Kevin Lamoureux
Winnipeg North, Manitoba · Liberal · Canada
“Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated, when we take a look at this particular legislation, or any other piece of legislation or budgetary measures that the government has brought in since the last election, when Canadians elected a new Prime Minister and a new government, we will find that listening to Canadians is the top priority.”
“Mr. Speaker, I want the member to recognize the degree to which the Conservative Party always wants to talk down the economy. It brings me to yesterday, when we found out that the Prime Minister went to the G7 and that 13 new deals were signed off, with countries such as Japan, Italy, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands and Portugal, fi…”
“Mr. Speaker, since the last election, just over a year ago, when Canadians voted for our current Prime Minister and a new government, we have been listening to the people of Canada. Members will see that listening in every aspect of our legislative agenda and our budgetary measures.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to pick up on my friend's comment that we live in the real world. The real world is looking pretty good in terms of where Canada has been since the last federal election. We have a Prime Minister who has been out and about, attracting literally billions of dollars in commitments of investment.”
“Mr. Speaker, I appreciated to a certain degree the member's comments when he made reference to the issue of the process. However, I would ask him to realize that, over the years, things have changed considerably. We saw time allocation used during Stephen Harper's government a record number of times.”
“Mr. Speaker, today I am tabling a petition from a number of individuals. Actually, over 1,000 people have signed the petition. The petitioners are looking for a sense, from both the provincial Government of Manitoba and Ottawa, of working together to try to come up with a solution to deal with Manitoba's unique situation related to our wo…”
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“This is something that, I believe, takes place when we have things like heritage month celebrations. What I have noticed is that whenever we have motions or legislation of this nature, we always see substantial support from all sides of the House. That says a great deal about the type of society we have. I suspect that the member for York South—Weston—Etobicoke will be pleased when we see this hopefully pass with unanimous consent, as it did in the Senate.”
“Whether we like it or not, there is racism out there. There are some aspects we need to work on with respect to the promotion of tolerance. I have spoken about Sikh Heritage Month and about Filipino Heritage Month. I know that other members have brought other communities forward to talk about the importance of celebration. I believe in all those celebrations and in recognizing what people have to offer. (1805) Where I kind of disagree with one of the members opposite is that it is okay for people to say they are a Canadian of Arab heritage. That does not offend me at all, just like it does not offend me when people say they are Canadians of Filipino or Indian heritage, whatever it might be. Having that sense of pride enables us to build on our diversity and education.”
“In Winnipeg we are blessed in the sense that, every summer, we have two weeks of Folklorama, a way we can celebrate the world by attending the many different pavilions at the festival. If members want to get an appreciation of our diversity, I would suggest that during the summer months they might consider coming to the city of Winnipeg to really get that world exposure and see just how diverse and wonderful Canada is. There are a number of issues we have to overcome as a nation, and some of them are very sensitive. The member who spoke before me talked about Sikh Heritage Month. We, as a legislature, have deemed it in Canada's best interest to recognize certain days, weeks and, in cases like this, months, to be able to celebrate, and I would always add the word “educate”, as a way to deal with some of those sensitive issues.”
“Because of our diversity, I would ultimately argue that we are in a great position to be able to lead the world, or be one of the leaders in the world, at the very least, with respect to providing and promoting things like peace, human rights and even things like trade. The Prime Minister has travelled to the Middle East and has said that we want more trade. We have a natural asset in Winnipeg. Whether it is the introducer of the legislation's talking about connections on the continent of Africa, members who have strong connections in the Middle East, or the business leaders and entrepreneurs I referenced, we are using our diversity to enhance peace missions, trade missions and goodwill, and are providing a contribution to the bigger picture.”
“(1800) I would suggest that, at the end of the day, we all benefit, whether it is in a work environment, a community environment such as a community centre, or in our classrooms. When we have the opportunity to enhance knowledge and celebrate our heritage, I see that as a very positive thing. Canada's heritage is evolving every day, and what gives us our strength is that we recognize first nations, indigenous people in general, people from France, people from England and people from all around the world. That is what ultimately creates and provides us with a sense of identity, and that identity is rooted in who we are as a nation and the values we have. When I think of Canadian values, I think of things like human rights, whether it is recognizing what we need to improve here in Canada or with respect to human rights abroad.”
