Blake Richards

Mr. Speaker, as we speak, opposition MPs continue to stand up to defend Canadians from the Liberals' attack on democracy. Not only does the Prime Minister only want to show up and be accountable to Canadians one day a week, but I have never seen a more pathetic display of arrogance than I saw in question period today as he laughed and smirked as opposition MPs tried to hold him accountable for his actions.I can assure him that in the next election, Canadians will wipe that smirk right off his face.

Mr. Speaker, speaking of things that are broken, how about all the broken Liberal promises? Canadians clearly cannot trust the Prime Minister. If he will not keep the word of his own backbenchers, maybe he will listen to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government, who said: The government, by once again relying on a time allocation motion to get its agenda passed, speaks of incompetence. It speaks of a genuine lack of respect for parliamentary procedure and ultimately for Canadians. It continues to try to prevent members of Parliament from being engaged and representing their constituents on the floor of the House of Commons. I have a question for the Prime Minister: Why the hypocrisy?

Mr. Speaker, what Canadians do not find amusing are the games and tricks being played by this Prime Minister while trying to ram through this legislation. He talks about being open to amendments in committee and wanting to have debate while they are in the middle of trying to shut it down and make sure there can be no amendments and no opportunity for debate. That is just plain wrong. It is time this Prime Minister understood that Canada is not a dictatorship and that Canadians will not stand for his garbage. Will he stand up today and let us know that he is going to respect the rights of Canadians and allow a—

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the minister about the CRA's new tax grab on small businesses like campgrounds and self-storage facilities. However, she will just stand up and once again completely insult small businesses by saying they need to start paying their fair share. Then she will falsely claim that the Liberal government has not changed the tax rules. Is she really that incompetent, or has she finally checked her facts, realized that she is totally wrong, and changed her talking points?

Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister and his Ottawa Liberals could not care less about Alberta or about Albertans. While Albertans are struggling to find work, and people are losing their jobs, their homes and their businesses, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands and do absolutely nothing. They bungled the Trans Mountain expansion that would have created thousands of good-paying jobs due to Liberal incompetence. Our oil and gas workers are left with nothing. Why have the Liberals so failed Albertans?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals arrogance knows no bounds. It is quite evident that the Prime Minister has absolutely no respect for this place and the democracy it represents. The Liberals are trying to ram through electoral reform just like they tried to ram through the opposition yesterday. Does the Prime Minister think that he can also manhandle democracy, or will he let Canadians have a say in a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, I rise, reluctantly, following question period today because I think all Canadians would expect our Prime Minister to always conduct himself with the highest level of dignity and to demonstrate the utmost respect for an institution such as the House of Commons. That should happen whether the Prime Minister is on camera or off camera.On a number of occasions during this Parliament, I have witnessed—and I am sure others on this side of the House can confirm this—the Prime Minister behave in a manner that I would say is far below the dignity of the office he holds. In fact, I think one could even call it childish behaviour.I only stand today because I think it was particularly egregious today. I saw him, on a frequent number of occasions today, taunting and making faces at other members of Parliament as they were speaking. He certainly went too far when I saw him stick his tongue out following a question that had been put by the member for South Surrey—White Rock. That is, clearly, in my mind, far below the dignity of the office he holds.I certainly hope that the Prime Minister will stand in this place and apologize to this House, and to all Canadians, for such immature behaviour.

Mr. Speaker, that is pathetic to not apologize.The Prime Minister has infamously stated that he admires China's dictatorship, and that is quite evident in how he operates. Every time he faces opposition, whether it is in the House or from Canadians, he takes away the tools that opposition parties have to hold him to account. Now he is proposing to limit how and when political parties can spend money that Canadians have freely contributed to support them. Will he impose those same restrictions on ministerial travel and on government advertising in this newly established pre-election period?

Mr. Speaker, can members spell “hypocrisy”? Let me fill the Prime Minister in on something else. Parliament belongs to Canadians and not to him. It will not be changed to suit his selfish needs.Canadians certainly see through the Prime Minister's blatant disrespect for our democracy. They will simply not stand for the Liberals' ramming through substantive changes to how their democracy works, especially when they are changes that will remove any ability to hold him accountable.Will the Prime Minister drop his “me, me, me” attitude and actually respect Canadian democracy for a change?

Mr. Speaker, a tax system that is fair, efficient and modern is one of seven requests of over 200,000 Canadian businesses that just want the government to stop throwing up barriers and allow them to thrive and succeed. Instead, the Liberals have given Canadian businesses tax increases, like a job-killing carbon tax and higher payroll taxes, and complicated red tape that will hurt many small businesses. Will the Liberals accept the recommendations of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, or are they just going to keep calling Canadian small business owners tax cheats?

Mr. Speaker, the war on campgrounds continues. Those were shameful talking points that clearly did not answer the question.In budget 2016, they ended the review that we put in place, after deciding that some businesses were too small to be small businesses. Now the CRA has in fact changed the rules so that many campgrounds are no longer eligible for the small business tax rate. She might want to check her facts. This will force many campgrounds and other small businesses to shut down.Will the Liberals stop unjustly punishing campground operators and let Canadians enjoy the outdoors without all the Liberal red tape?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister keeps claiming that the electoral reform process is more complex than a yes or no in a referendum. Apparently, the Prime Minister is so arrogant that he thinks Canadians will not understand the choices, or maybe he is so arrogant that he thinks Canadians do not deserve the final say on changes to their electoral system. Either way, it seems that the Prime Minister seems to think that the only opinion that matters is his. Why will the Prime Minister not let Canadians decide this fundamental choice on their democracy through a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the cornerstone of the Canadian economy. However, a recent World Economic Forum competitiveness report found that Canadian businesses already faced a heavy regulatory burden and inefficient bureaucracy. What the Liberals therefore did, besides increasing the regulatory burden, was they brought in onerous new small business tax rules, a carbon tax on everything and payroll tax hikes, and the Prime Minister calls them wealthy tax cheats. Why do the Liberals continue to attack our hard-working local small business owners?

Mr. Speaker, another day, another way the Liberals are trying to overtax small businesses. When they announced new rules requiring Canadians to report the sale of their principal residence to the CRA, it turns out it was just the Liberals trying to sneak in another new tax grab on small business owners.Financial advisers are warning small business owners that this change will eliminate the capital gains exemption on the sale of their primary residence if they run a business from their home office. The Liberal war on small business continues.Would the finance minister commit today to reversing this attack on hard-working Canadian small business owners?

Mr. Speaker, it seems that sunny ways have quickly turned into “Sonny, get the bleep out of my way”. That is the elbows up approach the Prime Minister took in this Parliament yesterday, but it also seems to be the approach he is taking to voting reform. He is trying to rig the next election in the favour of the Liberals.Is the Prime Minister really so arrogant that he thinks he can impose his will on Canadians without giving them a say in a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, what I am actually referring to is the $300,000 the Liberals spent campaigning in by-elections to date. We all know that the Prime Minister favours dictatorships, but I hate to inform him that here in Canada we have a democracy and that he actually has to listen to Canadians. They are speaking loud and clear by not donating to his Liberal Party. Since he cannot now use his cash for access scheme, what does he do? He responds by using thousands of taxpayer dollars to campaign in by-elections. Would the Prime Minister commit today to banning this practice by his government in all future elections?

