Discussion · Government Orders
Jean-Denis Garon Bloc Québécois
“I want the House to vote for this motion. It only invites the Prime Minister to speak to the finance committee, and he can say no. We need him there because the finance minister could not answer our questions or explain the tax system.”
“Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Simcoe North, for his excellent speech. He is a member who brings a great deal of substance to parliamentary debate. I would like to discuss the form of the motion, because the motion simply calls for the Prime Minister to be invited to appear as a witness before the Standing Committee on Finance. He does not even have to accept. I think that is necessary. The Minister of Finance appeared before the committee recently. He was unable to answer questions or understand how the tax system works. He showed up with an infographic featuring coloured bubbles that looked like something a seven-year-old would draw for Halloween. Earlier, the member for Bourassa told us that, as the government, they do not move motions. They are above that. They bring down budgets. They are the ones doing the real work. We supported his private member’s bill, incidentally. He seems to have forgotten that. I get the impression that all of this shows a kind of neglect or contempt for parliamentary work. The Liberals will probably vote against the motion. What do they stand to gain by voting against the motion? We want to invite the Prime Minister to come answer questions. He can even decline the invitation. Why would they vote against that?”
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Simcoe North, for his excellent speech. He is a member who brings a great deal of substance to parliamentary debate. I would like to discuss the form of the motion, because the motion simply calls for the Prime Minister to be invited to appear as a witness before the Standing Committee on Finance. He does not even have to accept. I think that is necessary. The Minister of Finance appeared before the committee recently. He was unable to answer questions or understand how the tax system works. He showed up with an infographic featuring coloured bubbles that looked like something a seven-year-old would draw for Halloween. Earlier, the member for Bourassa told us that, as the government, they do not move motions. They are above that. They bring down budgets. They are the ones doing the real work. We supported his private member’s bill, incidentally. He seems to have forgotten that. I get the impression that all of this shows a kind of neglect or contempt for parliamentary work. The Liberals will probably vote against the motion. What do they stand to gain by voting against the motion? We want to invite the Prime Minister to come answer questions. He can even decline the invitation. Why would they vote against that?