“Whenever there is interest from someone who is on a parent council, a teacher, a child from Lebanon or their parents who were born in Lebanon and immigrated to Canada recently, or someone who has been here for generations, we could recognize how the people of Arab heritage could share their experiences and help educate others by providing a program, a celebration or whatever it might be in the school environment. I think that is good for all of us. We also see events that could be planned in the workforce. There are many large companies with a workforce that appreciates the diversity that Canada has to offer. We have heard about numerous members, such as athletes, health care professionals and entrepreneurs. In every aspect of our society that we can name, we can find prominent Canadians of Arab heritage.”
“It would provide opportunities for individuals from the Arab community, or of Arab heritage, who live in Canada and call Canada home today to celebrate a part of their identity, their ancestors and so forth. That is one way of looking at it. There is also, I would suggest, even a bigger way of looking at a heritage month as an educational tool. Back in the late eighties and early nineties, I used to be quite involved in tourism in the province of Manitoba, as well as immigration and so forth. I saw the value of education when it came to combatting racism. The real value of education is there. It is tangible and real. Thinking of the education taking place in our classrooms, if we were to pass this legislation, every April, every school in the country would have an opportunity to recognize Arab heritage month and do something with that.”
“I have gotten to know Albert El Tassi over the years. He is someone who I always thought would have been a great lieutenant governor for the province of Manitoba. He is just an outstanding Canadian of Arab heritage. He was very happy to share that with me and many others. Canada is so rich in diversity. We really and truly are. When I talk about the Arab community or other communities, I talk about how Canada is in a better position than virtually any other country in the world because of our diversity. I think about how we could ultimately move forward. Although I disagree with how the United States handles multiculturalism, if I can put it that way. I am so proud of the way we deal with it. That is why, when I look at the celebration of a heritage month, I see a lot of good in that.”
“Mr. Speaker, let me join my colleagues in supporting a wonderful piece of legislation. The member for York South—Weston—Etobicoke has done all of us a favour by working with the Senate to present this bill. I think it is really important to recognize that, in Canada, when it comes to people of Arab heritage, we are probably talking about somewhere in the neighbourhood of just over a million people. In certain areas of Canada, the community has really grown. It has developed in a very strong and tangible way across the nation. I think of communities, such as those in southern Ontario and Edmonton. In the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, as well as Manitoba, there are strong Arab communities. That is why I genuinely appreciate the bill. My friend and colleague made reference to Albert El Tassi.”
“Mr. Speaker, I really do appreciate the member's bringing forward this legislation. I want to put it back into the context of education. I believe that education expanding on the diversity Canada has to offer is one of the ways we promote things such as multiculturalism, anti-racism and so forth. Having a heritage month celebrating Arab Canadians in the month of April could be used as a way to share within classrooms and other places, and there is value to that education.”
“Madam Speaker, there is a high level of professionalism within our Canada Border Services Agency. A great deal of training goes into that, which will continue. Where there are ports of entry or exit, there would be an obligation for those entities to ensure that we have the proper space and to actually have the proper tools, whatever those tools may be, to ensure that we can enforce and protect the interests of the laws that we pass here in Ottawa and to protect and secure our borders.”
“What we have witnessed over the last 15 years, in my 15 years here, is that it does not matter whether one is in opposition or in government; at times it can be very difficult to get things through. The best example I can cite is what happens with Private Members' Business. I am not saying we have to have the same as with Private Members' Business, but programming works for Private Members' Business, and I would suggest that it could also work for government agendas.”
“Madam Speaker, I will speak as a parliamentarian first and foremost. We will find in Hansard that, when I was in opposition, at times I said that time allocation is sometimes a necessary tool in order to get legislation through. I say that only because I genuinely believe that it is time Canada modernized its rules, to enable the programming of government legislation. I do not want to put limits in terms of hours or days, or in terms of how we would do it in the committees and bring it back into third reading, but I do believe that, if we were ultimately to move in that direction, we would have a better sense of co-operation. That goes both ways: from government to opposition and from opposition to government. I do believe that there is an opportunity for us to do something on that.”
