Luc Harvey

[The Environment, June 18th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as the session draws to a close, I would like to talk about the leadership this government has shown by announcing a number of initiatives to fight greenhouse gas emissions. One thing that comes to mind is the ecoenergy retrofit incentive.

Our incentive goes further than all the other programs proposed by the previous Liberal government. In fact, 140,000 households can benefit from a grant of up to $5,000, a 25% increase over the previous program.

Under our incentive program, for every dollar paid out, 90¢ goes into the pockets of homeowners, compared to 50¢ under the old program. The average grant will be 40% higher than it was before.

In conclusion, I would like to say that our incentive program will also help fund a broader range of measures to reduce energy consumption in the home.

Once again, while the opposition is complaining and living in the past, we are taking action and proposing concrete, realistic and responsible initiatives to protect our environment.

[The Environment, June 15th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we all want to protect the environment. Canadian farmers wish to do their share. They want their agricultural activity to have a positive impact on the environment.

Can the Secretary of State (Agriculture) tell us what Canada's new government is doing to support Canadian farmers in order to improve the environment?

[Paul Thomassin, June 13th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to draw your attention to the fact that an illustrious Conservative, whom we in the riding of Louis-Hébert consider to be the party's living memory, is here in Ottawa.

Paul Thomassin, whose involvement in politics goes back to the time of the illustrious Right Hon. John Diefenbaker, is a model of commitment and devotion to the men and women of today who are deeply committed to protecting Canadian values.

I wish to express my gratitude to this 83-year-old activist and his long line of Conservative predecessors for their role in preserving the party memory and the basic values for which we have always fought.

The health of a democracy is inextricably linked to the vitality of the parties within it, and the Thomassin family's legendary political involvement in the Canadian federation helped re-establish a stable democratic changeover when our country needed it most.

I wish my friend, Paul Thomassin, good health and long life.

[The Environment, June 11th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, last week, the Prime Minister filled Canadians with pride when he helped achieve a global consensus on an agreement to fight climate change.

The leaders of Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Russia and Japan welcomed the climate change agreement reached at the G-8 summit, calling it a great success.

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, has said that he is very encouraged by the commitment the G-8 members have made to establish a multilateral process under the auspices of the United Nations.

My question is this: if the true leaders of the world are welcoming this major agreement, why can the Leader of the Opposition, the champion of inaction, not do the same? Leaders take action. The Prime Minister took steps at the G-8 summit to combat climate change. Unfortunately, the president of the “laissez-faire” club, the Leader of the Opposition, is more interested in partisan squabbling than in taking real steps to help the environment.

[Yvon Fradette, June 4th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, in the riding of Louis-Hébert there lives a man who has exercised the noble trade of shoe shiner for over 25 years in Place Laurier. I am referring to the legendary Fred le cireur, Yvon Fradette, the only shoe shiner in North America who has worked for so long in the same place.

Countless distinguished individuals have sat in his chair. Mr. Fradette told me that one of them, former prime minister Brian Mulroney, started talking to him about politics while his shoes were being polished. Mr. Fradette interrupted him to say that women and automobiles were the only topics of discussion in his chair, which elicited a burst of laughter.

Mr. Fradette has been at his chair six days out of seven for 25 years. We wish to acknowledge the perseverance he has demonstrated for all these years in the riding of Louis-Hébert.

[Festival Funding, May 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, it is ironic to hear the opposition express concern about federal support for festivals, because as we all know, the Bloc will never be in a position to help them and the former Liberal government was far too busy helping its friends under the sponsorship program.

In budget 2007, we announced additional funding, and we are now beginning to establish, transparently, the framework and criteria for this new program, which will target small and medium size events, not just major festivals. The new program will be in place at the end of the summer.

In the meantime, our government is continuing to support festivals in our beautiful province. This year, Quebec City's Festival d'été international will receive $450,000, the Just for Laughs Festival will receive $50,000 and the Montreal jazz festival will receive $850,000.

A number of festivals have suffered for several years because of the incompetence of the former Liberal government, but one thing is certain: the Bloc will never be able to help them.

I am proud to be part of the Government of Canada, which can take steps to help everyone.

[Festivals and Special Events, May 29th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, a number of events in Quebec and across Canada celebrate arts and heritage.

Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women tell us whether festivals whose funding has been approved have to wait until the end of the summer to receive the money they have been promised?

[Victorian Order of Nurses, May 18th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, during this National Victorian Order of Nurses Week, I would like to pay tribute to nearly 16,000 employees and volunteers of the VON, who, day in and day out, give freely of their time to help their fellow citizens.

VON is a not-for-profit health care organization and registered charity offering health care solutions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Founded in 1897, the organization is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year and has a network of branches that deliver health care solutions in 1,300 communities across Canada.

With its colourful history, VON will remain a dynamic organization in our communities, an organization that works in partnership with local populations to identify their health care needs and find appropriate solutions.

On behalf of the thousands of Canadians who benefit from the services provided by VON caregivers, I thank the VON and wish it continued success.

[Business of Supply, May 16th, 2007]

Mr. Chair, everyone knows that Canada's two official languages are sources of pride for this country. Canadians can be proud of living in a country where French and English coexist.

I would like to remind everyone that Canada's new government is committed to collaborating further with each provincial and territorial government and to holding constructive talks with official language minority communities in order to encourage and promote the use of French and English in Canadian society.

As proof, I will give the various agreements or accords with the provincial governments, as well as with a number of community organizations throughout the country since 2006.

Also, Canada's new government is counting on young people, among others, to further promote bilingualism here in Canada. Young Canadians, who are increasingly bilingual, will be able to make a difference and show that mastering both official languages is a major asset that enables them to participate fully in the economic and cultural development of this country.

Dialogue among cultures is important to Canada's new government, as evidenced by its strong support at the last Rendez-vous de la Francophonie. As we know, these meetings encourage the country's francophone minorities to develop and enable them to participate fully in all aspects of life in Canada.

Obviously Canada's new government completely supports the Official Languages Act, which shows our commitment to fully recognizing the country's linguistic duality.

I would like to know what the government will do to advance education in official languages, and how it is supporting minority communities.

[Points of Order, May 14th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, first of all I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify the situation.

Last Friday, in the House of Commons, I was commending a group that introduced soccer to Quebec and have been playing at the Notre-Dame-de-Foy campus in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures.

I wanted to pay tribute to Canada's soccer players and to this group of soccer enthusiasts in particular. I also wanted to point out that some of them have come from all over the world and made Canada their adoptive home. They have enriched our country and have led us to a better appreciation of soccer. During my speech, I wanted to say that since the introduction of soccer, more than 25,000 people in Quebec City now play the game. I wish to apologize to all those I may have offended and or who may have taken offence.

It is unfortunate that the opposition seems to wish to take advantage of a language error that I sincerely regret. Canada is a great country because of its diverse cultural communities. I had no intention of offending them and I wish to give them my heartfelt thanks for their important contribution to the Canadian mosaic.

In closing, I would like to thank Mr. Edgardo Sanchez and his soccer friends for giving me the opportunity to present him with my riding's recognition medal for his contribution to the community. I would like to add that I will proudly wear the same uniform as Mr. Sanchez for the game.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite all members of the House of Commons to come and play in this friendly game on Sunday.