Geoff Regan

[Committees of the House, June 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, on the same report, I wish to present the dissenting report of the Liberal Party in relation to the seventh report of the Committee on Natural Resources.

[Natural Resources, June 11th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, since getting U.S. approval for Keystone XL is important for our economy, why have the Conservatives so badly bungled this file? The Prime Minister thought that he could bully President Obama into submission. How did that work out? They have destroyed Canada's environmental reputation, and that has delayed the approval process.

When it comes to an important piece of energy infrastructure like the Keystone XL pipeline, why are the Conservatives so strategically stupid?

[The Environment, June 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, British Columbia communities like Kitimat have clearly expressed their opposition to the northern gateway pipeline. First nations are very worried about environmental risks involved, yet the ideology-driven government ignores these legitimate concerns. Why will it not listen to millions of Canadians and put away the rubber stamp?

[Trade-marks Act, June 9th, 2014]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-611, an act to amend the Trade-marks Act (public authority).

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table a bill that would amend the Trade-marks Act.

It has come to my attention from a constituent who is a small business owner, and through intellectual property experts, that official marks are at times used for commercial benefit rather than to protect public interests, as intended by the Trade-marks Act.

The bill would clarify what constitutes a public authority under section 9 of the Trade-marks Act. It would also create a review and objection process to ensure that official marks are in the public interest and do not unduly restrict the market.

I would like to thank Dr. Andrea Slane, associate professor at the University of Ontario centre for technology, and Dr. Teresa Scassa, the Canada Research Chair in Information Law at the University of Ottawa, for their input on the bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1, June 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, in relation to the question a moment ago from our hon. Conservative colleague, if he were to go knocking on doors or go to the mall this weekend and speak to constituents in his riding, if he were to tell them that everything was fine, that the cost of living was not going up, that they should not worry about the difficulties they thought they had in making ends meet because they really did not having any trouble at all and that they were in the best situation in the world, I wonder how they would react. I would ask him to talk on that.

I would also like him to talk about the fact that infrastructure improvements are important. I had a meeting recently with folks from the St. Margaret's Centre in my riding, who are working to replace the swimming pool there. They are looking for funding for infrastructure in a year in which the government has cut the annual funding for infrastructure from $1.3 billion last year to only $210 million this year, which when spread across the country, is pretty darn thin and does not allow much for things like pools, roads, transit, or other needed infrastructure in our communities.

[Business of the House, June 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, you will recall, of course, that traditionally the Thursday question and the answer to the Thursday question was a rather brief affair and not a debate.

I would appeal to you, sir, to bring us back to that time.

[The Environment, June 2nd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government's inaction on climate change is translating into delays for approving key projects such as Keystone XL.

The Prime Minister says that he is waiting for the United States to act, but President Obama has acted. In the meantime, the Conservatives still seem to be stunned.

Why is the Prime Minister incapable of protecting our interests? Where is the action plan for climate change? On Obama's desk?

[Committees of the House, May 26th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague from Gatineau will know that the people in my province of Nova Scotia have been very concerned about this issue of cyberbullying after the events that have happened there, involving, for instance, the Rehtaeh Parsons case. There is a strong desire, of course, for action to deal with that.

With any bill before us, it is important to look at the details. I want to ask her about the proposal in the bill that not only police officers can make information requests of telecommunications companies about who has what email address and so forth, but what is called public officers can do that. From her study of this bill, what does she take “public officers” to mean?

[Battle of the Atlantic Place, May 15th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Naval Memorial Trust is promoting a unique project to preserve the last remaining naval corvette to tell the story of Canada's lead role in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest battle of World War II. This ambitious undertaking is called Battle of the Atlantic Place, a legacy project for the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

The multi-million-dollar project would provide a permanent home to HMCS Sackville and would be a focal point on Halifax's waterfront. Trust members deserve credit for their efforts to preserve this important part of Canada's story. I urge the government to get behind this important project.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 12th, 2014]

With regard to government advertising: how much has each department, agency, or crown corporation spent to purchase promoted tweets on Twitter in each fiscal year since 2011-2012 inclusive?