Military Contribution Against ISIL  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank you for the wise words you just said, encouraging us to have a full debate and giving us time to answer questions. I wish I could say that it gives me pleasure to speak to this motion. Unfortunately, I cannot. It is not with pleasure that I rise here.

Electricity Meters  Mr. Speaker, there is growing evidence that wireless technology may be detrimental to our health and that the current Safety Code 6 is outdated. In this regard, I would like to thank my colleague from Oakville for introducing Bill C-648, which would require health warning labels on wireless devices.

Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. The answer is no. As I said in my speech, we have seen the same thing with a number of bills. The government wants to change the policy but does not allocate the necessary resources. It wants to send our soldiers to war, but there are no resources to give them the help they need when they return.

Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act  Mr. Speaker, I agree with intent of the question. The fact is that we have existing laws and if we add a third or fourth law, it does not mean the problem will go away. I would like to share with the member an experience I had last week. I was driving in my riding and saw a hitchhiker with a big knapsack on his back, rings in his nose and tattoos, and decided to give this guy a ride.

Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act  Mr. Speaker, in preparing for this brief speech I was not exactly sure how I wanted to begin. However, after reading my background notes I am left to wonder why this piece of legislation has even been introduced. It is becoming evident to me that the current Conservative government really is not interested in making Canada a better place in which to live.

Anti-terrorism Act, 2015  Mr. Speaker, one would think that when we had a new perceived or real threat, we would do our homework. One would think we would look at the existing legislation to see what was working and what was not. One would think we would look at the resources that should be there, and if they were not there, one would think a responsible government would add additional resources, using the current system we have.

Anti-terrorism Act, 2015  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her comments. It is good that she had a chance to make them. I agree. I have been going through all sorts of papers over the last few weeks. One of the common themes is that there is not this oversight. One of the common themes is that the bill would grant power without having careful control.

Anti-terrorism Act, 2015  Mr. Speaker, let me start by saying how proud I am of our leader and our party for taking a principled stand against this flawed piece of legislation. As I move closer to retirement, I have been reflecting on my past nine years here in Ottawa. I often think about all those individuals, not only in my riding but right across this country, who are deeply committed to the cause of social justice.

Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015  Mr. Speaker, as we have seen in the press, former CSIS officer François Lavigne is alarmed by the Conservative government's new bill and believes that the measures proposed are unnecessary and a threat to the rights of Canadians. We know that CSIS was created in 1984. Prior to that, the RCMP was engaged in illegal activities, and the result was the McDonald Commission, which then created CSIS.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions. The first petition is from over 70 residents of Rossland and Trail, also from Alberta and Ontario, who call on Parliament to refrain from making changes to the Seeds Act and to ensure that we enshrine in legislation the inalienable rights of farmers and other Canadians to save, reuse, select, exchange and sell seeds.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the second petition has over 250 names from Nelson, Grand Forks, Midway, Greenwood, Rossland, Trail, and surrounding areas. The petitioners call on the government to adopt international aid policies that support small family farmers, especially women, that recognize their vital role in the struggle against hunger and poverty, that ensure Canadian policies and programs are developed in consultation with small family farmers and that they protect their rights in the global south to preserve, use and freely exchange seeds.

West Kootenay Regional Airport  Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to see an update in the Castlegar News on our West Kootenay Regional Airport. A big thanks goes to to city councillor Florio Vassilakakis for explaining the regional navigation performance system necessary to upgrade our airport. Due to our narrow valley and low cloud ceiling, we experience more than our share of cancellations and delays.

Nááts’ihch’oh National Park Reserve Act  Mr. Speaker, the question is a logical one. However, I think we often tend to make decisions based on short-term gain in our country. Here we need to look at the long-term gain, the long-term potential of pristine areas. That is why I would like to submit that this park that Bill S-5 represents is smaller than the people normally would have wanted it to be because of the pressure from the mining industry.

Nááts’ihch’oh National Park Reserve Act  Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank my colleague from Sherbrooke for his question. It is obviously important to protect certain places in our country for the future. I want to emphasize what I said in my speech. In my opinion, the best way of protecting them is to create a national park.

Nááts’ihch’oh National Park Reserve Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak in support of Bill S-5. As has already been said in the House, the NDP supports the creation of national parks and the preservation of ecosystems and habitats that are essential to the survival of plants and wildlife. Consultations revealed that the public overwhelmingly supported creating a bigger park.