The Scrums: RCMP misconduct, violence against Aboriginal women, Senate expenses

Four highlights from this afternoon’s post-Question Period scrums:

1. Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae on allegations of criminal misconduct by RCMP officers: These are serious allegations of criminal misconduct that have to be investigated independently of the RCMP. It’s in the RCMP’s own interest to do that in order to maintain its own reputation and the reputation of its officers. And I think really the nature of these allegations is being misunderstood both by [Public Safety Minister Vic] Toews and by the Prime Minister.

2. NDP MP Niki Ashton on the need for a public inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women: Today I talked about how successive governments have failed to take action on this tragedy and if the finger has to be pointed to government inaction, you know, the lack of leadership when it comes to First Nations and Aboriginal communities from the federal government, so be it. I mean the idea here is let’s put an end to the senseless deaths and disappearances of women in Canada simply because they are Aboriginal.

3. NDP MP Charlie Angus on allegations of inappropriate expenses claimed by Senators: There’s been talk about bringing the police in. The issue of the police is whether or not people falsified forms. This is serious business because these are tax, this is taxpayers money and this is an issue of accountability. We’ve been asking for the Prime Minister to send a message to his Conservative majority in the Senate that they are going to really clean house, that they are going to actually insist on clear, ethical standards, but we’re hearing nothing.  We’re just hearing a defence of the entitlements.

4. Conservative MP John Williamson on EI reform: At the end of the day, people are going to realize the changes the government’s announced is not nearly as dramatic or bone crushing as the opposition has made them out to be. So as a government, time’s on our side. And we’ve shown as well that with the minor change to the temporary worker [program], that if we get it wrong, the government can tweak it.