Brigitte Sansoucy

Mr. Speaker, a report commissioned by the Liberals calls for a complete overhaul of the EI system. What a surprise. The Liberals and Conservatives ransacked the EI program, leaving holes in the social safety net for people who are unemployed or sick. Now that their own report has confirmed what we have been saying for years, when will the minister finally do a complete overhaul of the EI program?

Mr. Speaker, this is Mental Health Week. Mental illness affects one in five Canadians. During the election campaign, the Liberals made the following promise: “We will make high-quality mental health services more available to Canadians who need them, including our veterans and first responders.”There was not one penny for mental health in the budget though. This being mental health week, what has to happen for the government to keep its promise?

Mr. Speaker, William Morissette lives in New Brunswick and has a cancer that makes it impossible for him to work. He has used up his 15 weeks of sickness benefits and does not have access to disability benefits.In addition to fighting cancer, William has to fight the Liberal government, even though there are 32 Liberal members in Atlantic Canada. William, like thousands of others, believed the Prime Minister and the minister responsible for this file when they promised to enhance the EI's unfair sickness benefits.When will they keep this promise to William and thousands of other sick people who cannot work and do not have a dime?

Mr. Speaker, the forced sterilization of indigenous women is a blatant violation of human rights.The Prime Minister keeps repeating that his most important relationship is with indigenous peoples, so will he implement the recommendation made by the UN Committee against Torture?Will the government investigate, provide redress to victims, hold accountable the persons responsible and, most importantly, pass legislation to outlaw the forced sterilization of indigenous women?

Mr. Speaker, what we learned today about residential schools and the Catholic church is quite frankly shocking.The government inadvertently allowed the church to renege on its legal obligation to try to raise $25 million for programs to help residential school victims. The journey toward healing from this shameful national tragedy is long and painful. Letting the Catholic church sidestep its obligations, even inadvertently, is a betrayal of the goal of healing.How can the government justify this outrageous situation?

Mr. Speaker, Athéna Gervais's death, caused by FCKDUP, a sweetened alcoholic beverage, should have raised a red flag—

Mr. Speaker, 1.4 million children are living in poverty in Canada, and more than a third of them rely on food banks to eat. These statistics are alarming and unacceptable.I am fed up with the Liberals' talking points, as they keep saying they have lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. That is smoke and mirrors, considering that over one million kids are still suffering. The Liberals are not doing enough to lift children out of poverty, and I am not the one saying so; Food Banks Canada is. When will the Liberals do more?

Mr. Speaker, in 2016, the Prime Minister promised on a live newscast that he would enhance employment insurance sickness benefits. The Liberals have not brought up the subject since.Mélanie Pelletier is a constituent of mine who lost her life savings after being sick for 15 weeks. She, like hundreds of thousands of other sick people in the same boat, is stressed and exhausted. How is she supposed to get better?Fifteen weeks of sickness benefits is not enough, and the Liberals know it.Will they keep at least that one promise and enhance employment insurance sickness benefits?

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of problems with employment insurance: the spring gap, 15 weeks of disability benefits, and the list goes on. Add to that the fact that the EI eligibility criteria are sexist.We know a lot of women are in precarious jobs, which means they do not qualify for employment insurance. Only one-third of unemployed women are eligible compared to half of unemployed men. How can that be right?This government calls itself feminist. When will it open its eyes and reform this outdated, discriminatory, sexist employment insurance system?

Mr. Speaker, I have asked our self-proclaimed feminist Prime Minister many times to reform his sexist EI program. This program is failing far too many workers, and especially women workers. Fifty percent of men are eligible for benefits, but just 35.2% of women, many of them mothers, are eligible. Workers are tired of the Liberals' inaction and want a government that is on their side.When will the Liberals take action and reform this sexist EI program?

Mr. Speaker, because of a labour dispute, shrimp workers in the Gaspé have been deprived of at least six weeks of work. They could find themselves without any income for several weeks next spring if the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development keeps talking about consultation rather than taking action. He has been consulting for 18 months. Urgent action is needed to resolve the problem of the spring gap, the black hole. When will the Liberals keep their promise and restore the extra five weeks pilot project for seasonal workers?

Mr. Speaker, not only does the agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada fail our agricultural producers, but it is also going to increase prescription drug prices for some chronic diseases such as arthritis. This is a really tough pill to swallow, especially considering that this is Seniors Week. Seniors are one of the most vulnerable groups in our society and are already struggling to pay for their medication. Do we really need another Liberal study to bring in a national pharmacare program?

Mr. Speaker, it is three weeks until Christmas, but federal public servants are in no mood to celebrate.Many public servants affected by the Phoenix pay problems are worried about the holidays and are struggling to make ends meet. However, in 2015, the Liberals promised to find a solution to fix Phoenix. What have they done in the past two years, other than blame the Conservatives? Not much.When will this government do its job and ensure that Phoenix works for all public servants?

Mr. Speaker, medical assistance in dying is about the law, but it is, above all, about people.The Carter family fought for years alongside their mother to make it possible for people to die with dignity in Canada. Today, they are saying that they feel betrayed by the Liberal government. The government says that it listens to Canadians, but it listens only to those who agree with it.Now that the government has failed to get its bill passed by June 6, will it come up with a bill that is charter-compliant and in line with the Carter decision?

Mr. Speaker, across the country, people are not happy with the agreement signed by the Liberals.Yvon Boucher, the president of the Producteurs de lait de la Montérégie-Est, told me how angry dairy farmers are at being betrayed by a government that broke another promise.This bad agreement and the previous breaches will cost dairy farmers one month's salary every year.Could the Prime Minister, a member of the government, or anyone else say that they had signed a good agreement if it cost them a month's salary?

Mr. Speaker, Athéna Gervais's death, caused by a sweetened alcoholic beverage, should have raised a red flag. Experts and Éduc'alcool are calling on the government to make these products less attractive to young people, but the government is refusing to meet with them.While new regulations around these beverages were being studied, the company that produces the beverage consumed by Athéna actively lobbied the Liberals, contacting them over 100 times.Why have the Liberals yet again sided with powerful lobbies instead of helping our young people?

Mr. Speaker, Canada has resumed deportations to Haiti, despite the violence in that country.Haitians have been deported from my riding and from Montreal, Quebec City and elsewhere, even though Haiti is extremely dangerous. The government must immediately declare a moratorium on deportations to Haiti to avoid putting these people's lives in jeopardy. This government must show some humanity. It cannot remain silent in the face of this violence.When will the minister impose a moratorium on deportations to Haiti?

Mr. Speaker, the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board has said that the federal government failed to meet its obligations under the law. Because of the Liberal government's Phoenix fiasco, over 100,000 public service employees are not getting the pay increases that they so deserve. It is completely unacceptable.Will the Liberals commit to compensating these public servants?

