Geoff Regan

[Situation in Egypt, February 2nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to congratulate the hon. member for Pierrefonds—Dollard on his speech and comments.

This issue is very serious and troubling. I am concerned about the fact that the Egyptian people, the protestors, have said they trust the army. I hope that their trust is justified and that the army will keep the peace and accept the protests and not try to stop them by force. It is also clear that the people were not satisfied with yesterday's comments from Mr. Mubarak. They want change and they want it now.

I would like to hear my colleague's comments on that.

[Situation in Egypt, February 2nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, it has been encouraging to see the military not intervene in the last few days. Today it was a bit worrisome in that there was violence and no one intervened to stop it. It is not clear to me exactly to what degree the military is an independent force in the government right now in Egypt, but I am wondering what our government is saying to the Egyptian government about the role the military should play. I say this because it seems to me it is very important that the military plays a role that is peaceful and that it encourages and allows peaceful demonstration, which it seemed to be doing for a while. However, I was concerned to read that the leader of the military suggested that it was time for these protests to end soon, or something to that effect, which I just read a few minutes ago. If that report is correct, I am worried about where this is going.

Therefore, I am asking what our government's message would be to the Egyptian government, and to the military itself in Egypt, on what the military should do.

[Situation in Egypt, February 2nd, 2011]

Madam Speaker, I, too, want to thank the member for Toronto Centre for asking for this emergency debate. I associate myself with his comments, particularly those about how we, as a country, must stand for dignity in the world and for human rights and freedom.

It was inspiring to watch peaceful demonstrations, but it has been very disturbing to see violence lately. I was at a protest Sunday in Halifax, where Muslims and Christians stood side by side saying that they needed to have peace, change, human rights and democracy.

What advice does my hon. friend have for them?

[Taxation, February 2nd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, average Canadians cannot believe the Conservative government is handing out billions in tax breaks for wealthy corporations when we have a $56 billion deficit and have added over $100 billion to the country's debt.

These massive corporate tax cuts will not help the two million small business owners who have had their payroll taxes increased. Huge handouts to big corporations will not help average families to pay their mortgages or gas up their cars.

Canadians know big oil and big banks do not need billions in tax breaks. Too bad the Conservatives have not got the message.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, January 31st, 2011]

With regard to advertising by the Minister for La Francophonie or agencies for which the Minister is responsible: (a) what was the total amount of money spent by the department and each of the agencies for which the Minister is responsible since January 1, 2009, in multi-cultural targeted print, radio, television and web-based media; (b) what was the exact placement of each ad purchase; and (c) what was the target demographic of each advertisement?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, January 31st, 2011]

With regard to advertising by the Canada Revenue Agency or its agencies: (a) what was the total amount of money spent by the department and each of its agencies since January 1, 2009, in multi-cultural targeted print, radio, television and web-based media; (b) what was the exact placement of each ad purchase; and (c) what was the target demographic of each advertisement?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Return, January 31st, 2011]

With respect to government funding in Montmagny-L'Islet: (a) for each of the past five years, what are all of the projects funded and grants awarded in the riding of Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, identifying wherever possible the recipients of the money; (b) for each of the projects funded and grants awarded, as identified in (a), what is the precise name of the federal program whence came the funding for the project or grant; (c) for each year since and including 2005, what was the amount spent by each program identified in (b), (i) in the riding of Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, (ii) in each of the ridings neighbouring the riding of Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, (iii) in the riding of Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, (iv) on average, across the four ridings identified in (c)(ii) and (c)(iii); (d) what was the average amount spent each year, since and including 2006, by each of the programs identified in (b), in the riding of Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup (i) when the Member of Parliament for that riding was a Conservative, (ii) when the Member of Parliament was affiliated with another political party; (e) what was the average amount spent each year, since and including 2006, by each of the programs identified in (b), in each of the ridings identified in (c)(ii) and (c)(iii), (i) when the Member of Parliament for that riding was a Conservative, (ii) when the Member of Parliament was affiliated with another political party?

[Questions on the Order Paper, January 31st, 2011]

With regard to lapsed funds from Environment Canada under Grants and Contributions 2009-2010 and the $31 million in grants and contributions left over from 2009-2010, why has the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences request for funding renewal been refused?

[Royal Canadian Mounted Police Modernization Act, December 13th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I agree with what my hon. colleague said about the difficulty and danger of the work of the RCMP and obviously the importance of supporting the RCMP. I am sure he would agree, in light of what he said, that we should also support the RCMP veterans.

He talked about the infringement of the rights of the civilian members who play a very important role in terms of technical support to the force and very often it is support at the front line. Sometimes it is a civilian member who is right there at the stakeout making sure the equipment is working, making sure the recording devices and the cameras and so forth are operating properly. That is an important role.

What I have heard from the civilian members is that they want to maintain their own separate category. They do not want that category to be removed as is proposed by the legislation, and they feel this is a question of retention, in part, that if they are not maintained as a separate group, if they are put into the regular public service, some members will leave and go off to other departments, when it is very important to keep them there supporting the RCMP.

I would like my hon. colleague's comments on that concern.

[Terence Bay Lighthouse, December 13th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Terence Bay Lighthouse Society has been recognized for its community spirit and dedication to preserving local heritage. The Terence Bay Lighthouse, built in 1903, is an important landmark.

Unfortunately, maintaining this iconic historic structure is not a priority for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. Battered by the sea and rain and neglected by the Conservatives, the lighthouse was in a dismal state. It was left to members of the society to repair this landmark when the Conservative government abandoned it.

I hope this will be an example to the minister that maintaining our lighthouses is a priority for the people.