Jim Maloway

[Business of Supply, April 23rd, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I would like to ask a follow-up question.

The member is no doubt aware that small businesses in Canada have been very alarmed in recent months, and I include travel agencies in that, by changes that the credit card companies are making on the charges to small businesses, which in fact get passed on to the end consumer. I am really surprised that the government is not taking a more active interest in that whole area. The government should be supporting this resolution if for no other reason than its friends in the business community are putting a lot of pressure on the government on this very issue.

I would like to ask the member why she thinks that the government is sitting on its hands on this resolution and not supporting it.

[Business of Supply, April 23rd, 2009]

Madam Speaker, one of the most outrageous features of the credit card business is the example of people who try to paydown their credit card every month. Sometimes if they owe a $1,000 balance on the card and make a payment of $980, leaving a balance of $20, they think that somehow the interest they owe will be based on that $20 balance, as it should be. However, in fact, when they get their statement, they find they have to pay interest on the entire $1,000, and that is absolutely outrageous.

What ways we can we go about changing that very unfair provision in credit card practices?

[Business of Supply, April 23rd, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I, too, am very pleased to see the Liberals take a sudden interest in this issue. I am also very surprised that the Conservatives do not have the good sense to support this motion.

Why does the member think the Conservatives do not seem to understand the problems associated with credit cards and will not agree with this resolution?

[Business of Supply, April 21st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, there was a lot of sound and fury in the member's speech. I note that the government has made it voluntary to register long-guns because of the amnesty which will extend beyond May 16, 2009. If the government believes so strongly that the long-gun registry should be removed, then why does it not bring in its own government bill to eliminate the gun registry?

[Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, April 20th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the member on an excellent presentation regarding the free trade agreement with Peru.

I would like to ask him how he would improve this agreement, what the cancellation provisions are of this agreement and how they would help alleviate concerns if we were to proceed with this agreement and we found that the agreement was not working properly in a year or two.

[Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, April 20th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I agree with some of the previous member's concerns regarding free trade with Peru but does he not think that some of his concerns could be addressed by virtue of the cancellation clauses within the agreement? We are all aware that the NAFTA can be abrogated, I believe, with a 90-day notice from either side. Therefore, if he is concerned that things will not work out in a couple of years the way we think they should, why should we not just abrogate the agreement at that time?

[Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, April 20th, 2009]

Madam Speaker, I would ask the member whether the government has any projections for trade between Canada and Peru over the next five or ten years.

[Indian Oil and Gas Act, April 2nd, 2009]

Madam Speaker, does the member have any thoughts or comments as to why it has taken so long for the bill to get to this point?

[Energy Efficiency Act, April 1st, 2009]

Madam Speaker, the Bloc member indicated that his party will attempt to improve the bill at committee. I wonder what sort of amendments he was contemplating. Will he look at the scope of the bill to include cars, buses, farm machinery, planes, boats and other motorized equipment of that type?

[Energy Efficiency Act, April 1st, 2009]

Madam Speaker, first I want to commend the member for making a very interesting speech.

Manitoba Hydro has had an extremely effective energy-saving program, called Power Smart, for some years now. Consumers receive incentives to purchase energy efficient appliances, and the reduced energy consumption leads to the extra power being sold on the export market into the United States at very healthy pricing. This keeps Manitoba hydro rates low for Manitoba. As a matter of fact, we have the lowest hydro rates in North America.

Would the member support the expansion of programs such as this one across the country to other utilities?