Joe Preston

[Fair Rail Freight Service Act, May 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, those are great comments from the Liberals, but I do not know what they are saying.

I am going to tell them a little story about town called St. Thomas in southern Ontario, where the railways ran for many years in our country. Sometimes as many as 13 railways ran through the city of St. Thomas, as it happened to be in a straight line between Chicago and New York City and Detroit and Buffalo. It cut through the Canada Southern and a number of other railways. It was in a day when the railway was the way we transported all of the goods in Canada. We transported people, goods and the resources that Canada was known for in those days.

I will tell another little story about St. Thomas in Ontario and a rail incident. P.T. Barnum brought the circus to town in 1886. I am sorry, but Jumbo the elephant was walking down the train line on the day it was moving the circus into town and was struck by a locomotive and killed--

[Fair Rail Freight Service Act, May 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it is great to be here tonight, even at this hour. I guess it is great to be here this morning, now. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss Bill C-52.

The Conservative government has proposed new legislation to improve Canada's freight rail service—

[Fair Rail Freight Service Act, May 30th, 2013]

How many Liberals? You are the first one forever.

[Committees of the House, May 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, if the House gives its consent, I move that the 56th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, presented to the House earlier today, be concurred in.

(Motion agreed to)

[Committees of the House, May 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Orders 104 and 114, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 56th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding membership of committees of this House. If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the 56th report later today.

[Committees of the House, May 23rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I move that the 53rd, 54th and 55th reports of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs presented to the House earlier today be concurred in.

(Motion agreed to)

[Committees of the House, May 23rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following reports from the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs: the 53rd report, requesting an extension of 15 sitting days to consider the report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario 2012; the 54th report, requesting an extension of 15 days to consider the report for the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Quebec 2012; and the 55th report, pursuant to Standing Orders 104 and 114, regarding membership of the committees of the House.

If the House gives its consent, I intend to move concurrence in the 53rd, 54th and 55th reports later this day.

[Canadian Museum of History Act, May 22nd, 2013]

Now you are in trouble.

[Extension of Sitting Hours, May 22nd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the House leader just mentioned the not criminally responsible reform act, which has been before the House but has not been allowed to come to a vote. He also mentioned items before the House being able to come to a vote. Back home we are told many times as parliamentarians that we seem to discuss the same items a lot. People say that every time they turn on the TV, parliamentarians are discussing the same thing over and over again.

Could the minister please tell us again how important it is that we finally get to a vote on the many pieces of legislation before the House?

[Interparliamentary Delegations, May 8th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian Delegation of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association respecting its participation in the 61st Westminster Seminar on Practice and Procedure, held in London, United Kingdom, from March 9-12, 2012.