House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2006, with 45% of the vote.
Fisheries and Oceans October 18th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, I will gladly answer. I would ask my colleague from Newfoundland and Labrador if he would talk to his friends and aboriginal families across the country, including the chiefs of many of the groups across this great country. He should ask them what they think of the performance of this minister and the work we are doing with them to make sure that we have a part as we move forward in the fisheries of this country.
Fisheries and Oceans October 18th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, I asked the member who ducked away from supporting our committee to go to Newfoundland so that we could hear what the people had to say and that we made the proper decisions in relation to the fishery.
The biggest problem we have in Newfoundland is an oversupply of one fish. It is called the shrimp.
Fisheries and Oceans October 18th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know and does know that he should not be reading NDP published press releases because what he is talking about are interim figures that are tabled that have no reality to the budget that will be presented next spring.
Our budget will not be cut. We are in the process of helping people, not hurting them. They had enough of that in years past.
The Environment October 6th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, the commitments of this government were quite clear. We have lived up to every commitment we have made.
When the time comes, I will say for my hon. colleagues, they will see legislation tabled of which all of them should be very proud, because instead of reacting and spending billions of dollars to get nowhere, we are developing a plan, an approach and an agenda with the stakeholders in this country which will be legitimate, which will be solid and which will deliver results.
The Environment October 6th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, the hon. members have been complaining all morning about nothing happening in relation to climate change. They know full well that in order to change this country in relation to our environmental structures, after having taken over from the party opposite, it takes time, it takes planning and, most of all, it takes consultation with the stakeholders involved.
The minister has met with several of them and is continuing to meet with them. That is the how we put together a long term plan that is supported by the partners in this country.
The Environment October 6th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, I fully understand that and we all fully understand that. There is certainly no need at all for the Liberals to buy hot air because they have plenty of it as it is.
The Environment October 6th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, everybody is well aware of the role that Canada plays at the UN. In fact, Canada is one of the most respected countries there.
During this present week, a number of environmental issues are being discussed, certainly one of which is dealing with bottom trawling. One will find that, like any other environmental issue, Canada is front and foremost with a very sensible and sound approach that is supported by most of the nations in the world.
The Environment October 6th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, it just shows how far out of touch the hon. members really are. Of course we do not wait for new legislation to act. If they followed what the minister was doing, they would see improvements every day.
What we need legislation for is to have a concrete framework that cannot be changed by hon. members opposite should they ever, 20 years from now, get into power again.
The Environment October 6th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of good legislation in this country but we also have a lot of legislation that just does not work.
The government will soon be tabling a new bill and perhaps the member will wait until then to ensure, collectively, with all his colleagues in the House, we can pass good legislation that will do the job that the Liberals failed to do in 13 years.
The Environment October 6th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, let us see what the environment commissioner said. She actually said:
It has become more and more obvious that Canada cannot meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, instead of decreasing, greenhouse gas emissions in Canada have increased by twenty-seven percent [during the term that these people were in power].
In 13 years from now, I think we will have a much cleaner environment in this country thanks to the present environment minister.