Madam Speaker, the Liberal government's war on small business does not end with only campgrounds. There are many small businesses, small family businesses, mom-and-pop operations, that are also being unjustly punished by the Liberals.The Liberals not only broke their campaign promise of a small-business tax cut, they cancelled the review of the misapplication of passive income, when the amount of work involved is anything but passive.Where do the Liberals get off deciding that some businesses are too small to be small businesses?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are telling small family-run businesses like campgrounds that they are too small to be a small business. They are faced with crippling new tax bills, yet the minister keeps saying over and over that nothing has happened and nothing has changed, but it was the Liberals that ended a review that would have restored access to the small business tax rate for these small businesses. Even several of their own Liberal colleagues, including the Minister of Fisheries, agree that these tax increases are completely outrageous.Will the Liberals finally stop their attack on small family campgrounds and fix this ridiculous problem?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the finance minister a clear question, but the answer I got was about as clear as mud. It is just like the muddled answers that small business owners are getting from the CRA. Because they cannot get a clear answer, small businesses are fearing the worst: yet another Liberal tax grab. Again, I ask the minister, will the new rules requiring Canadians to report the sale of their principal residence on their tax returns eliminate any portion of the capital gains exemption if they run a small business from part of their home?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say they wanted to have a supposed discussion on the Standing Orders, but it turns out that it was just a Trojan Horse for what they really wanted, for the Prime Minister to only have to show up once a week. Now they are trying to ram through changes to the House that they could make without amending the Standing Orders. Even the Liberal member for Malpeque said, “I strongly believe that you have to have at least consensus from the main parties to change the rules of the House.”If the Prime Minister will not listen to common sense on this side of the House, will he at least listen to reason from one of his own Liberal MPs?

Mr. Speaker, first the Prime Minister tried to change Canadians' electoral system without letting them have a say. Then he tried to silence the opposition in Parliament. Now he is trying to change the elections law to benefit the Liberal Party. He wants to use voter information cards as a proof of address when, in the last election, nearly one million erroneous cards were mailed out. Canadians have seen through his tricks before, and they will once again.Why does the Prime Minister want to see Canadians show ID to buy marijuana, but not in order to vote?

Mr. Speaker, I have never heard such a lame excuse in all my life. The Liberals keep claiming that they are listening to Canadians on electoral reform and that they “will not proceed with any changes without the broad buy-in of the Canadian people”. However, it turns out that what they meant by buy-in was that Canadians were going to have to buy a ticket to get in.This is not about filling Liberal coffers, it is democracy. Every Canadian deserves a say without having to pay to get in the door. Therefore, will the Liberals actually listen to Canadians and give each and every Canadian a direct say in a referendum, yes, or no?

Madam Speaker, the Liberals seem confused about how rules work. They seem to penalize those who follow them, and reward those who break them.Recently a constituent lost her landed immigrant card and needed to travel within a few days. She contacted the government for a replacement card, but was told that it would take at least a month to replace it and that there was no way to expedite the process. Meanwhile, those who are illegally crossing the border into Canada are getting expedited work permits.Why are the Liberals punishing those who follow the rules, and rewarding those who do not?

Madam Speaker, the Liberals just keep saying, “Nothing to see here. Move along, folks.”If there was really nothing to hide, then why did they not just tell Canadians, in the first place, that they were collecting this information? We are talking about things like Canadians' ATM withdrawals, their credit card transactions and their bill payments. The first step to fixing a problem is actually admitting that there is a problem.Will the Liberals stop trying to sweep this under the carpet and admit that trying to steal Canadians' data without their consent is a real problem?

Mr. Speaker, upholding the integrity of our elections is paramount to our democracy. Canadians are required to show ID to obtain a library card or to rent a car, but the Liberals do not seem to think that ID should be required to vote. The Liberals want to use voter information cards as a proof of address, when in the last election, nearly one million erroneous cards were mailed out.Why is the government going to require people to show photo ID to buy marijuana but not in order to vote?

Mr. Speaker, I do not think anyone is believing any of that. It turns out the Liberals actually want stricter ID rules for buying marijuana than they do to protect the integrity of our elections. Nearly one million erroneous voter information cards were mailed out during the 2015 election, but the Liberals want to use them as a proof of address. Why do the Liberals want people to show ID to buy marijuana but not in order to vote?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are once again flip-flopping so much that they cannot even keep the same talking points together for a whole press conference. On the one hand, the Liberal House leader stated that all options are possible when asked if maintaining the current system was on the table. But then, a mere minute later, he stated that 2015 was the last first-past-the-post election. Flip flop. Maybe they can make it clear on one thing. Will the Liberals commit to giving each and every Canadian a direct say through a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals like to say that the environment and the economy go hand in hand, it turns out they do not know how to manage either of them.The Prime Minister wants to phase out Alberta's energy sector, and he has put in place a carbon tax that would knock $10 billion off Canada's GDP while doing absolutely nothing to reduce emissions. The Liberals have purposely created regulatory uncertainty, killing projects like energy east and northern gateway.Why are the Liberals so dead set against the oil and gas industry, and all the jobs that come with it, while also doing absolutely nothing to help the environment?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister once expressed his admiration for the basic dictatorship of China. Now it turns out he is trying to bring that dictatorship to life right here in Canada. He is trying to avoid any accountability to Canadians by eliminating debate and by giving the Liberals unprecedented control over the House of Commons and its committees. On top of this, he wants to give all his Liberal MPs Fridays off, and it turns out he, himself, only wants to show up to work one day a week. Why does the Prime Minister have such a blatant disregard for being held accountable to Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are trying to ram through substantive changes to see them held less accountable to the people they serve: changes that will see Liberal MPs take Fridays off; changes that will see the Prime Minister show up to work here in question period just once a week; changes that will limit the ability of MPs to hold the government to account on behalf of Canadians.Canadians work hard and they expect nothing less from their MPs. They expect the Prime Minister to put in a full work week and they definitely expect the government to be held accountable for its actions.Why is the Prime Minister so afraid of being held accountable by Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the government is doing horribly at all of those things. Small businesses continue to worry about being less competitive and about paying more. Maybe, eventually, the Liberals will realize that their carbon tax is killing our small businesses and will do what the CFIB and small business owners have been calling for: Stop the Liberal carbon tax.On Small Business Week at least, will the Liberals finally stand and defend small businesses and stop introducing policies that hurt their ability to compete?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are waging war on small businesses. Family-run operations like campgrounds and self-storage facilities are being targeted for being too small to be a small business and are receiving huge new tax bills.The Minister of National Revenue keeps claiming that she knows the critical role that small businesses play, even while the government ended the review of active versus passive business income rules that would have ensured small businesses had access to the small business tax rate, as they should. Will these Liberals stop talking out of both sides of their mouth and actually stand up for small businesses instead of trying to tax them out of existence?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals can continue to use all the buzzwords and spin that they like, but Canadians see through this blatant Liberal power grab. It is their democracy and they will not stand for this. Liberals cannot say they are having a conversation when they are ramming through substantive changes that would remove accountability. Canadians expect the government to be held accountable. They expect legislation to be properly debated. They expect their Prime Minister to show up and answer questions more than once a week. Why do the Liberals think they can make these substantive changes without the unanimous consent of all political parties?

