House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 29% of the vote.
Technical Tax Amendments Act, 2012 February 15th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech.
I heard my colleague from Alfred-Pellan say that her office had received a lot of correspondence about the previous omnibus bills. We are not talking about the current omnibus bill, which is nevertheless related to all that.
Has my colleague received any correspondence from her fellow citizens on the two previous omnibus bills, Bills C-45 and C-38?
Aerospace Industry February 15th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, three months after the Emerson report on the aerospace industry was released, the Conservatives are still sitting on their hands. Even though the industry is losing steam in Canada, the Conservatives are doing nothing to create a long-term strategy. The fact is that the aerospace industry represents over 150,000 direct and indirect jobs. It has internationally recognized expertise and is a source of pride for our country.
The next budget is approaching. What concrete measures will the Minister of Industry be proposing to comply with the recommendations in the Emerson report and support the aerospace industry?
Technical Tax Amendments Act, 2012 February 15th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, since we are all wondering about it, I would like to ask my colleague how it is that he is proposing an annual review.
Could he explain why? Could he explain the background on this? How is it that this was not done between 2001 and 2007-08? Are there really problems? Is it realistic for him to request annual reviews? Can he explain why this was not done under the Liberal government?
Business of Supply February 14th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. As my colleague mentioned, I know that he has worked in the community for many years and he continues to do so as the member for his riding.
I already pointed out that much of his speech was about a bill. But if this bill is a priority for the government, why is it coming from the Senate and not from the government itself? From what I understand, this bill is very important to him and his colleagues. That was my preamble.
Today, we are also talking about the high number of missing and murdered women in Canada. Does he feel this is an urgent public safety issue? If not, can he tell me why not?
Business of Supply February 14th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I was listening carefully to the speech by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.
At the beginning of his speech, he was talking about the motion we are debating. However, in the past few minutes, he has been talking instead about a bill extraneous to the motion. Would it be possible for him to talk about the motion we are currently debating?
Business of Supply February 14th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her speech. Since this motion was moved on her party's opposition day, I would like to ask her whether she thinks the motion goes far enough.
The official opposition thinks that this is a step in the right direction, but does the hon. member think that this motion goes far enough? Given the seriousness of the situation, are there not grounds for a public inquiry into missing aboriginal women?
Business of Supply February 14th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, my colleague is the member for the riding of the former Prime Minister of Canada, who was also the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development for part of his career.
As the motion states, this problem has persisted for three decades. So why create the committee now? Why was this not done earlier? This is a crucial question. We are not against creating a committee. We actually want to go further still and launch a special inquiry. The NDP wants to move forward.
What does the member think this committee will accomplish? What tangible results will ensue from the committee's work? And why was this not done earlier?
Business of Supply February 14th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Vancouver East for her speech and for the work she does to help her constituents.
I lived in Vancouver in the 1980s and her speech reminded me of how I often walked down Main Street and East Hastings Street on Vancouver's east side. She provided a very apt description of how our society no longer sees these first nations men and women.
The hon. member for Churchill is calling for a public inquiry into the disappearance of these women to ensure that they never disappear from our minds and, especially, our hearts. It is very important.
I would like my colleague to elaborate on how we can make people remember these men and women, particularly, these aboriginal women.
Business of Supply February 14th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I sincerely thank my colleague from Thompson for her passion and her dedication to aboriginal communities. I would also like to commend her for her clear explanation of this situation.
What results would she like to see from the inquiry she is proposing? How will this help aboriginal women and the entire community?
The Economy February 13th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives do not understand just how much medium-sized businesses contribute to the economy. They still account for 12% of Canada's jobs, despite the decline. They are slowly disappearing, which is very troubling. The most worrisome part of this whole thing is that the manufacturing sector is being hit the hardest. This sector has lost 50% of its medium-sized businesses.
Will the Conservatives finally bring in some measures to ensure that these businesses and jobs survive?