Christian Paradis

[Privacy, June 7th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, naturally we thank the commissioner for her report. Our government is truly determined to protect Canadians' privacy.

That is why we introduced Bill C-12, which strengthens guarantees to protect personal information and implements the committee's recommendations. With all due respect, the bill introduced by my colleague does not cover all these aspects.

We will take the time to carefully study the commissioner's report. However, I would ask the NDP to support Bill C-12, which addresses the committee's findings.

[Telecommunications, June 5th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Mississauga South for her very relevant question.

It was clear yesterday that the Liberal Party was more comfortable with the status quo in the telecom industry than real progress. Liberals have made it clear that they stand against Canadian consumers and for higher prices and less choice.

Meanwhile our government sent a bold, clear message to the industry. In that sense, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre said loud and clear that our government stood up for wireless consumers.

The Conservative government will not hesitate to use all of the tools at its disposal to promote healthier competition and to protect Canadian consumers in this industry.

[Consumer Protection, June 4th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, today I announced that any proposed wireless transfer resulting in undue spectrum concentration and therefore less competition will not be approved. Spectrum set aside for new entrants was never intended to be transferred to incumbents and as such will not be approved now, nor will it likely be in the future.

Our Conservative government will not hesitate to use any and every tool at its disposal to support greater competition in the market and protect Canadian consumers.

Let me quote at this point the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, which said this morning that “This government stood up for wireless consumers...”.

[Resignation of Member, May 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in the House today to pay tribute to the hon. member for Bourassa.

First elected nearly 16 years ago and re-elected five consecutive times, the member for Bourassa has certainly left his mark in the House while performing a number of important duties, both in government and in opposition.

Known for his fiery temper and his straightforward, colourful language, the member for Bourassa never failed to attract attention, either through his speeches in the House or his comments in traditional and social media, not to mention on the street.

The fiery spirit that defines the member for Bourassa reflects his passion for the public service and his love of politics.

I faced this seasoned and experienced politician when I first came to the Hill. Although he did not always go easy on me, it was clear to me that this man has a profound respect for the institution, for his peers and for the various parties.

The hon. member for Bourassa was one of those colleagues who, from the very beginning, showed me that despite the heated debates, camaraderie can still thrive among parliamentarians, and most of all, that everyone wins by supporting it.

On behalf of the government and myself, it is my pleasure to salute the hon. member for Bourassa for his contribution to the House and to federal politics.

I wish him every success in his future endeavours.

[Telecommunications, May 27th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, indeed, we put policies in place back in 2008 to increase competition to have better rates and more choices for consumers. We want to ensure that there is a fourth player in every region of this country. What I can tell my colleagues is that these policies work.

Just recently, we learned from a Wall Communications report that prices went down an average of 11%. This is an accomplishment. We will continue to do so.

[Government Advertising, May 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, that is total nonsense. It is a typical Liberal way to badly manage the economy.

When we talk about tourism, we have to look at where the potential is. That is what the CTC is doing. It has refocused its resources to places such as India and China, where tourism has a high potential. What we have seen in the last quarter is a growth in tourists coming to Canada.

We are proud of Canada. We will promote Canada correctly. We will not do it as badly as the Liberals suggest.

[Government Advertising, May 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, as I just stated in French, Canadians gave us a strong mandate to stay focused on what matters, which is creating jobs and economic growth. That is the first thing. To do that we need to keep an eye on Canada's bottom line. We are taking action to find savings across governments, including the CTC.

The Canadian Tourism Commission will continue to promote Canada as a welcoming four-season destination in the world's most promising tourism markets.

By finding savings across government, we can continue to help create jobs and growth and keep taxes low for Canadians. This is how we create economic growth.

[Government Advertising, May 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the number of tourists in Canada has increased. Since we are talking about the 2013 economic action plan, I would like to quote the Canadian Federation of Independent Business:

Overall, this is a good budget for small business…. [The minister] has done a solid job by remaining on course to eliminate the deficit while announcing some important measures for Canada's entrepreneurs.

That means that, overall, people see the potential for tourism. Spending is targeted. Since the number of tourists continues to increase, the government must be efficient in all areas.

[Agriculture, May 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, the National Research Council of Canada has the capacity to align its research with the needs of the market and industry in order to enhance productivity and competitiveness. This then generates demand and creates high-quality jobs, which translates into economic growth and job creation.

That is what we are doing. We are being falsely accused of cutting research, when this government has invested more than $9 billion of new money since 2007.

Those members over there voted against that, and that is a scientific fact. The math is very easy to understand. They are speaking out of both sides of their mouths.

[Statistics Canada, May 9th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to collecting statistical data while protecting Canadians' privacy, and this is a good principle. We know the survey provides useful and usable data for communities representing 97% of the Canadian population. More Canadians responded to this form than to the previous form. As recently as yesterday, StatsCan said that “at the national, provincial level, all of this information is pretty solid. It's high quality”.