Damien Kurek

[Privilege, November 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is interesting that we have this weird circumstance where we are debating one scandal through what is called a privilege motion, for those watching, and it takes priority. In this case, it is because the Liberals refuse to release documents. However, the next order of business is another scandal. We have the circumstance where it is not just one scandal that is being debated, but there is another scandal in line to be debated.

The Liberals, very interestingly, say they want to send this to committee to make it disappear. The fact of the matter is that they had an opportunity to vote to support a subamendment to send this to committee and they voted against it. It has become increasingly clear the Liberals do not care about accountability; they simply care about covering it up.

I will close by saying that Maxine said, “Don't you work for us? We deserve our taxpayer money to be spent responsibly.” I agree with Maxine.

[Privilege, November 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am glad the member took me up on my offer to continue the debate on this very important issue in the House of Commons. I would simply suggest that he tell his leader, the Prime Minister, and members of the cabinet he sits with that the answer to the problem of Parliament being paralyzed is to release the documents.

When it comes to Bill C-270, I would hope the member would support a bill that would place strict penalties on anybody who would share, without consent, explicit material and that would have age verification for any explicit material shared in this country. That is pretty clear common sense.

It is too bad the member and the Liberals have so mismanaged the legislative agenda that their scandals are paralyzing the good work this place should be able to do.

[Privilege, November 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw. I may have spoken for a little while this morning at the justice committee. As for the Liberals, it is time for accountability, including the Prime Minister.

Carrie said, “When are we going to get taxpayers' money returned?” That is exactly it. I know when it comes to the policy role I have the opportunity to be a part of right now, and the position of Canadian Heritage, we are demanding that the $18 million in bonuses paid out to executives and managers of the CBC be returned. It just makes sense. We have a failing organization, led by a failing government, that pays itself bonuses and in fact changed the rules. Whether it is SDTC, the CBC or the myriad of other scandals, it is clear that Canadians want their money back. It is absolutely essential that the respect for taxpayers' money is returned to this place.

We need to make sure this place respects the immense privilege we all have to steward the democracy of the land. Quite often the intricacies of Parliament are not well understood, which is unfortunate for somebody who is passionate about the systems we have developed, such as the Parliament of Canada and the Westminster system and its history dating back so many centuries. It is only by act, will and proclamation of Parliament that any dollar can be spent.

That history speaks to something that is often forgotten. In centuries past, when kings in the United Kingdom wanted money, wanted to tax their subjects, there was significant conflict and quite often it would result in war. However, throughout history, there was this coming together to say it was time to ensure the people had a voice. When the Liberals tried to pass a motion that would have given them unlimited spending and taxation authority for a period of 18 months, it was unprecedented in Westminster democracy. They tried to slip it through and say it was time for a team Canada approach. That was their excuse when the reality was that if they wanted a team Canada approach, they would have done the hard work to ensure taxpayers' dollars were respected, yet they refused to do so.

As Paula says, “These people are using our money, not theirs.” I absolutely agree with Paula.

Randy says, “Canadians want a carbon tax election.” I have another comment here about “the amount of money that is being spent, money going out the door to scandals, to interests that don't necessarily reflect what Canadians want.”

Jacqueline says, “We need to have action to take on this.” I would say to Jacqueline that the action is very simple: The Liberals need to release the documents. They are so obsessed with this cover-up that they are willing to throw out their agenda for the purpose of covering up the corruption.

I am grateful for the opportunity to have once again entered into this debate. We have seen close to $400 million in taxpayers' money spent. The Liberals are quick to suggest that this fund that gave grants to develop clean and new energy had been around for a long time. It had been around for a long time, but the Liberals broke it. In 2018, former industry minister Navdeep Bains, who did not like the board because it resembled Harper's vision too much, and the Liberals replaced the board. Since that point in time, it has been rife with scandals.

I will just give a shout-out to my wife, Danielle. She commented on there too. Love you, sweetheart.

I will conclude by saying this: Canadians deserve answers. Canadians deserve to see these documents. There needs to be accountability, which is the fundamental premise of what democracy is. I regret that after so many weeks the Liberals are still so bent on covering things up that they would paralyze Canada's Parliament to serve their own personal political interests. It is time for better, and Conservatives will bring it home.

[Privilege, November 7th, 2024]

My apologies, Mr. Speaker. It was a quote. I withdraw that. In the Saskatchewan legislature, one is allowed to read quotes. Due to my time at the Saskatchewan legislature, it is a habit.

The question, I think, is incredibly valid. I am glad the Liberals opposite are paying attention, because they should listen to what Debbie has to say, which is that somebody should stop the corruption. I would tell Debbie the good news is that the Conservatives are fighting every day on her behalf. As soon as we are able to have a carbon tax election, we are going to get a common-sense government, led by the member for Carleton, who is going to bring integrity and accountability back into the way we do things in this place. In the meantime, we are going to continue to stand up for Canadians to fight that corruption, whether it is the $400-million green slush fund or the many other examples of corruption.

