Bruce Hyer

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 14th, 2009]

With respect to the 28 federal departments that spent more than $15 million to purchase and provide single-use water bottles and water coolers between the 2003-2004 and 2007-2008 fiscal years: (a) what was the total government expenditures for bottled water contracts in facilities where access to safe drinking water was readily available; and (b) with respect to the above figures, how much was spent by each of the 28 departments?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 14th, 2009]

What is the total amount of government funding, since fiscal year 2004-2005 up to and including the current fiscal year, allocated within the constituency of Thunder Bay—Superior North, listing each department or agency, initiative, and amount?

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 14th, 2009]

With regards to passenger rail in Northern Ontario: (a) have there been any proposals, initiatives, reports or studies on expanding service to Thunder Bay since 1990; (b) what is the estimated cost of expanding service to Thunder Bay; (c) what would be the estimated boost in ridership with extension to Thunder Bay; (d) what is the total cost of current Via Rail operations in the region; (e) what is the total revenue from the region; (f) what capital assets are owned in the region; and (g) what is the proportion of freight traffic to passenger traffic in the region?

[Petitions, June 16th, 2009]

The second petition, Mr. Speaker, is on behalf of residents of Port Arthur and Thunder Bay. It encourages the government to provide adequate local postal service there.

Canada Post has a long tradition of service in Port Arthur, opening its first post office in 1882, but early this year the last postal outlet was closed, leaving downtown Port Arthur stranded.

Residents and business people have had to travel far for basic postal services. Many local residents are mobility impaired, do not have cars or have to mail large packages too cumbersome to take on the bus. It is time for postal service to be restored.

This petition calls on the Government of Canada to instruct Canada Post to immediately reopen a full service Canada Post outlet or post office in downtown Port Arthur.

[Petitions, June 16th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to present two petitions signed by the people in my riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North.

The first one is from over 500 citizens who are concerned that the recent cuts to the CBC will endanger more services and the long-term viability of our national broadcaster. The CBC plays an absolutely vital role in providing northwestern Ontario with a voice through which we are able to express our ideas, concerns and opinions.

In northwestern Ontario, as with many other areas across Canada, we rely on the CBC also to provide a sense of connection for those of us who reside in remote and isolated communities and locations.

[National Marine Conservation Areas, June 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the new national marine conservation area on the spectacular north shore of Lake Superior is a good news story. Our Prime Minister should be congratulated for helping to create what will soon be the largest freshwater marine protected area in the world.

However, more is needed before communities like Terrace Bay, Schreiber, Pays Plat, Rossport, Nipigon and Red Rock can benefit fully from the tourism potential. We need access points to the lake, safe harbours, scenic lookouts and rest stops along the highway, and stable funding for economic development offices in these towns.

A visitor centre is a high priority, as is a research facility that will help us to learn about our boreal watersheds and protecting the integrity of our great lake.

I salute all those who made this a win-win for both tourism and the environment, but urge the government that the work is not yet done.

[Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, June 4th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I was very impressed with the eloquent argument as to why mandatory minimum sentences make this such a bad bill.

Even if it is one-third bad, a bad bill is a bad bill. I assume and hope that the hon. member for Scarborough—Rouge River will be voting against the bill and persuading his brethren to vote against it.

My question to him will build on his metaphor about the king and the neo-feudalism here. We have a Conservative Party which, through NAFTA and softwood lumber and other bad budget decisions, has destroyed much of our industrial base, our economic base, jobs, families and communities. The Conservatives have failed to help those unemployed persons through EI or other support systems and have driven those poor people into using or selling drugs.

Now, rather than investing in prevention, harm reduction or treatment for those unfortunate people, they want to force more of those impoverished desperate people into jails at a cost to the taxpayers of $72,000 to $110,000 per person.

My question to the hon. member for Scarborough—Rouge River is this. Does he have any idea why these Conservatives are so obsessed with punishing the weakest people in our society?

[Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, June 4th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I would like to ask the member for Marc-Aurèle-Fortin if he thinks this is going to be as expensive as well as ineffective? The Conservatives have not met their promise to deliver 1,000 extra RCMP and 2,500 municipal officers. Is this going to be an expensive boondoggle?

[Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, June 4th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I would like to ask the hon. member for St. John's East this question.

Given that the Department of Justice has issued two reports in recent years showing the lack of utility of mandatory minimum sentences and the fact that we live right next door to the largest experiment in the history of the world in terms of a similar failed incarceration-drug program, would the member care to speculate on the real reasons the Conservatives have introduced this bill, since they obviously have ignored the facts when it comes to its ability to reduce abuses of drugs?

[Infrastructure, April 30th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, this week Toronto Transit Commission awarded the largest municipal project in the country, $1.2 billion, to Bombardier in Thunder Bay. This contract will immediately create vital jobs in Thunder Bay, jobs that will help stimulate our economy now.

It is good news for Thunder Bay workers, for Toronto Transit riders and for the fight against climate change. Yet the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities has said he may not provide the federal share.

Will the transport minister commit today the federal share for this project to get it started immediately?