“As the Prime Minister has indicated, we need to stabilize our immigration system, and we are doing just that. This is one part of it. I look forward to any questions members might have. (1705)”
“At the end of the day, for a wide variety of reasons I suspect, and I will not go into that kind of detail right now, it is not coming forward. On the changes to immigration and asylum and the way we can better manage those so that they becomes more efficient, I think, at this time, we need to bring them into place. I understand the concerns that the New Democrats and the Green Party have, but I really and truly do not believe that it takes away from the integrity of the system when we say to someone that if they have been here for a year, there is still a need to enable that person. If someone came under a study visa, for example, and they have been here for a year, a year later, they could say that they are going to claim asylum. The need for change is there within the system.”
“We are also beefing up our coasts, which is a really good thing, because when we think of issues like auto theft, drug trafficking or transnational organized crime, law enforcement officers have been calling for support, and the Prime Minister and government have responded to it. This is why I say that I am glad that we are able to get something passed through, but I honestly believe that we could have done a lot more. We have a couple of days left before the session rises, and I would have welcomed the opportunity to speak on a number of other important pieces of legislation that deal with the crime file. We have lost that opportunity, and it is not because the government did not want to see the legislation. We brought legislation in because we want it to become law.”
“My concern is that we have northern communities and communities in virtually all regions of the country where someone could put a bit of fentanyl in an envelope and mail it, and we cannot do anything about it. Taking Canada Post out and allowing us to have access, I believe, is a good thing, with checks and balances, but we are not doing that either. Whether it is lawful access or dealing with the Canada Post issue, I think we have lost something that, ultimately, Canadians would have benefited from. If we take a look at what is in this legislation, we do need to support the Canada Border Services Agency. We are enhancing its opportunity to build up the resources, space and equipment necessary by obligating ports of entry and exit.”
“That is why I posed this question to the leader of the Green Party: Does she support the principle of lawful access legislation? If I understood her answer correctly, it was, yes, she supports the principles but has a great deal of concern. There is no reason why Canada cannot have lawful access legislation, which was proposed. Why is it important? Thinking in terms of money laundering or terrorist financing, these are very serious issues that pose a genuine threat to Canadians. It is one of the reasons why Five Eyes nations have that type of lawful access. The Conservative critic raised the issue of the mail and the letters. I genuinely believed, when I spoke on Bill C-2 , that we would not have letter carriers opening up mail.”
“They did not like what was in that particular piece of legislation and gave a clear indication that they would give no co-operation in terms of passing it. However, if we take stuff out of that legislation and put it in another piece of legislation, that being Bill C-12, the strengthening Canada's immigration system and borders act , then we have a chance of passing it. I am glad we did that. At least we are getting legislation through, so that is a positive. However, there is a negative side to it. I appreciate the co-operation that was put together to get the bill to this point, but let us look at what Bill C-2 also had to offer. (1700) I asked the question about lawful access. Lawful access legislation is something that every other country in the Five Eyes has.”
“We can still do that. It would require unanimous consent at this point, but we can still do it. It is something that I said weeks ago, and I know colleagues in the Liberal caucus would have loved to see that legislation and new bail laws in place before the end of the year. That is what I was asking for weeks ago. In terms of how we operate as a caucus bringing forward legislation that is a reflection of election commitments and platform issues that we want to deliver for Canadians, we want to be able to co-operate where we can with opposition parties when there is a willingness to do so. In a minority situation, we are very much dependent on opposition parties. In fact, Bill C-12 , the act regarding securing borders, is here because of the opposition parties' desire to break down Bill C-2 .”
“We have a strong agenda with respect to crime and safety in our communities, trying to make all of our communities safer, whether it is at the borders or in and around the neighbourhoods in which we all live. That is something that the government has been focused on. Canada's newly elected Prime Minister , just months ago, made that commitment and the Liberals have been working diligently to materialize that. We have substantial pieces of legislation. We can talk about Bill C-2 . We can talk about the hate legislation that is before a committee right now. We can talk about the bill that we are debating today, Bill C-12 , respecting strengthening Canada's borders. We can talk about the bail reform legislation. That is my personal preference, which I would have loved to see pass, and it is never too late to see that pass.”
“We saw several pieces of legislation brought forward to the House for debate, ultimately in the hope that they would pass through the system. It pleases me to a certain degree that we have had some co-operation with regard to securing Canada's border. It is something, but I and my colleagues in the Liberal Party would have loved to see more legislation get passed. I can recall standing here a number of weeks ago saying that the Prime Minister pledged that we were going to get bail reform legislation in the fall and we did that, yet we are not seeing that legislation pass. We saw actions today to try to turn the tables, as if the government does not want to see it pass. Let there be no doubt.”
“Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to be able to rise to speak to very important legislation. It is legislation that Canadians want and have been asking for. In fact, before I get under way with the specifics, I want to take a holistic approach in terms of what the Prime Minister and every Liberal member of Parliament have been very proactive on since the last election. We have a Prime Minister who made a solemn commitment to Canadians to deal with things such as securing Canada's borders, such as bringing in substantial bail reform legislation and such as reinforcing the strength of our RCMP and CBSA. Shortly after the election, what we saw was a commitment from the Prime Minister to upsize to the degree of 1,000 new RCMP personnel. We saw a commitment to upsize in regard to the Canada Border Services Agency by 1,000 personnel.”
“Madam Speaker, I think I will take advantage of the member's goodwill. There has been a great deal of co-operation, in terms of getting Bill C-12 through the system. Especially in the last number of years, I have been looking for ways the House could update, modernize or potentially have legislation go through a certain process. I would be interested in her viewpoint. I always thought that with a standing committee, there were ways we could make changes that would allow for more time at the committee stage and ensure more actual studying takes place. At some point, we will be reviewing the standing orders. The member may have some specific examples of what she would like to see, in terms of how we could better facilitate more dialogue that is, maybe, not as political, so we can go through legislation line by line.”
“Madam Speaker, the member alluded to things in Bill C-2 compared to Bill C-12 . One of the issues in Bill C-2 was that of lawful access. When we think of lawful access, I think it is important to note that Canada is the only one of the Five Eyes nations that does not have formal lawful access legislation, and I would ultimately argue that there is a need. Is the leader of the Green Party saying that there is no need for lawful access legislation, or are there just certain areas of concern she would have with respect to lawful access?”
“The question I would ask the member is this: Would he feel any sort of obligation to see some of the legislation passed, which likely will not because of filibustering?”
“Madam Speaker, it would be for another day how I do not believe that 100% of the Conservative caucus, and the stuff they put on social media, is what I would classify as immigrant friendly. Let us just leave it at that. The issue that we have before us today is a substantive piece of legislation that is going to make our communities and our country safer. We have had, through this government, a number of pieces of legislation, some of which the member has actually brought forward. Part of the frustration that the government has experienced is with the way in which the Conservative Party, as an opposition party, is preventing, and in many ways filibustering, legislation from ultimately passing so that we can provide things such as bail reform.”
“Mr. Speaker, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 523 , 524 , 525 , 526 , 527 , 528 , 529 , 530 , 531 , 532 , 533 , 534 and 535 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled in electronic format immediately.”
“Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to five petitions. These petitions will be tabled in an electronic format.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member is wrong. We brought in amendments to the Competition Act, for example. With respect to the profits of the grocery companies, the minister responsible called the big five to come to Ottawa. We had standing committee meetings. The government has done its job in advocating on behalf of consumers. In certain areas we have seen a lot of success; in other areas it can be a challenge. I recognize that it can be a challenge, but I would also suggest that, as a government, we are up to the challenge. At the end of the day, I would like to think that, whether it is through the Competition Act or bringing in direct supports to Canadians, we will be there to have the backs of Canadians.”
“There are always going to be ways in which we could improve the system. I look forward to more federal budgets that will ultimately put us in a better position. All in all, when we take a look at the overall budget, there is a lot to support Canadians at this difficult time. I would hope that we would get more support coming from the New Democrats, recognizing that this budget does support Canadians as a whole.”
“She found one company, and if the member is interested, I can get him the information on it, that was, I believe, less than $100 for the year. There are areas where we have seen improvement . There are other areas where government has very limited control. Issues come up, such as the avian flu, that have a direct impact on the supply of chickens, and the price of chicken is goes up. If there are demands on beef, the number of cattle available for slaughter cannot be instantly increased, so prices will go up. There are things that cause inflation that are beyond the government's control. On the issue of affordability, what is important is that the government takes the necessary actions to try to maintain the rate of inflation. I believe the Bank of Canada has set the rate of about 2.2%, which is the target it wants to see us at.”
