David Collenette

[Perth--Middlesex, March 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is fully aware of his constitutional responsibilities and has called many byelections in the past. He will follow the normal procedures.

[Canadian Forces, March 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member wants to talk about leadership. Let us talk about the leadership of his own leader on this matter.

This is the individual who has criticized the Prime Minister and the government, yet he made a speech a few days ago and said:

I think the world has rarely seen more skill than was mobilized by the first President Bush... They took extreme care. They were highly sensitive. That has not characterized what has happened in the approach to potential allies taken by some members of the Bush administration, most notably...[Mr.] Rumsfeld.

This is the leader of the fifth party raking over the coals the American leadership. Shame on him.

[Canadian Forces, March 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the statement by the hon. member is complete and utter rubbish. The Prime Minister, the Minister of National Defence and the Minister of Foreign Affairs have stated in the House and in other fora that we are immensely proud of all our men and women who are part of the theatre in that particular conflict.

I think we should recognize the great work our men and women do. We should recognize what their role is and the fact that certain of our forces are attached to the various British and American units. Let us support them.

[Canadian Forces, March 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we need no lessons from that bunch of ne'er-do-wells.

The government has supported the Canadian armed forces. We have supported our men and women over the years and we are is proud of them. All Canadians are proud of them. The Alliance should not make this a partisan issue in the House of Commons.

[Canadian Forces, March 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, to the contrary. It is a longstanding practice that we have had Canadian armed forces personnel attached to various units with our allies, and the Government of Canada and the people of Canada support them in every way.

[Canadian Forces, March 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I think there have been answers to this question in the last few days from the Minister of National Defence.

The fact is that Canadians are attached to certain British and American units in the region. As to their actual whereabouts and function, that is something that is not in the best interests of the soldiers or national security to reveal.

[Airline Industry, March 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that Air Canada has been involved for the past year in a restructuring process. That restructuring process is ongoing. We are in discussions with the airline industry, including Air Canada, to see what, if anything, the government can do to assist.

[Airline Industry, March 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member just stated in the House that as far as he is concerned the Official Languages Act is an unnecessary and unfair regulation. We on this side of the House believe in the Official Languages Act. We will support it and support it for Air Canada.

[Airline Industry, March 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to mixed signals, the hon. member yesterday advocated the repealing of the Air Canada Public Participation Act. Does he know what that means?

Is his party officially on the record for not having Air Canada's headquarters in Montreal or maintenance base in Winnipeg or being subjected to the Official Languages Act? Perhaps he could answer that question.

[Airline Industry, March 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I think everyone knows that the aviation industry around the world has been challenged since September 2001 and never really fully recovered. Of course the events now going on in the Middle East have exacerbated the situation, in particular for U.S. air carriers, and Air Canada has not been exempted.

The situation is serious and we are working with Air Canada and other airlines to ensure that the issue is dealt with in the appropriate fashion.