberals refused to back down after they sanctioned the transfer of Terri-Lynne McClintic to a resort style healing lodge. Now they are justifying Michael Rafferty's transfer to a medium-security facility, which they deliberately concealed from Tori's family. It is clear that the interests of child killers are more important to the Liberals than the interests of victims and their families. Why is the Liberal government putting Tori's family through hell? Has it not already been through enough?
35. Blaine Calkins - 2016-05-03
Polarity : -0.025
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade claims that her vanity trip to California was to promote Canadian business interests. However, emails released through access to information paint a very different picture.Her staff were scrambling to put a program together and were begging LA Times journalists for an interview. Senior foreign policy and diplomacy officer Dan Pasquini stated in an email, “this visit has only just fallen in our laps”.Why does the minister continue to claim the trip was about Canadian business interests when it was actually all about her?
36. Blaine Calkins - 2017-01-30
Polarity : -0.0227273
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is now changing the rules for the Prime Minister to follow after the Prime Minister was unable to follow the initial rules the Prime Minister made. Therefore, if the Prime Minister cannot follow the first set of rules that the Prime Minister made, what makes the Prime Minister think he can follow a new set of rules for the Prime Minister? Or, does the Prime Minister now realize that the problem is not the rules, but that the problem actually is the Prime Minister?
37. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-26
Polarity : -0.0166667
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to cash for access fundraising events, the Liberals keep saying they are following the rules, but that is just not the case. The Prime Minister's own rules clearly state ministers should not grant preferential access to stakeholders. Barry Sherman, the chairman of Apotex, is helping organize the Minister of Finance's next cash for access even in Toronto. The Minister of Finance defends these secret fundraisers as being part of the budget consultation process.When did secret events at the homes of millionaires become legitimate parts of the budget consultation process?
38. Blaine Calkins - 2016-02-26
Polarity : -0.0166667
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Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent of the House to table the following document from the website of the Ethics Commissioner in regard to the Minister of Justice. It states that an initial compliance process is still being completed. There are no clearly defined rules from the Ethics Commissioner.
39. Blaine Calkins - 2017-03-09
Polarity : -0.0138095
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Mr. Speaker, we know that governing is hard, and there is more to it than taking selfies and holding hands. The Liberals have failed to make a single parliamentary watchdog appointed in their 18 months in government. It seems the only appointments the government can make are to friends and former chiefs of staff.Eighteen months have passed. How much longer do we have to wait for the Prime Minister to start doing his job and appointing people to these watchdog positions? Or is it taking so long because he is trying to find people who will turn the other cheek to his ethical transgressions?
40. Blaine Calkins - 2016-06-07
Polarity : -0.012963
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Mr. Speaker, countless Liberals have defended the million dollars the infrastructure minister spent on sky palace 2.0. The average Canadian household only spends a couple of thousand dollars on furniture. The Liberals are so out of touch with everyday Canadians that the minister spent half a million dollars on furniture alone for one office.When will the Liberals realize that the money they are blowing is taxpayer money and not their own personal entitlement funds?
41. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-14
Polarity : -0.0125
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister states that the definition of a stakeholder is an individual employed in, contacted by, or who otherwise represents corporations or organizations that have current or anticipated official dealings with ministers. The Minister of Justice had a secret and private pay-to-play fundraiser in Toronto with high-priced lawyers who have a history of lobbying the justice department. Why did the minister contravene the Prime Minister's guideline, which is far above what the House leader is currently saying in defence of her, and why did she put the integrity of her office in so much jeopardy?

Most positive speeches

1. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-14
Polarity : 0.45
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Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister is hosting an exclusive cash for access event, he claims that he is advocating for the middle class. Really? I honestly hope that was an attempt at humour. The Prime Minister has no regard for his own rules, his own party rules, and he laughs in the face of the ethics laws. When will the Prime Minister end these unethical cash for access events?
2. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-08
Polarity : 0.416667
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's friends at Canada 2020 received a substantial amount of taxpayer money from the Minister of Science. We know Canada 2020 is just an extension of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Prime Minister. Yet in a quick search of Canada 2020's website, there is not one scientist as an employee or adviser. Could the minister advise the House just how many scientists taxpayers hired at Canada 2020?
3. Blaine Calkins - 2016-06-01
Polarity : 0.412121
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals had a March madness to remember: $27 towel bars, TVs for everyone, and a $2,500 desk for the defence minister. But the leader of the spending pack is the infrastructure minister. He racked up a whopping $835,000 for his shiny new office, including an amazing $243,000 on furniture alone. At a time when Albertans are struggling to find work, why does this Edmonton minister think it is appropriate to spend almost $1 million on sky palace 2.0?
4. Blaine Calkins - 2016-05-31
Polarity : 0.390909
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Mr. Speaker, Alison Redford called, and she is glad that he changed the channel for her.The Liberals love to travel. Whether it is the Minister of International Trade jetting off to Hollywood or the Minister of Finance gallivanting around the globe, they travel best when it is on the public dime. Yesterday, the finance minister refused to answer questions about his five-star travel. He travelled to New York with three staff members, all with round-trip tickets costing $4,000 each. When will the minister realize the money he is burning through is not his own trust fund, and start reining in his reckless spending habits?
5. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-26
Polarity : 0.3625
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Infrastructure is no stranger to wasteful spending. First we had sky palace 2.0, and now we find out he has signed off on over $50,000 in moving expenses for one of his staff. Canadians are losing their homes and their jobs, but the Minister of Infrastructure is more concerned about making sure his staffer collects tens of thousands of dollars in so-called moving expenses.How much of this payout was used as unaccounted for personalized cash payments?
6. Blaine Calkins - 2016-02-23
Polarity : 0.35
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Mr. Speaker, it is hardly surprising that the government House leader knows the address all that well.The Minister of Justice is directly responsible for projects that are funded under the federal government's aboriginal justice strategy. That means she gets to decide which groups receive taxpayer funding. Given that her husband is now a lobbyist for the Westbank First Nation and the First Nations Finance Authority, will she recuse herself from any decision with respect to aboriginal program funding?
7. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-11
Polarity : 0.333333
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to seek the unanimous consent of the House to table the following documents, in both official languages. They deal with ministerial conduct, and I would be happy to read it out. It states, “Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries must act with honesty and must uphold the highest ethical standards...”
8. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-02
Polarity : 0.319048
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Mr. Speaker, that is a no. The money will keep flowing to his friends.The Prime Minister gives special access to billionaires and lobbyists at cash-for-access fundraisers. He awards his friends at Canada 2020 with government contracts, taxpayer money for conferences, and lavish island vacations.The Prime Minister promised Canadians that he would defend their interests, but it seems the only interests he is concerned about are his own, and his Liberal friends and insiders. Will the Prime Minister commit today to dictate to each and every one of his ministers to cut funding to Canada 2020?
9. Blaine Calkins - 2017-01-30
Polarity : 0.312121
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Mr. Speaker, it has come to the Prime Minister's attention that the Prime Minister has been breaking the Prime Minister's own ethical rules, so now the Prime Minister is creating new rules for the Prime Minister to follow so that the Prime Minister will no longer appear to be breaking the Prime Minister's rules. Can the Prime Minister please confirm it?
10. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-29
Polarity : 0.295
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Mr. Speaker, we are just trying to weed out the truth here. The Cannabis Friendly Business Association paid the entrance fee and got their 10 minutes of face time with the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Justice.Abi Roach said, “There was lot of people from the cannabis industry as well who were vying for his attention, more from the licensed producers’....”Licensed producers? Did the Liberals take money from unlicensed producers as well? Does the Prime Minister actually believe in his own open and accountable government document, or did the paper it was written on go up in smoke?
11. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-07
Polarity : 0.287662
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Mr. Speaker, Liberals have certainly turned ethical lapses into a science. Canada 2020 has its hands all over the Liberal government. It is even out bragging about its new office space in the parliamentary precinct. We already know of the close relationship its president Tom Pitfield has with the Prime Minister, but what about Susan Smith? She is the co-founder of Canada 2020, principal of the lobby agency Bluesky Strategy, and president of the Liberal fundraising Laurier Club. The Prime Minister has given his friends at Canada 2020 and Bluesky Strategy unprecedented access.Will the Prime Minister promise to quit giving taxpayer funds to his close Liberal friends at Canada 2020?
12. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-20
Polarity : 0.278571
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday we found out that the Liberals decided they were entitled to line their own pockets with so-called moving expenses for their own political staff. For instance, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change gave more than $20,000 to one of her Liberal staffers for the move, but documents reveal that money was not for movers or hotels at all. If the total cost paid for services was over $20,000, but there were no costs associated with the actual move, exactly where did the taxpayers' money go?
13. Blaine Calkins - 2017-04-11
Polarity : 0.275
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Mr. Speaker, I too am rising on a point of order, arising from the same point my friend from Sarnia—Lambton did. It is a matter of record that I have a Bachelor of Science in zoology and I served many years as a national parks warden. I served in many capacities as a fisheries technician, as a fisheries biologist. I find the comments completely unwarranted in the House—
14. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-15
Polarity : 0.26
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Mr. Speaker, if the Liberals do not even believe in their rules, how can Canadians believe anything they say about anything at all?Since the election, the Liberals have held over 80 cash-for-access events, they made California dream trips, they have taxpayer-funded nannies and limos, ministers and senior staffers charging ineligible expenses, and the Prime Minister giving over $200,000 to his BFFs to move to Ottawa. I could on, but I only have 35 seconds. I do not have 35 minutes.Will the Prime Minister finally put a stop to all of this unethical behaviour and give the Ethics Commissioner the power to enforce his very own rules?
15. Blaine Calkins - 2017-03-22
Polarity : 0.26
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister thinks he is elected royalty and Canadians should lavish him with exotic island vacations, nannies, and a jet-setting lifestyle. The Prime Minister spent $127,000 on his island excursion with the famjam and his BFFs. Seventeen hundred dollars were spent on food and drinks alone for a three-hour flight. There are people in my riding who are struggling to pay the mortgage, but the Prime Minister thinks he is entitled to his caviar and champagne.Why does this wealthy trust-fund Prime Minister think he can abuse taxpayers' dollars entertaining himself this way?
16. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-07
Polarity : 0.25
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Mr. Speaker, let us take a deeper look at the Prime Minister's close friends who run the Liberal Party think tank, Canada 2020. Tom Pitfield worked on the Prime Minister's leadership campaign and the federal election. He is also married to the president of the Liberal Party of Canada. Tim Barber of Bluesky Strategy co-founded Canada 2020 and his bio brags about his experience in defence procurement. Susan Smith, another Canada 2020 co-founder, is registered to lobby the government. She is also president of the Ottawa Laurier Club for Liberal donors.Will the Prime Minister commit today to quit giving taxpayer funds to his close Liberal friends at Canada 2020?
17. Blaine Calkins - 2017-04-12
Polarity : 0.25
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps saying that he is willing to meet with the Ethics Commissioner on his trip to the Aga Khan's island. He has been under this investigation by the commissioner for over three months. Has he actually met with the Ethics Commissioner? If he has, how many times? If not, why has he not and when will he?
18. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-20
Polarity : 0.25
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade would like us to believe that she was gallivanting around sunny California promoting Canada and meeting with trade partners, but Canadians know the real reason she was there. She was there to promote herself on a popular U.S. TV show. The minister has stated that it was she and her department alone that organized the trip to California. If this is really the case, can she tell us who booked her stay while she was in Hollywood?
19. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-21
Polarity : 0.245
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Mr. Speaker, it is funny: on that side the squeaky wheel seems to be getting the grease today.We know the minister was originally scheduled to appear on a U.S. TV program in October, but she rescheduled her appearance to November after she was sworn into cabinet.The minister wants Canadians to believe that she was there to promote Canada, but Canadians are not buying her story, even at a cost of $20,000. The real reason she was there was to promote herself. If she was really there for government business, why did Time Warner book her stay?
20. Blaine Calkins - 2016-12-07
Polarity : 0.235714
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Mr. Speaker, the ethical ship the Liberals sailed in on is sinking like the Titanic.Day after day, more and more people are coming forward, admitting they have paid to play with the Prime Minister. It is abundantly clear to everyone the Prime Minister never intended to follow his own open and accountable government rules.When will the Prime Minister stop the charade, and put an end to these unethical, shady, cash for access events?
21. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-25
Polarity : 0.233333
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Mr. Speaker, the only thing they rejected is them with their own rules. The rules that the Prime Minister published were clear: no stakeholder should get preferential access because they donate to a party or a politician. He either believes in his words or he does not. The vice-president of RBC Dominion Securities attended an event with the finance minister in October. The CEO of EllisDon construction attended the Prime Minister's event in September. And now the chairman for Apotex is helping organize the finance minister's November high-roller event.Does the Prime Minister believe in his rules, and if he does, when will he stop dodging these questions and put an end to these cash-for-access fundraisers?
22. Blaine Calkins - 2016-05-11
Polarity : 0.228571
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Mr. Speaker, it is no surprise that the Liberals are not being open and transparent about their trip to Washington. The more we know, the more concerned we get. We now know that it cost almost $13,000 for just three ministers and their staff to go on this junket, but the numbers keep changing. Last week, they claimed it was $25,000 for 44 people, and no one believes that number.Can the Liberals be honest with taxpayers and tell them what the actual total cost of this trip was?
23. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-15
Polarity : 0.223214
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Mr. Speaker, she also said that the activities that the Liberal Party is currently engaged in are quite unsavoury, right in front of the ethics committee. Later today, the Liberals will have a chance to show Canadians they believe in the words of the Prime Minister. The House will vote on our Conservative motion to empower the Ethics Commissioner to enforce the Prime Minister's own open and accountable government rules. Those are the rules we are talking about. The Ethics Commissioner has called for this authority, so it seems the Liberals are going to vote against the motion, at any rate.If the Prime Minister believes in his own words and wants to be transparent, will he lead by example and direct his caucus to vote in favour of the Conservative motion today?
24. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-20
Polarity : 0.222222
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Mr. Speaker, we have learned that at least 20 cash-for-access fundraisers have taken place within this year with senior cabinet ministers and even the Prime Minister. The finance minister defended these shakedowns as part of the consultation process. The finance minister did two of these events in August, and he will be doing another one in November. Even the Prime Minister is doing his own $1,500 cash-for-access event tonight in London, Ontario. Will the minister come clean about who he is meeting and what he promised his friends, or do I have to give him 1,500 bucks to get an answer?
25. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-24
Polarity : 0.216667
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Mr. Speaker, I wondered what kind of defence they would try to chuck across the floor today. It is obviously a lot different than the one they tried yesterday.Canada 2020 gets it. The Commissioner of Lobbying gets it. The Ethics Commissioner gets it. The former Liberal deputy prime minister, Sheila Copps gets it. I watched Peter Mansbridge last night. I think he got it. Good God, even the Toronto Star gets it. They all understand that these Liberal cash for access events are unethical. When will the Prime Minister put a stop to these cash for access events?
26. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-24
Polarity : 0.214815
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Mr. Speaker, the ethical walls are crashing down on the Prime Minister. We learned today that the Liberal think tank, Canada 2020, is running away from this Liberal fundraising quagmire to protect its own integrity.The Ethics Commissioner has called these Liberal fundraisers “unsavoury”, and the Commissioner of Lobbying is undertaking an investigation. Why is it that everyone except the Prime Minister can see that these cash for access events are unethical?
27. Blaine Calkins - 2016-11-29
Polarity : 0.2125
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Mr. Speaker, it seems like Cheech and Chong are stuck in Groundhog Day with these answers.Abi Roach of the Cannabis Friendly Business Association told the media, “They took our money happily without question” and, that, “no one vetted [me] ”. She also said, “I would rather to speak to a politician one-on-one in an office than have to pay.”I guess everyone got the memo that if one wants to talk to the current Liberal government one has to pay up. It sounds like cash for access to me.When will the Prime Minister put an end to these unsavoury hash for—I mean, cash for access events?
28. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-22
Polarity : 0.2
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister owes Canadians and this House some straight answers. He needs to answer for his lack of judgment. The Prime Minister gave over $200,000 in moving expenses to his BFFs. People in Alberta are losing their jobs and homes, yet the Prime Minister gave six-figure relocation payouts to his buddies. Can the Prime Minister stand in his place and justify to struggling Albertans why he thinks his friends deserve these absolutely egregious payouts?
29. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-24
Polarity : 0.2
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Mr. Speaker, Jim Spatz was appointed to the Halifax Port Authority on the recommendation of his good buddy, the President of the Treasury Board.On October 13, Mr. Spatz attended a $1,500 a ticket cash for access fundraiser. The Prime Minister's open and accountable government document says that public office holders, like Mr. Spatz, must not participate in political activity that is or is seen to be incompatible with their duties. Mr. Spatz has clearly violated the Prime Minister's ethics rules.When will the Prime Minister start acting like a leader and enforcing his own rules?
30. Blaine Calkins - 2017-04-11
Polarity : 0.2
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Mr. Speaker, it sure pays to be friends with the Prime Minister. We know that SSHRC has funnelled money to the Liberal propaganda unit, Canada 2020. Documents reveal that government officials decided to give Canada 2020 taxpayers' money in the hopes that Canada 2020 would grant them access to senior cabinet members. The Prime Minister's friends at Canada 2020 twisted themselves and their program into a pretzel to make sure they could get the taxpayers' cash. Why does the science minister's agency feel that it needs to pay Canada 2020 to access its own government?
31. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-28
Polarity : 0.191667
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Mr. Speaker, someone is not being truthful with Canadians. Yesterday, Brookfield's senior vice-president stated that each person it moves is briefed on the benefits and entitlements that can be claimed. Yet, the Prime Minister is digging in his heels, and claiming that his BFFs, Gerry and Katie, were never briefed. When we are talking about six-figure payouts, I find it hard to believe that the people were not briefed. Would the Prime Minister come clean and tell Canadians who is telling the truth, Gerry and Katie, or Brookfield?
32. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-19
Polarity : 0.1875
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Mr. Speaker, today, in an effort to cover her tracks, the Minister of International Trade said her trade meetings in Los Angeles were booked before her HBO interview.However, originally her HBO appearance was supposed to be on October 30. That was before she was even sworn in as minister. This meeting was then postponed until November 20, so on what day did her staff start booking the LA meetings? Is she saying that they started even before she was the minister?
33. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-27
Polarity : 0.183333
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Mr. Speaker, that is just more dodging. The question was about ethics, not about veterans. The Liberals refuse to answer these very simple questions. Veterans and all Canadians demand answers.Apotex is suing the federal government at the same time it is lobbying Liberal ministers, while fighting our veterans. Meanwhile, the chairman of Apotex is raising money for the Liberal Party.Will the Prime Minister admit that he and his ministers are not following their own rules, and bring someone in who will finally enforce them?
34. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-31
Polarity : 0.175
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister clearly does not get it when it comes to cash for access fundraisers. Former Liberal deputy prime minister, Sheila Copps, said that these private elite events are an opportunity for people doing business with the government to make a pitch to a senior cabinet minister. She said, “You go and you get an envelope.” They say, “I need this. I want this. I want this.” We should thank Sheila Copps for reminding us that the Liberal Party and cashed-up envelopes go hand in hand. When will the Prime Minister follow his own rules and stop these cash for access events?
35. Blaine Calkins - 2016-02-26
Polarity : 0.174074
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Mr. Speaker, the government House leader rose in his place yesterday to speak about the ethical screens put in place for the Minister of Justice. The ethical screen, however, does not prevent the Minister of Justice from discussing or even voting on projects at the cabinet table brought forward by her husband's clients.Will the Minister of Justice finally recognize the holes in her so-called ethical screen and step down from her cabinet committees?
36. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-02
Polarity : 0.172727
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's good friend and lobbyist Tim Barber of Canada 2020 was posting pictures on Twitter earlier this week and bragging that Canada 2020 has new space “in the Parliamentary Precinct.” I cannot make this stuff up. I wish it was fake news, but sadly it is real. Will the Prime Minister commit today to end taxpayer support for his friends at Canada 2020 and ensure that no government department or agency contributes any more money to this partisan Liberal organization?
37. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-19
Polarity : 0.17
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Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Trade's story just does not add up. She had a reserved seat on the government jet leaving Manilla, but she wanted some TV time on a popular U.S. show, so the minister instructed her staff to book some last-minute meetings and a first class ticket for her personal vanity project.This minister cost Canadian taxpayers almost $20,000 just so she could get schooled by an American comedian. Why does the minister believe that Canadians should have to pay for her hard-knock life lessons?
38. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-26
Polarity : 0.166667
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Mr. Speaker, this weekend we learned that some Liberal staffers who received moving expense payments will be paying a fraction of that money back. These ministers gave their friends personalized cash payments, but now, after being caught red-handed, they are paying back what they feel is unreasonable.Canadians want to know more about these personalized cash payments, or is this just the 2016 term for brown paper envelopes?
39. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-29
Polarity : 0.166667
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Mr. Speaker, when it comes to his ethical screen, perhaps the minister has misunderstood the definition of the word “screen”. Maybe he is thinking about an enormous screen door with great big holes in it, big enough for him and his friends to jump through. However, I do not think that is what Canadians have in mind.Where is the minister's judgment?
40. Blaine Calkins - 2016-02-22
Polarity : 0.166667
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Mr. Speaker, the bar the Prime Minister set was about the perception of a conflict of interest. Does the Prime Minister not see this as a problem?The Minister of Justice sits on six cabinet committees, including one responsible for examining initiatives designed to strengthen the relationship with indigenous Canadians. This is exactly the issue that her husband will now lobby the government about. The justice minister will now deal with legal matters involving first nations. Her husband's lobbying work is in direct conflict with this. How can the Prime Minister justify this obvious conflict of interest?
41. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-14
Polarity : 0.157143
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is going to be busy. We cannot throw a snowball around here without hitting a commissioner investigating the Prime Minister. He is under two ethics investigations as it is right now. We have the lobbying commissioner looking into his friends. We have the language commissioner, even, looking into things. The Prime Minister is under all these investigations. He has no regard for the ethics laws. He just does whatever he wants. Does the Prime Minister really think he is above the law and the ethics rules do not apply to him?
42. Blaine Calkins - 2016-04-13
Polarity : 0.155587
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It is hard to keep a straight face, Mr. Speaker.Last week we learned that the Minister of Justice attended a high-priced pay-to-play fundraiser in Toronto with Bay Street lawyers. Now it seems she has outdone herself. She is headlining a $1,000-per-head fundraiser later this month. Copying the Wynne Liberals, the current government is creating a whole new scheme of paying for access to cabinet ministers. Can the Minister of Justice tell us how many lawyers and lobbyists will be attending her latest pay-to-play Liberal fundraiser?
43. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-19
Polarity : 0.154464
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Well, Mr. Speaker, here we go again. First it was the justice minister, and now it is the finance minister caught in a pay to play fundraiser last week. The finance minister was charging $1,500 a person for millionaires and Liberal insiders to lobby him prior to his next big-spending budget. The Prime Minister has demanded that his ministers not give preferential access to those who made financial contributions to the Liberal Party. However, the finance minister has clearly violated the Prime Minister's own ethics rules. When will the millionaire finance minister stand up and do the right thing and repay the money?
44. Blaine Calkins - 2016-05-12
Polarity : 0.152778
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Mr. Speaker, last week we learned the Prime Minister took 44 hand-picked people to Washington for the state dinner. The Liberals claim it had a total cost of $25,000, but no one believes this cost to be true. We know this because it cost $13,000 for three ministers and two staff alone. Therefore, will the Liberals finally come clean and tell taxpayers how much it cost for their five-star Washington vacation?
45. Blaine Calkins - 2017-05-18
Polarity : 0.15
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Mr. Speaker, let us get this straight. After retiring from her Liberal cabinet post, she went to the Liberal Prime Minister's principal secretary to request a Liberal patronage position. Gerald Butts, the Prime Minister's top political adviser, told her she was too political to be a senator. Instead he offered her a job that is by its very definition non-political. How is it that everyone can see this massive conflict of interest except the Liberal Prime Minister?
46. Blaine Calkins - 2016-06-14
Polarity : 0.1375
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Mr. Speaker, later today, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development will outline the Liberals' latest innovation scheme, but there is one problem. The event is being hosted by Canada 2020. This is the same group that hosted the pay-to-play trip to Washington. It just so happens that the leaders of Canada 2020 are deeply connected to the Liberal Party, and they also happen to own a lobbying firm, which happens to be registered to lobby the minister.Could the minister explain how this is not textbook cronyism and a gross conflict of interest?
47. Blaine Calkins - 2016-10-26
Polarity : 0.137429
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Mr. Speaker, these events are not open to all Canadians. Most Canadians cannot afford the cover charge to get into these special secret consultations.Once again, the Apotex chairman is helping organize the Minister of Finance's November high roller event. Apotex has lobbied the Minister of Finance's staff multiple times. They have lobbied the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, the Minister of International Trade and the Minister of Health. Plus, Apotex is suing the government for $500 million.Does the Prime Minister really expect Canadians to believe that these donations are not buying special access to his cabinet?
48. Blaine Calkins - 2017-03-23
Polarity : 0.136667
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has lost touch with average Canadians. I can imagine it is easy to miss the challenges that everyday Canadians are facing when he is busy jet-setting to billionaire island, but $127,000. Even the most out-of-touch Hollywood celebrity would blush at this type of spending, and 17 hundred bucks to feed a family of five on a three hour flight. Why does the Prime Minister think taxpayers should be on the hook for this type of extravagance?
49. Blaine Calkins - 2016-09-21
Polarity : 0.133333
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister personally signed off on $220,000 in moving expenses for his own political staff. The chief responsibility of the Prime Minister is to be honest and forthright with Canadians in the House. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about these expenses. They are wrong.Will the Prime Minister be honest with Canadians and rise today, and tell us which of his friends received these outrageous payouts?
50. Blaine Calkins - 2017-02-08
Polarity : 0.13
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Mr. Speaker, it is very clear to everyone that all people have to do to get taxpayer money from the government is be a well-connected Liberal. Infrastructure projects are stalled. Alberta's economy is taking a beating, but Canada 2020 gets its cash. Canada 2020 employs zero scientists, so how can the Liberal Minister of Science justify giving taxpayer money to an organization that has nothing to do with science but everything to do with Liberal politics?