James Moore

[Industry, April 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, of course, our government wants to have a robust industrial policy that will create jobs all across the country and we are working with provinces and we are working with the private sector to keep taxes low. We have a 13-point lower corporate tax rate than what is offered in the United States. We have a number of policies to keep us competitive and to keep us moving forward.

With regard to our support for the automotive sector, I sure liked the member for Edmonton—St. Albert when he voted for these things, but now that he is speaking against them in the Parliament of Canada just shows how far he has fallen from reasonable public policy.

[Government Advertising, April 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it really is unfortunate to see the NDP making a personal attack against a Canadian veteran.

Tim Laidler is still the president. They are attacking a Canadian citizen. He is still the president of the Veterans Transition Network. He has been recognized across this country for his work with veterans. He reaches out and supports Canadians who are veterans who are impacted by PTSD. He has won awards from the province of British Columbia for his great work. He continues to work with veterans.

Of course, New Democrats take every opportunity to take a potshot at this individual. He is a great Canadian doing great things for Canadian veterans.

[Manufacturing Industry, March 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it was not spin, it was a direct answer to the question. What I described was exactly what the member has asked for, a specific project. It was a robotics project at SickKids hospital that helps kids, which will now be sold around the world.

If the member wants another example, on Monday I was in Burlington, Ontario, at L-3 WESCAM for an investment that will save over 800 jobs in Burlington and expand them into Don Mills. It is creating world-class technology for earth observation on land, at sea and in the air. This is creating jobs all throughout southwest Ontario. Our government invested in it. The Liberal Party voted against it. We will keep ignoring them and keep supporting southwest Ontario.

[Manufacturing Industry, March 25th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is perfectly clear the member is describing his own leader when it was the Liberal leader who said that southern Ontario needs to transition “away from manufacturing-based employment as a driver in the economy”. That is what the Liberal leader said.

By contrast, I visited SickKids hospital in Toronto last week and visited some advanced manufacturing in robotics that we invested in. One in 700 children is born with a cleft palate. Because of the investment we have made in advanced manufacturing, this is technology that is protecting kids, stopping infection, and fixing cleft palates. We are going to sell this technology all over the world, creating jobs and protecting kids well into the future. That is what we do as the Conservative government.

[Telecommunications, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that is not at all the case. We are taking action and we earmarked funds in the 2014 budget. Today, we are continuing to invest in order to protect, promote and improve services available to Canadians in every region of the country.

This what the Federation of Canadian Municipalities had to say:

Rural businesses, communities and residents need sufficient bandwidth to participate in today's global economy and today's announcement is good news for Canadians in those regions.

We are taking action, investing and protecting consumers' interests in our increasingly wired world.

[Telecommunications, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that is of course ridiculous. The Wall report that was tabled just last year reported that wireless rates in Canada are down 22% all across this country because of our government's policy.

Our spectrum transfer policy is driving more competition in the wireless sector. The AWS spectrum auction that we announced two weeks ago has resulted now in more than a quarter of all spectrum being in the hands of competitors to the incumbent big three wireless providers.

We can add to that our connecting Canadians program, which is building the final mile for those 6% or 280,000 Canadian households that do not have access to high-speed connectivity. We are making sure that access to the digital world will be available to all Canadians in all regions, whether wireless or wired, well into the future.

[Public Safety, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, L-3 Wescam is a company that is based in Burlington, has a footprint in Don Mills, and employs over 800 Canadians with good, well-paying jobs. Better than that, it is building world-class technology that is protecting Canadians.

The first responsibility of the government, before anything else is done, is to make sure that Canadians are safe. This company is building world-class technology that is protecting Canadians at sea, on land, and in the air.

The Moncton example is a perfect one. When Justin Bourque killed those three members of the RCMP and was hiding in the woods, it was this technology that allowed the police forces to find him, safely capture him, arrest him, and put him on trial, and now he has been convicted.

This company is building the next generation of this kind of technology that will keep us safe all across the country. We are proud as a government to support this company, create these jobs, and keep Canadians safe.

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as of 1996, (a) the government introduced a lawful intercept condition of licence that requires the licensee to maintain interception capabilities so that information can be provided when required by a warrant.

(b) The government does not pay for the costs of these provisions.

[Telecommunications, March 11th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as everything in our lives from academic pursuits to our digital economy continues to grow, the demand for wireless spectrum is only going to continue to be a demand for Canadians.

Canadians want the latest and best technology, including fast download speeds, in all areas of the country. Our spectrum policy has resulted in more spectrum being put into the hands of the marketplace to benefit consumers than has happened with any government before in Canada's history.

Better than that, when we formed government, less than 2% of all wireless spectrum was in the hands of wireless service providers other than the big three. Now more than a quarter of all wireless spectrum is going to be in the hands of competitors, which will drive down prices and create more choice for Canadian consumers. It is a big win for Canadians.

[The Environment, March 10th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as my colleague should know, we are constantly working with auto companies on investments and approaches to enhance their ability to produce new cars that will definitely hit the market.

If he has a specific proposal that makes sense, we will certainly take a look at it.