Mr. Speaker, 27 years ago, the House voted unanimously in favour of Ed Broadbent's motion, thereby promising to eliminate child poverty. Governments since then, both Conservative and Liberal, have made absolutely no progress.A report published today describes an alarming situation in this country, particularly with respect to first nations children, a federal government responsibility. Six out of ten children on reserves live in poverty. For shame.What will the government do to help first nations children?

Mr. Speaker, with voices full of compassion, the Prime Minister and his Minister of Social Development indicated that they were going to enhance EI sickness benefits by the end of the year. That was in 2016.There was nothing in the 2017 budget, nothing in the 2018 budget, and still nothing in the 2019 budget. This was the Liberals' last chance to keep their promise, but they decided to turn their backs on hundreds of thousands of sick people who need more than 15 weeks to recover.Why did the Prime Minister betray them?

Mr. Speaker, thanks to Quebec's health minister, we now know that, when it comes time for the Liberals to fund health care, the question is, “What is in it for me politically?”Is that what it comes down to for the Minister of Health? She should not be playing politics with the health of Quebeckers and Canadians.Can the minister stand here today and tell us that the government is prepared to invest in mental health as the provinces requested and the Liberals promised?

Mr. Speaker, in March, the Minister of Health promised Alain Gervais that the government would do something about sweetened alcoholic beverages, which of course caused the death of Athena Gervais. The answer provided by the minister on Monday is quite different. She is still holding consultations. It is shocking. The committee's 15 recommendations were quite clear. The government has to take action immediately to protect our children.When will the government finally put its money where its mouth is and protect our children?

Mr. Speaker, this week, the problem is that the Liberals took a shortcut instead of conducting a full national security review.Instead of explaining why they did not do this comprehensive review, the minister rose several times yesterday to falsely claim that he had indeed conducted one.Will the Liberal government take responsibility for refusing to conduct this review and will it stop misleading Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix file is a complete shambles. One in two public servants is affected, which is half of the public service. Students, pensioners, executives, family members, no one is immune.These people are not statistics. Actual people are losing their homes and experiencing tremendous financial strain. Public servants and unions have been speaking out about the system for two years now, but nothing much has been done to fix this fiasco.Is the government waiting for all public servants to be affected before it takes action and finds a solution?

Mr. Speaker, this is National Public Service Week, but many public servants do not feel like celebrating.Céline, a public servant who lives in my riding, told me that, because of the Liberals' and the Conservatives' Phoenix pay system fiasco, she has been owed over $18,000 for more than a year and a half. Once again, the Liberals are giving hundreds of millions of dollars to a large corporation while problems just keep piling up.Why have the Liberals still not repaid Céline and the other public servants who are in the same situation?

Mr. Speaker, what a milestone. The Phoenix fiasco began three years ago, and the Liberal government still has yet to find a solution.Public servants have been living this nightmare for three years, and the government refuses to say when this fiasco will be fixed. An internal government memo says it could take 10 years. Public servants continue to provide services every day, and they are still having problems getting paid properly.The government has turned its back on these families. Public servants must get the money they are owed immediately.When will the Liberals fix this, once and for all?

Madam Speaker, now that the Liberals have their new agreement, millions of tonnes of American chicken, eggs and turkey are about to flood the Canadian market.Pierre-Luc Leblanc, president of Éleveurs de volailles du Québec, the provincial poultry farmers' association, says it may seem like no big deal now, but over the next five to 10 years, it will put poultry producers in a precarious position. This agreement came as a surprise and a disappointment to poultry farmers, and they are asking the government for compensation.Here is my question on their behalf for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Prime Minister: When they will listen to farmers?

Mr. Speaker, I thought we had already said everything there was to say about Phoenix, but apparently I was wrong. Two thousand grievances later, the Superior Court of Quebec has handed down a very important ruling that allows some of the employees affected by the Phoenix fiasco to launch a class action suit for damages. It makes no sense that federal employees, who simply want what they are owed, should have to go through a grievance process and now a long and costly legal process. This should be a simple matter to resolve.When will the government compensate all federal employees for the emotional and psychological distress they have suffered because of the Phoenix fiasco?

Mr. Speaker, many professional bodies in Quebec, representing everyone from lawyers to doctors to nurses, have asked for clarification regarding the definition of “reasonably foreseeable natural death” under the legislation on medical assistance in dying.Not only is this legislation too restrictive, but it is also too vague. This situation is so bad that people who are suffering are ending their own lives. The Government of Quebec understands that people who are suffering and those who are most vulnerable need to feel understood.Will the federal government finally realize that, too?

Mr. Speaker, back in 2016, the Liberals promised to review employment insurance sickness benefits. Two years later, we are still waiting. Recently, a single mom battling cancer was forced to go back to work, despite being in poor health, after exhausting her 15 weeks of benefits. That is unacceptable. I am asking this question on behalf of all those who are being forced to go back to work instead of taking the time they need to recover from illness: when is this government going to take action and review EI sickness benefits?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are concerned about the suicide crisis in Attawapiskat and many other indigenous communities. We cannot continue to neglect our youth this way.The government says that it is taking this problem seriously, but in reality, the budget does not provide for any investments in mental health care services for indigenous youth. The government needs to invest in prevention.Will the government immediately make recurrent funding available for mental health care services for first nations youth?

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary session is coming to an end, just like many people's EI sickness benefits. More than a third of recipients will need far more than the 15 weeks set out by the program. How can we remain indifferent to this situation?The Prime Minister himself promised to review the system. Halfway through his mandate, the situation has yet to change. These people cannot wait any longer. When will the government finally review the EI sickness benefits system?

Mr. Speaker, Health Canada approves medical devices, like artificial hips, insulin pumps and pacemakers, which are dangerous and have been banned in other countries.Last week we learned that thousands of women developed health problems after receiving breast implants they believed were safe, which had been approved without any studies. Health Canada does not seem capable of keeping Canadians safe.How can the minister rise and say that we have one of the best systems in the world?

Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix fiasco has been dragging on for a year and a half now, and thousands of workers still do not see any light at the end of the tunnel. This week the Public Service Alliance of Canada had to file a grievance for the 60,000 employees it represents.Why? Because the longer this fiasco drags on, the fewer answers they get from the Liberals. All of these hard-working public service employees need to know when their nightmare is finally going to end.Does the government at least have a date to give them, or has it simply given up?

Mr. Speaker, once again, the government is saying one thing and doing another. All of the provinces, particularly Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, denounced the government's approach to health care accords. The people of those provinces are having déjà vu. They are very familiar with that attitude. It is exactly the same as the Conservatives'.How many provinces will it take for the government to listen to reason and cancel its cuts?

Madam Speaker, for eight months, Trump has been holding businesses hostage by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum exports. Meanwhile, Russia asked for lower tariffs and got them. We are wondering what the Liberals are doing on this file.In my riding, SNOC, Tuba and Norbec are being hard hit by the Liberals' NAFTA 2.0.It is having an impact on local businesses, workers and their families.What do the Liberals have to say to those people?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to help seasonal workers by solving the spring gap problem. However, it has been two years and nothing has been done. Meanwhile, seasonal workers in New Brunswick and across Canada will be left without an income to support their families. Instead of solving this problem once and for all, the Liberals are asking them to wait for a rise in unemployment. What a joke! Why is the government breaking its promise and turning its back on seasonal workers?

