Kellie Leitch

Mr. Speaker, Health Canada spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year to encourage Canadians to stop smoking. Now the government wants Canadian kids to have access to a drug to smoke, marijuana. Parents are scared and concerned for their children. The government is sending out mixed signals. On the one hand, it claims it wants to enforce the law, but on the other hand, it has not appealed the B.C. decision to allow marijuana in the hands of children.Will the Minister of Health take responsibility for this action and compel her colleague the Minister of Justice to appeal this decision? Will she step forward with me to protect Canadian kids from this mind-altering drug?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to plow ahead with Gomery 2.0. The Liberal infrastructure bank boondoggle has the potential to be the biggest scandal yet for the Liberal Party, and that is saying something.Smaller municipalities are scared they will be left behind. The bank has no focus, no clear mandate and, most important, as has already been said, is wide open to political interference. Why is the government so focused on making sure its Liberal elite friends get a giant slush fund as opposed to taking care of Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please tell us here about the immunization records of Syrian children who are about to enter school in Canada? It is important that we do not put these Syrian children at risk. It is also important that we do not put Canadian kids at risk. Moms and dads are telling me that they are concerned about a potential outbreak of measles or mumps, or another infectious disease.Where are the records? What medical screening is being done? Can the parents in my riding be reassured that their children are going to be safe, and that the Syrian children are going to be safe?

Mr. Speaker, I am also shocked by another revelation. We have a Liberal government that wants to legalize marijuana, and yesterday we learned that the Liberals may be planning to decriminalize all drugs. In my clinic, kids are asking, “Is it okay to do drugs now?” Young Canadians know drugs are bad for them. The Liberal drug policy is damaging to Canadians, especially to Canadian kids. Could the minister confirm if decriminalizing hard drugs is Liberal policy, and what dangerous drugs are on that list?

Mr. Speaker, in 2014, UNRWA schools and hospitals were used by Hamas terrorists to store rockets. In fact, their staff even gave Hamas these same rockets back. That is just one of the reasons why the Conservatives proudly defunded UNRWA.As part of a plan to fight ISIS, the government is proudly providing $15 million to this organization. By including this funding as part of an anti-ISIS plan, is the Liberal government saying that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a root cause of the rise of ISIS? Does the minister believe that this is actually the case? Yes or no.

Mr. Speaker, as much as I do appreciate your commending all of us on International Women's Day, I would like to ask why you removed a woman from the speaker's list today. I recognize that you have made a point of this, but I am not sure why you would actually punish someone in the House who is a woman, who has been here since I think 2004, doing outstanding service for Canadians, because of the actions in the House of those you claim were men.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Beaudoin testified at the Gomery inquiry that he was pressured to hire a Liberal staffer who wanted to have “dry cleaning” methods for hiding expenses. Now he says that the $35-billion infrastructure bank is wide open to political interference. This is Gomery 2.0.Why will the Liberals not protect Canadian taxpayers? Why are they not looking out for the money of Canadians as opposed to their friends, the Liberal elites?

Mr. Speaker, the government would have us believe that if we want to offer training and humanitarian assistance, Canada cannot take part in air combat missions, but that is not true. For the past year, the Canadian Forces have been engaged in all three: training, an air mission, and humanitarian assistance. They are doing an excellent job.Why does the government want to impose artificial limits on Canada's fight against terrorism?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' latest boondoggle, the $35-billion infrastructure bank, is under attack again, this time by someone who knows the backrooms of the Liberals really well. François Beaudoin, the former head of the BDC, who testified at the Gomery inquiry about Liberal corruption, has said that the bank is easily open to political interference. What a surprise. Considering the track record of the Liberal Party and its elite friends, this is a scandal waiting to happen.When will the Liberals focus on what we need to do for Canadians instead of their backroom elite friends?

Mr. Speaker, Mario Bonafacio is a 79-year-old veteran who served Canada for 35 years. He suffered from a debilitating neck injury incurred during his military service. He has asked for support from Veterans Affairs. His claim was rejected. He appealed. The department has been fighting him ever since. In the minister's mandate letter it states that, “Veterans should not have to fight their own government for the support and compensation they have earned.” Mr. Bonafacio is tired of fighting his own government. When will the Minister of Veterans Affairs make sure this veteran gets the support he deserves?