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we know that the Prime Minister does not care too much for any opposition, but we are here to hold the government to account and to stand up for the interests of Canadians whether he likes it or not. It is evident that he is trying to ram through his new electoral legislation using closure, time allocation, or whatever other trick he has up his sleeve. Will the Prime Minister commit today to allowing Bill C-76 the proper due diligence and study that Canadians know it deserves?

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has added its voice to the opposition of the Liberal carbon tax cash grab. Small businesses are struggling under this Prime Minister, and the carbon tax is only making things worse. More and more small businesses are facing a difficult decision on whether they can even continue to afford to operate with these added costs. Do the Liberals really think that a tax that harms small businesses disproportionately is a fair tax?

Mr. Speaker, imagine senior citizens who have worked hard their whole life and are ready to start the next chapter in retirement. Their kids have moved out, they are empty nesters, and they want to sell their houses and downsize. Now the Liberals want to make people pay more for that too. New building code requirements will require them to complete costly mandatory renovations when they sell their houses. Why do the Liberals want to ruin the retirement plans of middle-class Canadian seniors?

Mr. Speaker, when I was taking the minister's BuzzFeed, I mean democracy quiz, I learned two things: first that I am more of a Monica than a Rachel; and, as it turns out, the Liberals will only count the surveys that they want to count. It says that people do not have to provide personal information, but if they do not give their gender, their year of birth, their level of education, their household income, and other demographic information like their postal code, their input will just be thrown out. Was the minister misleading this House when she said that Canadians did not need to provide their personal information?

Mr. Speaker, on electoral reform, all the Liberals have done is set up a process made up of politicians, by politicians, and for politicians. Now it turns out that Liberals are even charging Canadians to attend their town halls. What a sham.At the end of the day, decisions on their democracy should be made directly by Canadians, and not be a fundraising exercise by the Liberals.Will the Liberals put the politics aside and give Canadians a direct say in a referendum, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, although I find the actions of that side completely wrong and reprehensible, I will apologize for the fact that I did show disrespect for the Chair.

Mr. Speaker, if there is anything that Liberals are good at, it is breaking promises and wasting hard-earned tax dollars. They promised a deficit to pay for infrastructure, and while the deficit just keeps growing, there are still no shovels in the ground. They promised to balance the budget by 2019, but now it will not be until 2055. We have heard the Liberals make promises of electoral reform, but then all Canadians got was a $4 million bill for a muddled personality survey.While Canadians are struggling to make ends meet, what other broken promises can taxpayers be expected to foot the bill for?

Mr. Speaker, an lpsos-Reid poll found that 87% of Canadians think it is reasonable that Canadians be required to prove their ID and address before voting, yet the Liberals want to change this. We need ID to receive health care and to drive a vehicle, so why not in order to vote? Could the Liberals explain to Canadians why they do not think ID should be required to vote?

Mr. Speaker, small business is the lifeblood of the tourism industry and of Canada, and campground owners and many other small business owners just like them are amongst the hardest working Canadians; and the Minister of Small Business and Tourism is simply cheerleading while her government destroys their businesses with huge new tax bills.Why has the minister stood by as family-run campgrounds are taxed for being too small to be a small business? Why is she not standing up against this tax hike on all small businesses that will lay waste not only to the tourism industry but to all of the Canadian economy?

Mr. Speaker, it is pretty clear the Liberals already have an outcome in mind and it is one that will only benefit Liberal politicians. First the Liberals charged entry into their town halls, then the justice minister turned away over 30 people from her meeting, and now the Liberals are making shady deals with third parties to make sunny ways electoral ads, despite the claims we are hearing today.It has become abundantly clear this is not about Canadians; it is about Liberal politicians and their friends. Why are the Liberals rewarding their friends with advertising dollars instead of giving Canadians a say in a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, if the Minister of Democratic Institutions is actually interested in having a conversation on electoral reform, she cannot just keep repeating random verbs and nouns. She actually has to listen. Consultation, conversation, and listening are all great nouns and verbs. However, I have a noun for the Liberals: referendum. The Canadian people deserve one. Will the Liberals finally commit to one?

Mr. Speaker, leave it to the Liberals to claim to fix a problem but instead make it worse. There have been numerous claims about millions of dollars in foreign funding being funnelled into third party groups in the last election. Conservatives have raised this problem time and time again. What do the Liberals do? They do absolutely nothing. Under their new legislation, foreign funds can still flow into Canada to influence our elections.Why do the Liberals not do something that is not just window dressing and actually protect the integrity of our elections?

Madam Speaker, Liberals claim they are listening to Canadians, but all their actions point to arrogant Liberal political self-interest.Changing the way we vote should not be about a committee of politicians, it should not be about the Prime Minister, and it should not be about the self-interest of political parties. It has to start being about what Canadians want.Will they give each and every Canadian a direct say through a referendum, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, we were happy to engage in a dialogue, but Canadians need to have a chance to have their say on whatever the results are in a referendum.Listening to Canadians is at the heart of a healthy democracy. Despite those being the words of the minister, it is obvious the Liberals have no intention to actually listen. The Prime Minister has been quite clear about his preferred voting system, and he has stacked his committee with a Liberal majority, so the fix is already in. If the Liberals were serious about listening to each and every vote, they would give a referendum. Why will they not hold one?

Mr. Speaker, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor remain illegally detained by the Chinese government for entirely political reasons. Canadian shipments of canola and meat to China are being arbitrarily blocked, putting farmers in a dire situation. News reports state that China's premier has even rejected phone calls from the Prime Minister. Tensions between our two countries continue to escalate due to the failures of the Prime Minister.With Destination Canada sponsoring a Canada Day gala in China, could the Minister of Tourism please explain how this gala will concretely address the ongoing issues that we have with China?

Madam Speaker, every summer Canadians enjoy the outdoors using the many services provided by campgrounds across the country. Unfortunately, yet again, the Liberals are showing total disregard toward small businesses. They have ended the review of active versus passive business-income rules that would have allowed small businesses like campgrounds to access the small business tax rate. Instead, the CRA is handing them huge new tax bills. Will the Liberals reverse this poor decision and actually start helping small-business owners instead of overtaxing them?

Mr. Speaker, the government House leader needs to check her definition of conversation and discussion. She states that this is just a conversation, but the last time I checked, this conversation involved the Liberals trying to ram through substantive changes in an arbitrary time frame that would simply remove Liberal accountability to Canadians by limiting debate and giving the Liberals unprecedented control over the House of Commons and its committees.Will the Liberals stop spinning this as a conversation and call it what it really is: an affront to Canadian democracy?

Mr. Speaker, although I find the actions of that side completely wrong and reprehensible, I will apologize for the fact that I did show disrespect for the Chair.

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, the government is doing horribly at all of those things. Small businesses continue to worry about being less competitive and about paying more. Maybe, eventually, the Liberals will realize that their carbon tax is killing our small businesses and will do what the CFIB and small business owners have been calling for: Stop the Liberal carbon tax.On Small Business Week at least, will the Liberals finally stand and defend small businesses and stop introducing policies that hurt their ability to compete?

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Liberals' so-called changes, the Senate needs real reform.Instead, the Liberals have announced an unelected, unaccountable board that will be making secret recommendations for an unelected Senate. This advisory board will meet in secret and provide a non-binding short list in secret. The Prime Minister will then choose from the list, or not, in secret.I ask the Liberals, why the secrecy?