Mr. Speaker, Phoenix was supposed to save us $70 million a year, but now it might end up costing us $1 billion. This government has no deadline and the number of public servants affected keeps going up. What a disaster.In light of this fiasco, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada is calling on the government to work with public servants and unions on coming up with an alternative to Phoenix.Will this government listen to them or simply ignore their demands?

Madam Speaker, the Liberals promised compensation for farmers. Lo and behold, yesterday they announced additional compensation in the form of a lottery. As today's demonstrations show, that it clearly not enough. That is nonsense.On top of that, how can farmers hope to be pre-selected when they do not even have access to high-speed Internet? Only between 1,000 and 1,500 projects will be approved, when 6,500 farms in Quebec and 17,000 across the country have been seriously affected. The Liberals simply do not get it.Will they finally take real action to meet our farmers' needs, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, how can the Liberals claim to be progressive and feminist when they are forcing women to make the difficult choice between paying exorbitant amounts for child care or staying at home? Here in Ottawa, women pay $65 a day for child care. At that price, child care is not a service; it is a barrier. Quebec knows that, which is why it has an affordable day care system. It is 2018, so what are the Liberals waiting for? When will they implement a universal child care program?

Mr. Speaker, the charging of ancillary fees for health care services is a problem that has been going on in Quebec for years, and the government has done nothing to stop it.Now, a huge coalition of groups, including the FADOQ, the Québec Medical Association, and the FIQ, are taking the Government of Canada to court to make it enforce the Canada Health Act.Will the minister do her duty, enforce the law, and put an end to ancillary fees?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister left out Canadian seniors who are in a lot of debt.Paul, a senior in my riding, told me that he and his wife have a hard time making ends meet with their small pension despite having worked their whole lives.I should also mention the lack of affordable housing for seniors across the country.When will the Liberals choose to give our seniors a real helping hand instead of spending billions on pipelines and corporate welfare?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has made all kinds of commitments to first nations and promised billions of dollars in infrastructure to improve their living conditions. However, many indigenous communities do not have access to safe drinking water and will not have access before 2021. That is unacceptable. Some communities have been boiling their water for 25 years now, and they are being asked to wait another three years.It is the government's responsibility, so will it take action now?

Mr. Speaker, seasonal workers are stretched so thin that L'Acadie Nouvelle has reported that workers are gathering at the church in Lamèque to pray for the workers who can no longer feed their families. A number of organizations agree that the Liberals are flying by the seat of their pants. These seasonal workers do not need a miracle. They do not need training. They need permanent, concrete solutions to fix the EI spring gap in the long term.Will the Prime Minister and the minister finally keep their promise?

Mr. Speaker, this week the Liberals gave us hope that we would finally have a universal pharmacare program. However, 24 hours later, this false hope was shattered by the Minister of Finance, who revealed that coverage would not be universal, public, or free. Studies have made it clear and experts have already spoken about this. Establishing a national pharmacare plan would reduce inequality and ensure that Quebeckers do not have to pay for private insurance which is sometimes beyond their means.Why are the Liberals not taking action right now?

Mr. Speaker, they expect better. The members of Grassy Narrows First Nation are asking for justice after decades of mercury poisoning in their community.Last week, the Prime Minister made fun of them as they were being escorted out of his fundraiser. That is not leadership. Leadership is engaging with people, going to Grassy Narrows and seeing what these families are going through and keeping one's promises. The Prime Minister's apologies are no longer enough. Will he commit to visiting Grassy Narrows immediately?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals cannot prove that the Canada child benefit lifts children out of poverty. Come on.There has been no change in the data in 10 years. There are still 1.2 million children living in poverty, and 38% of them are indigenous children.Campaign 2000, which represents over a hundred organizations, has criticized the Liberal government's poverty reduction strategy for not being ambitious enough.When will the Liberals set real goals for lifting children out of poverty?Or will they continue to be satisfied with half measures?

Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister decided to appoint Madeleine Meilleur, an individual who made financial contributions to the Prime Minister's leadership race, as commissioner of official languages.As commissioner, Ms. Meilleur will be responsible for investigating the Prime Minister if he ever violates the Official Languages Act.Yesterday Ms. Meilleur herself admitted that she cannot erase 13 years of partisan politics. How can we trust this Liberal to set aside her partisanship when she has to investigate the Prime Minister?

Madam Speaker, the Liberals promised major reforms to access to information. They promised to give the commissioner order-making power, namely the power to force the government to make information public.However, the Liberals also want to give the minister veto power to say no to the commissioner's decisions. In short, nothing is going to change. The government says that it wants to be transparent. It needs to stop pretending.Will the government give up this nonsensical idea?

Mr. Speaker, gender-based analysis within the federal government is nothing new. In fact, a Liberal government committed to introducing it in 1995. It is now 2016, which means we have been waiting for over 20 years. For 20 years, the departments have been making decisions without having to systematically consider the impact they would have on women.Will the government commit to stop dragging its feet and implementing gender-based analysis in all departments before the end of 2016?

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Liberals promised immediate assistance for home care. One year into their term, there is not a penny for home care in the budget. If they think they can use that promise to make the provinces forget they are going along with Stephen Harper's health care cuts, they are off to a bad start.Will the Prime Minister scrap Stephen Harper's approach and commit to negotiating with the provinces?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are on board with Stephen Harper's health care cuts, and the provinces are furious. The Liberals said they wanted good-faith negotiations with the provinces, but now that they are in power, they are unilaterally cutting $36 billion and trying to impose a list of conditions on Quebec.Does the minister understand that people wanted to do away with Stephen Harper and his policies?

Mr. Speaker, Canada has resumed deportations to Haiti, despite the violence in that country.Haitians have been deported from my riding and from Montreal, Quebec City and elsewhere, even though Haiti is extremely dangerous. The government must immediately declare a moratorium on deportations to Haiti to avoid putting these people's lives in jeopardy. This government must show some humanity. It cannot remain silent in the face of this violence.When will the minister impose a moratorium on deportations to Haiti?

Mr. Speaker, this government still lacks compassion. Parents of severely disabled children are being denied their allowance on the grounds that their child is no longer in their custody. However, placing a child in institutionalized care is not a choice. It is a necessity, one that comes with a price tag. This situation is painful enough for parents without the government making it worse. When will this government show compassion and pay the parents of disabled children the allowances they are entitled to?

Mr. Speaker, I find it hard to believe that the minister will not commit to fixing this problem.Women's Canada pension plan benefits are 30% lower on average. This is unacceptable and will get worse if the bill is not amended. In addition to costing women hundreds of dollars a year, it will reinforce gender inequality.Will the government work with us to enhance retirement security for all Canadian women?