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the new Liberal plan to fight ISIS, there are sure a lot of people hearing about it. It is too bad, though, that this group does not include anyone in this House. Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs told the House that he shared the plan in a meeting in Rome. Overnight, details of the plan were actually revealed all over the media.The government claims to be transparent and open in a new reality. Why is it, then, that no one in this House has been informed of this plan, not even the rookie new Minister of National Defence?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I asked the veterans minister about Mario Bonafacio, a 79-year-old veteran suffering from a debilitating neck injury. Incredibly, the minister said that I should bring this to his “further attention.” On June 4, I wrote the minister and last week, in the chamber, I handed him additional documents, including a privacy release signed by the veteran himself. This release allows the minister to say what work he has done for the veteran and not hide behind his usual privacy excuse.When will the minister take this case seriously and get Mr. Bonafacio what he deserves?

Mr. Speaker, with respect to insulin therapy, the CRA has confirmed that a new direction was given at the beginning of May. This unannounced change has resulted in hundreds of type 1 diabetics receiving less money, amounting to hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars. As a doctor who has treated patients with diabetes, I am confident in saying that my physician colleagues are better qualified to decide who should be receiving these benefits than CRA bureaucrats. People are suffering and the minister has the power to make it stop. My simple question is: Will the minister immediately issue a directive to her department to revert back to the April 30 policy?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we asked the Minister of Veterans Affairs to give Canadians an explanation as to why the Liberals were cancelling the Afghanistan war memorial.There were 40,000 brave men and women in Afghanistan, some who trained in my riding of Base Borden and served there. All he had to say was: “...More information regarding the project will be available in the coming months”.Why will the Liberals not honour our veterans and why can the minister not provide a straight answer? Why did this Liberal government and this minister cancel the plan for the Afghanistan war memorials?

Mr. Speaker, I am also shocked by another revelation. We have a Liberal government that wants to legalize marijuana, and yesterday we learned that the Liberals may be planning to decriminalize all drugs. In my clinic, kids are asking, “Is it okay to do drugs now?” Young Canadians know drugs are bad for them. The Liberal drug policy is damaging to Canadians, especially to Canadian kids. Could the minister confirm if decriminalizing hard drugs is Liberal policy, and what dangerous drugs are on that list?

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Beaudoin testified at the Gomery inquiry that he was pressured to hire a Liberal staffer who wanted to have “dry cleaning” methods for hiding expenses. Now he says that the $35-billion infrastructure bank is wide open to political interference. This is Gomery 2.0.Why will the Liberals not protect Canadian taxpayers? Why are they not looking out for the money of Canadians as opposed to their friends, the Liberal elites?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I asked the veterans minister about Mario Bonafacio, a 79-year-old veteran suffering from a debilitating neck injury. Incredibly, the minister said that I should bring this to his “further attention.” On June 4, I wrote the minister and last week, in the chamber, I handed him additional documents, including a privacy release signed by the veteran himself. This release allows the minister to say what work he has done for the veteran and not hide behind his usual privacy excuse.When will the minister take this case seriously and get Mr. Bonafacio what he deserves?

Mr. Speaker, the government would have us believe that if we want to offer training and humanitarian assistance, Canada cannot take part in air combat missions, but that is not true. For the past year, the Canadian Forces have been engaged in all three: training, an air mission, and humanitarian assistance. They are doing an excellent job.Why does the government want to impose artificial limits on Canada's fight against terrorism?