Madam Speaker, the Liberals seem confused about how rules work. They seem to penalize those who follow them, and reward those who break them.Recently a constituent lost her landed immigrant card and needed to travel within a few days. She contacted the government for a replacement card, but was told that it would take at least a month to replace it and that there was no way to expedite the process. Meanwhile, those who are illegally crossing the border into Canada are getting expedited work permits.Why are the Liberals punishing those who follow the rules, and rewarding those who do not?

Mr. Speaker, parents who have lost a child experience unimaginable grief. In some cases, that grief is added to by the immediate loss of government benefits, which forces them back to work long before they are ready. These families deserve some compassion and support from their government. Instead, the Liberal government shut down debate on the issue and also voted against creating bereavement leave. Words are not enough. When will that Liberal government take action to actually show these families the compassion they need?

Mr. Speaker, the minister can keep repeating his talking points and his attempts at spin. The fact of the matter is, the rules he referenced would only be in place after July 23 for his Liberal government. The limits for opposition parties would apply almost a month before that. This is the Liberals blatantly trying to tip the electoral scales in their favour. Will they commit to amending their bill so that these same rules apply to Liberal government advertising and ministerial travel, as they do to opposition parties?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked the finance minister a clear question, but the answer I got was about as clear as mud. It is just like the muddled answers that small business owners are getting from the CRA. Because they cannot get a clear answer, small businesses are fearing the worst: yet another Liberal tax grab. Again, I ask the minister, will the new rules requiring Canadians to report the sale of their principal residence on their tax returns eliminate any portion of the capital gains exemption if they run a small business from part of their home?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are trying to ram through substantive changes to see them held less accountable to the people they serve: changes that will see Liberal MPs take Fridays off; changes that will see the Prime Minister show up to work here in question period just once a week; changes that will limit the ability of MPs to hold the government to account on behalf of Canadians.Canadians work hard and they expect nothing less from their MPs. They expect the Prime Minister to put in a full work week and they definitely expect the government to be held accountable for its actions.Why is the Prime Minister so afraid of being held accountable by Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, upholding the integrity of our elections is paramount to our democracy. Canadians are required to show ID to obtain a library card or to rent a car, but the Liberals do not seem to think that ID should be required to vote. The Liberals want to use voter information cards as a proof of address, when in the last election, nearly one million erroneous cards were mailed out.Why is the government going to require people to show photo ID to buy marijuana but not in order to vote?

Mr. Speaker, I do not think anyone is believing any of that. It turns out the Liberals actually want stricter ID rules for buying marijuana than they do to protect the integrity of our elections. Nearly one million erroneous voter information cards were mailed out during the 2015 election, but the Liberals want to use them as a proof of address. Why do the Liberals want people to show ID to buy marijuana but not in order to vote?

Mr. Speaker, can members spell “hypocrisy”? Let me fill the Prime Minister in on something else. Parliament belongs to Canadians and not to him. It will not be changed to suit his selfish needs.Canadians certainly see through the Prime Minister's blatant disrespect for our democracy. They will simply not stand for the Liberals' ramming through substantive changes to how their democracy works, especially when they are changes that will remove any ability to hold him accountable.Will the Prime Minister drop his “me, me, me” attitude and actually respect Canadian democracy for a change?

Mr. Speaker, last week, in shocking testimony before a Senate committee, the Chief Electoral Officer said there is no way to restrict or prevent foreigners or foreign organizations from trying to influence Canadian elections. There are no restrictions on unlimited spending for things like polling, canvassing, phone banking, or election websites. Yet, we see nothing that addresses these concerns in Bill C-33.Is the democratic institutions minister not concerned about this kind of foreign interference in Canadian elections?

Mr. Speaker, we know the Prime Minister and his Ottawa Liberals could not care less about Alberta or about Albertans. While Albertans are struggling to find work, and people are losing their jobs, their homes and their businesses, the Liberals continue to sit on their hands and do absolutely nothing. They bungled the Trans Mountain expansion that would have created thousands of good-paying jobs due to Liberal incompetence. Our oil and gas workers are left with nothing. Why have the Liberals so failed Albertans?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are waging war on small businesses. Family-run operations like campgrounds and self-storage facilities are being targeted for being too small to be a small business and are receiving huge new tax bills.The Minister of National Revenue keeps claiming that she knows the critical role that small businesses play, even while the government ended the review of active versus passive business income rules that would have ensured small businesses had access to the small business tax rate, as they should. Will these Liberals stop talking out of both sides of their mouth and actually stand up for small businesses instead of trying to tax them out of existence?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Democratic Institutions seems to be confused about the meaning of the word “public”. While she claims that the new Senate advisory board appointment process is available online, the entire process is conducted behind closed doors, keeping Canadians completely in the dark. The advisory board will meet in secret, provide non-binding lists in secret; then the Prime Minister may or may not choose a senator from that list, again in secret.I ask the minister, why the secrecy?

Mr. Speaker, not only do the vast majority of Canadians expect a referendum, but according to a recent poll, it turns out that even 74% of Liberal supporters want one too. Instead, the government is talking about a postcard and a website.Let us be clear. There is no other form of citizen engagement that can replace a referendum, certainly not a postcard, or a website, or telephone calls. If the minister is actually serious about listening to each and every Canadian, and actually serious about the apology she has made, will she commit to taking the recommendation seriously and offer Canadians a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, that is pathetic to not apologize.The Prime Minister has infamously stated that he admires China's dictatorship, and that is quite evident in how he operates. Every time he faces opposition, whether it is in the House or from Canadians, he takes away the tools that opposition parties have to hold him to account. Now he is proposing to limit how and when political parties can spend money that Canadians have freely contributed to support them. Will he impose those same restrictions on ministerial travel and on government advertising in this newly established pre-election period?

Mr. Speaker, what I am actually referring to is the $300,000 the Liberals spent campaigning in by-elections to date. We all know that the Prime Minister favours dictatorships, but I hate to inform him that here in Canada we have a democracy and that he actually has to listen to Canadians. They are speaking loud and clear by not donating to his Liberal Party. Since he cannot now use his cash for access scheme, what does he do? He responds by using thousands of taxpayer dollars to campaign in by-elections. Would the Prime Minister commit today to banning this practice by his government in all future elections?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Democratic Institutions insulted the thousands of Canadians who participated in the work of the committee on electoral reform when she questioned the committee's work by saying, “We asked the committee to help answer very difficult questions for us. It did not do that.” Or is it simply that the committee did not answer the way she wanted it to?We appreciate the apology, but if the minister really wants to make this right, will she take the committee's recommendation seriously and offer a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, there are 39 accepted forms of ID to vote in a federal election. A label on a prescription bottle, a personal cheque, a utility bill, a library card, those are all acceptable, and the list goes on. It is hard to conceive of a scenario where a voter would have none of these but would have a correct voter information card. However, the Liberals want to have almost a million incorrect cards used as proof. Why are the Liberals making it possible for people to vote without the correct ID?

Mr. Speaker, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor remain illegally detained by the Chinese government for entirely political reasons. Canadian shipments of canola and meat to China are being arbitrarily blocked, putting farmers in a dire situation. News reports state that China's premier has even rejected phone calls from the Prime Minister. Tensions between our two countries continue to escalate due to the failures of the Prime Minister.With Destination Canada sponsoring a Canada Day gala in China, could the Minister of Tourism please explain how this gala will concretely address the ongoing issues that we have with China?

