Bruce Hyer

[Oil and Gas Industry, October 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives' lack of a coherent energy strategy is hurting Canada. We eastern Canadians are captive to expensive, insecure, imported oil. We pay a lot for gasoline and home heating oil, especially in northwestern Ontario.

Incredibly, there is more than enough oil produced in western Canada to meet all our needs, but it is exported for much less than eastern Canada pays for foreign oil. That price difference is costing our economy $19 billion a year. The Governor of the Bank of Canada said that it was a major drag on our growth.

We must build a new pipeline to bring western petroleum to the east. Instead, the government wants to bulldoze a route through B.C. to ship raw bitumen to Communist China as fast as possible.

It is time for an energy strategy that takes care of our own energy security, creates value-added jobs in Canada and minds the long-term interests of Canada for a change.

[Political Loans Accountability Act, October 2nd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I agree.

[Petitions, September 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure of presenting petitions from across Ontario concerning the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario.

The petitioners say that closing the world-renowned science facility would jeopardize unique research on lakes, river and fish, cost the government very little money and the world immensely in the long run.

[Foreign Investment, September 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister refused to attend the Beijing Olympics, accusing China of industrial sabotage and deplorable human rights. One of his ministers called China one of the world's worst violators of human rights. Now our PM would allow Chinese communists to scoop our key natural resources. Then, China bad; now, China good.

Will the Prime Minister stand up for democracy and Canadian control over strategic resources and say no to this reckless Nexen deal?

[Petitions, September 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table a petition signed by various Canadians supporting the government providing stable and predictable long-term funding for the CBC to provide regional and national programming, news and cultural programs for linguistic majorities and minorities across Canada.

[The Economy, September 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government has given us the largest trade deficit and the largest budget deficit in Canadian history, stalled economic growth, unemployment well over 8%, youth unemployment double that and now the communist Chinese are allowed to scoop our key resources.

There are 1.4 million unemployed people from St. John's to Thunder Bay to Bella Coola who want to know: When will the Prime Minister rethink his failed economic policies?

[Business of Supply, September 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, various members on the opposition side today have brought forth worrisome facts, including the largest budget deficit in Canadian history; soaring youth unemployment, from a base of 8% to almost 15%; cuts in vital services in northwestern Ontario and rural Canada and all of Canada.

The Conservatives claim that theirs is the party of trade but the TD Bank has publicly been worrying about the $50 billion trade deficit, the biggest trade deficit in 41 years.

Is it not time now to change the name of that economic syndrome from the Dutch disease to the Conservative Canadian disease?

[Petitions, September 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition today from citizens from across northwestern Ontario, including Thunder Bay and Manitouwadge.

They are petitioning the government in the wake of Thunder Bay losing the only stand-alone blood plasma clinic in Canada. They point out that we will now have to import U.S. blood, much of it from paid U.S. donors, which would put the supply at risk.

They are asking the government to take action to protect our blood supply by moving to re-open clinics like the one in Thunder Bay and increasing the supply of plasma from unpaid volunteer Canadian donors.

[Enhancing Royal Canadian Mounted Police Accountability Act, September 19th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the member for Edmonton—Strathcona, as I asked the member for Nanaimo—Cowichan, whether it is perhaps time now, as part of a review, to think about what we really want as a national police force rather than one that also tries to serve many provinces and municipalities in a more day-to-day policing operation.

[Enhancing Royal Canadian Mounted Police Accountability Act, September 19th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am always impressed with the member for Nanaimo—Cowichan. She does her homework. She does good analysis and she has very thoughtful and reflective comments. I basically sometimes wish I lived in Nanaimo and was one of her constituents.

My non sequitur question today is that we have a national police force that is also functioning as a municipal and provincial police force in much of Canada. It clearly needs scrutiny and reorganization. I am wondering if the hon. member shares my feeling that perhaps it is time for us to think about making it a national police force again and have the provinces and municipalities find other ways of doing local and regional policing.