Mr. Speaker, in 2014, UNRWA schools and hospitals were used by Hamas terrorists to store rockets. In fact, their staff even gave Hamas these same rockets back. That is just one of the reasons why the Conservatives proudly defunded UNRWA.As part of a plan to fight ISIS, the government is proudly providing $15 million to this organization. By including this funding as part of an anti-ISIS plan, is the Liberal government saying that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a root cause of the rise of ISIS? Does the minister believe that this is actually the case? Yes or no.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please tell us here about the immunization records of Syrian children who are about to enter school in Canada? It is important that we do not put these Syrian children at risk. It is also important that we do not put Canadian kids at risk. Moms and dads are telling me that they are concerned about a potential outbreak of measles or mumps, or another infectious disease.Where are the records? What medical screening is being done? Can the parents in my riding be reassured that their children are going to be safe, and that the Syrian children are going to be safe?

Mr. Speaker, with respect to insulin therapy, the CRA has confirmed that a new direction was given at the beginning of May. This unannounced change has resulted in hundreds of type 1 diabetics receiving less money, amounting to hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars. As a doctor who has treated patients with diabetes, I am confident in saying that my physician colleagues are better qualified to decide who should be receiving these benefits than CRA bureaucrats. People are suffering and the minister has the power to make it stop. My simple question is: Will the minister immediately issue a directive to her department to revert back to the April 30 policy?

Mr. Speaker, Mario Bonafacio is a 79-year-old veteran who served Canada for 35 years. He suffered from a debilitating neck injury incurred during his military service. He has asked for support from Veterans Affairs. His claim was rejected. He appealed. The department has been fighting him ever since. In the minister's mandate letter it states that, “Veterans should not have to fight their own government for the support and compensation they have earned.” Mr. Bonafacio is tired of fighting his own government. When will the Minister of Veterans Affairs make sure this veteran gets the support he deserves?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we asked the Minister of Veterans Affairs to give Canadians an explanation as to why the Liberals were cancelling the Afghanistan war memorial.There were 40,000 brave men and women in Afghanistan, some who trained in my riding of Base Borden and served there. All he had to say was: “...More information regarding the project will be available in the coming months”.Why will the Liberals not honour our veterans and why can the minister not provide a straight answer? Why did this Liberal government and this minister cancel the plan for the Afghanistan war memorials?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' latest boondoggle, the $35-billion infrastructure bank, is under attack again, this time by someone who knows the backrooms of the Liberals really well. François Beaudoin, the former head of the BDC, who testified at the Gomery inquiry about Liberal corruption, has said that the bank is easily open to political interference. What a surprise. Considering the track record of the Liberal Party and its elite friends, this is a scandal waiting to happen.When will the Liberals focus on what we need to do for Canadians instead of their backroom elite friends?

Mr. Speaker, as much as I do appreciate your commending all of us on International Women's Day, I would like to ask why you removed a woman from the speaker's list today. I recognize that you have made a point of this, but I am not sure why you would actually punish someone in the House who is a woman, who has been here since I think 2004, doing outstanding service for Canadians, because of the actions in the House of those you claim were men.

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals continue to plow ahead with Gomery 2.0. The Liberal infrastructure bank boondoggle has the potential to be the biggest scandal yet for the Liberal Party, and that is saying something.Smaller municipalities are scared they will be left behind. The bank has no focus, no clear mandate and, most important, as has already been said, is wide open to political interference. Why is the government so focused on making sure its Liberal elite friends get a giant slush fund as opposed to taking care of Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, Health Canada spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year to encourage Canadians to stop smoking. Now the government wants Canadian kids to have access to a drug to smoke, marijuana. Parents are scared and concerned for their children. The government is sending out mixed signals. On the one hand, it claims it wants to enforce the law, but on the other hand, it has not appealed the B.C. decision to allow marijuana in the hands of children.Will the Minister of Health take responsibility for this action and compel her colleague the Minister of Justice to appeal this decision? Will she step forward with me to protect Canadian kids from this mind-altering drug?

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the new Liberal plan to fight ISIS, there are sure a lot of people hearing about it. It is too bad, though, that this group does not include anyone in this House. Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs told the House that he shared the plan in a meeting in Rome. Overnight, details of the plan were actually revealed all over the media.The government claims to be transparent and open in a new reality. Why is it, then, that no one in this House has been informed of this plan, not even the rookie new Minister of National Defence?