Madam Speaker, the Liberal government's war on small business does not end with only campgrounds. There are many small businesses, small family businesses, mom-and-pop operations, that are also being unjustly punished by the Liberals.The Liberals not only broke their campaign promise of a small-business tax cut, they cancelled the review of the misapplication of passive income, when the amount of work involved is anything but passive.Where do the Liberals get off deciding that some businesses are too small to be small businesses?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are telling small family-run businesses like campgrounds that they are too small to be a small business. They are faced with crippling new tax bills, yet the minister keeps saying over and over that nothing has happened and nothing has changed, but it was the Liberals that ended a review that would have restored access to the small business tax rate for these small businesses. Even several of their own Liberal colleagues, including the Minister of Fisheries, agree that these tax increases are completely outrageous.Will the Liberals finally stop their attack on small family campgrounds and fix this ridiculous problem?

Mr. Speaker, another day, another way the Liberals are trying to overtax small businesses. When they announced new rules requiring Canadians to report the sale of their principal residence to the CRA, it turns out it was just the Liberals trying to sneak in another new tax grab on small business owners.Financial advisers are warning small business owners that this change will eliminate the capital gains exemption on the sale of their primary residence if they run a business from their home office. The Liberal war on small business continues.Would the finance minister commit today to reversing this attack on hard-working Canadian small business owners?

Mr. Speaker, I have never heard such a lame excuse in all my life. The Liberals keep claiming that they are listening to Canadians on electoral reform and that they “will not proceed with any changes without the broad buy-in of the Canadian people”. However, it turns out that what they meant by buy-in was that Canadians were going to have to buy a ticket to get in.This is not about filling Liberal coffers, it is democracy. Every Canadian deserves a say without having to pay to get in the door. Therefore, will the Liberals actually listen to Canadians and give each and every Canadian a direct say in a referendum, yes, or no?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the minister told us that we were visiting the wrong website. She might even be right. If we took democracy surveys at BuzzFeed, The Beaverton, or even on the back of a cereal box, we would get less skewed results than what they are trying to pass off as consultation now. We would not have to provide our gender, year of birth, household income, postal code, or even the name of our firstborn child for it to count.The minister keeps telling this House that we do not need personal information to participate in the survey, but she did not say those answers would actually count. Is she just using weasel words?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are concerned about foreign interference in elections through third party spending, and rightfully so.Right now in the Ontario election, Leadnow, a shadowy, foreign-funded group, is paying thousands of dollars to try to affect the outcome of that election. This is a problem federally, too. The Liberals are allowing foreign groups to flow unlimited amounts of money to influence Canadian elections through third parties. Will the Liberals actually protect our elections from foreign influence, or perhaps they are trying to benefit from it?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the minister about the CRA's new tax grab on small businesses like campgrounds and self-storage facilities. However, she will just stand up and once again completely insult small businesses by saying they need to start paying their fair share. Then she will falsely claim that the Liberal government has not changed the tax rules. Is she really that incompetent, or has she finally checked her facts, realized that she is totally wrong, and changed her talking points?

Mr. Speaker, small business is the lifeblood of the tourism industry and of Canada, and campground owners and many other small business owners just like them are amongst the hardest working Canadians; and the Minister of Small Business and Tourism is simply cheerleading while her government destroys their businesses with huge new tax bills.Why has the minister stood by as family-run campgrounds are taxed for being too small to be a small business? Why is she not standing up against this tax hike on all small businesses that will lay waste not only to the tourism industry but to all of the Canadian economy?

Mr. Speaker, chapter 13 of O'Brien and Bosc, under “Rules of Order and Decorum”, on page 614, indicates that a member cannot do indirectly what cannot be done directly. It is obviously referring to quoting from newspaper articles, etc. I would argue that it should also hold to members saying, “Any member who”, and making a statement about the member.Last Wednesday, following question period, in response to a point of order raised by the member for Mégantic—L'Érable regarding an inappropriate personal comment made about him by the Prime Minister in response to his question that day, you had indicated that you would check the Hansard and get back to the House if you deemed it necessary.I will point out that this is not the first time, in fact, it is the third time at least, that the Prime Minister has had a point of order raised regarding his behaviour in question period. On two previous occasions, it was in relation to his taunting of female members of Parliament who were asking questions. You indicated that you would check and get back to the House. In those cases, it is possible that his behaviour was not recorded on camera. However, in this case, it would be something that you could check, because it was made while he was responding to a question.Given that past record of deplorable behaviour, the fact that this has been raised, and you indicated you would get back to the House and also given that it is not permissible to do indirectly what is not permissible directly, I would ask if you have had the chance to do the review and advise the House of your ruling. If you decided that it was not necessary to report back to the House, I would ask that you give us your justification for that, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have a habit of saying one thing and then doing another. First, there was a promise of a small deficit. Now it is out of control. Then they promised a balanced budget by 2019. Now it will not be until 2055. Now the Liberals are saying that principal residence reporting is about foreign investor compliance. It turns out that it may just be a new way to tax small businesses.I want to ask: Will the new rules requiring Canadians to report the sale of their principal residences on their tax returns eliminate any portion of the capital gains exemption if they run a small business from their home, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, it seems that the minister is confused about how conversations work. Both parties get to participate; the Liberals cannot just dictate the result. The only person who is taking away from the conversation is the minister, by following the Prime Minister's preconceived notion of where he wants the consultations to arrive. If the Liberals truly wanted to listen, they would let each and every Canadian have a say through a referendum. Will the Liberals drop the act already? Referendum, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, in November, the Chief Electoral Officer said that there was no way to restrict or prevent foreigners or foreign organizations from trying to influence Canadian elections, that there was no restrictions on unlimited third party spending for things like polling, phone banking, or election websites. At committee, the minister claimed that she was committed to ensuring there was no foreign influence in our elections. However, actions speak louder than words. If the Liberals are truly committed to preventing foreign interference in Canadian elections, will they commit today to closing these loopholes?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to try to rig our democracy. They have tried to silence the opposition by changing the Standing Orders. They have tried to change the electoral system to one that would only favour them. They have used Canadians' hard-earned tax dollars to campaign during by-elections, including over $60,000 in Lac-Saint-Jean and almost $70,000 in Markham—Thornhill. That is just the beginning of the shady spending. It is clear that the Liberals want to use tax dollars to campaign. Will they commit today to banning taxpayer-funded ministerial announcements and travel in the entire pre-election period?

Mr. Speaker, leave it to the Liberals to claim to fix a problem but instead make it worse. There have been numerous claims about millions of dollars in foreign funding being funnelled into third party groups in the last election. Conservatives have raised this problem time and time again. What do the Liberals do? They do absolutely nothing. Under their new legislation, foreign funds can still flow into Canada to influence our elections.Why do the Liberals not do something that is not just window dressing and actually protect the integrity of our elections?

Madam Speaker, every summer Canadians enjoy the outdoors using the many services provided by campgrounds across the country. Unfortunately, yet again, the Liberals are showing total disregard toward small businesses. They have ended the review of active versus passive business-income rules that would have allowed small businesses like campgrounds to access the small business tax rate. Instead, the CRA is handing them huge new tax bills. Will the Liberals reverse this poor decision and actually start helping small-business owners instead of overtaxing them?

