Justin Trudeau

[Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act, June 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have to admit that I am a little confused. I thought you had said that you had seen the Prime Minister arrive.

[Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act, June 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am sorry but with the confusion earlier I am extra worried. Was my vote recorded on that particular vote?

[Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act, June 13th, 2012]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. As a measure of respect, we ask that a member not use the name of a member in the House of Commons. He just referred to the Prime Minister as Mr. H.

[ALS Awareness Month, June 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, June is ALS Awareness Month. Also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, this rapidly-progressing motor neuron disorder attacks voluntary muscle control and is tragically fatal for most of its victims.

We all have a stake in working to find a cure for ALS as this disease could strike anyone regardless of family medical history.

The ALS Society of Canada is organizing a vigil on Parliament Hill tonight, in honour of the 3,000 Canadians who live with this disease every day.

I would like to particularly salute the work of Blair Polischuk, a photographer and ALS sufferer, who is encouraging all those with ALS to contribute as long as they can. This month he is publishing a book of his photographs to help raise awareness. It is acts like this, big and small, that will bring the attention needed to one day find a cure for this terrible disease.

In memory of all those we have lost to ALS, including our dear friend Richard Wackid, and in honour of all those who bravely live with ALS, I encourage everyone to do whatever they can to make that day someday soon.

[Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act, May 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have a confession to make. Through the work of my hon. colleague from Okanagan—Coquihalla, I have discovered that I have broken the law not just once but on numerous occasions, like many Canadians.

Last summer, I had the privilege of visiting my good friend, the MP for Kings—Hants, in the gorgeous Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia. We visited the Muir Murray Winery where I tasted a glass of the fine local product and promptly bought a bottle to bring home to my wife. On that flight home to Montreal from Halifax I broke the law.

A number of years ago, I visited my friend, Anthony von Mandl, who owns the Mission Hill Winery in the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla, producing some of the finest wine in Canada. There are many fine wines in Canada but it is one of my personal favourites. I discovered a wine called Oculus, which is extraordinary. Again I brought a couple of bottles home and broke the law.

Similar stories happened when I visited friends in the Niagara region and friends right across the country. I am proud to say that Canadian wine producers are becoming world-class in their quality, in their extraordinary vision and in their sharing of an extraordinary product of our land.

For me, the fact that here in the House we discuss regularly free trade agreements that we are trying to reach out and sign around the world, whether it be with Europe, South America or places in Asia, that we still are saddled with interprovincial barriers that prevent us from having truly free trade within Canada is something we certainly need to address.

Eighty years ago there was no perspective that there could be Canadian wineries but over the past 25 years or so they have come a long way. To finally be able to say that we are doing something is wonderful.

It is a shame that the current government did not decide to make it a bill but the previous Liberal government did not get around to it either. A tip of the hat to my colleague from Okanagan—Coquihalla for standing up, not just for his region but for regions across the country.

But, since I come from Quebec, I know that a lot of people are concerned about areas of provincial jurisdiction, including the fact that sales of alcohol are a provincial responsibility. In Quebec, the Société des alcools du Québec is certainly well aware of its authority to regulate the sale and consumption of alcohol in Quebec. So I was anxious to check whether in fact this bill, which the Liberal Party enthusiastically supports, is actually in accordance with those areas of jurisdiction.

Since it is a bill that is supported by consumers and producers all over Canada, we are already off to a good start. It respects provincial jurisdiction because, given that the province of destination controls what it imports, the province itself can determine what quantity of wine can be imported for personal use. When we come back from overseas, we can bring in 1.5 litres. In Ontario, we can bring back up to nine litres of Canadian wine. It is less elsewhere, but the ability to establish basic rules that say that this is legal and that allow each province to limit quantity is a very good thing.

The industry is growing, especially in Quebec. It has been 25 years now since a few producers ventured into winemaking in Quebec. Over the past five years, winemaking has boomed. Even though the financial means of the majority of businesses remain modest, the know-how of Quebec's wine producers and the development of highly specific and refined techniques are promising.

