Kadmoos Halabi  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a constituent, a young man tragically taken from us just as he was beginning to make his mark. Kadmoos Halabi was 22 years old, an engineering student at the University of Alberta. Then came the diagnosis: leukemia, something not quite real for someone so young.

Canadian Organ Donor Registry Act  Madam Speaker, as far as reaching out to different areas, from coast to coast to coast, everything we have heard is extremely positive. Everyone said that it was time, that they needed a hero to carry this and take it through. We have been waiting a long time to have a blessing on the federal stage, or someone who will carry this torch through.

Canadian Organ Donor Registry Act  Madam Speaker, actually, there would be no interference. We have a national universal health care system, and each province has its own budget to run its own health care system. What we are proposing is this. We are proposing that the Minister of Health needs to be able to bring all the provinces together, let them coordinate, and let the national registry be mostly utilized in the best interests of the people waiting for organs.

Canadian Organ Donor Registry Act  Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member on the NDP side for his support. It is great to hear. What we were suggesting is that the minister should be able to find the proper mechanism to coordinate all the efforts. We want to make this bill as perfect as it can be, to serve every Canadian waiting in need and to save the 200-plus lives that we are losing every year because proper coordination is not in place.

Canadian Organ Donor Registry Act  moved that Bill C-223, An Act to establish the Canadian Organ Donor Registry and to coordinate and promote organ donation throughout Canada, be read the second time and referred to a committee. Madam Speaker, I wish to speak today in support of my Bill C-223, an act to establish the Canadian organ donor registry and to coordinate and promote organ donation throughout Canada, which I hope will receive support from all members of the House.

Health  Mr. Speaker, more than 200 Canadians die each year waiting for an organ transplant. While 90% of Canadians support organ and tissue donation, less than 25% have made plans to donate. Our organ donation rate is among the world's worst. Yet, one donor can save up to eight lives. Could the Minister of Health assure this House that her government will support my Bill C-223 to establish a Canadian organ donor registry.?

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, that was a very detailed overview of the budget. Anyone can read it in the book. With a very expensive budget for money we do not have, could the member opposite advise us of how many jobs the $30 billion first-year deficit will generate in the Canadian economy?

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, we have a $120-billion investment over 10 years on infrastructure alone, besides the almost $30-billion deficit this coming year. Could the hon. member advise us, based on his background, of how many jobs we can create out of a $120-billion investment in infrastructure?

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I hope that is not a threat from an environmental advocate in the House. I would like to point out that the issue of how much debt we left the country with has been going back and forth for some time. The debt service was $23 million a year from the previous Liberal government, which we had to maintain for nine years.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, two things are flying all over the place. First of all is the misunderstanding, or pretense of misunderstanding, of the definition of the middle class by the Liberal government members throughout their campaign; and they still seem to be on the campaign trail. Second, if we have any understanding of economic indices and economic formulas, we see that the Liberals are going to put the country in debt and increase taxes.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, basically, the Liberals were very successful with their rhetoric. They put in big words. They talked about small families. They talked about taking away from the rich. They talked about all kinds of things. They are taking away more from Canadian families than they are giving to them.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to say that I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Calgary Shepard. We have now been exposed to the finance minister's first budget. It contains no surprises. We all knew that the budget would not balance itself. We all knew that the Prime Minister's campaign promise of a $10-billion deficit was, to use parliamentary language, wishful thinking.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, we have been hearing members on the government side say they want to protect freedom of religion, that they want to be on top of things, and all of that kind of stuff, but it seems like there is a double standard. They want to protect and continue working on religious freedoms, and in the meantime, they shut down the Office of Religious Freedom.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I congratulate my colleague and thank her for outlining Dr. Bennett's role in all areas, including the very significant list of achievements. If the government intends to do more to promote religious freedom and the government has a plan to do so, that would mean there is no financial implication for the office to speak about.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, basically, we are in a world where we all know that religious freedoms are the first to be targeted among other freedoms, all of which have been taken away from people. It is very important that Canada, with its Canadian demographic mix and the multicultural society we live in, plays a fundamental role.