Claude Gravelle

[Young Fundraiser, April 3rd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pride to stand in the House this morning to recognize a young man from my riding of Nickel Belt.

Alexandre Petroski is an 11-year-old boy from the community of Lavigne. In May 2007, Alexandre's cousin passed away from cancer at the Toronto SickKids hospital. Since then, Alexandre has organized several presentations on the SickKids hospital to local schools in Chelmsford, Azilda and Timmins. He has also raised money by shaving his head and through MX for Children, a biking event.

Through those various fundraising efforts, Alexandre has raised a total of $34,000 for the Toronto SickKids hospital.

Alexandre is a young hero and a strong leader. I ask the House to join me in recognizing his hard work for our community and the Toronto SickKids hospital.

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act, April 3rd, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the hon. members for speaking in favour of this bill. It is a very important one and it is a long time in coming. Our party is certainly going to support it.

Private pensions are not portable, and we have a lot of miners, teachers, tradesmen, welders, machinists who go from job to job. Would his party be in favour of supporting portable pensions for private businesses?

[Motions for Papers, April 1st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, this is very important for my community. We do not have anything to hide. Obviously the government does. I therefore ask that these be transferred for debate.

[Business of Supply, March 31st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague from Drummond whether he knows why the Conservative government would not provide CBC/Radio-Canada with temporary funding during these difficult times.

[Business of Supply, March 31st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Drummond for speaking so passionately about the CBC.

In my riding, Nickel Belt, CBC Radio One is losing eight jobs. This affects half the employees. Fortunately up to now, Radio-Canada has not been affected, but, in the long term, it will be.

I know how staff cuts at CBC/Radio-Canada hurt small towns in northern Ontario. I have a lot of relatives in northern Quebec, in small town like Fabre, Ville-Marie and Latulippe.

I would ask the member for Drummond to tell me how these small towns will be affected by the cuts being made today at the CBC.

[Business of Supply, March 31st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is very easy for the government to blame the Liberals and vice versa. I would like a simple answer. The government is helping the auto industry, Canwest and Global, all private enterprises, but it is refusing to help CBC/Radio-Canada, a corporation that belongs to the people of Canada.

So, I would like to know why the Conservative government is not planning to help this Canadian industry during this recession.

[Business of Supply, March 31st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member is quite aware, in many areas of northern Ontario the CBC is the only radio station and TV station available. Eight people in the Sudbury station are being permanently laid off. That is half of the people in that station.

My office has received hundreds of emails and phone calls about these cutbacks in Sudbury, which affects all of northern Ontario.

Does the hon. member think it would be prudent to permit the public broadcaster to save some money in good times?

[Energy Efficiency Act, March 30th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I congratulate my hon. seatmate for her knowledge of Bill S-3. With regard to the fabrication of appliances that are not energy efficient, should they be left up to market forces, or should they be directed by the government to manufacture energy efficient appliances?

[Petitions, March 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present to the House a petition calling on Parliament to reject a Canada-Colombia trade deal until an independent human rights impact assessment is carried out. That the agreement be renegotiated along the principles of fair trade which would take environmental and social impacts fully into account while genuinely respecting labour rights and the rights of all affected parties.

They are deeply concerned with the violence against workers and members of civil society by paramilitaries in Colombia, and the more than 2,200 trade unionists that have been murdered since 1991.

All Canadian trade agreements should be built upon principles of fair trade which fundamentally respect social justice, human justice, labour rights and environmental stewardship.

[Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, March 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, can my colleague from Outremont give us a sense of how many jobs may be affected if this bill passes? Once the Conservative Party is history, as it surely will be one day, does the member think that it will be too late to revive shipbuilding in Canada?