Hélène LeBlanc

[Foreign Investment, November 8th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the chief energy researcher at CNOOC recently gave a speech in Beijing. He warned oil industry executives that if Canada did not approve the construction of pipelines to China, the oil sands would become outdated.

The Nexen deal has not even been approved and CNOOC is already announcing its intentions to get greater access to the oil sands.

Why are the Conservatives letting themselves be intimidated by this Chinese state-owned company that only wants to help itself to our energy resources?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, November 7th, 2012]

What is the total amount of government funding, for each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011, allocated within the constituency of LaSalle—Émard, specifying the department or agency, initiative, and amount?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, October 31st, 2012]

With regard to the RADARSAT Constellation program: (a) who is the minister responsible; (b) what are the names and titles of the main senior officials responsible; (c) what are the government’s intentions with regard to continuing the RADARSAT Constellation program and what are the reasons behind the government’s decision; (d) what is the name or names of the senior officials who made the written decision in (c) or the necessary recommendations; (e) did the 2012-2013 budget strategic review have an impact on the RADARSAT Constellation program and, if so, what; (f) was the initial projected timeline for each development phase of the RADARSAT Constellation program followed (based on the “major milestones” outlined in the Canadian Space Agency’s 2011-2012 Report on Plans and Priorities) and, if not, what are the reasons that led to the delays; (g) will the first RADARSAT Constellation satellite still be launched during 2014-2015, as set out in the Canadian Space Agency’s 2011-2012 Report on Plans and Priorities and, if not, what are the reasons that led to the delays, and the projected launch date; (h) will the second and third RADARSAT Constellation satellites still be launched during 2015-2016, as set out in the Canadian Space Agency’s 2011-2012 Report on Plans and Priorities and, if not, what are the reasons that led to the delays, and the projected launch date; (i) what major changes, if any, is the government considering to the initial development plan for each phase of the RADARSAT Constellation (based on the “major milestones” outlined in the Canadian Space Agency’s 2011-2012 Report on Plans and Priorities); (j) what are the titles of the specific cost-estimate documents or the political measures or actions the Minister of Industry referred to when answering the question asked in the House on May 16, 2012, by the Member for Burnaby–Douglas when he replied: “[the government] wants to deliver [the RADARSAT Constellation Mission] in a most cost-effective way”; (k) is the firm Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates still the main contractor for completing the development of Phase D and subsequent phases of the RADARSAT Constellation; (l) are the firms MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue), COMDEV Limited, Magellan Aerospace, Bristol Aerospace, and MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (Halifax) still the main subcontractors for completing the development of Phase D and subsequent phases of the RADARSAT Constellation; (m) what specific factors are behind the government’s decision to delay signing a contract with or providing the funds earmarked for Phase D to the firm Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates in the 2012 federal budget; (n) does the government intend to honour the contracts with the main contractor and the main subcontractors or terminate them; (o) if the government intends to terminate the contract, what are the reasons behind this decision; (p) if the government intends to terminate the contract, what will be the costs or penalties incurred by the government, broken down by contract; (q) is the government currently seeking a new main contractor or new main subcontractors to carry out Phase D of the project or any other subsequent phase and, if so, (i) what is the reason behind the decision to seek a new contractor, (ii) has a new main contractor or have new main contractors been selected, (iii) has a new main subcontractor or have new main subcontractors been selected, (iv) has there been or will there be a new call for tenders; (r) if the answer to any of the questions in items (q)(i) to (q)(iv), inclusively, is yes, what is the new distribution in percentage and dollar amounts by province and region of the contracts’ regional industrial benefits; (s) what are the most recent overall estimates of the cost of the RADARSAT Constellation; (t) are these estimates higher or lower than the program’s original estimates, and by how much; (u) what unforeseen situations or amendments to the initial program led to these variances in the Constellation cost estimates; (v) what proportion (in percentage and dollar amounts) of the overall project costs is related to incorporating the Automated Identification System (AIS) into the Constellation; (w) how much money has been allocated to the overall project to date; and (x) how much money has been allocated to Phase D of the project to date?

[Jobs and Growth Act, 2012, October 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his speech. I know he has been following the budget file very closely. I would like him to tell us about the long-term consequences of the bill. The government often speaks of short-term consequences. Indeed, short-sightedness is often politics' great weakness.

I would like the member to tell us about the long-term consequences of the budget, beyond 2015.

[Jobs and Growth Act, 2012, October 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the official opposition pointed out that “[the Conservatives] are saddling future generations with the biggest environmental, economic and social debt in our history“.

Bill C-45 is a glaring example. As my colleague mentioned, this budget slashes services to Canadians. We are creating a society where the gap between rich and poor keeps growing, a society where many will be left behind.

I would like my colleague to elaborate further on that issue. I would appreciate hearing his comments on my humble thoughts.

[Questions on the Order Paper, October 26th, 2012]

With regard to the government’s decision to prevent the acquisition of the firm Macdonald, Dettwiler and Associates by Alliant Techsystems Inc. under the Investment Canada Act: (a) which factors persuaded the government that the acquisition was not of “net benefit” to Canada; (b) which senior officials or outside consultants made recommendations regarding this transaction, including (i) their names, (ii) their duties; (c) what were the specific criteria used to determine whether the transaction was of “net benefit” to Canada; and (d) what was contained in the reports or memos written on the issue as to whether the transaction under consideration was of “net benefit” to Canada, including (i) the report title, (ii) the name of the author (or authors), (iii) the title and duties of the author (or authors), (iv) the report’s status, namely whether it is public or not, (v) the date of the report or memo, (vi) the intended audience of the report or memo?

[Petitions, October 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition on the Experimental Lakes Area, a Canadian jewel whose international reputation is founded on research spanning several years. Halting this research, which belongs to all Canadians, would be disastrous. This public research allows us to conserve and to better understand Canada's most important resource: our lakes, rivers and streams.

[Foreign Investment, October 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we know that the Minister of Industry is not quite capable of abiding by his government's code of ethics, and so we are skeptical when he asks us to trust him to make the right decision. The Nexen decision will have a major impact on the Canadian economy and the development of our natural resources.

Why is the minister still refusing to disclose the criteria on which he will base his decision?

[Foreign Investment, October 26th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have not reassured the markets and Canadians about takeovers of Canadian businesses. The Wall Street Journal is now asking for a clear explanation of the criteria for making decisions about foreign ownership. The Conservatives' bungled process in the case of Progress Energy is seriously hampering investment in Canada.

To avoid another fiasco with Nexen, will the Conservatives finally clarify the criteria for accepting or refusing a takeover bid?

[Jobs and Growth Act, 2012, October 26th, 2012]

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

We see that expectations related to research and development are complex and ongoing. It is important to realize that we should not stop investing in research and development when the economy is fragile. But that is exactly what the government is doing now. It takes pride in talking about innovation, but it is withdrawing from research and development. I find that very unfortunate.