David Collenette

[Transportation, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am unaware of the contents of this e-mail, but I have such great respect for my colleague from the NDP, having been in the House with him for many years, that I assume what he says is accurate.

If that is the case, it is not only totally unacceptable, it is obscene, and I will go directly to the chair and the president of Canadian National Railway. This is a great Canadian institution, one of the best railways in North America, and we should not apologize for being Canadian.

[Infrastructure, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, it has been the government's policy to invest rather heavily in urban infrastructure over the last number of years. My colleague, the member for Etobicoke Centre, also from Toronto, is leading the effort with Infrastructure Canada. I think we have done a very commendable job.

The Prime Minister reiterated his commitment in a speech given earlier this week. I have no doubt that this commitment to the urban agenda will continue once we have a new Liberal leader.

[Voyageur Colonial Pension Fund, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, this line of questioning is being repeated on a daily basis. One can only conclude that the members of the Alliance Party are so upset perhaps at the prospect of the former minister of finance taking over the Liberal leadership that they want to attack his integrity. I think Canadians can see through that for what it really is.

[Voyageur Colonial Pension Fund, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, it is true the government has a duty to pensioners and OSFI fulfills that. But the opposition members also have a duty to ask questions in the House that are relevant and that are of the highest integrity. To come here day in and day out and condemn the former minister of finance is totally unacceptable.

[Voyageur Colonial Pension Fund, September 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I think the Prime Minister has answered this question rather well in the last few days. The fact is that OSFI, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, is a quasi-independent agency under the auspices of the Minister of Finance. However, all of the dealings for OSFI were assigned by the former minister of finance to the secretary of state for financial institutions and at that time I believe it was the member for Willowdale.

There has been no impropriety in the way this case has been handled.

[Viking Millennium Celebration, June 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I know that you are very fair and you have probably allowed more latitude to the opposition within the rules to ask these spurious questions, but I can categorically tell you, Mr. Speaker, that the minister for ACOA is supported by all members on this side of the House, including the Prime Minister, and I reject any allegations made by the hon. members opposite.

[Public Service, June 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have just said that we will bring this to the attention of the President of the Treasury Board, but I think everyone in this country knows that we have the most multicultural, multiracial society on earth where we all live together in harmony, and that must be reflected in all aspects of society.

This certainly will be brought to the attention of the President of the Treasury Board.

[Public Service, June 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has raised this kind of question before and certainly, as he portrays it, there are some troubling aspects to what he is saying. I will certainly bring it to the attention of the President of the Treasury Board.

[Health, June 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, thank God the hon. member does not represent a constituency in Toronto because all we would get is this kind of negative rhetoric.

The fact is that the members of Parliament from the greater Toronto area have been in the forefront in helping deal with this particular issue. There have been announcements from the Minister of Industry, from the Minister of Human Resources Development, from the Prime Minister and from the Minister of Health. We are all pulling together to deal with this difficult problem.

I would say to the hon. member that perhaps she should take a summer break away from politicizing something that is a crisis, not just for Toronto but for all of Canada.

[Health, June 13th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, if anyone is asleep it is the hon. member for not knowing the great work that has been done by Health Canada, Human Resources Canada, the Minister of Industry and other departments in assisting with this very difficult problem.

The opposition seems to want to politicize something that is a terrible crisis in the same way that it is doing with mad cow.

We have to work together as Canadians to deal with these problems. The federal government has been working since day one with the Ontario government and giving it every support.