Dean Del Mastro

[Liberal Party of Canada, March 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, racist comments about cat being served in a public restaurant, bullying the Ontario public broadcaster, and being fired by one of the nation's leading Israeli advocacy organizations would amount to a bad year for anyone. Then again, it is only March 10.

Welcome to the Warren Kinsella gaffe watch. The senior adviser to the Liberal leader loves his own voice so much that now it is coming back to haunt him. The Liberal Party asks him for advice, in his own words, “all the time”. Despite that responsibility, in his latest action he wrote an email threatening the Canada-Israel Committee and then claimed his bullying is “not a threat”.

He should be more cautious about what he says. If the Liberal leader were as smart as his Harvard teaching stint would suggest, he would fire Mr. Kinsella so that he would be free to stick his foot in his mouth whenever he liked without a negative impact on the Liberal Party.

Will the Liberal leader commit today to firing his senior adviser, Warren Kinsella?

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, March 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I am assuming the member has read the budget, because he is supporting it.

In the budget he will note that the CBC is receiving record funding of $1.1 billion from this government. We hope it will put this funding toward Canadian programming. We hope it will use this funding to put together the programs that Canadians have come to expect from it.

[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, March 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it is great to see the Liberal Party standing up for the great Conservative creation, the CBC, the national broadcaster. It is good to see the Liberals supporting us, as they have on so many things we have been doing right here in the House on behalf of Canadians.

We have invested some $1.1 billion in the CBC in the budget. That is 1,100 million dollars, to give people an idea of the scope of the support that this government has put behind the CBC.

We are confident that based on taxpayer support, the management team at the CBC will be able to effectively guide the public broadcaster through this very difficult time.

[Culture, March 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I get so excited when I am so warmly greeted to the floor of the House of Commons. I am so warmly greeted because I am such a bearer of good news in the House, because I am always talking about the remarkable amount of money that the government is investing in arts and culture.

For example, there is $13 million for the Canada Council for the Arts to invest in international promotion. That is money this government has specifically increased. We continue to increase support for the Canada Council for the Arts. We continue to support artists in every feasible way. We are making sure that every dollar we spend is spent as effectively as possible.

[March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, as you know, prior to being elected to the House, I spent my adult life on the retail side of the auto industry. I served on the CADA's industry relations board and I served as chair of the Suzuki Dealer Advisory Board. I can say unequivocally that an overwhelming number of manufacturers, including Chrysler, are opposed to this bill. It is deeply flawed. It is very wide ranging and makes seriously flawed amendments to things like the Competition Act and so forth.

I would like to ask the member if he has considered the implications on the Chrysler dealer network. He stood yesterday and talked about 1,500 Chrysler workers being laid off. Has he considered the implications of his bill on the Chrysler new car dealer network right across this country and what negative effect it has on dealers when the cars are sold that his CAW members built?

[Interparliamentary Delegations, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1) I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the following reports of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-United States interparliamentary group respecting its participation at the 32nd Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers held in Bar Harbor, Maine, September 15-17, 2008.

[Arts and Culture, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I see the Liberal member is quite excited about this. She should be excited because over the last 10 years there has been an increase in funding to the National Film Board by over $9 million. That is roughly 15%.

I know why the Liberals are excited. They are excited because we are putting more money into arts and culture than any government in history. We are standing up for arts and culture.

[Arts and Culture, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the government is investing in heritage and culture in our country and that includes investment in telefilm and television programming and also new media.

This government supports arts and culture. We support telefilm.

[Arts and Culture, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, it seems like an appropriate time to remind the member of our government's economic action plan.

Over the next two years, our government will be investing $530 million in the arts, more investments in heritage and culture than any government in Canadian history. It represents a 10% increase over the next two years in arts and culture funding, money that will support arts and culture from coast to coast, including Quebec.

[Liberal Party of Canada, March 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, 60 years ago, Newfoundland voted to democratically join Confederation, and since that time, Newfoundland and Labrador has flourished as a part of Canada. Liberal Senator George Baker apparently does not see that and calls for a separatist party to be established, the Bloc Newfoundland and Labrador. The Liberal leader says that kicking him out of caucus would be ridiculous. I would argue it is more ridiculous to keep him in caucus.

Meanwhile, the Liberal member for Bramalea—Gore—Malton says he has long followed the Sri Lankan conflict, yet he cannot identify the war flag of the Tamil Tigers.

While the Liberal leader is focused on fundraising, he is neglecting his obligation to deal with the irresponsible and divisive views held and promoted by that MP and Senator George Baker.

This is more than just tolerance from the new Liberal leader for intolerant views held by members of his party. It is irresponsible.