House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 45% of the vote.
Afghanistan December 7th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the story the Leader of the Opposition raises is one that was raised in this House more than two and a half years ago.
The Vice Chief of Defence Staff, now the CDS, issued a statement over two and a half years ago stating that the Afghan in question was not detained, was not captured and was not transferred by the Canadian Forces.
I hope the member opposite will stand in this place and apologize to the men and women in uniform.
Natural Resources December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Commissioner has made no such determination of ethical misconduct, as she is conducting an examination of the matter and I will trust her to do that job.
With respect to the Canada Marine Act, these special examinations are required every five years and one will be done this year.
Employment December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, obviously job creation is the government's top priority. That is why we have Canada's economic action plan. We were very pleased with the 80,000 net new jobs that were created in November.
We do see that south of the border the United States lost 11,000 jobs. This is the 23rd straight month of job losses in the United States.
This shows that Canada is standing firm, that our economic action plan is working and that the partnerships that we have with the provincial and territorial governments and municipalities on rolling out infrastructure are making a big difference.
Airline Industry December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, obviously we care significantly about Canadian families who experience delays, particularly over the holidays. We also have to look at Canadians who live in rural areas. We have to look at Canadians who need these important air services.
Look at what the Montreal Gazette said about the member's bill:
Our airline industry is financially fragile at the best of times, which these are not.
Altogether, this bill strikes us unwise.
I totally agree with the Montreal Gazette.
Infrastructure December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the opposition cannot have it both ways. On some days it gets up and says that the money is not flowing quickly enough, and the next moment it wants to see it drawn out.
In our economic action plan, we are working aggressively to stimulate the economy, to create jobs, to create hope and create opportunity. We were pleased with the 80,000 net new jobs that were created last month, but we are not going to celebrate. We are going to continue to work hard over the next 16 months to ensure that we fully implement the action plan and give more hope and opportunity to Canadians.
Canada-China Relations December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, today's Liberal attack is very consistent with the overall value-free foreign policy of the Liberal Party, go along to get along.
Let us look at what the Prime Minister accomplished. He has received approved destination status which will be a huge boost for the Canadian tourism sector, something the Liberal government failed to do. We have lifted the ban on pork exports, a big win for Canadian farmers.
Under the leadership of the Prime Minister we have seen greater co-operation on culture and on the environment.
The member opposite should be standing in this place to celebrate the success of the Prime Minister of Canada.
Canada-China Relations December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I would say to the member opposite, yes, our refusal to ignore human rights differs from the previous Liberal government's stance.
Today I was very pleased to hear the Prime Minister once again speak out on behalf of Canadian values, on behalf of the values of freedom and democracy. We believe and our Prime Minister believes that we can advance human rights and strengthen economic ties. That is why we have been pleased in each one of the last four years to see our trade with China go up in a big way.
Afghanistan December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, it is quite something for the NDP to get up and raise this issue. Let us look at Michael Byers who ran in Vancouver Centre as one of the NDP's star candidates, an official spokesman for the NDP in the last election. He wrote a letter accusing General Rick Hillier of possibly committing war crimes.
The NDP members should stand in their places and distance themselves from these outrageous allegations against a great Canadian hero who wore the uniform for a generation, who epitomizes the very best in Canadians. Shame on the NDP.
The Environment December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, this government, like Canadians, believes the environment is an important responsibility. Canada, as an industrialized country, is prepared to do its fair share.
Instead of trying to run down the country, why do we not put politics aside, stop the blame game and work together on this important agreement in Copenhagen?
The Environment December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the environment is a tremendously important priority for Canadians and an important priority for our government. We want to see an agreement in Copenhagen that is effective, and we will work to ensure Canada does its share.
I would remind the member opposite that in the spring of 2007 the government committed to an absolute reduction. It is unfortunate he did not read the plan at that time.