Merv Tweed

[Petitions, February 25th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present signatures from within my constituency of Brandon—Souris, calling upon the House of Commons and Parliament assembled to condemn discrimination against girls through sex-selective abortion and do all it can to prevent sex-selective abortions from being carried out in Canada.

[The Environment, February 15th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, there is smog of policy misinformation coming from the other side of the House.

After travelling to Washington to push the NDP's job-killing policies, the member for Halifax had the gall to stand in the House and ask what we were doing to reduce emissions and protect the environment. The NDP continues to deny its $21 billion carbon tax, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Could the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment update us on the progress our government is making?

[Committees of the House, February 14th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the sixth report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food in relation to the motion adopted on Tuesday, February 12, 2013, regarding the Canadian Grain Commission's proposal to Parliament for user fees and service standards.

[Manitoba Ag Days, January 30th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, each in year in January, Brandon hosts Manitoba Ag Days. This year January 15 to 17 marked the 36th annual event. The three-day event is a free exposition of agricultural production expertise, technology and equipment that attracts exhibitors and visitors from across Canada and the United States. This year over 37,000 people attended. Among those visitors was the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

The minister and I had the chance to tour the 540,000 square foot Keystone Centre as every inch was packed with over 260 exhibits. After attending Ag Days, I joined the minister for a round table discussion with local ag producers and ag industry experts to discuss the challenges and successes currently affecting the ag sector.

I want to congratulate the organizers of Ag Days for another very successful event and I want to commend the minister and our government for their strong commitment to agriculture and rural Canadians. It is no surprise agriculture is at the heart of the Brandon—Souris economy.

[Committees of the House, December 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food concerning the supplementary estimates (B), 2012-13.

[Town of Melita, December 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it was my pleasure to be in Melita on Saturday, November 24, to celebrate upgrades to its arena with help from our government's community infrastructure improvement fund.

While in Melita, the sense of pride for community was evident and something to be admired. The town was busy with events, including the Santa Claus parade and a homemade dinner as a fundraiser for the rink, which was capped off with an exciting high school hockey game.

That night, many young figure skaters and hockey players came out on the ice to celebrate the community's hard work with the addition of a new ice plant, boards and glass. Whether it was high school and senior hockey players putting in hours of labour or local businesses putting in thousands of dollars of work without ever sending a bill, it is communities such as Melita that keep Canada strong for our young people.

Community facilities provide places for families, friends and neighbours to gather together and by helping to improve them, we are ensuring united and prosperous Canadian communities for years to come.

I congratulate the community of Melita and I wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy new year.

[Committees of the House, November 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food, regarding Bill S-11, Safe Food for Canadians Act.

The committee has studied the bill and has agreed to report the bill back to the House without amendment.

[Jobs and Growth, 2012, October 30th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, a government dealing with taxpayers' money and big issues has to make choices.

The member will note that we made a huge investment in the lakes north of Winnipeg because that became our government's priority. We have made an investment and commitment to clean up those lakes, which, long term, benefits me because I am upstream. The water that we are going to continue to send into those areas will be better and create a better quality of life for the people who live around those lakes.

[Jobs and Growth, 2012, October 30th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, if the member wants to check the record, I spoke about the older generation. I spoke about my father, who, as an employer, dealt with people who were looking for work. The definition at that time was that it was a bridge to carry people from the job they just lost to their next job. I am not disagreeing with what the minister said. I am just saying that in days gone by that was the way it was.

Now we are saying one hour. I drive an hour to work. You probably drive more than a half hour to work. It is not unthinkable that people would do that. If there is an opportunity an hour away, we would encourage people to consider that job.

[Jobs and Growth, 2012, October 30th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, it is probably not for me to give advice to the opposition as to what it may or may not do, but I can give another example.

There are ditches that run alongside our roadways that, in the spring, have water in them for about eight days. By definition, those are termed navigable waters. It was never meant to be, never intended to be, never talked about when they thought about building roads or intersections, but over time the act has overtaken every definition. If someone can float something in a ditch or, as one of my colleagues said, in my glass of water, it could be termed a navigable water and that is what we are trying to correct with this bill.