House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2015, with 31% of the vote.
Copyright Modernization Act December 12th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague from Timmins—James Bay asked the same question that I wanted to ask, but I would nevertheless like to ask my hon. colleague from Chambly—Borduas if he kept his course notes. He was a student until very recently and he is very familiar with the university environment. How would he have been personally affected by this bill as it currently stands?
Copyright Modernization Act December 12th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, different groups of artists have different needs. The needs of consumers and creators are also different, and heaven knows that this bill is far from perfect. I would like my colleague to speak a bit more about the amendments that are required and that should be made to this bill, even though we know that they will probably be rejected.
Copyright Modernization Act December 12th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, my colleague mentioned that artists find it difficult to survive. It may surprise the members of the House to hear, but the average income of an artist in Canada is $12,900 per year. Obviously, it is difficult to survive on that. The bill wants to take millions of dollars in revenue away from artists.
I think we risk losing a lot of artists because they will be unable to survive. I would like to ask my colleague how he thinks this may affect Canadian content in the arts.
Canada-Panama Economic Growth and Prosperity Act December 12th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, Panama's labour record is not very good and it is only getting worse. Our Conservative colleagues often wonder why the NDP has problems with free trade agreements. It is simply because the emphasis is placed on the economic aspect and very rarely on the human or environmental aspects.
My question is simple: why does the Conservative government insist on trying to conclude free trade agreements that focus almost solely on economics and very little on human and environmental rights?
Homelessness December 9th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw the attention of the House to a group of individuals. We often see them on the street, but we do everything we can to ignore them. I am talking about homeless people.
Because of the economic crisis and job losses, their numbers are increasing. This summer, shelters were at 90% capacity, which is unheard of. Imagine how full they must be now that winter is here. Moreover, this phenomenon is not unique to urban centres; the number of homeless people is on the rise in my riding of Hochelaga, which is about five kilometres from downtown Montreal.
Despite the skyrocketing needs, federal funding is a third of what it should be. Several vital programs have been denied assistance. For instance, Cap Saint-Barnabé in Hochelaga needs more support. The government needs to deal with what is quickly becoming an emergency situation and provide funding to community groups immediately.
Here is my suggestion to government members: the next time they meet a homeless person in the street, they should look that person in the eye. Perhaps then they will understand.
Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act November 21st, 2011
Mr. Speaker, does my hon. colleague think that a national public transit strategy could not only be good for the environment, but also create jobs?
Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act November 21st, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the government insists on trying to pay down the deficit as quickly as possible by cutting 5% to 10% from all departments, for example. Does my colleague think that, given the uncertain economic times, this could have the opposite effect and harm the economy instead of helping it?
Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act November 21st, 2011
Mr. Speaker, in the hon. member's last, very fast minute, he touched on the issue of credit cards. In the election campaign, the NDP suggested putting a cap on credit card interest rates. Could he tell us how this could help families that have huge debts?
Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act November 21st, 2011
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member spoke about poverty earlier. When it comes to corporate bankruptcy, the workers' pension plan is at the bottom of the list of creditors.
How does my colleague feel this could hurt the financial security of seniors?
Royal Canadian Mounted Police November 15th, 2011
Mr. Speaker, how can we believe that the Conservatives take this important issue seriously when they are asking these women to wait?
They did not ask for more time before they attacked the firearms registry, the Canadian Wheat Board or pay equity.
This government says it is tough on crime, but when the time comes to act it says to be patient.
Can the minister give us assurances that he will not wait for a new commissioner to be appointed before taking the action that is needed to help these women?