Marc-André Morin

[Helping Families in Need Act, September 27th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I am almost moved by the minister's comments, because I know what she is talking about. I had a child who was lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to tubes. I understand her intention, but I have to wonder if the minister realizes that it is still employment insurance, which has been compromised by cuts, that is supposed to handle these files, which, by definition, are extremely complex.

People who go through these terrible experiences have no desire to confide in a voice mail system or go online to fill out a bunch of forms. I wonder how people will react when they have to go through 12 steps in an automated menu just to be told to leave a message.

That is the only aspect about this bill that worries me.

[Lake Protection, September 24th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, many people are perplexed by the joy the Conservatives seem to take in destroying the environment, as demonstrated by Bill C-38. For instance, in my riding of Laurentides—Labelle, the people of the municipality of Nominingue wanted to protect their lakes. They embarked on a lengthy process to change some boating regulations, which involved submitting to a long series of procedures and public consultations. These people are wondering if it still makes sense to pursue their efforts considering the elimination of the protection of wildlife habitat, or if they should simply give up and put up with the 350 horsepower engines on a lake that is only 0.85 square kilometres. Personally, I think this government could not care less. I would say that the lights are on but nobody is home.

[Business of Supply, September 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the member opposite, who appears to be a champion of free trade.

I was in Japan last May, and I met a member of the Japan-Canada Chamber of Commerce, who told us that consular services had been completely shut down at the embassy in Tokyo. This man had recruited 150 to 175 Japanese students who are paying to come study at Canadian universities. At the embassy, he was told that he could access our consular services in Manila or who knows where.

Is shutting down consular services in a country without notice really the way to talk about free trade? That is what I would like to know.

[Pensions, June 20th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, by increasing the eligibility age for old age security, the Conservatives have launched a direct attack on our society's most vulnerable seniors.

The Conservatives will be stealing food from the mouths of thousands of people who have worked their entire lives, just when they need help the most. It is unacceptable to steal from seniors like this.

Why steal from seniors instead of helping them?

[Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act, June 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, this morning I saw the report on our free trade with Colombia. I think part of this report should have focused on human rights and workers' rights. But there was nothing of the sort in the report.

The problem is that the government is asking us to blindly believe all of its claims, but when we want to see proof or ask for statistics and facts, it has nothing to give us. The difference between us and the Conservatives is that we need to see it to believe it, but the Conservatives say we have to believe it to see it. That is the difference.

[Main Estimates 2012-13, June 6th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, sometimes things are pretty easy to understand here, but I have to admit that this evening I am a bit confused. My Liberal colleague, who is a brilliant constitutional expert, demonstrated that the government's plan to reform the Senate makes no sense and will not work.

However, he seems to have a pathological attachment to that institution. I have to wonder why he is so bent on defending an institution where you can find the loser of a failed boxing match and some former political adversaries who fell into a job.

That is what I would like him to explain. What is there to save?

[Situation in Syria, June 5th, 2012]

Mr. Chair, this evening, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the speeches that we heard in this debate, and my colleagues on the government side will find me almost reassured. It is important that the entire community remain calm and avoid trying to be cowboy heroes who ride to the rescue, bring the massacre to an end and sort everything out in one fell swoop.

Whenever I hear the expression R2P, the responsibility to protect, I break out in a cold sweat. It makes me think of Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. Libya: there was a great success. There are still tanks blocking the airport in the capital and the problems are far from being resolved. It is important that we remain calm and restrained right to the end. This is how things will be resolved.

The only fear I have has nothing to do with what the international community is not doing, but rather with what might happen if it sends in troops. This would really sound the death knell for the Syrian people. They would be facing a real war and seeing their country destroyed and its infrastructure ravaged. That is the real danger. I hope that the members of the government will pursue the wise course they have followed until now.

[Situation in Syria, June 5th, 2012]

Madam Chair, I have a question. I would like the hon. member to answer it, if he can.

Last spring, when the crisis began, we learned that it was a large Canadian corporation that was producing the electricity and managing the energy supply in Syria. That is rather significant. A type of economic and technical support was being provided to Syria.

Would it not have been appropriate to prevent that company from supplying Syria? Would that not have helped topple the regime?

[Restoring Rail Service Act, May 29th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, earlier you said that the unanimous consent of the House was needed to share speaking time.

[Copyright Modernization Act, May 14th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I will address the question to you, but I trust that my colleague will reply because she is part of the generation that understands the digital civilization.

I am interested in another aspect. If I have understood correctly, students who do not destroy their course notes after five days will be presumed guilty of copyright infringement.

It is a bit like suspecting someone of murder because they bought a bread knife. The logic is about the same. I am wondering if such regulations would bear the scrutiny of the courts.