John Baird

[Foreign Affairs, October 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is concerned about the ever-deteriorating situation in Syria and the plight of Syrian civilians. We will not wait for the United Nations to act. I am pleased to announce that we have expanded sanctions against the Syrian regime and its backers even further.

We will do our part to ensure that the full weight of the world is brought to bear on Assad and those who support him. We stand by the Syrian people in their hour of struggle.

[G8 Summit, October 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, 32 projects were supported by Infrastructure Canada to support job creation and economic growth. They all came in on or under budget. There were 32 different contribution agreements for each of those projects that I approved. All of those projects provide good benefit to taxpayers now and will in the many years to come.

[G8 Summit, October 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General released a report some time ago, a copy of which certainly made its way to the Canadian voters before election day. There is nothing new in this question. The Auditor General came forward and made a number of observations on how we could do an even better job and be more transparent to Parliament. We fully accept those recommendations.

What happened was that 32 projects were funded and all 32 of them came in on or under budget. All 32 projects were also supporting public infrastructure in the province of Ontario.

[Ethics, October 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I can assure the House that no project was ever funded that did not exist.

[Ethics, October 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite mentions nothing new in his question.

What today does represent is 377 days since the member flip-flopped on the gun registry and still no apology to the people of Timmins—James Bay. I invite the member opposite to get on his feet right now and make that long overdue apology.

[Official Languages, October 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, yes, I tabled the documents in the House. Before I tabled these documents in the language that the judges used to send them to the government, I asked all of the NDP members whether they were in favour of having them tabled, and all of the NDP members said yes.

[Religious Freedom, October 3rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the member for Brandon—Souris for his leadership in this regard. Protecting and promoting religious freedom is an important part of Canada's principled foreign policy. We are speaking up around the world, at the United Nations, and every other corner of the world for religious freedoms. Whenever there are more religious freedoms, there are better human rights, and more freedoms which we strongly believe are important.

I was pleased to see more than 100 people of different faiths come to Ottawa to offer their advice and suggestions on the establishment of an office of religious freedom, something we committed to do in the Speech from the Throne. We will listen and then we will act on a path to religious freedom.

[G8 Summit, October 3rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, later on today we will be voting on a resolution put forward by the NDP calling for greater investment in municipal infrastructure. Thirty-two projects received funding. That was to repave the runway of an airport in North Bay, far from the member opposite's constituency, repaving provincial highways and supporting a municipal public works project. Each of these created jobs and each of these came in on time and on budget, or even under budget, and is going to support local infrastructure in that region.

I would think the member opposite would want to be supportive of these types of important investments.

[G8 Summit, October 3rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, let us put some facts on the record: no funding was given to the project that the member opposite speaks of.

[G8 Summit, October 3rd, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the tone of that question is deeply disappointing, especially from that member. The minister did no such thing.