LaVar Payne

[Petitions, April 10th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to present to the House with regard to Canada Post.

[Petitions, April 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is in regard to plant breeders’ rights and Bill C-18.

[Petitions, April 3rd, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present.

The first petition is pertaining to the Canada postal services.

[Offshore Health and Safety Act, March 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, development of offshore resources is a priority and must be done safely, and I believe that this legislation would ensure that safety. I would like the member for Tobique—Mactaquac to elaborate on that.

[Public Safety, March 25th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I was shocked to learn about an editorial from Carleton University professor Darryl Davies that disrespects our front-line police officers who died keeping fellow Canadians safe. In fact, he even goes so far as to defend an individual who protested the funeral of Toronto police sergeant Ryan Russell.

While disrespect for law enforcement is a fundamental tenet of leftist ideology, Davies hit a new low by attacking those who died in the line of duty. Could the Minister of Public Safety please tell the House what our Conservative government is doing to give law enforcement the tools it needs to protect Canadians?

[Agriculture and Agri-Food, March 7th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, while western Canadian grain producers had a record harvest this past year, farmers are depending on the railways to move their crops efficiently to market. For far too long, the railways have over-promised and under-delivered. Poor rail service is costing farmers money, and this needs to change.

Could the parliamentary secretary please tell the House how our government is taking action to put hard-working Canadian farmers first, including those in my riding of Medicine Hat?

[Medicine Hat Volunteer, March 4th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it is my great privilege to stand here today to talk about one of my constituents, Evelyn Stall. Evelyn has been a very active volunteer in Medicine Hat and elsewhere for over 80 years. At 95 years young, Evelyn is as active as ever in voluntary activities. Here are just a few examples of her dedication.

In the past, Evelyn has served as a volunteer on the City of Medicine Hat Transit Advisory Board, the Medicine Hat Police Service Restorative Justice study committee, the Volunteers in Action Association, the Needs of the Elderly Planning Committee, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Canadian Mental Health Association and City of Medicine Hat Senior Services.

This past year, her monthly project sees that retirees come together for special luncheons she organizes. One was “Italy”, another “Hawaii”. Stories about these places were shared as well as stories about “What is love”. I can say that Hatters love Evelyn.

Evelyn continues to be an inspiration to us all. Her contributions over the past several decades have been noted and will now be in the official record of the House. I wish Evelyn the best in the future.

[Infrastructure, February 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it was only two weeks ago in Stouffville that the Prime Minister announced the largest infrastructure spending program in Canada's history.

That means it only took the Liberal leader two weeks to spin some classic Liberal arithmetic, repeatedly stating that our government has foregone thousands of billions of dollars in infrastructure funding, numbers straight from the mouth of a part-time teacher.

Can the Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Communities correct the record?

[The Budget, February 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I find it pretty rich coming from that member of Parliament from the Liberal Party to talk about our government downloading costs. He was a member of that government, which downloaded $25 billion onto the provinces. He was a member of that government, which took $57 billion out of the EI fund. He was a member of the government under the decade of darkness, which starved our military and sent them to Afghanistan in green uniforms. My goodness, where has that guy been living?

I would like to ask the member to reconsider his thoughts on what we are doing to help Canadians. We have created over one million jobs since the recession. We are coming to a balanced budget. The member should also remember that it was his party under Pierre Elliott Trudeau who took the country down into the depths of deficits year after year.

[The Budget, February 13th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Malpeque probably knows that our committee has been studying this difficult situation with the grain farmers. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Canadian Wheat Board. When the Canadian Wheat Board was in operation, it would take only a little bit of grain and send it out, and then maybe a few months later it would take a little bit more. This situation has absolutely nothing to do with the board. We have talked with the railways and with the grain companies. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Canadian Wheat Board.

A number of the problems are with the railways, and they need to make sure that they step up. We have had discussions with them. The minister has had several discussions with them over the last few weeks and will continue to do so to make sure that we resolve the situation for our western grain farmers.