Criminal Code  Apparently he was quite close to Mike Harris and it is even said that the Minister of the Environment has three idols: Brian Mulroney, Mike Harris and Stephen Harper. I hope he remembers that when we look at the Harris government's record on francophones outside Quebec, there was the issue of the Montfort hospital. The hon. member, chair of the caucus, had to get funding.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, once again, the minister has answered the question. CIDA has many processes to ensure that our money is properly spent. The Auditor General audits all government departments.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, the last time we had a debate on Afghanistan here, the leader of the Bloc complained that the debate was too short. Now he is complaining that the debate is too long, even though it has not yet begun. We intend to give the members of the Bloc and the other parties ample time to debate this very important issue.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, during the last two years, while the Liberal Party completely reversed itself and decided we should suddenly pull out of Afghanistan, the government was working with our allies to strengthen that mission. We have seen important contributions from many countries, including an additional contribution from Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, the government will soon introduce a motion to extend the mission in Afghanistan. The motion will set out the important conditions that we want from NATO. I hope that this motion will be the subject of debate not only here in the House but also in the committees. I encourage the Bloc members and other opposition members to take the time to study the Manley report in their parliamentary committees in the weeks to come.

Community Development  Mr. Speaker, in January the government made an important announcement of a $1 billion fund, which is important for Canadian communities and workers. We said that we needed budgetary approval. We also, when the House returned, offered to the opposition the possibility of passing this earlier, which all parties of the House did earlier this week.

Health  Mr. Speaker, this potential isotope crisis was very serious for the health system. That is why the government took action with the support of all parties in this House. This is an important matter affecting the health of Canadians. I regret that later, when the Leader of the Opposition returned abroad, they decided to change their position.

Fair Representation Act  Although this issue is very relevant, it is not addressed in the bill. The logic behind the concept of “community of interest” becomes clear when we look at the issue from that perspective. The needs, concerns and realities of the residents in the riding of the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay are certainly not the same as those of the residents in the riding of the hon. member for Hamilton Mountain.

Business of Supply  According to the report, the 2003 initiative suffered from an inherent flaw: the absence of clear performance indicators and accountability mechanisms. Part 5 of the commissioner's report reads in part, “It's not clear who is ultimately accountable for the safety of drinking water”.

Canadian Heritage committee  Make it clear what you expect of us and then, as long as you're satisfied that we know what we're doing, let us do it.

Manufacturing and Forestry Industries  Mr. Speaker, our government is so unlike the opposition. We are in a balanced position thanks to tax cuts, debt reduction and investment in a number of programs and measures to help the economy. We just passed a $1 billion measure. It is easy for the Bloc Québécois to say, “We want $8 billion or $50 billion”.

Community Development  Mr. Speaker, I did not hear a question. What I did hear and what I always hear from the leader of the Liberal Party is that no matter what we do, the Liberals are against it. Whether it is reducing taxes or paying down debt, they are against it. When it is spending money, it is always not enough, not enough, and they always want to spend more money.

Manufacturing and Forestry Industries  Mr. Speaker, last fall, our government helped the manufacturing sector to the tune of $8 billion by lowering taxes. Here in the House of Commons, we have just allocated another $1 billion to help these struggling sectors, as we promised to do in the Speech from the Throne. Unfortunately, the Bloc Québécois voted against the Speech from the Throne and our promise.

Community Development  Mr. Speaker, as I said last week, the government has made an important announcement with the community development trust. We made important announcements both in New Brunswick and in Saskatchewan. This is something that we promised in our throne speech. I know that the party opposite opposed it, but it is something that we promised and were determined to act upon.

Community Development  Mr. Speaker, I must remind the Leader of the Opposition that when we announced the community development trust a month ago, the House of Commons was not sitting. That is why we were unable to adopt these measures. Nonetheless, when the House came back, I indicated that the government wanted to adopt these measures.