David Graham

[Canada Revenue Agency, September 22nd, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, the Mont-Laurier region has been hit hard by suspected fraud.

The police is investigating a payroll services company, which has filed for bankruptcy, and its managers. Nearly $600,000 in payroll deductions from about 80 SMEs and organizations were not remitted to the federal and provincial governments.

My team, MLA Sylvain Pagé, the CFDC, the CLD, the Chamber of Commerce and others are helping the businesses affected.

Can the Minister of National Revenue explain how the Canada Revenue Agency can help the people in the Upper Laurentians deal with this difficult situation?

[Food and Drugs Act, September 20th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for my colleague. He obviously does not believe in Canada.

If, as he wishes, Quebec were independent, how would it engage in that kind of trade at that level? Would it have the power to do that?

[Food and Drugs Act, September 20th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I would like to correct the record on what the Minister of National Defence said earlier today in the House.

The minister rose to say that we announced a national security and rule of law dialogue during the Prime Minister's visit on September 12. While the announcement was made on September 12 and in conjunction with a trip, the Prime Minister concluded his trip to China on September 2.

[Food and Drugs Act, September 20th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Drummond for his speech, which I appreciated.

He said he travelled around his riding, which I also did. Did my colleague encourage his constituents to take part in the consultations on the TPP, so that the government can hear the opinions of Canadians and so that their voices can be heard?

[Food and Drugs Act, September 20th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague from Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques on his speech. I very much appreciate that he takes the time to go over every agreement.

At the beginning of his speech he said that the Conservatives and Liberals support the trans-Pacific partnership without having conducted an economic study. That is not really true, however. The first thing we see on the website on consulting Canadians on the TPP is a link to the economic impact of Canada's potential membership in the TPP. That is the first thing we see. We are studying the issue. Consultations are under way to determine which questions need to be answered. That is why we have not done it yet. We are still studying it.

I just wanted to point that out to my colleague and tell him that these studies are ongoing, contrary to what he says.

[Food and Drugs Act, September 20th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, if my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent had started wearing glasses at an earlier age, he might have taken a slightly different political path.

I appreciate my colleague's support for this important file. My question is this: if this file is so important, why did the Conservatives take so long to introduce it in the last Parliament?

[Food and Drugs Act, September 19th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, I have a quick question that I think my colleague will appreciate.

The member's riding is a riding steeped in trade history. It used to be the home of the Canada Southern Railway, the Cayuga Subdivision, and the CSX from Blenheim to Sarnia. These are all major lines that were very important to southern Ontario.

Could the member address how losing many of these lines has affected trade in his area?

[Food and Drugs Act, September 19th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, it is obviously very important to pass this bill and ratify the agreement. We need 140 out of 184 countries to agree to it before it can move forward. Until it is ratified, it is up in the air. It is important that we pass this bill and get on with it.

[Food and Drugs Act, September 19th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to hear that the Conservatives support one of our bills. The TPP is an issue that is still under consultation. My riding is certainly affected. There are a lot of exports coming from my riding, even though we are not anywhere near the border, and I will be following this very closely.

I appreciate the question. There is more to come.

[Food and Drugs Act, September 19th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, that is a good question. I honestly do not know that detail. The member mentioned in her speech the importance of looking at this in committee. I expect that any concerns will be brought to light in that environment. Overall, the bill is well worthwhile and will protect the environment in the ways we need to do so.