Mr. Speaker, William Morissette lives in New Brunswick and has a cancer that makes it impossible for him to work. He has used up his 15 weeks of sickness benefits and does not have access to disability benefits.In addition to fighting cancer, William has to fight the Liberal government, even though there are 32 Liberal members in Atlantic Canada. William, like thousands of others, believed the Prime Minister and the minister responsible for this file when they promised to enhance the EI's unfair sickness benefits.When will they keep this promise to William and thousands of other sick people who cannot work and do not have a dime?

Mr. Speaker, this is our last chance to fix NAFTA 2.0. We need to give the Democrats time to improve the terms of the agreement.Considering the results of the Liberals' negotiations, agricultural producers are still very angry. With another breach in supply management, the Liberals are jeopardizing the viability of our family farms. Once again, agricultural producers are the ones paying the price for this bad deal.Instead of getting a good deal for farmers and workers, why are the Liberals in such a hurry to ratify a terrible agreement?

Mr. Speaker, 3.5 million people in this country, including our seniors, cannot afford their prescription drugs. As a result, they have to make a tough choice between buying medicine and buying groceries. No one should have to make that choice.The government should already be working with its partners, the provinces and territories to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Instead, it signs a bad agreement with President Trump that will drive prices up.My question is simple: when will the government bring in a universal pharmacare system?

Mr. Speaker, what we learned today about residential schools and the Catholic church is quite frankly shocking.The government inadvertently allowed the church to renege on its legal obligation to try to raise $25 million for programs to help residential school victims. The journey toward healing from this shameful national tragedy is long and painful. Letting the Catholic church sidestep its obligations, even inadvertently, is a betrayal of the goal of healing.How can the government justify this outrageous situation?

Mr. Speaker, in 2016, the Prime Minister promised on a live newscast that he would enhance employment insurance sickness benefits. The Liberals have not brought up the subject since.Mélanie Pelletier is a constituent of mine who lost her life savings after being sick for 15 weeks. She, like hundreds of thousands of other sick people in the same boat, is stressed and exhausted. How is she supposed to get better?Fifteen weeks of sickness benefits is not enough, and the Liberals know it.Will they keep at least that one promise and enhance employment insurance sickness benefits?

Mr. Speaker, how can the Liberals claim to be progressive and feminist when they are forcing women to make the difficult choice between paying exorbitant amounts for child care or staying at home? Here in Ottawa, women pay $65 a day for child care. At that price, child care is not a service; it is a barrier. Quebec knows that, which is why it has an affordable day care system. It is 2018, so what are the Liberals waiting for? When will they implement a universal child care program?

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to stand with Marie-Hélène Dubé and the Canadian Union of Public Employees today. Together they represent over a million Canadians who are calling on the government to enhance the employment insurance sickness benefits.The Prime Minister and the minister both promised to do just that, but the sick are still waiting. They should not have to deal with financial problems. They should be focusing on getting well. When will the government keep its promises?

Mr. Speaker, government after government, be it Liberal or Conservative, has left seasonal workers out in the cold.The spring gap is when workers' benefits run out during the off-season because of bad employment insurance reforms. For some, the spring gap can last over four months. The Liberals broke their promise to scrap the Conservatives' reform, which penalizes seasonal workers and their families.When will this government keep its promises and help seasonal workers? Maybe in the upcoming budget?

Mr. Speaker, today is World Environment Day. The Liberals promised to reinstate protective measures for all our lakes and rivers, but they are upholding the Conservatives' policies.The current President of the Treasury Board described the previous government's changes as catastrophic and dangerous for our lakes and rivers. In my riding, the Noire, Yamaska, and La Renne rivers are suffering the consequences of this broken promise.If the Liberals are so concerned about the environment, when are they going to reinstate the necessary measures to protect all our lakes and rivers?

Mr. Speaker, across the country, people are not happy with the agreement signed by the Liberals.Yvon Boucher, the president of the Producteurs de lait de la Montérégie-Est, told me how angry dairy farmers are at being betrayed by a government that broke another promise.This bad agreement and the previous breaches will cost dairy farmers one month's salary every year.Could the Prime Minister, a member of the government, or anyone else say that they had signed a good agreement if it cost them a month's salary?

Mr. Speaker, thalidomide has been causing tremendous harm since the 1960s. The House voted in favour of an NDP motion to compensate all thalidomide survivors. However, many of these survivors are not entitled to the promised compensation because they are being asked to prove the impossible. Even people who have all the symptoms of this terrible condition still do not have access to compensation.Does the government plan to ensure that all thalidomide survivors are compensated?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals made big promises about how they were going to fix the problems with the temporary foreign worker program. Unfortunately, the Auditor General's report, which was released yesterday, indicates that the government has failed to properly manage the program. It also clearly shows that the government has allowed the improper use and abuse of the program to continue. That is another broken promise.When will the government keep its promise and fix the serious, ongoing problems with the temporary foreign worker program?

Madam Speaker, now that the Liberals have their new agreement, millions of tonnes of American chicken, eggs and turkey are about to flood the Canadian market.Pierre-Luc Leblanc, president of Éleveurs de volailles du Québec, the provincial poultry farmers' association, says it may seem like no big deal now, but over the next five to 10 years, it will put poultry producers in a precarious position. This agreement came as a surprise and a disappointment to poultry farmers, and they are asking the government for compensation.Here is my question on their behalf for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Prime Minister: When they will listen to farmers?

Mr. Speaker, in March, the Minister of Health promised Alain Gervais that the government would do something about sweetened alcoholic beverages, which of course caused the death of Athena Gervais. The answer provided by the minister on Monday is quite different. She is still holding consultations. It is shocking. The committee's 15 recommendations were quite clear. The government has to take action immediately to protect our children.When will the government finally put its money where its mouth is and protect our children?

Mr. Speaker, we learned this morning that the CBC/Radio-Canada tower is officially for sale.This plan has raised some serious concerns from the beginning, and there has been no transparency. CBC/Radio-Canada's production capacity is at stake. Management has not offered any guarantees that it will be maintained.Can the government tell us whether it truly plans to hand a blank cheque to CBC/Radio-Canada? What guarantees will it require?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals had a chance to take action to fix the spring gap problem for seasonal workers and address the labour shortage. Instead, they chose to keep plundering the EI fund.Workers are sick and tired of broken promises, like the Liberals' promise to fix the spring gap problem, which affects thousands of families.Will the Liberals finally admit that they would rather give handouts to the rich than actually help workers?

Madam Speaker, for eight months, Trump has been holding businesses hostage by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum exports. Meanwhile, Russia asked for lower tariffs and got them. We are wondering what the Liberals are doing on this file.In my riding, SNOC, Tuba and Norbec are being hard hit by the Liberals' NAFTA 2.0.It is having an impact on local businesses, workers and their families.What do the Liberals have to say to those people?

