Maxime Bernier

[Small Business, November 17th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear in what I said in French.

All Canadians, who know something about that or who are witnesses on some front, must declare that to the authorities because it is important. It is taxpayer money and we take that very seriously.

[Small Business, November 17th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as far as help for businesses and entrepreneurs is concerned, I am very proud of this government's record. We have reduced the tax rate to 11% for small businesses and, effective January 1, 2012, to 15% for all businesses in Canada. That is a realistic record. It is a concrete record that is important for small businesses. As far as any potential fraud is concerned, I encourage people who witness illegal acts or fraud to file complaints with the appropriate authorities. It is a serious matter. Taxpayers' money is at stake.

[Firearms Registry, November 17th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, public policy must be judged by its real effects on the ground, and not by its intentions. When it comes to real effects, the part of the firearms registry dealing with long guns has never in any way helped prevent crime in Canada. Furthermore, regarding the data, I would like to remind my colleague what the Auditor General said on September 26, 2006:

We found the information in the database to have significant quality problems:

...

Verification frequently determined that information on the weapon's action, make or serial number was wrong.

[Tourism, November 14th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, because of guys like the member for Leeds—Grenville, we have a new national federal strategy for tourism and it is working. I am very proud of that and very proud of our work with the industry.

With the national tourism strategy, we have ensured that Canada's tourism businesses create jobs and that our country is positively recognized internationally. I am very proud of what we have accomplished and I wish to thank all members for their work in this area.

[Quebec Nation, November 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, absolutely not. I am a Quebecker and a Canadian, and proud to be both. Quebec can flourish within this country. That being said, I would remind my Bloc Québécois colleagues that Quebec represents 23% of the Canadian population and has 23% of the seats in the House of Commons. That is what it means to show fairness and respect to Quebeckers.

[Ethics, November 4th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as I have publicly stated many times, the first and only time I met that individual was at a public event. That person asked to have a photo taken with me, and I agreed. I have not seen that person since.

[Tourism Industry, October 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy that my counterpart is interested in tourism. This industry is very important to Canada. I want to say that we are working with the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism to ensure that our visa process is effective. I just got back from China, where I met with my counterparts over there. I can say that Canada has a very competitive process for granting visas to foreign visitors, compared to what is done elsewhere.

[Firearms Registry, October 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, the data in the long gun registry is inaccurate. That is what the Auditor General said in 2002 when she announced her findings with regard to this scandal, as the hon. member just mentioned. The registry was the first Liberal scandal. It was supposed to cost $2 million but it cost several million, if not close to $2 billion. We all remember the second Liberal scandal, the sponsorship scandal. For us, the important thing is that this data is not accurate, as the Auditor General said in 2002. This would be like giving a Trojan horse to the Government of Quebec.

[Firearms Registry, October 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, we are going to destroy the long gun—shotguns and rifles—registry data. Why? Because the registry is the data. That is what we said in our election campaign and that is what we are going to do. I am asking the Government of Quebec to respect the Canadian Constitution. This bill was created and established based on the Criminal Code, which falls under federal jurisdiction. It is in our power. We are doing what we have to do. We do not interfere in areas of provincial jurisdiction. We are destroying the registry because it is the best thing to do. We have laws, here in the House, to prevent crime.

[Firearms Registry, October 28th, 2011]

Mr. Speaker, as we said during the election campaign, we will destroy the long gun registry. Why? Simply because this registry does not reduce crime. Those who say the contrary are spouting pure ideology. The crime rate has been decreasing for several years in Canada, but not because of the registry. That takes more stringent laws. This registry unfairly targets hunters and farmers by treating them like potential criminals. I hope that the Government of Quebec will respect the division of powers and Canada's jurisdictions. This is a federal jurisdiction, and we will destroy this registry as we said we would.