Harold Albrecht

[Business of Supply, April 1st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my friend across the way that I was not reading my iPad or my newspaper when he was speaking. I was really trying to follow him, but he took such a pretzel-like turn in his speech that it was really hard to follow everything he said.

Overall, what we are trying to get at here is the use of the Challenger jet for travel by the Prime Minister and ministers. All members in the House are aware that this government has reduced ministerial travel by over 75% since we took office, and that is a good news story for taxpayers.

How can my friend across the way justify his party's use of taxpayer dollars to fund satellite offices in areas of this country where that party does not even have members of Parliament? Could he address that question?

[Offshore Health and Safety Act, March 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the minister for carefully outlining the aspect of Bill C-5 dealing primarily with the occupational health and safety issue. She also responded earlier to a question regarding the number of workers who benefit from oil and gas production on offshore rigs.

I think that Canadians probably often think of the oil sands as the place from where all the oil is coming. I wonder if the minister would tell us what percentage of oil from offshore oil and gas development Canadians rely on.

I think it is important to realize not only the impact of oil on jobs and opportunities for Canadians, but also the energy needs of Canadians. It is important, first of all, that we have good, safe regulations to protect our workers. It is also important that we have access to good quality oil products.

[Petitions, March 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by a number of residents from the Waterloo region. The petitioners are calling on the Minister of Health and the House of Commons to pass Bill C-356, an act respecting a national strategy for dementia.

[Foreign Affairs, March 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the crisis in Syria, which has caused perhaps the most significant humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century, has increasingly led to the deliberate targeting of ethnic and religious minority groups.

In particular, this past weekend there were troubling reports that Armenians in the Kasab region were targeted by radical jihadists.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs please comment on this situation?

[Journey of Recovery, March 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a journey of recovery. On May 17, 2012, 13-year-old Lydia Herrle was struck by a garbage truck near her home in Wilmot township. The next month, I spoke in this house, asking all Canadians to pray for her recovery. Our prayers were answered. Lydia's recovery is a miracle.

A few months later, Lydia said, “I will be able to tie my shoes all by myself when I am fourteen. My hand will be steadier when I am fourteen. I'll be able to feed myself—even soup!”

Lydia is so grateful for the support she has received. She would like, foremost, to thank God for his steadfast presence with her, as well as her therapists and teachers for their compassion and expertise; her family, friends, and community for their love; and all Canadians who have prayed for her or encouraged her in her journey of recovery.

Tomorrow Lydia turns 15. We can only imagine the things she will be able to do when she is 15. We wish Lydia a happy birthday.

[Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, March 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to my colleague's comments about the importance of signing this free trade agreement with Honduras.

I would like to put on the record, again, that many of the New Democrats, in fact all of them, are against trade. Specifically, the member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour said that trade agreements are job destroying, and the NDP member for British Columbia Southern Interior has written that free trade agreements threaten the very existence of our nation.

I think it is important to note that the NDP does not understand how trade can lift people out of poverty and promote human rights and provide security.

I wonder if my colleague would comment on how he feels this free trade agreement would improve investment, increase job creation in Honduras, and here, as well as lifting the Honduran people out of some of the difficulties they are currently experiencing.

[Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, March 6th, 2014]

Not a chance.

[Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, March 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his emphasis on opportunity, job creation, growth, and trade.

I have had the opportunity to visit Honduras on a number of occasions and do dentistry in some of the remote parts of Honduras, seeing the kinds of efforts that the Honduran people make to increase the standard of living in their country. I certainly applaud all of those efforts.

As my colleague has a bit of time left, I wonder if he would outline some of the positive effects that increased investment and increased trade with Honduras would bring to the Honduran people, who are asking for this. If he could just give me a couple of examples, that would be great.

[Health, March 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have always been a huge proponent of palliative care supports in Canada and I am pleased to see the level of investment that our government has made in this area to help Canadians receive the compassionate end-of-life care they need.

Can the Minister of Health please update the House on some of the investments that our government has made recently in this area?

[Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Act, March 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is confusing to me when time and again opposition members ask for more time to discuss, debate, and study various bills and then use all of that time either filibustering at committee or wasting time here in the House of Commons talking about process. They do not want to discuss the issues.

I had the honour of serving on the aboriginal affairs and northern development committee when I first arrived here a number of years ago. I am proud of the advancements our government has made on many initiatives that have helped our first nations people address the terrible situations in the lives.

In the last number of years, I have not had the privilege of serving on that committee, so I have not studied this bill as much as I would have liked. I have a question for the minister regarding the liability clause. Would the minister address why it is important to restore the integrity of the Qalipu Mi'kmaq first nation? If he could address that, it would help me a lot.