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of problems with employment insurance: the spring gap, 15 weeks of disability benefits, and the list goes on. Add to that the fact that the EI eligibility criteria are sexist.We know a lot of women are in precarious jobs, which means they do not qualify for employment insurance. Only one-third of unemployed women are eligible compared to half of unemployed men. How can that be right?This government calls itself feminist. When will it open its eyes and reform this outdated, discriminatory, sexist employment insurance system?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have no strategy to bridge the digital divide, none. Those are not my words; they are the Auditor General's. He says that the Liberals' failure to plan for rural and remote regions is depriving people in those regions of the high-speed Internet access they so desperately need. In my riding, 16 of the 25 municipalities have connectivity problems. We need a strategy that will help young people, families and small businesses.When will the government invest to get everyone connected?

Mr. Speaker, back in 2016, the Liberals promised to review employment insurance sickness benefits. Two years later, we are still waiting. Recently, a single mom battling cancer was forced to go back to work, despite being in poor health, after exhausting her 15 weeks of benefits. That is unacceptable. I am asking this question on behalf of all those who are being forced to go back to work instead of taking the time they need to recover from illness: when is this government going to take action and review EI sickness benefits?

Mr. Speaker, Athéna Gervais's death, caused by FCKDUP, a sweetened alcoholic beverage, should have raised a red flag—

Mr. Speaker, on the issue of medical assistance in dying, the government lacks sensitivity. It brought in a law that is too restrictive.Denise Bégin, a constituent of mine who has a serious degenerative disease, is seeking medical assistance in dying. However, her request was denied because she is not on the point of death. The government should not make this choice for patients.Will the Liberals respect patients' choices and the ruling handed down by the Supreme Court?

Mr. Speaker, in December 2016, the Prime Minister personally promised to take action to extend employment insurance sickness benefits. One year later, nothing has been done, clearly. Fifteen weeks of benefits is not enough, especially for someone struggling with serious health problems. Once those 15 weeks are up, the sick person is left without any income to live on. How is a seriously ill person supposed to pay the bills? It is impossible.When will the Prime Minister finally keep his promise, stop doing consultations, and overhaul EI sickness benefits?

Madam Speaker, no matter, Ms. Meilleur is too close to the Liberals. She spent 13 years in partisan politics with Ontario's Liberal party. She has donated to not just the Liberal Party of Canada, but to the Prime Minister himself. She admitted having met with the Prime Minister's closest advisors to obtain this position.How can the Minister of Canadian Heritage continue to defend this process, which has resulted in the selection of a longstanding Liberal?

Mr. Speaker, medical assistance in dying is about the law, but it is, above all, about people.The Carter family fought for years alongside their mother to make it possible for people to die with dignity in Canada. Today, they are saying that they feel betrayed by the Liberal government. The government says that it listens to Canadians, but it listens only to those who agree with it.Now that the government has failed to get its bill passed by June 6, will it come up with a bill that is charter-compliant and in line with the Carter decision?

Mr. Speaker, not only does the agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada fail our agricultural producers, but it is also going to increase prescription drug prices for some chronic diseases such as arthritis. This is a really tough pill to swallow, especially considering that this is Seniors Week. Seniors are one of the most vulnerable groups in our society and are already struggling to pay for their medication. Do we really need another Liberal study to bring in a national pharmacare program?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the minister personally witnessed the Liberals on the committee once again refuse to vote on a motion to hear from experts and ill individuals to improve EI sickness benefits. In 2016, the Prime Minister and the minister said that they were going to fix it by year's end. Two years later, too many ill people still face financial problems. What is the problem? Will the minister keep his word, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals claim to have lifted 300,000 children out of poverty with the Canada child benefit. However, a new report issued by Citizens for Public Justice clearly shows that one in seven people are still living in poverty. One in seven. Even working Canadians are still living in precarious circumstances. The government still has a lot of work to do to eliminate poverty.What is the government waiting for? When will it help to improve the situations of first nations, the working poor, children, unemployed workers, people with disabilities, families, and refugees in order to make them less vulnerable?

Mr. Speaker, the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board has said that the federal government failed to meet its obligations under the law. Because of the Liberal government's Phoenix fiasco, over 100,000 public service employees are not getting the pay increases that they so deserve. It is completely unacceptable.Will the Liberals commit to compensating these public servants?

Mr. Speaker, it is three weeks until Christmas, but federal public servants are in no mood to celebrate.Many public servants affected by the Phoenix pay problems are worried about the holidays and are struggling to make ends meet. However, in 2015, the Liberals promised to find a solution to fix Phoenix. What have they done in the past two years, other than blame the Conservatives? Not much.When will this government do its job and ensure that Phoenix works for all public servants?

Mr. Speaker, workers are waiting far too long to find out whether they are entitled to employment insurance benefits. They have to wait an average of 39 days, and it is practically impossible to get in touch with anyone at Service Canada. It is stressful enough to lose your job without the government adding to that stress with interminable wait times. Unemployed workers do not have the luxury of waiting. Will the government quickly hire staff to reduce wait times?

Mr. Speaker, seasonal workers are stretched so thin that L'Acadie Nouvelle has reported that workers are gathering at the church in Lamèque to pray for the workers who can no longer feed their families. A number of organizations agree that the Liberals are flying by the seat of their pants. These seasonal workers do not need a miracle. They do not need training. They need permanent, concrete solutions to fix the EI spring gap in the long term.Will the Prime Minister and the minister finally keep their promise?

Mr. Speaker, seasonal workers are taking action.Tomorrow, hundreds of seasonal workers will denounce with a single voice this government's inaction on the EI spring gap problem. The Liberals promised to help seasonal workers, but it has been two years, and nothing has been done.In a few short months, workers and their families from the north shore and across Canada will have to get by without any income for several weeks. That is unacceptable.Why are seasonal workers still waiting for help?

Mr. Speaker, the budget includes measures for improving the temporary foreign worker program, but according to the Union des producteurs agricoles and FERME, those measures will not be implemented on time for this season. However, the parliamentary committee made its recommendations to the government indicating that it needed to have measures in place before January 19.We knew that this program was not working. Even the press secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour said so in an interview in La Terre de chez nous.Will the Liberals apologize to the farmers back home, who are going to lose thousands of dollars because of the government's inaction?

Mr. Speaker, the government is breaking yet another promise. It promised to negotiate a long-term health care agreement with the provinces.Five provinces, including Quebec, are still without an agreement. The government promised to treat the provinces as partners, but apparently it would rather divide and conquer. The offer on the table is not good enough; it will not enable the provinces to maintain current service levels.Will the government finally listen to the provinces and negotiate a long-term agreement that will enable them to provide people with the services they need?

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary budget officer just released a new report on phase 1 of the Liberals' infrastructure plan. The report confirms what we already knew, and we are not really surprised. The Liberals are incapable of keeping their promises. Half of the millions of dollars earmarked have not yet been allocated to projects. I did say half. Municipalities have been waiting too long for that money. They believed the Liberal promises.On their behalf, I am once again asking the government where its plan is.

