Denis Coderre

[Montreal International, May 5th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, instead of worrying about the Constitution, the Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec should worry about his own affairs and make sure that Quebec's economy also is stimulated in Montreal. This stupid decision to cut funding to Montreal International and other not for profit organizations will have disastrous repercussions on Montreal's economy and on all the regions of Quebec.

First it was Ontario, and now it seems to be our turn. What does the minister have against Montreal?

[Canada Post Corporation, May 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the minister is well aware that deregulation will have a direct impact on universality. That is unavoidable. There will be job losses, the price of stamps will rise dramatically, and service quality in rural areas will differ significantly from that in larger centres.

At the Empire Club in Toronto, Canada Post's president could not say enough about the merits of deregulation, so how are we supposed to believe the minister when he says that the crown corporation will not be privatized and will remain a crown corporation?

[Canada Post Corporation, May 2nd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government is conducting a strategic review of Canada Post's services. What that really means is that the government basically wants to deregulate and privatize. We have reason to be concerned because the Conservatives are launching a direct attack on the universality of this crown corporation.

Can the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, who is responsible for Canada Post, explain to Canadians why he could not care less about them?

[National Defence, April 15th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, even the military police complaints commissioner himself has said how disappointed he is that the government will not show transparency and accountability. Its court application will not only prevent public hearings but would kill the whole investigation that is going on, for more than a year.

The Minister of Defence can try any excuse he wants, but his actions and the actions of the government are clear. They want to stop anyone from investigating allegations of torture. What does the government have to hide?

[National Defence, April 15th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I could have asked a question today regarding the incompetence of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, who says one thing in private and the opposite in public concerning Bill C-10. That is real minor league stuff. I could also talk about the incompetence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who embarrassed us in Afghanistan. Actually, he embarrasses us everywhere.

However, considering that General Hillier, the real National Defence minister, has just announced his resignation, can the other Minister of National Defence tell us why he insists on muzzling the military police complaints commission and literally destroying over a year's worth of work on the torture investigation? What does he have to hide?

[Canadian Heritage, April 10th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, I think I hear an extraterrestrial.

This is a very serious question that came from very serious sources. The question is simple. I want to know if the minister of censorship, through her office or department, is threatening the industry. Is the minister's staff privately telling arts groups that she will withhold funding from the Canadian television fund if they do not support her back door attempt to give herself the power to decide what is art?

[Canadian Heritage, April 10th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, in light of what is happening in the other place with regard to Bill C-10, it is understandable that the only allies of the blacklist minister are her friends from the religious right. The entire industry has rejected outright her plan to become the Canadian champion of censorship across the board.

I have learned from various sources that the office of the blacklist minister is exerting undue pressure on the industry by making any significant funding through the Canadian Television Fund dependent on it showing the expected and desired support for Bill C-10. Why?

[Day of Reflection on the Prevention of Genocide, April 7th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, when they say that they will explore every means and commit to looking into the options, I note that the government is not prepared to fund the Quebec City armoury.

[Day of Reflection on the Prevention of Genocide, April 7th, 2008]

During question period, all members of the House spoke about the tragic fire at the Quebec City armoury on the weekend. To have an even clearer idea of the government's response, I seek the unanimous consent of the House to adopt the following motion: "That, in the opinion of the House, the Government of Canada should be clear and immediately commit to funding the reconstruction of the Quebec City armoury."

[Canadian Heritage, April 3rd, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, in any event, the Liberals are against censorship.

Rocked by criticism, our new national censor awkwardly suggested a so-called compromise yesterday and asked the industry to come up with guidelines, when she knows that guidelines have no legal force. A guideline can be changed at any time, without the consent of Parliament.

If the minister really wants to work with the industry, why does she not just agree to get rid of her government's trick and become the Minister of Canadian Heritage for once, rather than the minister of censorship?