Loyola Hearn

[Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, June 14th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, when we are talking about foolish questions, certainly that is one. The member knows full well that members do not have to register to ask for money from ACOA.

Just this morning I announced a grant of $243,000 for a Newfoundland riding, the riding held by the member for Random—Burin—St. George's. I do not hear anyone complaining about that.

[Fisheries, June 12th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the one thing the hon. member should know, if he were on the committee as long as I was, which he was, is that the retirement package will come under the minister responsible for employment. Consequently, that minister will decide when and if a retirement package will be put in place.

The government has already committed to look at the plight of the older worker, which was a request from members on this side and our friends in the Bloc. I have not heard too much coming from that side to help the older workers or to help the industry in which they work.

[Employment, June 9th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, those people can twist and turn comments any way they like. The truth of the matter is that Canadians move right across this country. In Atlantic Canada we welcomed people from the west who brought expertise to work in our oil field. They welcome us to go out there and find good jobs. People can even move back and forth, work for a few weeks, then come home for a few weeks, and keep their families where they live.

This is a good policy of moving around our country. In order to build this country, we should build it with Canadians. We do not discriminate against Canadians because of which coast they live on.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 7th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, let me tell the member that any commitments we made during the election campaign, if he is using his checklist like the rest of those members, will be fulfilled, and that commitment, like all the others, will be fulfilled in time.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 7th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I think I just did that. I agree with the member that the integrity of the program must be protected. The only thing that really bothers me is that we need to have observers and monitors in the first place which brings an added cost down to the fisherman. The only reason we have that is to ensure our fishermen live by the rules. If we can ever get to the day when people will fish according to the rules we will not want any of these.

[Fisheries and Oceans, June 7th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, this program was initiated by the former government. We put the brakes on it because I believe, as the member believes, that observers on the boat should be independent. If they are controlled by the boat owner it is quite often who pays the piper calls the tune.

[Fisheries, June 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, let me tell the George Baker wannabe who floundered around on his first question that last year we brought the standing committee to Newfoundland to get input from the people so that a sound decision could be made.

That very member walked out of the committee meeting to try to scuttle bringing the committee to the province and to let the Liberal Party send in its goons. The only thing was that one of the goons was a good goon and he supported us. We went to Newfoundland and got the information we needed and we will make the decision at the appropriate time.

[Fisheries, June 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if there is a question, but I think I know what the hon. gentleman is saying.

I will just let him know from the position where I sit that we had a program for taking older workers out of the fishery. Many of the fishermen could not retire because they would lose their investment due to no break in capital gains.

We brought in a program that his government did not. The funny thing about it is that older fishermen can now retire, sell off their enterprises and not have a clawback by government.

The question I would ask is this: why did the hon. gentleman not support it?

[Fisheries, May 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, first, I thank the hon. member for the work he has done on this file over the last two or three years.

When we talk about fisheries, we talk about the Atlantic, the Pacific and the north. Quite often we forget we have a major fishery in the Great Lakes. One of the enemies is the invasive species such as the sea lamprey.

We continue to work with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the joint United States-Canadian group, to combat the problem. It has done a great job. This year we will spend over $8 million on it.

[Fisheries, May 18th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the member has been reading my notes and speeches undoubtedly. The fish in our waters is a common property resource owned by the people of Canada and should be caught by Canadians and processed for the people of this country, not for the benefit of any other country. The companies that have quotas, or the individuals who have quotas, will catch it and use it for the benefit of our people or they will not catch it at all.