Mathieu Ravignat

[Safe and Accountable Rail Act, March 31st, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to imagine anything more important than the safety and well-being of our fellow citizens. That is obviously the bill's focus as well. It is unfortunate that we have come to this point because the Lac-Mégantic disaster would probably never have happened had this measure been in place.

Mayors in my riding told me that it imperative to know what is being transported through their region and when. Does my honourable colleague agree that this is absolutely fundamental? Does she believe that this bill does enough to inform municipalities of the dangerous goods transported by VIA Rail in their areas?

[Questions on the Order Paper, March 31st, 2015]

With regard to a procurement certification agreement between the Treasury Board and the Standards Council of Canada: (a) does such an agreement exist; (b) if the answer in (a) is affirmative, since when; (c) what are the details of the agreement; (d) has the agreement been modified since the date identified in (b), and if so, (i) what are the details of the changes, (ii) when did the changes take effect; and (e) does the text of the agreement refer to training developed and offered by the Canada School of Public Service, and if so, what are the details of this training?

[Interim Supply, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, can the President of the Treasury Board confirm that the bill is in its usual form?

[Supplementary Estimates (C), 2014-15, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Chair, could the President of the Treasury Board confirm that the supply bill is in its usual form?

[Business of Supply, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I paid attention quite carefully to my hon. colleague's great speech on this issue. I know that in his riding, this is a major concern.

In our own self-interest as a species, in our own kind of egotism, we tend to forget that we share this planet and this universe with a lot more creatures than we sometimes keep in mind. Some of those are endangered. It is my understanding that the orca whale is endangered.

What impact do these plastics have on this endangered species? Once a species is gone, it is gone. Irreparable damage is done to creation.

I wonder whether my hon. colleague would have something to say about how these plastics put a certain species at risk.

[Economic Development in the Pontiac, March 24th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the riding of Pontiac has two chambers of commerce—the Maniwaki and Vallée-de-la-Gatineau chamber of commerce and the Pontiac chamber of commerce—and many business groups that do an excellent job. The region's development depends on entrepreneurship, the growth of small and medium-sized businesses and the creation of an environment conducive to the development of its resources.

The Pontiac has a strong entrepreneurial culture, and I would like to congratulate all entrepreneurs in the region. However, Ottawa must do more to help SMEs grow and prosper.

We must encourage development that benefits everyone. We must restore the hiring credit for small business, reduce SMEs' taxes and help business owners access financing that will help their companies grow. We also have to do something about employment insurance. It must be available to seasonal workers.

We can also limit hidden fees on credit card transactions, create a tax credit for hiring and training young people, make it easier to transfer family businesses from parents to children and reduce the paper burden.

We must help our SMEs. The government must do something.

[Government Advertising, March 23rd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, here is another example of the Conservatives' environmental mismanagement. According to internal documents, $24 million of taxpayers' money was wasted on ads to promote the Keystone pipeline. The Conservatives used $24 million belonging to Canadians to help their friends in the oil industry—the richest companies in the country—and for what? Nothing. What a waste of public funds. The Conservatives will stop at nothing to please their friends in the oil industry.

Why not let the oil companies do their own advertising? Why is the government subsidizing them?

[Ethics, March 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, Senator Brazeau was credible enough for the Conservatives to appoint him to the Senate.

The director general of the Jean Bosco centre is disgusted with the pettiness of the Conservatives, who are using public funds to reward their friends and punish their adversaries, and I quote:

It is disgusting....Our clientele is disabled and already heavily burdened. People should not have to pay the consequences of such a scheme...

Can the Prime Minister explain why his chief of staff, Nigel Wright, got involved in this case?

[Ethics, March 13th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, according to former Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau, the Minister of Public Works blocked a grant promised by Lawrence Cannon in order to punish the Pontiac voters for voting the wrong way.

At the end of the day, it is the people who use the Jean Bosco centre, people with disabilities trying to enter the labour market, who are the victims of the Conservatives' pettiness in this case.

Will the Prime Minister explain what role his chief of staff played in all of this?

[Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, March 12th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, by the member's own admission, there were three cases and there were no problems in the prosecution of those cases. In fact, as far as I know justice was served in all three.

Why the change in law? Is there not a certain amount of redundancy here?