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

Mr. Speaker, after the Prime Minister announced a 20% increase in Canada's contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, we learned that organizations here in Canada are going to have their funding cut. Some of them will lose up to 70% of their funding, which will jeopardize their very existence.How can the government justify increasing international funding while cutting funding for Canadian organizations? Can the Liberals hold off on this new process and maintain the status quo?

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to palliative care services, there is a crying need for help across the country.The government itself acknowledged that this is an important issue in the bill it introduced today, but there was nothing for palliative care in the budget. The Liberals had promised $3 billion over four years for home care. There is yet another broken promise.Will the government finally acknowledge that this is urgent and invest in palliative care?

Mr. Speaker, Quebec milk producers are calling for an end to compromises on supply management. The milk industry has had enough of being a bargaining chip in trade agreements. Enough is enough. The NDP is clear: Canada must stop making concessions at the expense of Quebec producers. The government must not be flexible. It must be tough, and it must fully protect supply management in the NAFTA renegotiation.I have a simple question. Will the government do that?

Mr. Speaker, thousands of children go to school with empty bellies. Thousands of seniors live in poverty. They are the ones who would benefit from a new Canada child benefit or an enhanced guaranteed income supplement, promises this government made.What is the government's priority though? Cutting taxes for people earning between $90,000 and $200,000. Can the minister explain why his government did not choose to make helping those who really need help a priority?

Mr. Speaker, the government still has no plan to deal with the labour shortage in rural areas like mine, despite the disastrous consequences for many businesses. Everyone agrees that immigration is one solution, but it is a long process. I asked the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to open an office in Saint-Hyacinthe to help SMEs and agri-food companies, but nothing has happened.Why is the minister ignoring the people in my riding and in rural areas?

Madam Speaker, this is starting to look like another broken promise. Let us now talk about another mismanaged file: medical assistance in dying. The government keeps talking about the Supreme Court's June 6 deadline as justification for limiting debate and refusing to work with the opposition. That is funny, because the government does not seem to be too concerned with abiding by the ruling itself. It is irresponsible to introduce a bill that a number of experts, and now the Alberta Court of Appeal, have deemed unconstitutional. How can the government defend Bill C-14, when the bill does not comply with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

Madam Speaker, Avis de recherche is a public interest television channel. No channel gives a higher priority to such issues as missing children and other missing persons, action on violence against women, and crime prevention than Avis de recherche. However, if nothing is done, the channel will have to shut down next week because of a CRTC decision. The minister can intervene under the law. What is she waiting for to do so?

Mr. Speaker, because of a labour dispute, shrimp workers in the Gaspé have been deprived of at least six weeks of work. They could find themselves without any income for several weeks next spring if the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development keeps talking about consultation rather than taking action. He has been consulting for 18 months. Urgent action is needed to resolve the problem of the spring gap, the black hole. When will the Liberals keep their promise and restore the extra five weeks pilot project for seasonal workers?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have just caved in to President Trump again.NAFTA 2.0 includes a clause that gives the United States oversight of our supply management system. Give me a break. By sacrificing dairy producers, the Liberals are sacrificing our food sovereignty.Do they still have the nerve to tell us that they signed a good agreement?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals were elected on a promise to renegotiate the health transfers with the provinces. However, this weekend, the Minister of Health confirmed that her government is adopting the Conservatives' formula for health transfers.Can the minister confirm whether the provinces agree with maintaining the $36 billion in cuts imposed by Stephen Harper?

Mr. Speaker, yet my seniors' committee has told me how many of them struggle to pay for their medications and their rent. We should be working on making life more affordable for them. Instead, the Liberals are giving millions of dollars to big businesses because of loopholes. Lise, a 71-year-old senior in my riding, told me that all too often she feels that the Liberals, and the Conservatives before them, have forgotten about her.Why have the Liberals chosen to help the wealthy instead of seniors?

Mr. Speaker, this evening, a Liberal motion to improve employment insurance sickness benefits will be moved in the House. It looks like the Liberals have finally seen the light and realized that 15 weeks to heal is not enough.I am very proud to have stood up with my NDP colleagues and hammered home the message that 15 weeks is not enough.My question is simple. Will the Liberals support their Liberal colleague and increase the 15 weeks of EI sickness benefits?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal government has made all kinds of commitments to first nations and promised billions of dollars in infrastructure to improve their living conditions. However, many indigenous communities do not have access to safe drinking water and will not have access before 2021. That is unacceptable. Some communities have been boiling their water for 25 years now, and they are being asked to wait another three years.It is the government's responsibility, so will it take action now?

Mr. Speaker, the IPCC report was clear: we must act now to deal with the climate emergency. The NDP has an ambitious plan to deal with this emergency. The plan is focused on the jobs that support our workers and their families by providing training, helping them go back to school, helping them find good jobs and making life more affordable for them. The energy transition needs to happen quickly. Can the Liberals assure workers that they will have easy access to EI so they can make this energy transition?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals' decision to maintain the Conservatives' cuts to health was not especially well received. According to Quebec's health minister, these cuts are going to make it hard for Quebeckers and Canadians to access good quality health care. Many provinces are opposed to the government's proposed plan.Will the Liberals scrap these cuts and keep their promise to negotiate in good faith with the provinces to ensure quality care?

Mr. Speaker, they expect better. The members of Grassy Narrows First Nation are asking for justice after decades of mercury poisoning in their community.Last week, the Prime Minister made fun of them as they were being escorted out of his fundraiser. That is not leadership. Leadership is engaging with people, going to Grassy Narrows and seeing what these families are going through and keeping one's promises. The Prime Minister's apologies are no longer enough. Will he commit to visiting Grassy Narrows immediately?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals were elected on a promise of real change, but it turns out they are fine with following the Conservatives' rules.The Minister of Finance is just the first of many ministers planning to attend VIP fundraisers, and we are still not privy to the details of the Minister of Finance's private events.Who was there, and, most importantly, what did they want from him?

Mr. Speaker, I did not hear him say that he will be supporting our motion that calls for pay equity immediately.As we all know, action is much more important than good intentions. My question is quite simple: can the Prime Minister tell us when he intends to present his plan to put an end to penalty-free amnesty deals and renegotiate tax treaties with countries that are known tax havens?

Mr. Speaker, too many Canadians have died and too many lives are in danger because of opioid addiction.Over the past two decades, more than 10,000 Canadians have died from opioid use and an untold number of people now suffer from addictions. The consensus is clear: we need effective leadership and coordination at the federal level to reduce the number of overdoses in Canada.Is the minister ready to show leadership and declare a national public health emergency?

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary session is coming to an end, just like many people's EI sickness benefits. More than a third of recipients will need far more than the 15 weeks set out by the program. How can we remain indifferent to this situation?The Prime Minister himself promised to review the system. Halfway through his mandate, the situation has yet to change. These people cannot wait any longer. When will the government finally review the EI sickness benefits system?