“I could talk about the national school food program, the pharmacare program or the dental care program, but I want to stick to what the member is specifically asking about, which is corporations. My concern, with issues of the people, if I can put it that way, has been there for many years, even when I sat in the Manitoba legislature, when consecutive NDP governments consistently reduced the corporate tax rate. As much as the member tries to give this false impression, I do not think that the government is in the pockets of corporations. The other day I said to Corrine, one of my staffers, who is doing an outstanding job, that we need to look at ways we can promote more competition in cell phone rates. We had a discussion on that topic.”
“Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that, whether it is the Prime Minister , cabinet or all Liberal members of Parliament, we are very sensitive to what is happening in our communities on the issue of affordability. That is one of the reasons, for example, we have the tax cut, which is going to benefit 22 million people. By the way, the member opposite is voting against that, in regard to the budget. There are many initiatives in the budget that are actually a benefit to all of Canada, including communities the member represents. We have had a lot of debate about it inside the chamber. All we have to do is take a look at some of the things in the budget that are genuine attempts to assist Canadians. At the end of the day, there is a lot there.”
“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is someone who was appointed by Stephen Harper to be the Governor of the Bank of Canada. He was appointed in England to be the governor of the Bank of England. He has been a successful business person within the Canadian economy for many years. He has an incredible track record. That is something we should encourage, to have successful individuals like the Prime Minister become parliamentarians, become leaders, provide their vision. That is something we should be encouraging, not trying to tear apart with character assassination. I truly do not think it is called for. We have rules. Those rules are being followed. The Prime Minister will continue to be focused on Canadians.”
“These are all things that are positive and that are happening, primarily because, no matter how focused the Conservatives are on themselves and on wanting to have and participate in character assassination of the Prime Minister , the Prime Minister has resisted that and has focused on serving Canadians. That is something I believe he is going to continue to do, because we have a very straightforward goal, and that is to build Canada strong, to build Canada to become the strongest nation of the G7, and to provide hope for Canadians.”
“The Prime Minister, as is this government, is focused on what we can do in order to enhance the lives of Canadians in every region. A part of that agenda is one of the reasons we have a Prime Minister who has been doing a great deal of travelling, ensuring that we can break down barriers and open up doors so that we can have more countries to have trade with, literally billions of dollars of potential commitments coming in as a direct result of the Prime Minister's actions, not to mention the budget, which is there to support things like our military, infrastructure and Canadians as a whole, in terms of programs.”
“I am not a conspiracy theorist believing that everything is a conspiracy in order to try to justify some sort of a statement, when we know full well that the Prime Minister has done everything that is required of him and has actually exceeded that. It does not stop the Conservatives, because they know they can score some political cheap shots that are unjustified and completely unfounded. By spreading this, they believe that they can convince people that there is some sort of real corruption that is there. There is not. That is what we see coming from the Conservative Party when I talk about character assassination. To the Prime Minister 's credit, he has not allowed that to be a distraction as he continues to build and work toward building Canada strong.”
“I suspect that it has investments in a lot of things. At the end of the day, some of the investors sit in the Conservative caucus. They might have sold off since they have been called out on it, like the deputy leader of the Conservative caucus. There are a number of Conservatives who actually have investments in Brookfield. If we were to start to ask about this and that, and put on the tin hats, I am sure we could come up with some pretty mischievous behaviour coming from the Conservative Party of Canada. There is a whole pile of them who have questionable ethics in terms of the conflict potential that is out there. In fairness, I am not a Conservative.”
“Mr. Speaker, I do have a lot to say on this particular issue, but let us be very clear at the onset. It is important to recognize that when we talk about ethical standards, if I can put it that way, Canada has some of the most, if not the most, stringent rules in place, which have been in place now for quite a while. When we think of the current Prime Minister , look at it from this perspective. He has not only met but exceeded the requirements under those ethics guidelines, and he will continue to do so. Having said that, let us do a bit of a reflection, in terms of what the Conservative Party has focused so much of its attention on. I have always said that it is character assassination. We saw a great demonstration of that just now. Brookfield is a $100-billion or $200-billion company.”
“Mr. Speaker, when I was talking about potshots, I was reflecting on the question the member had asked and the way in which the Conservatives continue to downplay Canada as a nation. We can just take a look at the questions he just finished asking. He again takes shots in regard to the Prime Minister because of the deficit, but what he does not tell us is that we can look at Canada as a nation and see that we are number one in terms of the lowest net debt to GDP ratio in the G7. We are the lowest. We are number two on the deficit, and if I compare with who had a worse deficit, I just look at the leader of the Conservative Party , on an inflation basis, with the 2009 budget. However, that is what I mean. They tell half. At the end of the day, I think there is a lot that we can be grateful for here in Canada.”