Mr. Speaker, I do not think the media believe it will be built on compromise and middle ground. Let us go over some of the comments that have been made on the Liberal plan to change the way that Canadians vote. National Post columnists said that the minister “is adrift in a sea of platitudes”, and also that the Liberals were on top of their game with electoral reform doublespeak. The Globe and Mail said, “[I]t's built for Liberal control.”Can the Liberals just cut the charade and answer the question? Will they give Canadians a chance to have a say in a referendum, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, small businesses are the cornerstone of the Canadian economy. However, a recent World Economic Forum competitiveness report found that Canadian businesses already faced a heavy regulatory burden and inefficient bureaucracy. What the Liberals therefore did, besides increasing the regulatory burden, was they brought in onerous new small business tax rules, a carbon tax on everything and payroll tax hikes, and the Prime Minister calls them wealthy tax cheats. Why do the Liberals continue to attack our hard-working local small business owners?

Mr. Speaker, as usual, the Liberal government's words do not match its actions. The Minister of Democratic Institutions claims that she wants to put partisan interests aside and that it is truly not about a skewed partisan interest. Except, all decisions on electoral reform will be made by six Liberals who form the majority on the committee. She also said that the ultimate decision on what system would be proposed would be made by cabinet.If this really is not about partisan interests, why not allow all Canadians to have a direct say on electoral reform?

Mr. Speaker, despite the fact the Liberals keep claiming they want to hold consultations on fundamental changes to our democratic process, it appears they are in fact letting time make the decision. Time is of the essence. The Chief Electoral Officer has warned that he needs six months' lead time to be able to hold a referendum, and ample time to be able to redraw riding boundaries if necessary.Is the fix in for the Prime Minister's preferred choice and will the government be imposing its new voting system without allowing Canadians a say in a referendum?

No, Mr. Speaker, Canadians have spoken. Seventy-five per cent of them want a referendum.The Minister of Democratic Institutions claims that a referendum is not the best way to consult Canadians but at the same time the minister is speaking out of the other side of her mouth by saying that she is listening to all Canadians. How better to know that one has the broad-based support of all Canadians than with a referendum?Will the Liberals stop pulling the wool over Canadians' eyes and hold a referendum, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, the government says one thing and does another. It promises a balanced budget by 2019, and then deficits for decades to come. It promises to make life more affordable for Canadians, and then increases the cost of everything with an unfair carbon tax. It says that the environment and the economy go hand in hand, and then refuses to negotiate fairly and honestly with the Sunshine Village ski area. Can the Minister of Tourism explain how threatening to kick a family business off the land it has used for 38 years protects our environment or grows tourism for our economy?

Mr. Speaker, we all know that the Liberals love to spend money that is not theirs, and the Liberal government routinely spends millions of dollars in ridings where by-elections are being called, trying to buy its way out of trouble. That money belongs to Canadian taxpayers and not to the Liberal Party.Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is trying to restrict the opposition parties from spending their own money to speak to Canadians, but he will not ban ministerial travel or advertising in the pre-election period, because this gives the Liberals an advantage.When will the Prime Minister stop using taxpayers' money to try to buy elections for the Liberal Party?

Mr. Speaker, to encourage more Canadians to vote, the Liberals first have to realize that we cannot accomplish that by taking away their right to vote at all. Canadians are demanding the right to have a say in a referendum before any changes are made to their electoral system. That right belongs to all Canadians, not this minister and her six Liberal cronies. If the Liberals were truly listening to Canadians, as the minister claims, they would already have heard that loud and clear. Why will they not hold a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, if the minister wants to get to the bottom of it, she does not have to look very far. It is right there on the Liberal website.When the Liberals set up a process for electoral reform that is all about politicians and political parties and it leaves the final decision in the hands of the Liberal cabinet, that certainly is not in the best interest of Canadians. When B.C., Ontario, and P.E.I. looked at electoral reform, all three of them held referendums. Three-quarters of Canadians are demanding one, so will the Liberals hold a referendum, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, Canada's tourism sector is a nearly $90-billion a year industry that employs more than 600,000 hard-working Canadians. At the tourism ministers' meetings there was nothing new from the government, only a reaffirmation of initiatives that our Conservative government had already undertaken, including investing $30 million for tourism marketing in the United States.Could the minister indicate whether the Liberals will make any attempt at all to build on the good work done under the previous Conservative government?

Madam Speaker, those are fine words, but it has to be more about the actions than the words, and we are not seeing it in the actions.Liberals set up a committee that is made up of politicians, by politicians, and for politicians. That is all we keep hearing from them. We have actually seen them start to charge people entrance into their so-called open town halls.A newsflash to the Liberals: this should not be about their self-interest; this should be about all Canadians and their interests.Will they give Canadians, each and every one of them, a direct say in a referendum, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, an lpsos-Reid poll found that 87% of Canadians think it is reasonable that Canadians be required to prove their ID and address before voting, yet the Liberals want to change this. We need ID to receive health care and to drive a vehicle, so why not in order to vote? Could the Liberals explain to Canadians why they do not think ID should be required to vote?

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. During question period, I rose to ask a question of the Minister of Fisheries in regard to a letter that he and another member of Parliament had written to the Minister of Revenue. However, I noticed that the Minister of Revenue got up and responded to the question, with the same old talking points we had heard over and over again, which are completely untrue. Therefore, I would like to give the Minister of Fisheries an opportunity to refresh his memory by asking for unanimous consent to table the letters that were written to the Minister of Revenue.

Mr. Speaker, in 2012, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said, “Precedent makes holding a referendum necessary in Canada: changing the voting system would require popular support.”If that minister actually believes his own words, will he try to convince the Prime Minister that Canadians deserve a direct say, through a vote in a referendum, on any changes to how they vote?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal tax changes will affect hard-working Canadians like Allison and her husband, who, despite the downturn in Alberta, have gotten up, dusted themselves off, and started again. Allison's husband lost his job, and she was a stay-at-home mom of four kids, who substitute taught, but then she suffered a stroke and could not work. Despite all of this, they carried on and started a small business.These new Liberal tax changes will devastate that dream. Why is the Minister of Finance forcing Allison to pay a 73% tax that not even millionaire owners of Morneau Shepell will have to pay? Maybe he could try answering now. How is that fair?

Madam Speaker, the Liberals just keep saying, “Nothing to see here. Move along, folks.”If there was really nothing to hide, then why did they not just tell Canadians, in the first place, that they were collecting this information? We are talking about things like Canadians' ATM withdrawals, their credit card transactions and their bill payments. The first step to fixing a problem is actually admitting that there is a problem.Will the Liberals stop trying to sweep this under the carpet and admit that trying to steal Canadians' data without their consent is a real problem?

Mr. Speaker, we were happy to engage in a dialogue, but Canadians need to have a chance to have their say on whatever the results are in a referendum.Listening to Canadians is at the heart of a healthy democracy. Despite those being the words of the minister, it is obvious the Liberals have no intention to actually listen. The Prime Minister has been quite clear about his preferred voting system, and he has stacked his committee with a Liberal majority, so the fix is already in. If the Liberals were serious about listening to each and every vote, they would give a referendum. Why will they not hold one?

