Madam Speaker, whether the Conservatives want to hear that or not, it is the truth.
I spend a great deal of time inside the chamber, whether during summer sittings, fall or spring. I can tell members that, with my years of experience in opposition and more than 20 years as a parliamentarian, never have I seen as much waste of parliamentary time as with the measures taken by the Conservative opposition members since virtually 2015, and their focus is very simple. All they have focused on, since day one, is how they can be critical of the Prime Minister of Canada. That is their only concern, and they try to expand that to other ethical questions. From day one, that has been their focus. One would think that it would be the pandemic and issues surrounding the pandemic. The bill that was introduced earlier today was seconded by the leader of the New Democratic Party. MPs of all political stripes, and I suspect there might even be some quiet ones within the Conservative Party, understand that we all have a role to play in this matter. All of us have a role to play.
As I have said in the past, I and other Liberal members of Parliament appreciate having our deputy House leader provide the opportunity for daily contact and for sharing the experiences we were hearing from our constituents. From the Prime Minister's perspective, it was important that, as members of Parliament, we listen to how the pandemic was affecting our constituents, and then get that information back to the government. The deputy House leader, working with some fantastic colleagues and support staff, was able to gather many different ideas, and that facilitated the modifications necessary for a wide spectrum of programs that this government brought forward. It has not been just Liberal MPs doing this, but MPs of all political stripes. Why is this? It is because we are listening to what Canadians are talking about, and we can appreciate their anxiety and worry.
We need to be there for our seniors. There is a great deal of concern regarding their accommodations. Many people are looking to Ottawa to continue demonstrating the leadership needed to get us through this pandemic. That is why it is so important that we continue what we have started since the throne speech. When we prorogued the session, we turned the page and got even more focused on what would be taking place in the coming months and years. Based on what we were hearing from Canadians from coast to coast to coast, that is what Canadians want, and that is what Canadians are going to get from this government and from all those individuals who want to deal with this proactively.
The motion brought forward today is an attempt to change the channel. However, it is interesting that Rob Anders, a former Conservative MP, is facing allegations of tax evasion with Canada Revenue. Members can check the news.
Do the Conservatives want to deal with that? No, of course not. Instead, they want to bring up an issue where they can expand upon their hopes of being able to talk about nothing but the Prime Minister, other ministers, Liberal members and ethics.
I have listened to many of their arguments. No one is perfect, but throughout this pandemic our Prime Minister has been very clearly demonstrating the importance of all of us working together to be there in a very real and tangible way for Canadians at a time when we need to be there for Canadians.
The legislation we are talking about is an extension of programs that were very effective at putting hundreds of millions of dollars into the pockets of Canadians so that they would have disposable income to buy the basics of life. That is what we should be talking about. Instead, the opposition wants to have endless votes, they want to change the topic of the debate in the chamber and then they want to cry that they do not get enough time to talk about what they really do not want to talk about. Really? I have seen that show before. I have seen all the filibustering and wasting of time.
As the official opposition they can spend the time on whatever they want, but as the government we are going to continue to cover the backs of Canadians in all regions of our great nation.