“What I like about the budget implementation bill is that when we break it down we see that it would go to many different standing committees. It would allow members to go into the details on some of those bonuses and maybe get some specific answers that the member is looking for. I would really encourage the member to become more engaged at the committee structure level. At the end of the day, a committee is as effective as the personalities that make it up.”
“Countries around the world look to Canada in terms of how we are able to administer the type of public policies we have and the services we provide to Canadians. I have had the opportunity to be at both the federal and the provincial levels of government for a number of years. I can assure the member opposite that whether it is a Crown corporation, the civil service or, I dare say, even MPs' offices, they provide performance bonuses. I suspect that even the member opposite who raised the issue has provided performance bonuses. I do not know that, so my apologies if he has not, but I think that is all a part of it. Yes, even I get frustrated at times with the amount of a bonus, or with certain situations that take place.”
“When we look at the top contenders by category, we see that Canada leads in living standards, family life, education and stability. That was just from a quick Google search. The Conservatives like to talk down Canada. They are very good at doing that. However, there are a lot of good things happening in Canada, but Conservatives like to take what I would classify as potshots and try to give some sort of a false impression. The member challenged me to give more details on bonuses. I have news for the member across the way: Stephen Harper also gave out bonuses. The Conservatives also gave out grand bonuses for performances and so forth, sometimes justified, maybe sometimes not justified. I can tell the House that, at the end of the day, Canada has what I would argue is the best civil service.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is an interesting proposition the member has just put across the floor. I read his question. Traditionally, Conservatives like to downplay Canada. The member talked about being discouraged because of Canada's middle class, and he tried to imply that the government has not been doing a good job. That is a common theme; the Conservatives like to say to Canadians that Canada is broken. Wanting to address that aspect of the member's comments, I did a very quick Google search. The member can do the same thing and search “best countries in the world to live”. Interestingly enough, here is what comes up: The best countries to live in, consistently ranked high for quality of life, happiness, stability and well-being, are Switzerland, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Australia and the Netherlands. Canada is often at the top.”
“Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the member might believe, the Conservative never built an inch of pipeline to the Pacific Ocean, not one inch. The question for the member is very clear. The Premier of Alberta and the Prime Minister of Canada signed an MOU. Why will the Conservative Party not support the MOU?”
“Mr. Speaker, to be very clear, the memorandum of understanding is good for the environment, good for the economy and good for Canadian unity, and it demonstrates that federalism works well. The member made reference to TMX, which was negotiated with an NDP premier. Today we have a memorandum of understanding with a Progressive Conservative premier. At the end of the day, when a party is in power, it has responsibilities to Canadians and to Canada. The MOU does just that. I am disappointed that the NDP opposes the MOU, which the member made very clear. I am wondering if the member can express why the provincial NDP seems to support things like this but the federal NDP does not.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is interesting. First, I would point out that when the hon. member's leader sat in government for 10 long years, there was not one inch of pipeline to tidewater. The question I have for the member is very simple. We have the Premier of Alberta, who signed the MOU. I would ask that the member pay really close attention to this. The Premier of Alberta signed the MOU, and other Conservative premiers have supported it. Was the Premier of Alberta wrong in signing the MOU with the Prime Minister ?”
“They must be starting to feel uneasy and might even want to sit as independents. They should reflect on the value that red Tories have contributed to the country in many ways in the past. I would like to see a few more bold red Tories stand up against the current leadership of the Conservative Party.”
“Mr. Speaker, there is irony in that. We need to recognize that out of the entire North American continent, it was the Province of Alberta that led the way in terms of the first price on pollution, a carbon tax. It was the Premier of Alberta who signed the MOU, recognizing the value of a carbon tax. That is why I started off by saying how far right the Conservative Party of today is. I think they should look at a new name. What did mad Max call his party? Was it the People's Party? At the end of the day, the Conservative Party has gone so far to the right, there have to be a lot of red Tories over there feeling pretty uncomfortable. I would encourage them to look at what we hear day and day again coming from the leadership of the Conservative Party and so many of those far right personalities.”