Eugène Bellemare

[Member for Ottawa--Orléans, May 13th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, allow me to say farewell to you today. I will be leaving my seat in the House of Commons shortly, at the next election.

I thank the constituents of Ottawa—Orléans for having permitted me to represent and serve them in Parliament, by electing me four times in a row, starting in 1988, then in 1993, 1997 and the year 2000.

I will miss this House, its debates, its committees and its members greatly. It was a pleasure to serve on various committees at various times, be it as vice-chair of government operations, industry or human resources, or as member of the Committee on Official Languages or the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

I acknowledge all the members from both sides of the House who have shown me that they are committed to the well-being of all Canadians. I thank my late wife Roberte, who passed away in 2002, for her unqualified support during all those years, as well as my four children, Liette, Michel, Martine and Josée, not to mention my sons-in-law, Louis and Gary, and my daughter-in-law, Nathalie, and my loyal staff.

God bless you all. I wish you every happiness. Long live Canada.

[Competitiveness, May 7th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, on May 4, the Institute for Management Development ranked Canada third in the world in terms of competitiveness for this year. Canada has moved up three places since 2003, when we were ranked sixth.

Our government's good management has something to do with it. Our budgetary prudence, debt reduction and our support for our researchers and research infrastructure have contributed to this success.

I am happy to say that the efforts we have made over the past few years have borne fruit. At the end of the day, all Canadians will benefit from this.

[Arts and Culture, April 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, today is World Book and Copyright Day and on April 26 it will be World Intellectual Property Day. These are two excellent opportunities to celebrate the contributions of all the Canadian creators who enrich our daily lives.

World Book and Copyright Day was created to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright.

World Intellectual Property Day serves as a reminder to promote and teach the importance of intellectual property as a tool for economic and cultural development. This year the theme is “Encouraging Creativity”.

I encourage all Canadians to show their appreciation for the talent and passion that all creators invest in their works to enhance our cultural experience.

[Health, April 22nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the future of our health care system, that symbol of our Canadian identity, is the number one priority for Canadians.

My question is for the Minister of Health. The minister has given more details on the plan for partnership with the provinces and the renewal of Canada's health care system. In light of the 2000 and 2003 agreements, can he explain how and why he believes a lasting agreement can be reached this summer?

[Health, April 22nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that the future of our health care system—

[Wilbert Keon, March 31st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to salute one of Canada's top visionaries and top cardiologist.

Dr. Wilbert Keon is the heart and soul of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Dr. Keon saved my life in 1996 when he performed emergency triple bypass surgery on me.

As a surgeon, a senator, a builder and an administrator, he consistently put people first.

Tomorrow, Dr. Keon hands over the reins of the internationally reputed Ottawa Heart Institute. It is a day that he will leave others to continue in his footsteps to continue to build on the research and administration of one of the world's top heart institutes.

The heart institute provides extraordinary care to Canadians, and does so in the country's two official languages.

[Public Service, March 25th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I asked a question of the President of the Treasury Board on Tuesday concerning the government's expenditure review program.

The minister did not answer my question. The morale of our career public servants is important for me and they deserve a clear answer. I will ask the minister once again. Does the government's expenditure review mean job cuts in the public service?

[Public Service, March 23rd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board.

He will recall that the government's program review, which took place in the mid-1990s, meant significant job cuts. Approximately 55,000 public service jobs were either cut or transferred to agencies. Recently the government announced that there would now be an expenditure review. This risks undermining the morale of the public service if not clarified.

Will this expenditure review be another unwanted job cutting exercise in the public service?

[Public Service, March 12th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend the thousands of career federal public servants for their commitment and dedication to public service.

We rely on our public servants for services, security, protection, justice, inspection of food and pharmaceutical products, passports, pension cheques and health research, just to name a few.

Public servants are highly trained people who care and who are devoted to serving Canadians in the various facets of their lives. Whenever or wherever the system breaks down in such a huge organization, we often forget about public servants who make sure that the system is fixed and that the Canadian public is well served.

To all federal public servants, I wish to thank them for choosing a career in the public service, and for their dedication and professionalism.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, February 27th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, two reports of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association. The first report is from the official delegation that represented Canada at the Transatlantic Parliamentary Forum held in the United States on December 8 and 9, 2003, and the second concerns the visit of the Defence and Security Commission of the NATO Parliamentary Association to the United States, from January 26 to 30, 2004.