Mr. Speaker, it seems that sunny ways have quickly turned into “Sonny, get the bleep out of my way”. That is the elbows up approach the Prime Minister took in this Parliament yesterday, but it also seems to be the approach he is taking to voting reform. He is trying to rig the next election in the favour of the Liberals.Is the Prime Minister really so arrogant that he thinks he can impose his will on Canadians without giving them a say in a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, the trade minister recently stated that “when you have more than 70 per cent of your exports to one country, I think people realize that it’s in Canada’s best interest to look west and to look east”. That would be great advice when it comes to pipelines. However, thanks to the Liberals, energy east is dead and Kinder Morgan is in serious jeopardy. It is not enough to simply say the pipeline will get built, the Prime Minister needs to back up his words with action. Talk is not enough. When will the government take action to ensure the pipeline gets built?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Democratic Institutions claims that she wants to have a conversation, but instead seems to be doing a really good job of dancing around the real question.It is a question to which millions of Canadians are demanding an answer. It is also a question I have asked the minister several times in a very straightforward yes or no manner, and I have heard nothing but platitudes in return.Let me try once again. Will the Liberals finally drop the platitudes and commit to a referendum, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, much like other times, we keep hearing about the interest of political parties and of politicians.The discussion on changing our most basic democratic institution is not about political parties nor about the interest of politicians. It is about the Canadian people.It should be about making sure that each and every Canadian voice has an opportunity to have a direct say through a referendum. Will the Liberals hold one, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals were caught selling access to the Prime Minister at $1,500 per person events. In spite of that, they have been out-fundraised by the Conservative Party. Now they are trying to tip the electoral scales in their favour.Under their new legislation, the Liberals are limiting the amount that political parties can spend of their own Canadian raised funds, but are allowing foreign funds to flow freely into Canada to influence our elections.When will the Liberals do something to actually strengthen the integrity of our electoral system instead of trying to only benefit themselves?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister once expressed his admiration for the basic dictatorship of China. Now it turns out he is trying to bring that dictatorship to life right here in Canada. He is trying to avoid any accountability to Canadians by eliminating debate and by giving the Liberals unprecedented control over the House of Commons and its committees. On top of this, he wants to give all his Liberal MPs Fridays off, and it turns out he, himself, only wants to show up to work one day a week. Why does the Prime Minister have such a blatant disregard for being held accountable to Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the government House leader needs to check her definition of conversation and discussion. She states that this is just a conversation, but the last time I checked, this conversation involved the Liberals trying to ram through substantive changes in an arbitrary time frame that would simply remove Liberal accountability to Canadians by limiting debate and giving the Liberals unprecedented control over the House of Commons and its committees.Will the Liberals stop spinning this as a conversation and call it what it really is: an affront to Canadian democracy?

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Democratic Institutions seems to really love Liberal doublespeak. On one hand, she claims to want Canadians to be able to participate in a democratic process, but on the other, she appointed six Liberal MPs to rig the future of Canadian democracy.The only way to truly consult all Canadians is to give them a direct say through a referendum. Will the minister finally drop the talking points and commit to giving all Canadians a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, since the minister seems to have trouble answering questions, maybe I could make it a little easier for her by putting it in the form of a multiple choice question, like her so-called democracy survey.Who ultimately chose the questions that were to be included in the Liberal survey? She could press one for experts, press two for academics, press three for her political staff, or press four for the magical democracy fairy.Will the minister finally be honest with Canadians and simply admit that this is nothing more than a Liberal distraction tactic?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have brought forward major changes to our electoral laws, and these are changes that would tip the electoral scales in their favour. I do not know if there is any legislation that could be more significant. After only one hour of debate, they moved notice of time allocation. As the Liberal member for Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame stated, “If we are actually debating...any changes to the Elections Act...time allocation and closure need not apply.”If the Liberals actually respected Canadians, they would let this legislation receive proper debate. Why are the Liberals disrespecting Canadians and trying to ram this bill through?

Mr. Speaker, when we change the basic rules of democracy, everyone should get a vote, but the Prime Minister seems to think that only those who agree with him should get a say.He clearly opposes directly consulting Canadians through a referendum on fundamental changes to how we vote. He told students at the University of Ottawa, “...the fact is that referendums are a pretty good way of not getting any electoral reform.”Has the Prime Minister closed the door on a referendum because he thinks the only opinion that matters is his?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say they would ban government advertising 90 days before an election, yet they want to apply spending limits on opposition parties almost a month before that time. For the Liberals, it is, “Do what I say and not what I do.” Once again, I ask, will they impose the exact same restrictions on ministerial travel and government advertising that they are on parties in this newly established pre-election period?

Mr. Speaker, some questions must be answered with a clear yes or no. Yesterday, the Minister of Democratic Institutions skated around the question when asked whether the Liberals would be holding a referendum on a proposed new electoral system. Today I will ask a very direct question. After the consultations on electoral reform have taken place and a proposed new electoral reform system has been designed, will the government hold a referendum on that proposed new system? Yes or no.

Mr. Speaker, it is pretty clear the Liberals already have an outcome in mind and it is one that will only benefit Liberal politicians. First the Liberals charged entry into their town halls, then the justice minister turned away over 30 people from her meeting, and now the Liberals are making shady deals with third parties to make sunny ways electoral ads, despite the claims we are hearing today.It has become abundantly clear this is not about Canadians; it is about Liberal politicians and their friends. Why are the Liberals rewarding their friends with advertising dollars instead of giving Canadians a say in a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claim they want to consult, but the whole point of consultation is to ask people their opinion, not to have backroom deals with other political parties.What better way to get the opinion of every single Canadian than to ask them in a referendum? The Liberals are refusing to give Canadians a final say. Why do they not commit to giving this important decision to all Canadians, not to political parties, through a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, if the Minister of Democratic Institutions is actually interested in having a conversation on electoral reform, she cannot just keep repeating random verbs and nouns. She actually has to listen. Consultation, conversation, and listening are all great nouns and verbs. However, I have a noun for the Liberals: referendum. The Canadian people deserve one. Will the Liberals finally commit to one?

Mr. Speaker, first, the Liberals made it more difficult for Canadians to qualify for a mortgage, and taking away the dream of home ownership from thousands of first-time buyers. Now they are tacking on even more costs, adding thousands of dollars in expenses when Canadians build, sell, or renovate their homes. As the Canadian Home Builders' Association said, when talking about $30,000, $40,000, or $50,000, our concern will always be about what this means for affordability.Why are the Liberals making home ownership more expensive for middle-class Canadians, while owners of fancy French villas are let off the hook?

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals like to say that the environment and the economy go hand in hand, it turns out they do not know how to manage either of them.The Prime Minister wants to phase out Alberta's energy sector, and he has put in place a carbon tax that would knock $10 billion off Canada's GDP while doing absolutely nothing to reduce emissions. The Liberals have purposely created regulatory uncertainty, killing projects like energy east and northern gateway.Why are the Liberals so dead set against the oil and gas industry, and all the jobs that come with it, while also doing absolutely nothing to help the environment?

Mr. Speaker, on electoral reform, all the Liberals have done is set up a process made up of politicians, by politicians, and for politicians. Now it turns out that Liberals are even charging Canadians to attend their town halls. What a sham.At the end of the day, decisions on their democracy should be made directly by Canadians, and not be a fundraising exercise by the Liberals.Will the Liberals put the politics aside and give Canadians a direct say in a referendum, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, under the Liberals, the national debt is growing by over $2 million an hour, yet it is not stopping them from finding new ways to squander Canadians' hard-earned tax dollars. First, the Liberals gave Loblaws $12 million for fridges. Now it is giving $50 million to an investment fund that when asked if it needed the money, said “No, but it's great to have it”. Those are words that most Canadian small businesses would only dream of being able to say.Why are the Liberals handing out money to giant companies that literally do not need it, instead of helping small businesses by reducing taxes and cutting red tape?

