Claude Gravelle

[Business of Supply, June 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the member said that he did not want to be funny but his opening statement was especially funny when he said “don't waste my time and don't waste my money”. I would like the member to comment on the time that was wasted when the government was prorogued. We probably wasted three or four months. We could have spent the time passing bills on crime. We could have spent time talking about the unemployed.

He talked about wasting money. I would like him to comment on the money that is being wasted in the riding of the industry minister on a boat that does not float, toilets that will never be used and a sidewalk that goes nowhere. What kind of waste is that? Is that not wasting money?

[Business of Supply, June 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the hon. member's speech. I know that we cannot pick the motion for the other parties, but I would like the member's opinion on why he thinks the Liberal Party did not pick an opposition day motion on jobs, for example, or CPP, health care, or MS. The Liberals had a good discussion the other night about MS. They could have talked about the oil sands, which comes up a lot here in the House of Commons. They could even have talked about the blue ribbon panel they set up with the Conservatives after prorogation.

I would like the hon. member to tell me what he thinks about the choice of the opposition day motion.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 17th, 2010]

With regard to FedNor: (a) what is the total staff complement for FedNor for each of its programs and in what locations, for the fiscal years 2006-2007 to 2009-2010 and currently; and (b) what are the staffing projections for FedNor for each of its programs, and in what locations, for 2010-2011?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, June 17th, 2010]

With regard to the Community Futures Program: (a) is Industry Canada still responsible for administering this program and, if so, which section or agency of Industry Canada is responsible for the administration of the program and its support of Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) in Northern Ontario; (b) currently, how many northern CFDCs are there in existence, and how much funding do they each receive; (c) are there any plans for additional northern CFCDs or reductions in the number of northern CFDCs and, if so, how many and where; (d) how many staff at Industry Canada have responsibilities related to the Community Futures Program overall; (e) to what departmental section, division, or agency are they assigned; (f) what is the organizational relationship between the Southern Ontario Development Agency and the Community Futures Program; (g) does the Southern Ontario Development Agency have any responsibilities as concerns northern CFDCs; (h) are there any plans to transfer responsibilities for northern CFDCs from FedNor to the Southern Ontario Development Agency; (i) are there any plans to transfer staff at FedNor, who are currently responsible for the Community Futures Program in Northern Ontario, to the Southern Ontario Development Agency; and (j) will the Community Futures Program be subject to the five per cent budgetary cut announced for Industry Canada and, (i) if so, on what basis would these cuts be made, (ii) if not, will the five per cent cut to Industry Canada's budget have any impact on the Community Futures Program and, if so, what kind of an impact?

[Investment Canada Act, June 17th, 2010]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-551, An Act to amend the Investment Canada Act (committee members).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to table my bill entitled, An Act to amend the Investment Canada Act . I am pleased that this bill is being seconded by my colleague from Churchill.

Liberal and Conservative governments have consistently rubber-stamped foreign takeovers of Canadian companies without any transparency or accountability to the Canadian people. When parliamentarians seek details of these takeovers, they are told by the industry minister that they are not allowed.

This bill would change all that. It seeks to expand section 36 of the Investment Canada Act to include members of the Standing Committee on Industry. Amending section 36 in such a way would provide meaningful oversight by parliamentarians and would allow a multi-party review of foreign takeovers. This would provide greater public confidence in the process.

For too long, federal industry ministers have hidden behind section 36 of the Investment Canada Act to deny stakeholders and the public access to the terms of agreements between foreign companies and the federal government.

With this act, the Ministry of Industry would now have to co-operate with parliamentarians in the industry committee and that is a much needed improvement in the current act.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Petitions, June 16th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to submit a number of petitions on behalf of hundreds of petitioners from Nova Scotia who are concerned about a proposed convention centre in downtown Halifax.

The petitioners note that 800,000 people annually enjoy the view of Georges Island from Halifax Citadel National Historic Park and that a development of two towers will block that view.

The petitioners ask that the government refuse to provide public funds for this or any development that would block the view of the centre harbour and Georges Island from the Citadel.

[Holidays Act, June 15th, 2010]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-540, An Act to amend the Holidays Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts (St. John the Baptist Day).

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to speak today to introduce a private member's bill entitled An Act to amend the Holidays Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts (St. John the Baptist Day). This bill aims simply to make St. John the Baptist Day a national Canadian holiday.

As Franco-Ontarians, my family and I have always celebrated this holiday, which is very important to us. Since being elected to Parliament, I have come to realize how important this holiday is for French Canadians across the country, and I cannot imagine a better way to celebrate the rich culture of Quebeckers, Franco-Ontarians, Franco-Manitobans, Franco-Albertans or Acadians than making June 24 a day to celebrate St. John the Baptist Day from one end of the country to the other.

I am pleased that the bill is being seconded by my colleague from Timmins—James Bay.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Protecting Victims From Sex Offenders Act, June 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, Bill S-2 was originally Bill C-34 before prorogation. It is one of the law and justice bills the government is famous for introducing. It is just one of the bills that fell by the wayside because of prorogation.

For reasons known only to the government, it brought the bill back through the Senate. If prorogation had not occurred, would this bill be law by now? Why would the government bring it back through the Senate instead of the democratic way, which is to bring it through the House of Commons?

[Protecting Victims From Sex Offenders Act, June 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, one key aspect of this legislation is mandatory DNA sampling from those convicted of a designated sexual offence. Currently, sampling must be applied for by the prosecutor and granted by the judge.

Is the current legislation not a little backward? Should it not be the criminal who applies to be exempt under special circumstances instead of it being the prosecutors and judges who ask for this ruling?

[Protecting Victims From Sex Offenders Act, June 14th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, earlier this year Steve Sullivan, the federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime, spoke about the need for the government to fund children's advocacy centres in major cities across the country. These centres would provide counselling, support and referral to other resources for child victims of crime, particularly victims of sexual abuse. The victims ombudsman asked for $5 million to fund the centres but the government refused.

The government has billions for fake lakes at the G8 and billions more to lock up more Canadians with longer sentences, which by the way, the victims' ombudsman testified “does very little for the victims of crime because sentencing does not address the real needs of victims”. The government has billions of dollars for these things but refuses $5 million to set up a child advocacy centre for victims of sex offences.

Does the member for Churchill think $5 million is too much to ask for with respect to victims of sexual abuse?