Mr. Speaker, in 2015, the Prime Minister asked us to show some compassion and generosity and welcome Syrian families. We would like him to show the same compassion for Nour Mohammad, a 22-year-old Syrian woman who is stranded alone in Libya, far away from her eight brothers and sisters, who live here in Saint-Hyacinthe with their parents. They are here today. I asked the Minister of Immigration to help Nour, but he refused. How can the Liberals ask us to show compassion when they have none?

Mr. Speaker, the Social Security Tribunal of Canada is a real disaster. Some unemployed workers have had to wait more than a year for a hearing. That is unacceptable.During the election campaign, the Prime Minister promised to reform this process. Two years later, nothing has been done. Although the Liberals have a KPMG report on how make the tribunal more efficient, they have yet to release it.Are we to understand that the recommendations are not to their liking?

Mr. Speaker, once again, the government is saying one thing and doing another. All of the provinces, particularly Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia, denounced the government's approach to health care accords. The people of those provinces are having déjà vu. They are very familiar with that attitude. It is exactly the same as the Conservatives'.How many provinces will it take for the government to listen to reason and cancel its cuts?

Mr. Speaker, the minister does not want to bring forward the independent committee’s deadline of December 2018 to consider advance requests for assisted dying. In Quebec, a parliamentary committee and the Collège des médecins du Québec have already expressed support for this. While this government waits, families are suffering to the point of ending the lives of their loved ones. Will this government finally accept its responsibilities and immediately call for the tabling of a report on advance requests?

Mr. Speaker, Canadians have a right to be informed. Canadians have been told that the risk to our troops has increased, because contrary to what the Liberals promised during the election campaign, our soldiers are spending less and less time in the classroom and more and more time on the front lines. Is the government refusing to disclose this information because it wants to hide the fact that the Canadian Forces are becoming increasingly involved in combat?

Mr. Speaker, after 10 years of strained federal-provincial relations, the Liberals promised to negotiate in good faith with the provinces. On Monday, the Prime Minister surprised the provinces by unilaterally imposing an environmental policy. The Prime Minister also rejected his provincial counterparts' request to talk about health care funding now.Should the provinces be concerned that the Prime Minister will impose his own health care policy too?

Mr. Speaker, for several days now, the NDP has been asking exactly how many journalists the RCMP and CSIS are spying on. When questioned about the Federal Court's decision on the collection of personal information, the director of CSIS said that he could not comment on operational details. Journalists across the country want an answer to this question.This is an opportunity for the minister to give the people a clear answer. How many journalists are being spied on?

Mr. Speaker, after applauding Quebec's non-partisan approach in dealing with medical assistance in dying, the Liberal government is taking the exact opposite approach.It is stifling debate, refusing to listen to experts about the constitutionality of the bill, and rejecting the opposition's most important amendments. Even the Alberta Court of Appeal has contradicted the government. Bill C-14 does not comply with the Carter ruling.How can the Liberals put forward a bill that could be challenged the very moment it is passed?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are breaking their promises.The Prime Minister and the Minister of Families promised to improve EI sickness benefits, but they are not doing anything. Was it all just lip service? I have to wonder.The Liberals are tabling the budget implementation act with partial reforms to EI, but it does not contain a single measure addressing sickness benefits. They have just one more chance, one more budget, before their term ends. Are they going to improve EI sickness benefits?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we celebrated International Children's Rights Day, although there was really nothing worth celebrating. According to a Campaign 2000 report, nearly one child in five lives in a family that struggles with poverty. Even more disgraceful, one indigenous child in three living on reserve is poor.How is it that we are still in this situation in 2017? When will the government finally assume its responsibilities and lift all children out of poverty?

Mr. Speaker, we need more than just discussions; we need action to protect access to health care across the country. Thousands of Quebeckers have denounced the legalization of ancillary fees in Quebec: $300 for eye drops, $500 for a colonoscopy, and so on. It is unacceptable that people's finances should determine their access to health care.What action—I repeat, action—does the minister plan to take to ensure that all Quebeckers have the same access to health care, regardless of their income?

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives caused untold hardship by eliminating access to employment insurance for workers who need it most. In my region and in many regions across the country, in Atlantic Canada and Gaspé, our seasonal industries are key drivers of the economy. The Liberals roundly condemned the Conservatives' employment insurance reforms. Now that they are in office, will the Liberals commit to reinstating the five additional weeks for seasonal workers?

Mr. Speaker, the charging of ancillary fees for health care services is a problem that has been going on in Quebec for years, and the government has done nothing to stop it.Now, a huge coalition of groups, including the FADOQ, the Québec Medical Association, and the FIQ, are taking the Government of Canada to court to make it enforce the Canada Health Act.Will the minister do her duty, enforce the law, and put an end to ancillary fees?

Mr. Speaker, the clock is ticking on the deadline for a new health care agreement, but we still have no news.The provinces agree that the government's choice to maintain transfer payment cuts will hurt our health care system. Philippe Couillard made it clear that Quebec would not agree to any conditions because the federal government has no right to impose conditions on the provinces for health care.Will the Prime Minister keep his promise and negotiate with the provinces in good faith, or will he just do whatever he wants?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals cannot prove that the Canada child benefit lifts children out of poverty. Come on.There has been no change in the data in 10 years. There are still 1.2 million children living in poverty, and 38% of them are indigenous children.Campaign 2000, which represents over a hundred organizations, has criticized the Liberal government's poverty reduction strategy for not being ambitious enough.When will the Liberals set real goals for lifting children out of poverty?Or will they continue to be satisfied with half measures?

Mr. Speaker, I have asked our self-proclaimed feminist Prime Minister many times to reform his sexist EI program. This program is failing far too many workers, and especially women workers. Fifty percent of men are eligible for benefits, but just 35.2% of women, many of them mothers, are eligible. Workers are tired of the Liberals' inaction and want a government that is on their side.When will the Liberals take action and reform this sexist EI program?

Mr. Speaker, in Quebec and in the Maritimes, seasonal workers have been joining forces for some time to denounce this government's failure to take action on the EI spring gap problem. The Liberals promised to help those workers by resolving the issue. After more than two years, nothing has been done. In just a few weeks' time, many families will be without an income. It is appalling.After so many appeals for help, why are seasonal workers still waiting?

Mr. Speaker, 1.4 million children are living in poverty in Canada, and more than a third of them rely on food banks to eat. These statistics are alarming and unacceptable.I am fed up with the Liberals' talking points, as they keep saying they have lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. That is smoke and mirrors, considering that over one million kids are still suffering. The Liberals are not doing enough to lift children out of poverty, and I am not the one saying so; Food Banks Canada is. When will the Liberals do more?

Mr. Speaker, last week's economic update clearly demonstrates this government's priorities. It offers tax credits to large corporations while, every year, nearly 1 million Canadians struggle to pay for their prescription drugs, which are costing more and more. This is unacceptable, especially given that the Parliamentary Budget Officer's report shows that a universal pharmacare program would actually save a lot of money.When will the government take meaningful action for families, seniors and businesses and create a universal pharmacare program?

