France Bonsant

[Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, September 30th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I listened as the member talked about Colombia, and I have a brief question for her.

Does she believe that that country's labour laws are up to International Labour Organization standards?

[Ayer's Cliff 100th Anniversary, September 29th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, Ayer's Cliff on Lake Massawippi, one of the most picturesque villages in my riding, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

The first inhabitants of the village arrived in 1797 and called it Landmaid's Flat. The name was later changed to Ayer's Flat and finally to Ayer's Cliff.

Over time, the village has become a prime tourist destination. Ayer's Cliff is on the Townships Trail, which highlights the heritage of the Eastern Townships with its 415-kilometre marked road. The village is also known for its annual agricultural fair, and for one of the most beautiful campgrounds in Quebec as well as the Tomifobia Nature Trail which extends to the U.S. border.

For all these reasons, the Ayer's Cliff centennial is cause for celebration and something in which its inhabitants and Quebec can take pride.

[Employment Insurance Act, September 17th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, since this morning, I have been listening to the Reform-Conservative government talk about Bill C-50. I have a question for the parliamentary secretary.

If the government really cares about what happens to unemployed workers, why introduce a bill? A bill has to get royal assent, and that takes time. Why not just implement a pilot project, which will produce swifter results?

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, September 16th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, not only has it imposed needless administrative demands on organic producers, but the Conservative government has also upheld the unrealistic 98% standard for labelling goods as “Product of Canada”.

Will the real Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, who claims to have conducted consultations all summer long, finally listen to producers, processors, consumers, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, and even his own officials, who agree that the standard should be 85%?

[International Day of Democracy, September 15th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, as vice-president of the Interparliamentary Union, I am honoured to speak about the second International Day of Democracy, observed today, September 15.

The United Nations chose this date because it was on this same date in 1997 that the Interparliamentary Union adopted the Universal Declaration on Democracy. This declaration affirms the international nature of democracy and its foundations.

As elected officials, we must remember that our predecessors fought for the rights we now take for granted. The quality of democratic life that we enjoy today did not come about by accident. It is the result of countless battles fought. We must remember that, and not ever think that democratic freedom is everlasting or irreversible.

That said, on this International Day of Democracy, we can be proud of the progress we have made.

[Interparliamentary Delegations, June 19th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I have two reports to table.

Pursuant to Standing Order 34, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) concerning its participation in the 119th IPU assembly and related meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, from October 13 to 15, 2008, and of the Canadian Group of the IPU's participation at the conference entitled “Informing democracy: building capacity to meet parliamentarians’ information and knowledge needs” in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 16, 2008.

Pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I would also like to present, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union concerning its participation in the annual 2008 session of the parliamentary conference on the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, from September 8 to 10, 2008.

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, June 19th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, farmers are truly being ill served by this Liberal-Conservative coalition. The real Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food is mum, while the Minister of State for Agriculture, when asked about the “Product of Canada” label and the 98% standard, says that he is holding more meetings.

Why did the minister not follow the recommendations of producers, processors, consumers and his own officials, who all said that the 98% standard was ridiculous and inappropriate?

[Minister of Natural Resources, June 12th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, faced with the fiasco in the management of the isotope crisis, the Prime Minister must see that his minister lacks the credibility to deal with this issue.

What is he waiting for to fire her and replace her with someone who can restore the hope and confidence of the scientific community and the many patients waiting for diagnosis and treatment?

[Minister of Natural Resources, June 12th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's blunders in managing the isotope crisis are common knowledge. The minister left it up to the scientific and medical community to find solutions on its own, while she did nothing.

How can the minister explain this negligence and flagrant lack of leadership? She should have come up with a plan to deal with such a crisis, seeing as how the Chalk River reactor is now 52 years old and has been showing signs of failure for years.

[Oil Sands, June 10th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Alberta sent a message stating that it now sees the Liberal leader as a greater champion of the oil sands industry than his Conservative counterpart because the leader of the Liberal Party rushed to defend the industry when National Geographic published a scathing report about it. Apparently, he did a better job than the Prime Minister himself.

That is in direct conflict with the interests of Quebec, which would benefit from the implementation of the Kyoto protocol. We believe—and Quebeckers believe—that a Liberal government headed up by the member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore would have the same attitude and be even more eager to please oil companies than the current government.

For the Bloc Québécois, the oil sands are not about Canada's national unity. They are one more reason to choose sovereignty.