James Moore

[2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, February 12th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we are now three years away from the 2010 Vancouver-Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Games. Today the countdown clock was unveiled in Vancouver. As the seconds, minutes, hours and days are counted down, excitement will grow for all Canadians. Venues are being completed, infrastructure is being built and our athletes are training for gold.

The 2010 Vancouver-Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Games are going to be a success story for all Canadians from coast to coast.

This government is working closely with the governments of British Columbia, Vancouver, Whistler, the host first nations and the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee to host the greatest winter Olympic games in Olympic history.

The countdown clock unveiled today will count us down to the moment when Canada and British Columbia will shine for all the world to see at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games.

[Aerospace Industry, February 2nd, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as usual, the Bloc Québécois is talking out of both sides of its mouth. The Minister of Public Works does his own homework and his own work for Quebec and Montreal. He will prove it this afternoon when he signs the contract. Quebec has a presence in our government and in our cabinet, with Michael Fortier.

This contract will benefit Quebec. Our system of government works well for Quebec and Montreal, with Michael Fortier at the helm in Montreal.

[Committees of the House, January 31st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 109, I wish to table two copies of the government's response to the recommendation of the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts concerning chapter 7 of the May 2006 report of the Auditor General of Canada: Acquisition of Leased Office Space.

[Aerospace Industry, January 31st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, our first responsibility and our first priority in military procurement is ensuring the Canadian armed forces have all the tools they need to fulfill the good work that they are doing on behalf of Canadians. That is number one.

Number two, any regional benefits that result from this procurement will be spread across this country in an equitable manner to ensure that all Canadian industries benefit. However, we are going to ensure, first and foremost, that our troops have the resources that they need, the equipment that they need, to continue doing great work on behalf of Canadians.

[Sales Tax Amendments Act, 2006, January 30th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that in 2007 the NDP is going to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the creation of the CCF and the NDP. I want to congratulate the member for Hamilton Centre for giving a speech demonstrating why in 75 years the NDP has never formed the government of this country.

He mentioned the fact that in our budget we cut the GST. We did and we are proud and we are going to do it again.

In our budget we cut taxes 29 times, and it was not just cutting the GST. We did help families, the very people that he brags and talks about, people who need help and who need support from the government. We are standing up for them.

I know for a fact that my sister and my little niece, Abby, love the fact that our government is giving her $1,200 a year. Our family loves the fact that they are going to get $500 to alleviate the costs of amateur sport. Businesses in my riding love the fact that they are going to get the tax credit necessary to help trades.

We had 29 tax cuts to help small businesses, to help families, to help kids, and to do the things that this country needs to keep moving in the right direction.

In 75 years the NDP has been wrong in every major economic decision in this country. The NDP was on the wrong side of the free trade agreement, the wrong side of NAFTA, the wrong side of this budget, the wrong side of tax policy. I congratulate the NDP for pointing that out so those members can stay in that little corner over there for 75 more years.

[Trade, December 8th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague from Vancouver Centre for getting it exactly wrong.

When the Liberals were in power, they promised $590 million for the Pacific gateway, but they in fact did not spend it. The Liberals allocated it, but the money was never spent.

What we have done is put forward $600 million in the Asia-Pacific gateway for real projects that will get real results for British Columbians and all Canadians.

Gordon Campbell supports our plan. Sam Sullivan supports our plan. All the western provinces and indeed this entire government are supportive of the Pacific gateway. It is going to get real results for all Canadians. We are proud to deliver what the Liberals failed to do.

[Marriage, December 6th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if my colleague, the member for Scarborough—Guildwood, has ever had an intervention in the House that has not been substantive and well thought out, and tonight is no exception.

He began his speech the same way he ended it, talking about the honesty of the motion and what would be needed by Parliament in terms of an assertion in order to roll back same sex marriage. There is plenty to debate in there.

I do not think I agree with him on how our country is legally structured. In terms of a constitutional democracy versus a parliamentary democracy, one does not necessarily override the other, but that debate was had twenty-four and a half years ago.

I believe my colleague will understand that this is a constitutional democracy. As a consequence of that, because of these legal decisions, he said if the Prime Minister were honest, the motion would say explicitly that the notwithstanding clause would have to be invoked in order to undo same sex marriage.

My question is straightforward for my colleague. Does he believe in using the notwithstanding clause with regard to the issue of same sex marriage?

[Marriage, December 6th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I am a Conservative member of Parliament. I voted in favour of same sex marriage last year. I will be voting essentially in favour of same sex marriage again on this motion.

On the issue with which my colleague ended his speech, talking about creating divisions, most of my colleagues disagree with me on this question. I would go to war in order to fight for their right to disagree with me on this question. I know they disagree with me but they respect my right to have my view, because they know that I believe in strong families too and I believe in civil rights too. I know that they believe in strong families and they are coming at this from a decent, respectful, honourable position. Honourable people with decent and good intentions can honourably disagree about difficult questions. That is why we have always had a free vote on this question.

My colleague opposite and I agree on this question. His party had to be arm wrestled by the media in order to actually come to the position of having a free vote. His colleague sitting in front of him, the member for Thunder Bay—Superior North, had to resign from cabinet in order to be able to vote his conscience. How responsible is it for the Liberal Party to force people to resign their seats, wrestle with themselves, vote against their constituents and their consciences on an issue as important as this one?

He gets up in his place in the House and says that anybody who disagrees with him is essentially un-Canadian and does not respect the charter and civil rights. If we are going to go forward as a country and have these kinds of honourable civil debates where decent people can honourably disagree about important questions, that kind of language has to stop.

[Public Works, November 29th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to honour the contract that was written. It was put forward after a competitive process by the previous government. We are going to honour the contract.

[Public Works and Government Services, November 24th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, with the JDS Uniphase building, we were handed a mess by the Liberal government. The way it approached that contract was inappropriate. It was not open nor was it competitive.

As we put it forward, we opened the process. We allowed other people to compete for the contract and solved a lot of the problems that the Liberals had put forward. In fact, we are very proud that the RCMP will have a state of the art headquarters, where it needs to be, to meet its needs so it can meet the needs of all Canadians.