House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 34% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, I did not understand the question, but I would like to reiterate to the member that the requirements expressed by Canada, by National Defence, have been very clear so far. This aircraft is still being developed. We expect all requirements to be met before Canada will take any procurement steps.
A tremendous number of very detailed documents was submitted to the committee. Why—
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, as the hon. member must know, a tremendous number of documents, including the documents he is talking about right now, have been submitted to the Standing Committee on National Defence. There are various stages to the analysis that has been done so far. Yes, the F-35 is still in the development process, but we have shared everything we know about this aircraft in committee.
Why did he not take the time to read those documents?
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, all of the measures taken to date by the Department of National Defence and the Department of Public Works and Government Services were very well analyzed in the Auditor General's report. I would recommend that the hon. member reread the report if he has not yet memorized it.
The important thing right now—
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, the Department of Public Works and Government Services never abdicated its role in this process. As the hon. member knows, Canada has a Defence Production Act and PWGSC is responsible for it. The department clearly took on that responsibility by carrying out many procurement exercises, including the work that has been done to date to replace the CF-18s.
Business of Supply May 9th, 2012
Madam Chair, I would ask the Minister of National Defence, given the exchanges we have had tonight, to clarify the mission of Canada's fighter fleet and the question of first strike versus multi-purpose.
Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act May 7th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, all of us on this side are grateful for that excellent speech from the member for Brandon—Souris. It is a gold mine of information about an implementation act that has benefits across the board for Canadians.
However, the opposition members continue to complain about this being the shortest debate on budget implementation in a generation, even though no Liberal budget was ever debated this long under its government. They also complain that it covers too much ground. Could the member comment on the inter-relatedness of all of these measures?
To have a strong economy, an attractive jurisdiction for trade and investment, we need a stable financial sector. We need a responsible approach to resource development. We need jobs and growth and all of the enablers that go with it. Could he remind this House why all of these measures are needed in one bill?
Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act May 7th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Berthier—Maskinongé for her speech. I have a very simple question for her.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer says that the program is affordable as is, but all of the other government authorities that we have access to, as well as all of the authorities in other OECD countries, not to mention most experts and informed observers in Canada, disagree, so who is she going to trust? The lone holdout, or all of the other experts in the field, including government experts who unanimously say that the system must be reformed in order to preserve it for future generations?
Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act May 7th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I want to give the member for South Shore—St. Margaret's an opportunity to enlarge on an issue that obviously is not apparent to the opposition. We hear lots of complaints about what is going to be a very long budget debate, about the length of the debate, without any comments on the substance of the budget, this bill.
Could the member inform the House what the benefits for all parts of Canada are of having such an attractive jurisdiction for business and job creation in the country. Whether it is lower taxes or responsible resource development, whether it is affordable social programs or budget balance, these are all benefits that will bring jobs and investment to every part of the country.
Could the member describe some of the--
Canada National Parks Act May 7th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, obviously we are all grateful for this excellent piece of legislation from the member for Leeds—Grenville.
In answer to the question put forward by our colleague opposite from Scarborough—Rouge River about costs, the member could have said that the cost of making this change would be a lot less than creating a new park in the Rouge Valley, a park that she and many of us on this side of the House welcome.
The member speaks with such authority about the economy depending on this park. Could he tell us what it would mean for the economy of Leeds—Grenville? Could he tell us what it would mean for the tourism sector in Leeds--Grenville? What will changes like branding mean as we go into the bicentennial of the War of 1812, which also played an important role in his region?
National Defence May 4th, 2012
Madam Speaker, the member opposite may be insisting on these unfactual statements because her party has voted against every one of the dramatic improvements that we have made to the care of the mental health of our Canadian Forces members, the care of the ill and injured of the Canadian Forces. We have doubled the number of professionals. We set up 24 integrated centres with our Veterans Affairs colleagues across the country to look after these needs. Those front line services will not be cut. They are stronger than ever and her party voted against them.