Luc Harvey

[Biofuels, May 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, our government has a consistent green strategy when it comes to biofuels.

The Conservative government's objective for biofuels is equivalent to taking one million vehicles off the road.

In addition to having a positive impact on the environment, biofuel production helps the economy of our regions and gives farming families a source of income.

Contrary to what some people have recently suggested, biofuel production in Canada has no adverse effect on food production. After all, even when we achieve our targets for biofuel production, 95% of Canadian farmland will continue to produce food.

Above and beyond current biofuel production, Canada must become a leader in producing the next generation of biofuels. That is why the Conservative government invested more than $500 million in the development of these new technologies. That is far more than the Bloc Québécois will ever do.

I encourage my Bloc Québécois colleagues to be consistent for once and support Bill C-33, since, after all—

[Point of Order, April 29th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, during debate, the hon. member from Abitibi used very unparliamentary language when referring to one of my colleagues, and I would really like him to withdraw his comments, since there are limits, after all, to what one can say in this House.

[The Bloc Québécois, April 16th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the Bloc is going through an existential crisis. Some members of the party are leaving to rejoin the Parti Québécois, and others are wondering what good they can do as members of a party that will always be in opposition. Despite that, the member for Québec continues to claim that she is improving Canadian federalism.

First it was PQ militants from Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, and now it is writer and ardent sovereignist Victor-Lévy Beaulieu's turn to beg members of the Bloc Québécois, especially their leader, to return home.

More and more Quebeckers are wondering about the Bloc Québécois' record over the past 18 years—yes, it has been 18 years. As it turns out, the Bloc's record is basically a blank page, because the PQ no longer dares mention a referendum, and because under the Conservatives, the country is united and Quebec is getting stronger.

I invite the members of the Bloc to recognize that just being here is not enough and that the words “take action” will never be part of their vocabulary.

[Quebec City Armoury, April 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, Quebec City, a UNESCO designated world heritage site, has just suffered a terrible tragedy. Its historic armoury, an architectural jewel and guardian of the military tradition of the Voltigeurs, the oldest French-speaking unit in the Canadian army, was lost to fire during the night of April 4, 2008.

The armoury was built in 1887 and declared a national historic site in 1986. The loss of the armoury is a very serious matter for this government and we believe that heritage remains a key factor in the management of our nation's affairs.

I would like to commend the remarkable work of the brave firefighters who battled the flames and helped the members of the museum's conservation team ensure the safeguarding of over 90% of the artifacts.

This government recognizes the immeasurable value of this historic armoury and remains committed to action, whose ultimate aim will always be the protection and preservation of our national heritage.

[Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, today, as we commemorate the death of Martin Luther King Jr., we remember. “I have a dream”, he said.

At a time when many people prefer to focus on what sets us apart instead of what brings us together, at a time when many people are being left out in the cold not because they lack qualifications, but because they are the wrong colour or have the wrong name, we need to keep Martin Luther King's dream alive for the good of our country.

Access to work commensurate with a person's qualifications is vital to the development of our society and our country. We all have a personal responsibility to help make this happen.

Mr. Speaker, I too have a dream.

[Point of Order, April 3rd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, during the statement by the hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, a Bloc Québécois member, the hon. member for Montcalm, used unparliamentary language, as usual. He does this quite often. We do not usually bring it up, but today he went too far.

I would like the hon. member for Montcalm to withdraw the remarks he made during the statement by the hon. member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles.

[Liberal Party, April 3rd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, just yesterday we saw the Liberal leader trying everything he could to censor the media that wanted to publish the list of Liberal candidates in Quebec.

Who has something to hide? When asked who authorized this injunction, the Liberal leader replied that it was not him; it was the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party.

The president of the Quebec wing, Robert Fragasso, did not hesitate to contradict him, “With all due respect to my leader, it is simply a matter of reading the action. The plaintiff is clearly the Liberal Party of Canada.”

That hurts my eyes.

Who is the leader of the Liberals if no one is responsible for issuing the injunction? And since when does being publicly acknowledged as a candidate in Quebec ruin a reputation and cause irreparable damage, unless, of course, one is standing as a candidate for the Liberal Party?

I will conclude by saying that, as a Conservative, I am very happy to have a real leader.

[Gerard Kennedy, April 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the new Liberal critic for intergovernmental affairs, Mr. Kennedy, chosen by the party leader, is a perfect example of his party's centrist vision. He seems to have bought fully into the Liberal vision according to which Ottawa is always right, and he wants to impose his way of seeing things on the provinces, even in areas under provincial jurisdiction. For example, during the leadership race, Mr. Kennedy said that the federal government should be involved in education and setting provincial standards.

He said that the government should implement a national learning strategy. He also said that the Liberals should make their objectives known, that provincial governments should be viewed as partners, and that areas under provincial jurisdiction should be subject to standards, just like areas under federal jurisdiction.

Is the Liberal leader's new plan to give the federal government a say in areas that fall under provincial jurisdiction?

[Business of Supply, April 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, earlier, I gave a list of the accomplishments of Conservative members, including those from Quebec. I mentioned UNESCO and the fiscal imbalance, but I could also mention the return of the lands at Mirabel. I could also speak about the Quebec City airport, a matter about which my predecessor from the Bloc did nothing. He too had only a blank page to show. We could also talk about the reopening of the Collège de Saint-Jean. The member for the Bloc was never able to do anything about that. He too has only a blank page to show.

Earlier, in a question I asked, I mentioned that the boss of the Bloc Québécois, Ms. Pauline Marois, talked about the importance of bilingualism and of learning English. Does the hon. member agree with her boss on that?

[Business of Supply, April 1st, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, again today, we have been hearing all kinds of things here. I have been hearing so many unbelievable things that I feel quite disoriented. While people in Europe are typically bilingual and speak a third language to boot, the Bloc Québécois is trying to fix things so that people speak only one.

We have been here for just two years, and in that time, we have resolved the fiscal imbalance and the UNESCO issue, and we invested $350 million in Quebec's green plan. We also resolved the softwood lumber issue.

A few weeks ago, I tried to table the Bloc Québécois' record: a blank sheet of paper. Has anything been added to that over the past few days?