Anthony Rota

[Yolande Bélanger, February 13th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to Yolande Bélanger, who is celebrating 34 years of service at the Sainte-Anne parish in Mattawa.

Ms. Bélanger initiated a French language choral group. She worked for the mill for a long time and is a valued member of the Fédération des femmes canadiennes françaises. Above all, she has always defended francophone rights and culture in Mattawa and throughout Ontario.

It is thanks in large part to the efforts of Yolande Bélanger that Mattawa now has a French language secondary school. Ms. Bélanger, the mother of our esteemed colleague, the hon. member for Ottawa—Vanier, just celebrated her 82nd birthday.

On behalf of the people of Nipissing—Timiskaming, I want to thank Yolande Bélanger for all the work she has done over the years in her parish and its surroundings. Happy retirement Yolande, you deserve it.

[Paul Harris Fellowship Award, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I stand today to congratulate a dedicated group of volunteers in my riding of Nipissing—Timiskaming.

Earlier this week, Joanne Comerford, Janet Comerford and Eric Magill were each presented with the Paul Harris Fellowship Awards by the Rotary Club of Nipissing. The Paul Harris Fellowship Award is handed out annually to recognize volunteers for their long time contributions to our community.

Twin sisters, Joanne and Janet Comerford have spent years volunteering for the North Bay Capital Centre and have also assisted in various Lake Nipissing waterfront initiatives. Eric Magill's accomplishments include working with Scouts Canada, the TB Association, Near North Crime Stoppers and the Shriners Club.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of any society and those three have dedicated countless hours to making their community one that we can all be proud of.

On behalf of the people of Nipissing, I would like to thank Joanne, Janet and Eric for their outstanding volunteer work. I hope they keep up the good work.

[Carnaval des Compagnons, February 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, today I want to tell you about the largest francophone festival outside Quebec. The Carnaval des Compagnons is an annual festival in North Bay and this year it is being held from February 9 to 18.

When a few people got together in 1963 to think about ways to bring together the francophone community in my riding and to organize fundraisers, little did they know they were creating such a large-scale event.

For 10 days in a row there are all sorts of shows, sporting events, plays, traditional meals and a wide range of family activities. For many, the centrepiece of the carnival is Bonhomme Carnaval, the mascot of the event, whose identity is never revealed until the last day.

The North Bay Carnaval des Compagnons is a magnificent festival that celebrates francophone culture. I want to congratulate the organizers and encourage my parliamentary colleagues and all Canadians to put on their toques and mittens and come enjoy the carnival.

[Business of Supply, February 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentioned that we all have to be engaged. When I hear that, I turn to low income Canadians.

In the past we had programs such as EnerGuide that not only helped save precious little income that lower income Canadians have but it helped them promote good health because of the health of the home and it allowed them to live in the dignity of their own home. The added bonus it seems was the reduction of greenhouse gases.

I was hoping that the hon. member could give a little more detail and comment on how lower income Canadians have been abandoned with the introduction of, for lack of a better word, what I would call Liberal-like programs introduced by the Conservative Party.

[The Environment, January 31st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, once again, they are not answering the question.

While the scientific community is calling on world leaders to take action against climate change, the Prime Minister said: “Kyoto is designed to address the so-called 'greenhouse gas' phenomenon, the hypothesis that the increase of certain gases contributes to a long-term global warming trend”.

Will the Prime Minister admit he was wrong when he made that statement or will he continue to mislead the public?

[Petitions, December 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, third, I wish to present a petition on behalf of the residents of Nipissing--Timiskaming who are calling upon the government to take all measures necessary to raise the age of consent from 14 to 16 years of age.

I respectfully submit these petitions to the Clerk of the House.

[Petitions, December 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition I wish to present is on behalf of residents of my riding who are calling upon Parliament to amend the Income Tax Act in order to permit a pension from a registered pension fund to be split between spouses.

[Petitions, December 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present several petitions.

The first is on behalf of residents of northern Ontario who are calling on Parliament to ensure lifetime surveillance and containment of released sex offenders as well as stricter penalties for violent behaviour against infants, toddlers and children.

[RCMP Commissioner, December 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are being asked to swallow a buffet of nonsense on this issue. Not only that, even after the commissioner discussed his desire to correct the public record on such a sensitive matter, the minister expects Canadians to believe he did not ask what needed to be corrected and why.

How on earth could the commissioner hold the confidence of this government through all this, if the minister had done his job?

[RCMP Commissioner, December 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Canadian Press reported that three ministers, including the Minister of Public Safety, had asked the Prime Minister to fire the RCMP commissioner earlier this fall.

Furthermore, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Foreign Affairs refuse to comment on the matter.

Was the Prime Minister pressured by his ministers to fire Mr. Zaccardelli, yes or no?