Michael asks a question that more or less demands there be no more coalitions. What is interesting about that is that in the last election, Conservatives said a vote for the NDP was a vote for the Liberals. We were told at the time that would not happen; there would be no coalition. However, only months after the last election, out marched the leader of the NDP, along with the Prime Minister, with their so-called confidence and supply agreement, a blank cheque to do everything. Even though the leader of the fourth party supposedly ripped up the agreement, the NDP still seems very willing to support the Prime Minister being in charge.

Eva said, “There should be no scandals.” That emphasizes a very important point. The government talks a lot about the money it spends, but the simple truth of the matter is that it is not its money. The $400 million in the green slush fund that was allocated in conflicts of interest to Liberal insiders and those with connections to SDTC is one example of many.

Every dollar the government spends is not its money. It comes from somewhere. In particular, it comes from hard-working Canadians in the form of taxes. Certainly, there should be no scandals, because every person who makes a decision when it comes to the public purse should take great care to ensure that money is treated responsibly. Unfortunately, we see the devastating consequences that, after nine years of Justin Trudeau—

[Privilege, November 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, as always, it is an honour to stand in this place and talk about the important issues facing Canadians.

However, I will take a brief moment to say that, a number of weeks ago, a friend of the Conservative Party, and the father of former member Monte Solberg, Stan Solberg, passed away. His funeral was this past Monday. I know many gathered to celebrate the life of Stan Solberg, who was a true patriot and proud Canadian. I had the chance to work with him in politics for many years in a volunteer capacity. Even just a number of months ago, I had a great visit with him. He was always a visionary, thinking forward about the future of Alberta and the future of this country. He was a real patriot, a proud Conservative, and certainly a great Albertan and great Canadian. We remember Stan Solberg here today.

As well, like some of the members who spoke before me, this will likely be my last opportunity to rise in this place before Remembrance Day. I want to say God bless our troops, past and present, for the work they have done and the sacrifice they have made, and continue to make, to keep us free. We can never let down our guard and not support those who fight so hard for what is right. God bless our troops. Lest we forget.

I am once again rising to join in the discussion about a scandal that has paralyzed Parliament. We are seeing a scandal that was initially referred to as one that would be mammoth in comparison to the sponsorship scandal, which brought down the Chrétien-Martin government. As details have been revealed, we certainly see how that is truly the case.

I am glad to rise in my place today and have the ability to share some comments. This is also being streamed. The live feed from the House of Commons is being streamed on Facebook. For those who are watching on my Facebook page, I would welcome them to share their comments and feedback, and I look forward to hopefully integrating some of that into the discussion here today. We are discussing misappropriation, the conflicts of interest and what we have learned was ultimately nearly $400 million of hard-earned taxpayer dollars that was given to insiders of the government. It was rife with conflicts of interest.

Here we are, more than a month into this debate, when the Speaker of the House of Commons has ruled that the government has to release the documents, because the Liberals simply refuse. I would like to unpack things because the Liberals are very good at trying to divide and distract from what the real issue is. Let me unpack it very simply: The Liberals have the ability and the authority to release the documents today, but they refuse to do so. This debate was not started by the Conservatives. It was started by, and has been sustained by, the Liberals, who refuse to release the documents.

The Liberals will talk about privacy. They will talk about the independence of the judiciary. They will talk about all these things, but what they fail to talk about, at every step of the process, is that they have the right, and I would suggest the responsibility, to uphold the standard that Canadians would expect of a government of any colour and to be transparent.

There is nothing stopping the Liberals from walking into this place and placing those documents on the table. There is nothing stopping them from releasing them, but they refuse. As a result, Parliament is exercising its constitutional authority, which is the ability that Parliament has by nature of what Parliament is. We are exercising our ability to demand these documents and taking great care to not interfere in the process of justice. We are ensuring that great care is taken in that regard.

However, it comes down to the simple truth. The fact of the matter is that the Liberals could release the documents today, but they refuse to do so. One has to ask what they are hiding. What is so embarrassing? What types of scandal and corruption would be revealed if those things came to light?

It is becoming increasingly clear that the cover-up is more important to the Liberals than anything else the government has been tasked to do. The Prime Minister and the Liberals have now, for more than a month, paralyzed Parliament. This is on them. They could release the documents.

I have heard from Amber, who is asking, “How are there no repercussions for the corruption that has been proven...?” I thank Amber for that question. The Auditor General, the non-partisan officer of Parliament who looks at the books, found that there were incredible discrepancies, and there have been conflicts of interest found at every stage of the process. It has caused an erosion of trust.

I am asked this question often: If a regular Canadian was to do what the Prime Minister, the cabinet and those members keep doing, would there not be consequences? Would there not be prison time? Would there not be criminal prosecutions? Those Liberals have been paralyzing the actions of Parliament for more than a month to keep these documents from being released.

Lise is asking about “the corruption that happened in the Winnipeg lab”. There are 20 minutes allotted to each of these speeches, and in some cases, a number of colleagues have started listing off the number of scandals that have happened under the Prime Minister and these Liberals. After nine years of these Liberals, we can hardly get through just reading the list.