Mr. Speaker, imagine senior citizens who have worked hard their whole life and are ready to start the next chapter in retirement. Their kids have moved out, they are empty nesters, and they want to sell their houses and downsize. Now the Liberals want to make people pay more for that too. New building code requirements will require them to complete costly mandatory renovations when they sell their houses. Why do the Liberals want to ruin the retirement plans of middle-class Canadian seniors?

That was more Liberal spin and buzzwords, Mr. Speaker. The opposition members are firmly against this Liberal power grab. The government House leader can try to call that a veto or whatever she likes, but Canadians see through this sham. Changes to the Standing Orders should be done with the unanimous consent of all parties, as was the case in the previous Parliament when the Liberal vice-chair on PROC used the veto on minor changes to the Standing Orders. That is right. None other than the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader understood the need for unanimous consent. Why was unanimous consent good for the Liberals then and not now?

Mr. Speaker, I guess we will take that as a no. Therefore, we will try another topic, because clearly he does not want to try and deal with the actual problem here.Getting young people over 18 out to vote is a thing that everyone in the House agrees is a good thing, but what is not right is invading the privacy of children. The Prime Minister's new law will establish a future register of electors for children between the ages of 14 and 17. Yesterday, the Prime Minister disagreed with us when we raised this concern about political parties targeting children. Again, will the Prime Minister commit that the information about children will not be distributed to political parties or political candidates?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have stacked the deck on electoral reform. All the decisions would be made by six Liberals who have given themselves a majority on the committee. Without a referendum on electoral reform, six Liberal MPs will make the decision on the future of Canadian democracy for the entire country. The minister needs to stand today and say if the Liberal government is truly interested in what Canadians have to say. Will the Liberals give each and every Canadian a direct say through a referendum, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal House leader claims she is having discussions with all MPs about substantive changes to our democracy. What she is actually doing is ramming through a motion to make the Liberals less accountable to Canadians.The Liberal member for Malpeque thinks there should be all-party consensus. Even the Liberal platform itself says so: We will look at...ways to make Question Period more relevant...and will work with all parties to recommend and bring about these changes. Did she actually read their platform, or is she taking communications lessons from the defence minister?

Mr. Speaker, a tax system that is fair, efficient and modern is one of seven requests of over 200,000 Canadian businesses that just want the government to stop throwing up barriers and allow them to thrive and succeed. Instead, the Liberals have given Canadian businesses tax increases, like a job-killing carbon tax and higher payroll taxes, and complicated red tape that will hurt many small businesses. Will the Liberals accept the recommendations of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, or are they just going to keep calling Canadian small business owners tax cheats?

Mr. Speaker, I rise, reluctantly, following question period today because I think all Canadians would expect our Prime Minister to always conduct himself with the highest level of dignity and to demonstrate the utmost respect for an institution such as the House of Commons. That should happen whether the Prime Minister is on camera or off camera.On a number of occasions during this Parliament, I have witnessed—and I am sure others on this side of the House can confirm this—the Prime Minister behave in a manner that I would say is far below the dignity of the office he holds. In fact, I think one could even call it childish behaviour.I only stand today because I think it was particularly egregious today. I saw him, on a frequent number of occasions today, taunting and making faces at other members of Parliament as they were speaking. He certainly went too far when I saw him stick his tongue out following a question that had been put by the member for South Surrey—White Rock. That is, clearly, in my mind, far below the dignity of the office he holds.I certainly hope that the Prime Minister will stand in this place and apologize to this House, and to all Canadians, for such immature behaviour.

Mr. Speaker, when she says the rules have not changed, she might want to try telling that to the campgrounds who are currently taking this government to court to fight this. If nothing has changed, the minister should explain why they are all of a sudden faced with huge new tax bills. I will give her a hint: they ended the review of these rules that Conservatives put in place in the last Conservative budget, and then changed the interpretation of what is considered an active business so they could go after family-run campgrounds.If the Liberals are successful in taxing campgrounds out of existence, what other small businesses will they send the taxman after next?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals arrogance knows no bounds. It is quite evident that the Prime Minister has absolutely no respect for this place and the democracy it represents. The Liberals are trying to ram through electoral reform just like they tried to ram through the opposition yesterday. Does the Prime Minister think that he can also manhandle democracy, or will he let Canadians have a say in a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, it seems the Minister of Democratic Institutions thinks she is different from every other Canadian. In fact, her own staff are saying that the rules that apply to every other Canadian do not apply to her.Of course, I am talking about the minister providing the results of her cross-Canada consultations to the Special Committee on Electoral Reform.When asked why she had not submitted, her staff said she's not the general public.It is the same old story: one rule for the Liberals and another for the rest of us.Why does the minister think she is above the rules that every other Canadian has to follow?

Mr. Speaker, it seems like the Minister of Democratic Institutions cannot even keep her talking points straight for a single answer. She has told the House that she wants to hear from Canadians, while in the same answer has stated that politicians should make the decision. Which is it? Politicians making the decision, or will the minister actually drop the talking points and leave this decision directly in the hands of Canadians through a referendum?

Mr. Speaker, as we speak, opposition MPs continue to stand up to defend Canadians from the Liberals' attack on democracy. Not only does the Prime Minister only want to show up and be accountable to Canadians one day a week, but I have never seen a more pathetic display of arrogance than I saw in question period today as he laughed and smirked as opposition MPs tried to hold him accountable for his actions.I can assure him that in the next election, Canadians will wipe that smirk right off his face.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals say they wanted to have a supposed discussion on the Standing Orders, but it turns out that it was just a Trojan Horse for what they really wanted, for the Prime Minister to only have to show up once a week. Now they are trying to ram through changes to the House that they could make without amending the Standing Orders. Even the Liberal member for Malpeque said, “I strongly believe that you have to have at least consensus from the main parties to change the rules of the House.”If the Prime Minister will not listen to common sense on this side of the House, will he at least listen to reason from one of his own Liberal MPs?

Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we know that the Prime Minister does not care too much for any opposition, but we are here to hold the government to account and to stand up for the interests of Canadians whether he likes it or not. It is evident that he is trying to ram through his new electoral legislation using closure, time allocation, or whatever other trick he has up his sleeve. Will the Prime Minister commit today to allowing Bill C-76 the proper due diligence and study that Canadians know it deserves?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals love to take credit for things that they were forced to do. They know full well that was a flip-flop and they were only forced to return to that tax cut, which the Conservatives put in place and they tried to take away. Small businesses continue to struggle because of the Liberal government. The Liberals cut an advisory committee that ensured that each new regulation on small businesses would be offset by the removal of another piece of regulation. The Liberals simply continue to pile on new regulatory burdens. How can the Liberals say that they are easing burdens on small businesses when they are continuing to add more taxes and more red tape?

Mr. Speaker, it is clear, and the minister has made it very clear, that the Liberals are doubling down, and they will refuse to ask Canadians about fundamentally changing our electoral system. This is the method of voting that we have used since Confederation. I am not talking about routine amendments here. There are three provinces that have all proposed fundamental change, and they all knew that it was important enough to put that question to a referendum. If the Liberals are so sure that they have the support of Canadians, why are they so afraid to put it to a referendum?