Dany Morin

[The Budget, February 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the massive cuts announced in the Conservatives' latest budget will force the Bagotville military base to cut its operating and maintenance budget by 19.2%, which will have disastrous effects on my region's economy.

Can the Minister of National Defence tell us whether or not these cuts will happen? If so, does he realize the effects of the difficult choices he is forcing the commander of the only francophone air base in North America to make? How can be he sure that these cuts will not affect the training of our fighter pilots?

[Northwest Territories Devolution Act, February 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her fantastic speech.

I think that this will be a lot more interesting than the Minister of Finance's budget presentation later this afternoon. I was not fortunate enough to be present yesterday for the first part of my colleague’s speech, but I found the second part to be extraordinary.

Can she go over the highlights I missed in the first part of her speech, the points that my hon. colleagues in the House—especially those opposite—need to hear?

[Business of Supply, February 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, my Conservative colleague likes to talk numbers. I do not want to talk about $1 million; I would rather talk about the 50¢ ATM transaction fee limit that the future NDP government will propose.

Right now, when someone withdraws money, it costs the financial institution a mere 36¢. We do not want a free market because, unfortunately, that led to abuse of the system. Over the years, that abuse has only gotten worse and fees can go as high as $2, $3 or even $6 per transaction.

Does my colleague think that a 50¢ limit on transaction fees is reasonable for consumers, yes or no? If an ATM transactions costs the banks 36¢, they would still make a small profit.

[Health, February 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Commonwealth Fund has published the results of its health policy survey, and they are rather alarming. Canada is at the bottom of the list in several categories, including the number of people with access to a family physician and wait times in emergency departments and for appointments with their own family physician.

Will the government quickly take note of this report, seriously study its recommendations and work with the provinces to improve our health care system?

[Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, January 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my NDP colleague for his excellent speech. I learned a lot from it.

I was very curious. My colleague mentioned human rights for members of the LGBT community in Honduras. I did an Internet search, and I found out that in 2013, 22 LGBT people in Honduras were killed. Those murders were motivated by discrimination and hatred toward minorities. The LGBT community in Honduras is angry at its own government. Very few of these hate crimes and murders end up in the courts; there is little justice for the families and loved ones of those who were brutally murdered. In many cases, there are connections to the country's law enforcement officials. It is a very incestuous scenario.

Basically, I would like to hear what my colleague thinks: do we really want to do business and facilitate free trade with countries where the human rights of LGBT people and others are so brutally trampled on?

[Respect for Communities Act, January 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for this opportunity to put another question that I am dying to know the answer to. My question is rather simple. Since the beginning of her term, my colleague has been doing a lot of work on health issues and, over the years, she has had many dealings with the various Conservative health ministers. Unfortunately—and I am asking the hon. member to confirm my point—we notice that the Minister of Health leaves the public to fend for itself, sometimes by punishing certain groups that do not fit into the Conservative ideology. Pleas are made and the government is asked to protect our health care system and everything related to it, but unfortunately, this is like a dialogue of the deaf, because the government does not really listen to the concerns Canadians have about health, which is a priority every year. Supervised injection sites, which, in my opinion, go a long way to helping people who are going through a difficult time, are part of the health file. If my colleague takes a step back and looks at the whole issue of health management, does she think the government lacks leadership in the health sector?

[Respect for Communities Act, January 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her speech. She spoke from the heart.

I would like to ask her, both as a member of Parliament and as a health care professional, if she really believes that the Conservative strategy to prohibit supervised injection sites in Canada will make those who, unfortunately, are addicted to hard drugs more vulnerable. Will closing this kind of supervised injection sites improve or damage these people's health? I am asking her as a health care professional as well.

[Respect for Communities Act, January 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her excellent speech, and I would also like to give her some new information.

Just before the holidays, I spoke to the Standing Committee on Health, on which I sit, about harm reduction, which is part of the government’s national anti-drug strategy. The InSite supervised injection site contributes to harm reduction.

I asked people from the Canadian Nurses Association, the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Canadian Medical Association if they thought that harm reduction, which includes supervised injection sites, should be part of the government's national anti-drug strategy. This was the case in the past, before the Conservatives changed tack and eliminated this fourth pillar of Canada’s anti-drug strategy. They all said that we should keep harm reduction in Canada’s anti-drug policy.

Does my colleague also believe that we should integrate harm reduction, to which InSite contributes, into Canada’s national anti-drug policy?

[Safeguarding Canada's Seas and Skies Act, December 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague finished her speech on the impact of oil tankers. People in Quebec are concerned about the transport of oil by pipeline or over our beautiful gulf, which also has fossil fuel potential. Canadians have concerns, especially when the federal government is the one managing this. Does my colleague think that Canadians are justified in their concern about the Conservatives’ management of this matter?

[Health, December 3rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it is not surprising that Canadians are worried about their public health care system. The Conservatives announced their plan to unilaterally cut health care transfers, without consulting the provinces or considering expert advice. Our health care system is facing tremendous challenges and it is time to take action.

Will the new Minister of Health review the decision to cut health care transfers to the provinces in the lead-up to renewing the health care agreements in 2014?