On the question surrounding the Winnipeg lab documents, it was the Liberals who took the unprecedented step of taking the Speaker to court. It was unprecedented that the government would take the Speaker to court to cover up its corruption.

With this $400-million green slush fund scandal, we are seeing that the Liberals will stop at nothing, including paralyzing Parliament for months on end, to keep the truth from coming out, which leads us to ask what I think is a very fair question about accountability. From what I am hearing from folks who are watching this debate right now, there has to be accountability.

Patricia says that there need to be stiffer penalties and laws to protect Canadians and Canadian tax dollars against this corruption and to stop the conflicts of interest. That sounds like common sense. Canadians want an election. It needs to end so we can get a government in to clean this up. That is from Patricia, who is frustrated, obviously, with the corruption we are seeing.

Esther is asking, “Are there no rules that can be enforced...?” It is a good thing Parliament exists because this is the final mechanism. While the Liberals try each and every day to force Parliament to bend to their will, the Conservatives will not do so. We will stand up for the rights of Canadians, including democracy, which is represented in this place.

To Esther, Conservatives are fighting for accountability, which is absolutely essential in the way we go about everything we do here. That includes making sure we continue to demand that the Liberals release the documents so we get answers in the $400-million green slush fund. Where there is smoke, there is fire, as the old adage goes.

What has become incredibly clear is that these Liberals are covering up something. Nobody would go to the great lengths they have to cover up corruption unless they had something truly to hide. The question was asked about there being no rules. It is a good thing Parliament exists because Parliament and the premise of parliamentary supremacy persists beyond a corrupt Prime Minister and a government that is certainly not worth the cost.

Jordan asks a great question: Why are there so many silent Liberals? Jordan asks why the member for Malpeque and other Liberals refuse to stand up and ask for accountability. Do they work for the Prime Minister or do they work for their constituents? I think it is a very fair question, so on behalf of Jordan, I ask every Liberal member of Parliament whether they will stand up for the people who sent them here, beyond the guy who sits in the front row who has proven he does not care about their best interests, certainly, because time and time again he shows how he will put personal political gain ahead of the best interests of the country. That is absolutely unacceptable.

Debbie says, “Somebody should be able to stop Trudeau and the corruption.” I agree. That is a good thing.

[Oil and Gas Industry, November 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the minister may not understand how the energy industry works, but Canadians do. Regardless of the name, the cap is going to drive investment out of Canada, costing Canadians their jobs.

It has been nine long years of a Liberal government bent on destroying the Canadian energy sector, despite the industry's being the biggest driver of the Canadian economy and employing hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers.

I will ask the question again: Why are the extremist minister and the Prime Minister helping Donald Trump create American jobs?

[Oil and Gas Industry, November 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the government's own data revealed that oil and gas is the only sector of the economy showing signs of life. On Monday, the NDP-Liberals announced a job-killing cap on oil and gas production.

The government's own analysis admits that its cap on production will cost thousands of jobs and billions of dollars, destroying Canadian paycheques. It is no wonder Canadian-based Enbridge is building a $700-million pipeline in the United States.

The Prime Minister is creating powerful paycheques for American energy workers and American steel workers, while Canadian workers cannot afford their food or rent.

Why is the Prime Minister driving investment jobs away from Canada and toward the United States?

[Petitions, November 6th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is once again an honour to present a petition signed by many Canadians. In particular, testimony was heard before a parliamentary committee with regard to expanding euthanasia, where a representative from the Collège des médecins du Québec recommended that MAID should be expanded to include babies from birth to one year of age who come into the world with severe deformities and very serious syndromes.

The petitioners are very concerned about the proposal for the legalized killing of infants. It is deeply disturbing to Canadians and goes against the values Canadians hold dear. The petitioners emphasize that infanticide is always wrong.

I am proud to present this petition in the House here today.

[Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, November 5th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, here is the truth: There is only one person left keeping the Prime Minister in power, and that is the leader of the NDP. Canadians see it clearly. All we need to do is think back to the big stunt the leader of the NDP pulled when he told Canadians that he had ripped up his coalition deal with the Liberals. Since then, the New Democrats have had ample opportunity to prove it, but they have refused to do so. In fact, the leader of the fourth party said, “The fact is, the Liberals are too weak, too selfish and too beholden to corporate interests to fight for people”. Those are his own words. Words do not equal action. The NDP continues to be beholden to the Prime Minister.

The fact is that the New Democrats love the Liberals. Furthermore, they love the carbon tax, something they have voted for more than 24 times, even when it is sending more than two million Canadians a month to food banks. Every day the Prime Minister remains in power is because of the sellout leader of the NDP. It is time for him to buck up and call a carbon tax election.

[Petitions, October 30th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to stand in this place today and present a petition requesting that the Canadian Parliament and government pass a resolution to establish measures to stop the Chinese Communist regime's crime of systematically murdering Falun Gong practitioners for their organs; amend Canadian legislation to combat forced organ harvesting; and publicly call for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in Canada, in particular referencing Mingyuan Liu and the many Falun Gong practitioners who have faced persecution, and the importance of ensuring their freedoms are respected. As Canadians, we have a responsibility to do something about it.