Denis Paradis

[Students from Brome-Missisquoi, November 22nd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to welcome exceptional students from my riding. Some of them took top honours at the regional Bell science fair, including Pierre-Luc Beauséjour of Bedford, Charles Dumouchel and David Lalanne of Cowansville and Francis Holtken of Farnham.

Others graduated from high school with outstanding academic averages. Chloée Bureau Oxton of Magog and Samuel Grenon Godbout of Dunham were awarded the Governor General's Academic Medal.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate them. I am convinced that these awards are merely a prelude to a very successful future. The future is bright, thanks to these young people from Brome—Missisquoi.

I want to welcome them to Parliament Hill and I encourage them to strive for excellence during their entire academic career.

[Ski Bromont, November 15th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, many ski buffs go wild at the first sight of snow. Ski Bromont, in my riding of Brome-Missisquoi, has made a name for itself over the past few years both in the province and nation-wide. Ski Bromont has just invested another $6 million for the new season, for a total of $26 million in six years.

This is a real achievement in this very competitive and seasonal industry. Ski Bromont, headed by Charles Désourdy, just won the national gold award given by the Grands Prix du Tourisme Québécois for the second year in a row.

Investments, job creation, development and innovation are making Brome-Missisquoi one of the most dynamic regions in rural Quebec.

Welcome to our little piece of heaven.

[Privilege, November 3rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I think that what we must do is analyze the document in comparison with the one we have.

I do not know what my colleague was talking about, but the title of the document is “La route de l'argent” or “The Money Trail”, but when I look at it, what I see is rather “The Road to Libel”.

If we look at the Criminal Code, we see that the word libel is defined as:

(1) A defamatory libel is matter published, without lawful justification or excuse, that is likely to injure the reputation of any person by exposing him to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or that is designed to insult the person of or concerning whom it is published. (2) A defamatory libel may be expressed directly or by insinuation—

It says “by insinuation”. The arrows in that table are insinuations.

My question is for my colleague. Why were those four persons chosen to be included in the square when more than 150 were heard by the Gomery commission?

[APM Diesel, November 3rd, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I would like today to congratulate APM Diesel of Brome—Missisquoi, which has just won a contract from the Department of National Defence in the amount of $12 million to refurbish 400 military vehicles.

The contract will entail an investment of nearly $1 million to expand the Cowansville shop and create 20 new jobs.

I recall the first federal government contract APM Diesel won through the MERX system of tendering on the Internet. The system is a transparent, open and public one that businesses may use to obtain government contracts.

This is happening in Quebec, in the regions, with the Canadian army. Good job, APM Diesel.

[Public Transportation Safety, October 31st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, recently in Brome—Missisquoi, with our American neighbours, we conducted an important border security exercise. At the Bloc convention, the party faithful talked, among other things, about creating an army, including spies of course, in a sovereign Quebec, but they failed to address such important and pressing issues as transportation safety, particularly with regard to public transit.

Can the Minister of Transport tell us what he thinks of the Bloc's approach?

[Criminal Code, October 31st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, last Friday I was in my riding office when I received a call from a lady in the hospital who wanted to see me. She said she was no longer able to get around, so I went to her hospital room and spent some 30 minutes with her. This lady is 50 years old and has multiple sclerosis. She can no longer use her limbs, is immobilized, and in great pain. She told me she has to use ice when she goes to bed at night to reduce the pain her body is in. She has been in this state in hospital for over a year. Her mind is perfectly clear, she is a most intelligent woman with whom I had an extraordinary conversation. She is on morphine and the dose is increased from time to time, enough to keep her alive but perhaps not enough to fully do away with her suffering. She says she is still in pain. I saw her in her wheelchair beside the bed, virtually unable to move any more.

I told her we were soon going to be discussing euthanasia in the House. I asked her how we politicians could differentiate between cases where life is truly unbearable, with no hope of cure, and other cases. I would not want to see it apply to a widow of 75 who no longer wants to live because her husband died two years before. That is not its purpose. So I asked her how we would differentiate and she said perhaps to have two criteria: a degenerative disease with no possibility of remission, and unbearable suffering. She said that these both applied to her and she had really no hope left in her life.

This is what I wonder, and what I would ask the hon. member. Are the criteria she proposes sufficient to properly delineate this so that there is no danger of its becoming too broad at some point?

[Foreign Affairs, October 19th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, my question is entitled “There's No Life Like It”. This morning, we learned that the new priority of the Bloc Québécois leader, our new James Bond, is to develop a plan for the army and the secret service of a future sovereign Quebec. The leader of the Bloc Québécois is intent on interfering in the PQ leadership race.

With proposals like this one, it is clear where the Bloc's priorities are. What does the Minister of Foreign Affairs think of that?

[Montreal Children's Hospital, October 18th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, recently a walk was held in Bedford, organized by little Monika Nelis Dupont's family in order to raise funds for the Montreal Children's Hospital.

I want to congratulate them on this initiative, which was launched last year. I want to commend Mary Nelis, in particular, without whom there would not have been a march. This mother has devoted her life so that her little girl, who is suffering from a degenerative disease, can enjoy a certain quality of life. I salute her tenacity and support her efforts over the past several months to have the government underwrite the cost of Aldurazyme, which is a very expensive treatment.

Her daughter, Monika, aged 6, is suffering from a disorder that causes severe joint problems and organ failure. Despite all the problems caused by this disease, Monika possesses courage and determination that are an example to us all.

I congratulate everyone who took part in this walk. Their participation may make a world of difference to Monika and her friends.

[Committees of the House, October 5th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I will vote for this motion.

[Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Award, October 5th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, recently, I was invited to speak at the Teddy Roosevelt conservation awards ceremony in Vermont. This award is given to an organization or individuals who play a key role in environmental conservation.

I am proud to announce that this prestigious award was bestowed on an organization in my riding. I congratulate Conservation Baie Missisquoi, its president, Pierre Leduc and his entire team. I had the pleasure of working with them on the Lake Champlain issue. They did an exceptional job. This is also a wonderful example of cooperation between Canada and the United States. I want to acknowledge the Governor of Vermont, Jim Douglas, and the Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, Brian Dubie, for being so involved in this issue.

A big thank you also to the International Joint Commission, which brought us all together on this.

May we continue to work together to protect our environment.