Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his comments and very insightful perspective on the important issues we are dealing with today. I certainly appreciated the hon. member's reference to some of the very worthy initiatives happening in the context of first nations justice processes.

Conservative Party of Canada  Mr. Speaker, documents leaked recently from an on-campus Conservative Party workshop show that the government is actively encouraging the undermining of campus democracy with the establishment of front organizations to funnel student money to the party. Through threats and attacks, the Conservative Party is attempting to manipulate the democratic control of student unions across Canada.

Post-Secondary Education  Mr. Speaker, post-secondary education is important to northern Manitoba and to Canada. In northern Manitoba we have one of the youngest populations in Canada. People in the north tell us that post-secondary education is key to our future. As a former researcher and instructor at the University College of the North, I have seen the issues firsthand.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for pointing out some of the challenges faced in her riding, challenges that are very much a reality in the riding that I represent—for example, in the community of The Pas, Manitoba. The Pas is an example where the province, the municipality, the steelworkers, headed by Chris Parlow, the president of the United Steelworkers, and also the neighbouring chief and council have come together to bring about a solution to the problem.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what my hon. colleague thinks of the lack of action we tend to see on the part of the government when it comes to the forestry industry, which is struggling to survive in different regions. For instance, in northern Manitoba, where I am from, part of the region continues to really depend on the forestry industry.

Science and Technology  Mr. Speaker, using smoke and mirrors, the government claims to support Canada's students and researchers but it is paying $90 million in new graduate scholarships by cutting $148 million in research grants. It is not an increase. It is a cut. Thanks to the Liberal support for the budget, the Conservatives have overruled arm's length agencies for their own ideological purposes.

Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act  Madam Speaker, I appreciate the member's personal connection with the non-profit sector and the wealth of experience he brings to the House as a member of Parliament representing his region. I am just wondering what his thoughts are in terms of the role that charities play and perhaps the increasing role that charities may have to play as governments seek to devolve some of the services they provide to not-for-profit actors or charitable actors.

Budget Implementation Act, 2009  Mr. Speaker, the NDP has worked hard to push for child care and to look at the well-being of all our communities. However, it is unfortunate that it has been forgotten in the budget. Many of us will continue to fight hard for it. We work closely as colleagues. We would like to see the government recognize how important it is to the social infrastructure of our country and most definitely the future of our country as well.

Budget Implementation Act, 2009  Mr. Speaker, all members come with the sentiment of hope that all our constituents bring to us. This has been a guiding force in the work that I take on before Parliament and after Parliament. As far as being insular, for a moment it seemed that Canada was being portrayed as insular.

Budget Implementation Act, 2009  Mr. Speaker, on the mining exploration tax credit, we think it is a great idea to support some of the initial steps in mining exploration, and I pointed that out. I want to be clear. People in mining communities are losing their jobs in the thousands. Many of these companies provide a great deal of tax revenue to the federal government.

Budget Implementation Act, 2009  Mr. Speaker, we find ourselves in an interesting time, certainly in the global context, dealing with the unprecedented downturn in the global economy. One word that has become much more common in our vocabulary, certainly in the political realm, is the word “hope”. This word was frequently used in the election campaign held by our neighbours to the south.

Budget Implementation Act, 2009  Mr. Speaker, I have a question for my hon. colleague further to something he said regarding what women are going through during this economic crisis. He talked about the fact that many women work in part time jobs. This is their reality, and we see that the government is not responding to it.

Budget Implementation Act, 2009  Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the member a very specific question about what is happening in the Canadian economy. What does he see in his region? I know that people in my riding of Churchill, in northern Manitoba, are losing their jobs. They see nothing in this budget that meet their needs in terms of their experience with housing or employment insurance, I would like my colleague to share with me some specific examples of what is happening in his region and say why this budget does not address the situation.

CANADA NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS ACT  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for truly painting a 3-D portrayal of some of the really exciting work that non-profit organizations do in her constituency of Halifax. I look forward to going there and seeing it up close. My question stems from my experience in working with non-profit organizations in my home area, specifically the Thompson Crisis Centre in Thompson, Manitoba.

Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, certainly in our region there are some very exciting initiatives in terms of food security and local food production. Fortunately, we have a provincial government that has taken a leading role in supporting these initiatives. However, the question in our riding is, where is the federal government?