Lawrence Cannon

[Air Transportation, February 14th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his question.

As he knows, draft regulations concerning inclusion criteria have already been published for consultation. He must also be aware that individuals will have the opportunity to dispute the inclusion of their names on the list. I would emphasize that the critical purpose of developing this list is to ensure that people who travel by air—passengers—can do so securely.

[Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I learned about the expenses submitted by the Lieutenant Governor when the hon. member did. Like a number of people in this House, we are looking at these expenses with a rather critical eye. People who assume these responsibilities have to assume the responsibilities that come with their role. I would hope that the person in question could assume her role in a responsible manner.

[Official Languages, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, let us make one thing clear: hypocrisy has its limits. For 13 years, that government had this file on its desk and did nothing. The Commissioner of Official Languages called on that government to take action. It did not take action. We are taking action. I am looking at the hon. members and they have nothing to say.

[Wages and Salaries, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, as everyone is aware, in the last budget we were able to cut personal income tax for a period of four years to the tune of roughly $20 billion. We have alleviated a large number of people who were paying income tax and they do not pay income tax any more.

We have also reduced the GST by 1%. We have helped companies in terms of their personal income tax and corporate tax. When the member asks us what the government is doing in terms of helping the economy, those are specific actions.

[Wages and Salaries, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, on this issue as well as other issues the government is tackling the economic challenges that the country faces. We are doing it with a balanced budget approach. We are doing it with an economic update. The Minister of Finance has been extremely active on this file.

We are creating jobs in the country. We will continue to create jobs in the country. That is what sustains our quality of life and that is what sustains of course our economic forecasting perspective.

[Official Languages, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, once again, I must repeat that my hon. colleague talks a lot, but when it comes to delivering the goods, he is completely incapable of getting anything done.

Consider the following example. During the previous session, Bill S-3 was before the Senate. That bill aimed to defend the interests of francophones outside Quebec, and was supported by all members of this House, except the Bloc Québécois. Where were they? They were not on the same page.

[Official Languages, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I would again like to point out the fact that the members of the Bloc Québécois, despite their long-windedness, are unable to take any action whatsoever.

We, on the other hand, have implemented a plan based on recommendations made by the Commissioner of Official Languages. And that is what we are doing. We are taking action.

[Official Languages, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, there is actually not a very big difference of opinion because we agree with what my colleague said. The former Commissioner of Official Languages criticized the former government's inaction.

We are acting. We have taken the recommendations in the report and we are implementing them. In that sense, we are meeting the objectives set out by the Commissioner of Official Languages.

[Official Languages, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, we have to look at the facts. The facts in this matter are very telling.

The former Commissioner of Official Languages began an inquiry when the Liberal Party of Canada was in power. She found that the Canadian Forces were not increasing the size of their bilingual contingent fast enough under the old government.

The new model in place is based on recommendations made by the Minister of Official Languages, and we are following up on those recommendations—

[The Environment, February 9th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I repeat, we must be capable of making a clear distinction between the will to take action and the fanfare of the former government. It accomplished nothing; we are taking action. The Minister of the Environment was clear yesterday. We have announced programs. We will continue to work on programs. We will continue to act on behalf of Canadians within these programs and we will ensure that we achieve targets for reducing greenhouse gases and pollutants.