Hélène LeBlanc

[Agricultural Growth Act, November 19th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech and for the connection he made between this and the copyright bill.

We see here that the government is somewhat biased in favour of companies, large corporations and agribusinesses, which will be able to collect royalties while artists are unable to do so and do not have a mechanism allowing them to profit from their creations. I would like him to expand on that.

Another question comes to mind. We know that developing new varieties requires research and development, but where will this ultimately be done? Does this bill include a mechanism to ensure that Canada will be able to benefit from research and development in this area?

[Petitions, November 17th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition condemning the cuts at Canada Post and the elimination of door-to-door mail delivery in particular. It will have a truly negative impact on residents of my riding. Many people are condemning this decision and are calling on the government to reject Canada Post's service reduction plan. They want the government to explore other options.

[Committees of the House, November 17th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, entitled “Eating Disorders among Girls and Women in Canada”.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

[Status of Women, November 6th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.

I know that she fought hard to make harassment a thing of the past over the course of her career in the public service. Harassment is unacceptable. Regardless of the workplace, everyone deserves to work in a safe and respectful environment. That clearly does not seem to be the case on Parliament Hill.

Let us work together to address this situation and make harassment a thing of the past.

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2, November 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for her speech.

However, despite the budgets the Conservative government has presented over the years, things have only gotten worse for women. Similarly, the new policies included in this budget will only make things worse for women.

Why does the minister not support policies that support women who are improving their economic situation by giving them access to day care services and allowing them to have well-paying jobs so that they can contribute to Canada's economy?

Why is the minister is telling us about a tax credit that does not help families in need? Can she tell us more about the measures in this budget? I do not see any measures in here that make things better for Canadian women.

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2, November 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to the speech by the Minister of National Revenue and the answers that she gave in the House of Commons. I am always surprised by the answers she gives. She listed a series of procedures and talked about increases to tax credits.

Given that she is in charge of the Canada Revenue Agency, I am wondering whether, at some point, the Canadian tax system might run into difficulty or become overburdened. The government has added small tax credits here and there in all of the massive budgets it has brought down.

Is she not worried that this administrative burden will be just as heavy as the omnibus bills that are introduced in the House of Commons?

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2, November 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her speech.

Our economic situation is becoming increasingly difficult, and there are huge disparities between the different regions in Canada. Could she explain why this type of bill, this so-called budget implementation bill, only increases the disparities between the different regions in Canada?

I would also like her to explain how this bill, like many of the government's previous bills, continues to widen the gap between rich and poor and between men and women. I would like to hear more from her about the fact that these bills only widen the gap between rich and poor rather than ensuring that wealth is fairly distributed in Canada.

[Forum: The Future of our River, Rapids and Canal, October 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, on October 8, over 120 people got together at the André-Laurendeau CEGEP in LaSalle for a forum that I organized called “The Future of our River, Rapids and Canal”. They all agreed on the importance of better protecting our ecological, historical and cultural heritage. Rich and inspiring discussions led the participants to the idea of creating an urban national park.

This park would become the second national urban park in Canada located in the second-largest urban centre in Canada.

I am committed to working with them on this project, which would be a major legacy to Canada for the 150th anniversary of Confederation and the 375th anniversary of the founding of Montreal.

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2, October 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, our finance critic, for his comments and for his question.

I think he recognized, as I do and as should a lot of members on the Conservative side, how a simple capital growth tax credit would have a multiplier effect on the regional economy, on regional revitalization, which would have an effect of boosting small and medium-sized businesses, contributing to their growth and success, contributing in creating jobs, which we all want here.

Why not have something like a capital growth tax credit for credit unions, to make sure that these contributors, the credit unions, which are great contributors to our economy, can again do their job?

[Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2, October 30th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Nickel Belt for bringing this up, because he gave a perfect example of how credit unions help keep regions and communities—especially francophone communities across Canada—strong. He also shared the concerns of credit unions.

Credit unions and caisses populaires have unique structures, which is why they are so valuable. This is what makes our economy democratic. Under this government, they also have to face increasing amounts of regulation, and they comply, in order to keep up. These regulations put a considerable administrative burden on credit unions, and this government does not seem to care. As a result, they are not able to keep up with all of these regulations and the accompanying administrative burden.