David Tilson

[Business of Supply, November 1st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the committee on the work it did in preparing the report, which I believe was completed in May. The hon. member was a member of that committee and it covered a wide range of important topics.

In her presentation, I do not think the member referred to the issue of maternity leave. The committee made a recommendation to expand maternity leave to two years. I would like her to comment on how the committee arrived at that issue.

In my riding, which includes mainly small communities and towns, a couple of towns have a population of about 130,000 but most of them are very small places, and a lot of small businesses engage women and men. For women or men to take maternity leave in those particular places, I am told that they need to train people. It is tough to get people to work on a contract basis for two years. When women, or men, come back after two years, they need to be retrained because a lot happens in two years.

There is no question that children need assistance in those early months and years, but the question I have for the member is whether the committee considered the balance that is required, particularly for small businesses, not the big governments of Canada and the provinces, the large municipalities and the large companies, but small businesses.

[Business of Supply, October 25th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, that member and a number of other New Democratic members have spent a great deal of time talking about the GST and the fact that they do not want it reduced in any way.

If by some fluke the NDP were to form the government, which would be a remarkable situation, I would like the member to clarify what a New Democratic government would do with the GST? Would it keep it the same or would it increase it? I assume from his comments that he would increase it.

[Resumption of debate on Address in Reply, October 18th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the throne speech stated:

At the end of 2005, Canada's greenhouse gas emissions were 33 percent above the Kyoto commitment. It is now widely understood that, because of inaction on greenhouse gases over the last decade, Canada's emissions cannot be brought to the level required under the Kyoto Protocol within the compliance period, which begins on January 1, 2008, just 77 days from now.

Does the member agree or disagree with that?

[Interparliamentary Delegations, June 13th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian Parliamentary Delegation of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association regarding its parliamentary mission to the country that will next hold the European Union presidency, Lisbon, Portugal, and its participation to the second part of the 2007 ordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, April 12 to 20.

[Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, June 5th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of the bill is to prevent vulnerable foreign workers, including strippers, from being exploited or abused.

I understand my New Democratic colleague has said it does not go far enough and he has given all kinds of examples, which I suppose he is free to do in committee. However, let us think what this stemmed from. The previous Liberal government gave blanket exemptions to foreign strippers to work in Canada, despite warnings that the women were vulnerable to forced prostitution and other forms of exploitation.

These amendments would give the authority to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to instruct immigration officials to deny work permits to foreign strippers.

Notwithstanding that my colleague says it does not go far enough, and he has the right to raise that in committee, what is wrong with that general principle?

[Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, May 28th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, last year I introduced a private member's bill that would designate the month of June as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis month. This disease is more commonly referred to as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. The bill would ensure that June of every year in Canada would be known as ALS month.

Currently, 3,000 Canadians live with this disease with two to three Canadians lose their lives to ALS every day. ALS is a rapidly progressive and ultimately fatal neuromuscular disease that causes nerve cells to degenerate. With this disease the voluntary muscles weaken and become immobile. This disease has affected me deeply on a personal level as I lost my father to this disease a number of years ago.

The ALS Society greatly benefits people living with the disease by raising public awareness of ALS and through annual fundraising events. I strongly urge Canadians to get involved with the ALS Society or donate funds so a cure for this extremely destructive disease may be found as quickly as possible.

[Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival, May 14th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, June 1, the town of Orangeville will once again be the proud host of the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival.

The annual festival had its beginnings in 2003. A small group of five volunteers organized and operated a full-blown festival over three days. Today, this annual event is the largest musical festival of its kind northwest of Toronto, which draws extraordinary talent and some of the most acclaimed blues and jazz performers in Canada.

The festival has been immensely successful due to the outstanding talent but also because of the tremendous efforts performed by the festival's organizers, such as Larry Kurtz, artistic director for the festival. I commend the efforts of Mr. Kurtz, as well as the other festival organizers, and thank them for drawing such positive attention to the town of Orangeville and to the local businesses and organizations in our community.

On behalf of the residents of Dufferin—Caledon, I wish the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival great success in its fifth season.

[Business of Supply, May 8th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the Competition Bureau, through the powers given to it under the Competition Act, can now investigate all factors that make up the per litre price of gasoline, and that includes refinery margins. If there is any evidence whatsoever or suspicion of anti-competitive behaviour or collusion, the bureau can deal with it. To date, hearings have been held all over the place. They have been held in this place and in provincial governments. No such evidence has been presented.

Since 1990, the Competition Bureau has conducted six major investigations into allegations of collusion in the gasoline industry. It found no evidence whatsoever of a national conspiracy. Whenever the Competition Bureau has evidence of behaviour that violates the Competition Act, it does not hesitate to take appropriate action.

I give those facts and then I read what the motion tries to do. The motion is trying to give the Commissioner of Competition the power to initiate investigations of the price of gas and the role of refining margins in the determination of the said price. That is it. This has already been done.

Why does the Bloc have a motion on something that has already been done?

[Business of Supply, May 8th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I know the member worked on this topic when he was on this side of the House, and I respect his knowledge.

It is my understanding that the Competition Bureau, through the powers given it in the Competition Act, can investigate all factors that make up the per litre price of gasoline and that includes refinery margins. If there is any evidence or suspicion of anti-competitive behaviour or collusion, it can investigate it. However, from my understanding, to date no evidence has been presented.

Since 1990, and this has been stated by other members in the House, the Competition Bureau has conducted six major investigations into allegations of collusion in the gasoline industry and has consistently found no evidence of a national conspiracy.

Looking at all this information, it would seem to me that the Competition Bureau already has the powers that are being suggested through this motion. Is this motion redundant?

[Business of Supply, May 8th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the member has spent a great deal of time talking about all the things that the Liberal government has done in the past. I suppose that is what he is paid to do: to tell that to the public.

However, my riding is the riding of Dufferin—Caledon. In that riding, just as an example, every summer, and it will happen this summer, we go to the pumps on the weekends and the prices go up. Then, when we come south, the prices are higher than they were, and no one understands that.

I understand that there have been committees that have studied this. There have been committees in the provinces. I know that the province of Ontario has undertaken committees. There have been committees here in this place that have studied this topic.

Yet the problem continues. I have a question for the member, who says he is going to support the motion. On the whole issue of the high prices, including those that occur during highly volatile incidents like Katrina and that sort of thing, is that contrary to the Competition Act?