Christian Paradis

[Medical Isotopes, May 31st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, Canadians can take comfort in the fact that their government decided to address the problem in order to strengthen the supply chain.

First of all, the top priority of the government and AECL is getting the NRU reactor up and running. That is our top priority. We must also look at the medium and long terms. We voted to invest $35 million in research to develop cyclotron accelerators. Some $10 million has been invested in clinical trials and $3 million to ensure the best possible coordination in the supply chain. That is action. That is what we have—

[Offshore Drilling, May 31st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, listening to my colleague, one would almost think that he is hoping for a catastrophe so that he can make some political hay. That is not how it works. As we have said from the beginning, no authorization has been issued for offshore drilling in the Beaufort Sea or arctic waters and no project will begin unless the government is convinced that the environment and the health and safety of workers will be protected.

That being said, we are pleased that President Obama has announced a six-month freeze on assessments because it means that they have come to the same point as us: the National Energy Board will review the entire process and the public will be invited to participate.

[Offshore Drilling, May 31st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, no drilling authorization has been granted, period. No drilling is taking place at present in the Arctic or the Beaufort Sea. This is the case.

President Obama wants to examine what happened in the Gulf of Mexico to better understand and improve the regulations to ensure the future safety of workers and to protect the environment. The President has reached the same conclusion as we have here in Canada.

Let me be clear, the NEB announced that it will review the entire process, the public will be invited, and the process will be open and transparent.

[Offshore Drilling, May 31st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, on May 11, the National Energy Board announced that it would review offshore drilling regulations. I remind my colleague once again that no drilling permits have been issued for the Arctic or the Beaufort Sea.

We are happy that the American authorities have also decided to suspend the drilling that was planned for this spring, because they have reached the same conclusion as us. The entire process must be reviewed.

[Forestry Industry, May 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, since coming to power, we have made extraordinary progress in the forestry sector. Our first step was to resolve the softwood lumber crisis by signing an agreement that gave our forestry producers nearly $1 billion. We also made strategic, targeted investments because we know that the main issue is finding markets.

The Forest Products Association of Canada submitted its BioPathways program, and we will be investing $100 million in that program over the next four years to strengthen conventional sawmills and maximize use of bioproducts. That is what I call action and leadership.

[Firearms Registry, May 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the registration of goods and property is a provincial jurisdiction. It is as simple as that. We do not want to make criminals out of hunters when they fail to register their long guns. These people do not commit crimes. Once again, our constituents, including those in the riding of the hon. member for Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, are probably not very happy about that. If Quebec wants a registry, it can have one. At the federal level, we are decriminalizing long guns. So the federal government no longer has jurisdiction.

[The Environment, May 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the National Energy Board announced on May 12 that it would begin a review of all rules and regulations. No drilling authorization has been granted so far. No drilling has taken place at present in the Arctic in the Beaufort Sea. We are pleased that American authorities have decided to suspend all drilling that was planned for the spring because they have reached the same conclusions as we have here in Canada.

President Obama wants to examine what happened in the Gulf of Mexico to better understand and improve the regulations to ensure future safety of workers and to protect the environment. The president has reached the same conclusions that we have here in Canada.

[The Environment, May 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we have answered this question over and over again. They are always talking about potential slicks or potential risks. Is the member just looking to politicize this even more?

It is the National Energy Board that examines these projects. Companies must submit contingency as well as strategic plans. The National Energy Board is responsible for enforcing the toughest environmental regulations in the world, and it must be convinced that there will be no harm to workers' health or the environment. Otherwise, there will be no go-ahead.

[Securities, May 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the OECD is clear. In times of crisis, having a single regulator makes things easier.

A Columbia University study shows a loss of about $10 billion and 65,000 jobs.

Rather than hurling insults, let us rise above politics. Let him talk to the people who lost money, to real people like Joey Davis, who clearly said yesterday—because he lived it, he was defrauded by financiers—that having a single regulator would be the best approach for eliminating white-collar crime. Let him talk to ordinary people.

[Securities, May 28th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only G20 country without a national regulator. I see that my colleague quotes OECD studies extensively when it comes to taxing banks. However, when it comes to quoting the OECD on a good approach, when it comes to quoting the IMF about the fact that it would be a good approach to have a single regulator, he ignores the studies.

What is important is that we are using a voluntary approach. If Quebec does not wish to join, then it need not. Furthermore, we are referring the bill to the Supreme Court of Canada to ensure that we are acting within our jurisdiction. That is being responsible.