The wine is good. Quebec's ice wines are world-class wines. Approximately 100 medals have been awarded to the wines made by Quebec's wine producers. It is true that we have a bit of catching up to do compared to the awards given to the wines from Niagara, Okanagan, British Columbia and even Annapolis in Nova Scotia, but we are very competitive. All we need is a little extra help.

So it is a very good idea to encourage Canadians to visit our wineries in Quebec, to try wines across Canada and to bring them back home, and to discover our local products on another level. We are going to be able to show more pride in our Canadian products. We encourage people to come and visit the vineyards, to come and sample gourmet dishes and to discover wonderful places in the Eastern Townships.

Last weekend, during the National Patriots Day long weekend, I had a chance to visit the Eastern Townships with my family. We went to the Orpailleur vineyard in Dunham. I sampled a few good bottles and I would really like to be able to invite the hon. members of the House of Commons to come and discover our Quebec wines. I hope that we will be able to do so by passing this bill.

The Liberal Party and I are pleased and proud to support this bill, which will encourage our Canadian wine producers and Canadians in particular to be proud of our products from across the country.

[Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act, May 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in this House on a bill that has so completely brought everyone together. I thank the member for Okanagan—Coquihalla for bringing it forward.

I am going to rise to say a few words on it a little later in this hour--not too long, I hope, to interfere with the process--but I have a question. Might this eventually extend to interprovincial barriers on transporting beer, for example? There are a lot of microbreweries around the country doing a wonderful job. They are creating jobs and producing great product.

I am fully supportive of this for the wine industry. What are the barriers to moving forward, in future, on to other local products?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 28th, 2012]

With regard to the 2012 budget: (a) who provided the translation of the budget press release into the following non-official languages: (i) Arabic, (ii) Chinese (simplified), (iii) Chinese (traditional), (iv) Portuguese, (v) Spanish, (vi) Ukrainian, (vii) Persian, (viii) Polish, (xiv) any other non-official language, specifying which language; (b) how much did each translation cost; (c) for each translation, was the work carried out pursuant to a competitive contract, or was it sole-sourced; (d) what are the reference or file numbers associated with each translation; and (e) to which media outlets or organizations was each release distributed, and by whom?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 28th, 2012]

With regard to search and rescue operations: (a) prior to January 31, 2012, what was the “call back procedure [which] is standard protocol followed by the [Joint Rescue Coordination Centre] and all provincial and territorial emergency management organizations”, as referenced in paragraph 5 of the memorandum from Major-General J.H. Vance to the Chief of Defence Staff, dated February 7, 2012, under file number 3120-1 (WH Ops 1-1); (b) in what document or documents was this standard protocol issued, laid down or promulgated; (c) what are or were the dates and file numbers of the documents in (b); and (d) have there been changes to this protocol since January 31, 2012, and, if so, (i) what is the nature of those changes, (ii) when were the changes made, (iii) when did the changes come into effect, (iv) in what document or documents were the changes issued, laid down or promulgated, (v) what are or were the dates and file numbers of those documents?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 28th, 2012]

With regard to Canadian Forces operations since January 1, 2006, how many times have Canadian Forces aircraft been dispatched, at the request of provincial authorities, to conduct an emergency medical transportation and, for each such dispatch: (a) which provincial authority made the request; (b) which aircraft asset was involved; (c) from which Canadian Forces establishment was the aircraft dispatched; (d) from what location was the patient or patients picked up; (e) to what location was the patient or patients transported; (f) what was the date of the medical transportation; and (g) was a news release or other statement issued to the media concerning the incident, and, if so, on what date was the release or statement made?

[Questions on the Order Paper, May 28th, 2012]

With regard to government Web sites: (a) is there a government-wide standard for the retention or maintenance of (i) press releases, (ii) other documents on departmental or agency Web sites; and (b) if the answer to (a) is in the affirmative, (i) what is the standard, (ii) in what document is that standard established, (iii) when was the standard established or most recently re-established?