Glenn Thibeault

[Luc Baronette, November 27th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to House of Commons security constable Luc Baronette, who lost his battle with brain cancer this past Friday.

To his spouse, Nicole, his four-year-old daughter, Adele, and his other daughter, Danika, who will be two at Christmas, our deepest sympathies. Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them at this time.

Luc was 33 years old and was from Sudbury. He was a 12-year veteran of the security services here on the Hill and competently moved through the ranks throughout his career. His friends tell me he was a special character who could light up a room with his laugh and that he enjoyed golfing, fishing, hockey, motorcycles—well, anything that burned gasoline, for that matter. He had a sense of humour like no other, and his love for his friends, colleagues, and family had no boundaries.

Luc was a volunteer firefighter. He worked with our seniors and had a special affiliation with our war veterans.

On behalf of all parliamentarians, again, we offer our condolences to Luc's family. Luc will be missed.

[Navigable Waters Protection Act, November 21st, 2013]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-554, An Act to amend the Navigable Waters Protection Act (Minnow Lake and other lakes and waterways).

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to introduce the bill, a bill to protect many of Sudbury's waterways.

Following extensive public consultations this fall and this past summer, I am happy to introduce the bill to protect many of the lakes and rivers removed from environmental protection following the Conservatives' gutting of the Navigable Waters Protection Act.

This past summer and into the fall, I solicited feedback from constituents regarding which lakes and rivers in Sudbury they thought should be brought back under a proper environmental protection framework. This legislation is the culmination of a large number of suggestions being submitted to my office, and it reflects the will of my community.

The bill lists 19 separate waterways for reinclusion on the list of protected waterways in Canada. These include Junction Creek, the Vermilion River, Ramsay Lake, Minnow Lake, and Lake Laurentian, just to name a few.

Environmental considerations should not take a back seat to economic concerns, and with the removal of restrictions over development projects crossing waterways, Sudbury's lakes and rivers have been left vulnerable to environmental upheaval.

I am proud to say that my bill is the 27th bill introduced as part of an NDP campaign to protect waterways across Canada.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Broadcasting Act, November 19th, 2013]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-552, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act (sports blackouts).

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to introduce my bill today that would ban television blackouts for live sporting events held in venues constructed with the use of public financing. Blackouts are broadcasting restrictions imposed by broadcasters, professional sports teams, and leagues.

With this being Grey Cup week, it would be great to see Canadians from coast to coast to coast gather around their television sets to cheer on their respective teams. Sorry, Mr. Speaker, go Ticats, go.

Whether it is the NHL or CFL footfall, Canadians have tended to support the use of public money for the construction of stadiums and arenas to house professional sports franchises. All Canadian Football League games on TSN are subject to local blackouts. Edmonton Eskimo home games are not broadcast in Edmonton or the immediate surrounding area, to ensure that fans buy tickets. In the case of the Saskatchewan Roughriders home games, the blackout zone covers the entire province of Saskatchewan, largely because the team relies more on the whole province for support.

However, these stadiums did receive some public funds. With that, it is only fair that leagues offer some reciprocity and allow fans to watch the games on television without the threat of local or regional blackouts.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Housing, October 31st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, this morning, two low-income families that received support from the Native People of Sudbury Development Corporation will be forced from their homes, through the fault of the current government. The subsidy provided by the federal housing program is ending. In the next two years, as many as 900 other families in my riding alone will be put in the same position.

Would the government work with this group in Sudbury to prevent this tragedy from happening?

[Hockey, October 31st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the return of men's hockey at Laurentian University after a 14-year hiatus and the launch of women's hockey for the first time. Sport brings people together and reflects many of the values that our country holds dear.

I had the opportunity to attend with my daughter the LU men's home opener this past weekend, and it was clear that the university's goal of bringing the community together had been a tremendous success with a completely sold out arena, a usual occurrence this year.

As I looked around the crowd, I could see young and old enjoying the game and I was filled with a sense of pride for my community and my university.

I also want to thank Laurentian University for its academic leadership. Laurentian is working on its second campus in Barrie. My colleague across the floor, the MP for Barrie, is lucky to have such a great university partner in his community as well. At least now on a few occasions we can cheer for the same team.

With that, I would like to say: Go Voyageurs Go.

[Economic Action Plan 2013 Act No. 2, October 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his participation in the debate today. He always brings forward a very good presentation. I may not always agree with everything he is saying, but he does bring forward a good presentation.

The member was talking a lot about economic growth and jobs, and I know we hear that from that side of the House all the time, and one of the interesting points was that the economy is still fragile. So with all of that being said, talking about the economy, about jobs and about a fragile economy, it makes me scratch my head and wonder why, in a budget bill, we are talking about reducing the number of members on the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. Why, in a budget bill, are we talking about changes to the Supreme Court Act? Why are we seeing 70 pieces of legislation changing, in over 300 pages, in a budget bill? Maybe the hon. member can answer that for me, because on this side of the House we do not understand how all those issues correlate.

[Economic Action Plan 2013 Act No. 2, October 29th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague talked about the umbrella when she talked about the things the government has been doing. I wonder if she could explain to us whether this umbrella includes the amendments to or repeals of 70 pieces of legislation in over 300 pages in this omnibus budget bill.

The bill would strip health and safety officers of their powers and put nearly all of these powers in the hands of the minister, significantly weakening the ability of employees to refuse work in unsafe conditions. It would move to eliminate binding arbitration as a method to resolve disputes in the public service. It would gut Canada's most scientific research institute, the NRC. It would reduce the number of members on the veterans review board. It would makes changes to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Are these the things the umbrella is including? They are right now in this budget bill. We on this side of the House cannot figure out why they would be in a budget bill. Maybe she could explain that. Are they under the umbrella?

[Financial Institutions, October 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, retailers and consumers alike were hoping for more in the throne speech about making life more affordable, but the speech had no such plan.

It is not just the NDP asking for action. The Retail Council of Canada is also saying the throne speech fell short. The so-called voluntary code is toothless. We are still seeing things like merchant credit card fees increase. These fees are hurting Canadian businesses.

When will the minister commit to mandatory regulations to help small businesses and reduce these high-cost fees?

[Consumer Protection, October 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, those are more hollow words for consumers. If they are looking for some more good ideas on how to protect consumers, they should check out www.ndp.ca and the affordability campaign.

The Conservatives' lack of commitment has been made very clear by seven years of talk and no action. Canadians are working hard to make ends meet, and they are tired of being squeezed out of every last cent. Conservatives even voted against the motion to protect consumers from abuse by credit card companies.

Why are Conservatives cherry-picking which Canadian consumer they will help?

[Consumer Protection, October 17th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, while I am happy the Conservatives decided to steal some of the NDP's good consumer protection ideas, unfortunately they missed some of our best stuff.

Canadians are being gouged by credit card companies and banks, often charged excessive fees. Air passengers are often left unprotected. Yet the Conservatives ignored all those consumers.

Will they act now to tighten regulations and better protect Canadian families, or are the Conservatives still too scared to stand up to banks, credit card companies and airline lobbyists?