Lawrence Cannon

[Infrastructure, November 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, we have during the last several months consulted the provinces. We have consulted the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

We were able to put aside $16.5 billion for infrastructure. We also put aside $1.3 billion for public transit. That money is already available. It is now flowing. The agreements are there.

Hopefully, the communities and cities will take that money to be able to go forward.

[Taxation, November 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question.

For the Bloc and the Parti Québécois, the problem is verbal imbalance. This is what was reported this morning in a number of Quebec's newspapers under the pen of the co-chair of the Council of the Federation Advisory Panel on the Fiscal Imbalance, and I quote:

By manipulating the data in our report, Mr. Boisclair and [the Leader of the Bloc Québécois] are misleading the public and trying to foster unrealistic expectations that have no basis in fact.

The Bloc Québécois contribution to this discussion is totally—

[Crime Prevention, November 1st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, in the last budget we allocated almost $20 million to prevention programs for troubled youth.

However, let me be clear on this point, we have never had and do not have the slightest intention of amending the law with respect to the age of criminal responsibility. Those with claims to the contrary, such as Father Gravel, the Bloc Québécois candidate in the Repentigny riding, quite simply are not telling the truth. Father Gravel is surely familiar with the eighth commandment.

[Canada Post, October 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, many members from all sides of the House have indicated support on this issue. Indeed, the new government supports small businesses and competitive economic conditions needed to ensure their survival.

This is why the government will be coming forward in a few weeks with substantive steps to deal with the issue regarding international remailers.

[Canada Post, October 26th, 2006]

Yes, unanimously, dear colleague, so that we can get on and protect traditional mail rural delivery in Canada.

[Canada Post, October 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as I have had the opportunity of mentioning, there indeed have been many representations, not only from my colleagues in this caucus but also from members of the House, and last night we did support unanimously a private member's bill.

Of course in the coming weeks we will be able to scope out measures that the House will look at and hopefully will support--

[Telecommunications, October 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the leader of the Bloc Québécois should also add that the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in this regard with the Guèvremont decision, which confirmed federal authority over communications.

If the leader of the Bloc Québécois wishes to rehash the past, we could cite the example of the member for Roberval who, together with René Lévesque, eliminated all the rights of Quebec workers when they went back on the collective agreement they had signed.

[Access to Information, October 24th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, as mentioned by our hon. colleague, the President of the Treasury Board, we tabled the Federal Accountability Act, an extremely important piece of legislation that followed up on the recommendations of Justice Gomery. Furthermore, the remaining recommendations will follow in due course.

We were told that we had 24 months to react. What did Justice Gomery have to say? He said:

I believe that, in the long term, public servants have a greater awareness of the devastating consequences of not following the rules.

That is exactly what we are doing and I hope that the Senate will pass this bill.

[Transport, October 23rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, once again, the leader of the Bloc Québécois is dreaming in Technicolor.

He claims that a high-speed rail link would be economically viable. We have no studies to prove this. On the contrary more than 20 studies have been conducted over more than 30 years about a possible link between Montreal and New York. None of the studies concluded that such a link would be viable.

The Bloc leader should tell us what basis he has for making such an extravagant promise. Is this yet another example of political fiction by the Bloc Québécois?

[The Environment, October 23rd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it is regrettable that the hon. member was not there on Friday when I was asked a question by the hon. member for Hull—Aylmer. In response to that question, I said that the current government did not sign an agreement with the Government of Quebec, as the previous federal government did.

We are in the process of working with the Government of Quebec on a series of programs that together will help us both achieve the objectives not of the Kyoto plan, but of Canada's plan.