Mr. Speaker, the medical assistance in dying bill is historic. The government should have done the right thing.That is exactly what it did not do. Knowing the timeline was tight, it nevertheless waited until April to introduce its bill. It refused to listen to the experts.Today, Peter Hogg, one of Canada's most respected constitutional experts, once again said that Bill C-14 would not pass the test in terms of the charter or the Carter decision.When will the Liberals change course and do the right thing?

Mr. Speaker, this week we learned that the backlog caused by the Phoenix pay system is getting worse.The Liberal government announced that, because of this fiasco, it will not be able to honour the new collective agreement implementation dates for over 100,000 public servants. Many of them have already been affected by Phoenix, and now their new collective agreement will be delayed. That is unacceptable. Will the government at least promise to pay these employees damages and interest retroactively?

Mr. Speaker, today we learned that the Prime Minister extended the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's and the Lobbying Commissioner's terms.After the Madeleine Meilleur appointment fiasco, this is a clear indication that we not only need a new consultation process, we also need time to set that process up.Will the Liberal government agree to develop an appointment process for high-level appointees to ensure that these vitally important positions are not tainted by partisanship?

Mr. Speaker, the Phoenix fiasco continues. People's whose resources are stretched to the limit are coming to my office, desperately asking me to do something. For example, a mother waited for seven months for her maternity benefits. Many retirees have been owed large amounts for months. That is unacceptable.What more will it take before the government finally takes action and finds a solution for these people who are experiencing financial difficulty and stress through no fault of their own?

Mr. Speaker, this week, the problem is that the Liberals took a shortcut instead of conducting a full national security review.Instead of explaining why they did not do this comprehensive review, the minister rose several times yesterday to falsely claim that he had indeed conducted one.Will the Liberal government take responsibility for refusing to conduct this review and will it stop misleading Canadians?

Mr. Speaker, gender-based analysis within the federal government is nothing new. In fact, a Liberal government committed to introducing it in 1995. It is now 2016, which means we have been waiting for over 20 years. For 20 years, the departments have been making decisions without having to systematically consider the impact they would have on women.Will the government commit to stop dragging its feet and implementing gender-based analysis in all departments before the end of 2016?

Madam Speaker, Le Courrier de Saint-Hyacinthe has been published since 1853, which makes it the oldest French newspaper in North America. It is a member of the Coalition pour la pérennité de la presse d'information au Québec. Most major newspapers in Quebec and Canada have agreed to ask for concrete financial assistance programs to transition to the digital platform.What is the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development's timeline for putting in place concrete measures to support news media?

Mr. Speaker, the OECD is calling for us to do more for the middle class. That is not surprising since half of Canadians are $200 away from bankruptcy. What are the Liberals doing to help those people? They gave $12 million in taxpayers' money to Loblaws, a billionaire company that is making huge profits, so that it could buy fridges. We are talking about a company that refuses to gives its employees decent work and working conditions. Is that the Liberals' plan? Are they going to continue to help the rich instead of our seniors and families?

Mr. Speaker, today, the Prime Minister announced an agreement with the Americans to reduce methane emissions. We are pleased that the United States is finally recognizing the need to act, but this is nothing new for Canada. The provinces already made a commitment in this regard.It is time to take the fight against climate change seriously.Will the government stop doing just the bare minimum and finally present clear targets for reducing CO2 emissions?

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals promised to take a different approach when it comes to their relationship with our veterans. However, what the Liberals are calling “real change”, we would call “more of the same”.Not only is the Liberal government carrying on with the court case against our veterans, but now we have learned that too many veterans are finding it hard to access long-term care facilities, when those facilities are not being threatened with closure.Will the government promise to reinvest in order to ensure that all veterans have access to long-term care when they need it?

Mr. Speaker, this government is again neglecting farmers and food processors, especially as it updates the Canadian organic standards.By requiring the industry to bear the cost of consultations, this government is putting at risk the organic sector, which is made up by very young businesses for the most part.When will this government take responsibility and fund each step of the current and future reviews of organic farming, as is the case in the United States and Europe?

Mr. Speaker, 26 years after the Polytechnique tragedy, too many women are still victims of violence simply because they are women. According to Quebec's Fédération des maisons d'hébergement pour femmes, 10,000 women were turned away last year alone. When I worked at a shelter, I had to turn women away myself. Women who are victims of violence need to have access to this essential service.Can the minister tell us when her government will invest in shelters?

Mr. Speaker, we have been asking important questions about the infrastructure bank for months. To date, the government has been unable to answer them. What is more, appointments to the board are only raising more questions. The government had announced a transparent selection process based on merit, but half of the board members have close ties to the Liberal Party.How can this government explain the cronyism that has beset the appointment process at the infrastructure bank?

Mr. Speaker, another new story has come out about Phoenix. Apparently, the government was going to save taxpayers $688 million by using this new program, but as everyone knows, the opposite is true. The Phoenix fiasco has been dragging on for almost two years, and thousands of workers are still seeing no light at the end of the tunnel.Now that they are halfway through their term in office, will the Liberals stop blaming the Conservatives, do their job, and make sure that Phoenix works for all public servants?

Mr. Speaker, we have just learned that more than 60 people died from opioid overdoses in Montreal this fall, and the situation is only getting worse across Canada.A number of stakeholders are calling on the government to declare a state of emergency. Even President Trump recognizes that the situation in the United States calls for a protracted battle and significant funding.What is the government waiting for? When will it declare the opioid crisis a Canada-wide emergency?

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister goes on and on about being a proud feminist. He even voted in favour of a motion stating that pay equity is a basic right. Unfortunately, the government wants Canadian women to wait yet another year. Canadian women have waited long enough for the respect they deserve. The working group on pay equity released its report 12 years ago.Why is the Prime Minister refusing to recognize that basic right by demanding pay equity now?

Mr. Speaker, people need help now. They have no use for evasive answers. Workers remember to this day that the Liberals under Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien helped themselves shamelessly to the employment insurance fund in order to balance the budget. More than $50 billion was taken from the benefits to which workers were entitled.We are all aware of the size of the Liberals' projected deficits. Could they at least answer a very simple question? Does the government plan to dip into the employment insurance fund once again, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, while Quebec is creating a committee of experts and hopes to broaden eligibility for medical assistance in dying, we have just learned that the minister has accepted the appointment to the position of chair of the working group on advance requests of Dr. Harvey Schipper, who opposes medical assistance in dying and advance requests. Several stakeholders have criticized this appointment, and rightly so. How can Canadians have confidence in this committee and believe that this working group will truly be objective and impartial when they know that its chair is one of the most strident opponents of medical assistance in dying and advance requests?

Mr. Speaker, based on the comments we heard from some members of the House earlier this week, it is clear that the fight for women's rights is not over. It is not enough for the government to say that it believes in women's right to choose when there are still Canadian women who do not have access to abortion. Women should not be used as a political tool.When will the government walk the talk and ensure that every Canadian woman can exercise her right to choose?