House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 41% of the vote.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2009
Madam Chair, the group responsible for defining the scope of any future deepened economic agreement met three times. The group's discussions and findings defined the scope. Will the minister stand up and apologize to the families of the people who died of listeriosis?
Business of Supply May 14th, 2009
Madam Chair, he can use his canned answers and his talking points, but the fact is that people are watching us. This is the first time we have seen something like chapter 3 in a negotiation report.
We just did the framework for the negotiation and supply management is in it. It is the first time ever that we have had that kind of agreement, that kind of framework.
I want to know why the minister was sleeping at the switch instead of protecting our producers.
Business of Supply May 14th, 2009
Madam Chair, we have seen how the sense of humour of this minister affected the families of the people who died of listeriosis. He ought to adopt a more serious approach.
I will leave him a bit of time, because the families of the listeriosis victims who are watching us now are waiting for an apology from this minister. He ought to take the time to make one.
In chapter three of the report — Discussions on a possible deepened economic agreement, the following is written under point 3.1:
The Scoping Group recognized that any agreement should address the issues of agriculture export subsidies and state trading enterprises and assess any possible distortion of competition and barriers to trade and investment these issues could create.
Has Europe already won as far as supply management is concerned?
Business of Supply May 14th, 2009
Madam Chair, we have been served up some fine words, and the usual tape.
I think we have just found out that the minister does not really know his files very well. I have here the Canada-European Union Joint Report: Towards a Comprehensive Economic Agreement. This is the first time in connection with free trade and negotiation that supply management has been called into question. Whenever there is a report of this type there is no mention of supply management.
Why does the minister not tell us, with one of his uninspiring answers, what he has done to keep supply management out of this report?
Business of Supply May 14th, 2009
Madam Chair, is the minister doing everything possible to protect supply management?
Business of Supply May 14th, 2009
Madam Chair, I hope the minister will give some serious answers.
What I would like to know, first of all, is whether he agrees with supply management, or not.
Fisheries and Oceans May 14th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the economic crisis is also hitting lobster fishers. Lobster prices have collapsed. Fishers in Quebec and Atlantic Canada are literally on the brink of bankruptcy. The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans does not seem too worried about this. She does not even have time to meet with representatives of the fishers. They are trying to reach her, but “There is no service at the number you have dialed.”
What will the Conservatives do to help the people of Gaspé, the Magdalen Islands and Atlantic Canada who make a living from the lobster fishery? Will the government buy back their licences, or will it let them go hungry?
Department of National Defence May 13th, 2009
Did I hear the word Schreiber, Mr. Speaker, or Elmer?
This is not Monopoly money; this is taxpayers' money.
The minister said yesterday that losing $300 million was a nice problem and that it proved that he had enough money. The problem is that the Auditor General believes that his department's financial management and monitoring are a problem. Departmental officials do not even know where the money was spent. The minister has no control over his own department.
How much more money is he prepared to lose by his incompetence and still call that a nice problem?
Department of National Defence May 13th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister needs to come and join us in the regions to see what is really happening on the ground.
Yesterday the Minister of National Defence did his best to evade the questions concerning the management of public funds within his department.
Upon examining the Auditor General's report more closely, there is cause for concern.
Not only did the department waste $300 million because it failed to effectively monitor resource management, but there is no current information that specifies exactly what was achieved with the money that has already been spent. The minister has no control over his department. Why is that?
National Defence May 12th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, it was the same Auditor General who said the department has “a collection of plans, not an integrated corporate business plan”, to carry out the new defence policies. Not bad for that.
Yesterday, the Minister of National Defence said that there was no truth to the rumour that the Chinooks would be based out of Petawawa. That must be true, because we will probably never see them. Something else is true, however. He should listen to the President of the Treasury Board because this is a bilingualism issue. The minister should do something about problems with language services in Borden. Francophone soldiers are not getting emergency or health services in their language.
Why is the minister treating francophone soldiers like second-class citizens?