House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 45% of the vote.
Port of Saint John November 24th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, our government strongly supports and is committed to supporting initiatives in Atlantic Canada, in New Brunswick, that will improve port operations and help stimulate economic growth.
I understand that his colleagues in the longshoremen's union have taken the issue to court. As it is before the court, it would be inappropriate for me to comment any further.
Political Party Financing November 24th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, again the member for Hull—Aylmer comes forward with a question that I can only call fact-free.
If the member has any serious allegations or any allegations whatsoever based on any facts, he should put them before the House. More so, he should have the courage of his convictions to go outside this place and repeat them.
Political Party Financing November 24th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, our government is tremendously concerned about political financing. That is why the very first piece of legislation we brought before this House was a bill to ban all corporate donations to political parties. We also banned all unions from donating to political parties. We reduced the maximum amount from $5,000. The Liberal Party loved its $5,000 cocktail parties. We reduced that to $1,000.
We have brought in more political finance reform than any government in history. We have cleaned up the mess. We have cleaned out the barn that we discovered from the previous Liberal government.
Government Contracts November 23rd, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the member for Hull—Aylmer is once again raising a question with no facts on the table. If he has any facts he would like to present before the House or, even more so, outside the House, we would certainly welcome him doing so.
Ferry Service November 20th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I share the concerns that the member has raised, not just those that have been reported by the Auditor General but also from her constituents and others in Newfoundland and Labrador and on the mainland in Atlantic Canada.
Since 2007 the government has committed an additional $416 million for Marine Atlantic which includes $98 million toward a five year charter agreement for the MV Atlantic Vision.
We recently also announced $9.5 million of funding to deal with shore-based priorities in Cape Breton. We are committed in the long-term to Marine Atlantic. We are committed to work with the member and everyone to make it a better service for those in the east.
Airline Industry November 20th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, we understand the real concerns with respect to families, small business people and others who use our airlines. When they experience delays, whether it is mechanical, administrative or with regard to weather, we certainly are prepared to work with the industry and with all members of the House.
I know his bill is before committee. As it is currently written, many of us have serious concerns about it, and particularly the effects it would have on rural parts of Canada which have smaller airports that are dependent on airlines.
However, we look forward to the committee hearings, the clause-by-clause discussion, and further debate on this bill.
Government Appointments November 20th, 2009
That was another fact-free question, Mr. Speaker.
We make appointments based on qualifications and based on merit. I will put the Prime Minister's four years in office and the integrity of his administration with respect to appointments up against any Liberal government in the past.
Afghanistan November 20th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, this government has shown an unprecedented commitment to our troops. It was General Rick Hillier who called the Liberals' time in power, with respect to the service of men and women in uniform, a “decade of darkness”. We have done a lot to turn that around.
It is important to be very clear that no one, not even Mr. Colvin, has made any suggestion, presented one shred of evidence or made any insinuation that Canadian soldiers mistreated Taliban prisoners. It is tremendously important to underline that that is not the case. Let me be very clear that these stories are about Afghan allegations against other Afghans.
Afghanistan November 20th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, it is important to note that this government has been incredibly transparent with respect to the mission in Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister made a sincere commitment in an election campaign to allow parliamentarians themselves to vote on whether our troops should be deployed abroad or whether extensions should be given. We have had two votes in this place.
The government has been very transparent. We have provided the information to Parliament through quarterly reports and thousands of documents from both the Federal Court and the MPCC relating to the issue of the transfer of Taliban prisoners.
This matter of Taliban prisoner transfers has been raised and questions have been answered in the House numerous times. We must deal with facts, not with hearsay.
Afghanistan November 20th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, there have been public hearings that have been televised on this very issue. In those hearings, Mr. Colvin came before the House committee and presented no specific allegations, unsubstantiated claims, something that basically was hearsay. His information was sometimes second-hand and even third-hand, and that should concern us all.
We have been very public and very open in our mission in Afghanistan. We have had votes in Parliament, something that never happened previously when that party was in power.