Paul Martin

[Sponsorship Program, January 31st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, first of all, on the subject of Iraq I would like to inform the House that I spoke to Mr. Kingsley this morning. As we know, he oversaw the election process that took place. He has already published on his website that in fact the election was held under circumstances which can give us great confidence in the results. I, too, want to speak on behalf of the Canadian people and say how much we admire the courage of the Iraqi people and how glad we are to see the result.

In terms of the hon. member's question, he should know that this afternoon, in fact perhaps as we speak, the government's counsel is before the commission giving the government's position. But let me just assure the hon. member that it was this government that brought the commission into being, not the opposition. We did it because we want the Canadian public to have all of the answers. That was our position then, it is our position today, and it will be our position tomorrow.

[Marriage, December 14th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I will tell the House what is disgraceful. It is for an hon. member to stand up in the House and make a statement like that, which is not true and, in fact, has no validity. That is what is wrong.

It is creating divisions in the country. It is a statement that goes contrary to the Charter of Rights and to what the court said. That is not the kind of statement that should be made in the House.

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 14th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member seems to want specific dates. In terms of specific dates, in all of the examples that he has given, the fact is that we have remained very consistent and very faithful to our commitments. However, the hon. member has some difficulty understanding that.

I have complete confidence in the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and in what she is doing in immigration in terms of opening up and in terms of settlement. She is doing exactly the job that she was called upon to do. She is changing the face of immigration.

[National Defence, December 14th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, once again, as with all the other options put forward by the Leader of the Opposition, we are keeping our promises, and we will do so in accordance with the timeframes set during the election campaign. The same goes for national defence.

Indeed, it will take more money. That is why we intend to increase the funds allocated to the Department of National Defence.

As for his lawyer, I think he should get a new one.

[Natural Resources, December 14th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, once again the negotiations are underway. What I am very pleased to say, and I say this on behalf of the Minister of Finance, is that the proposition that is being debated, that the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia are looking for, is infinitely superior to the one that was put by the Leader of the Opposition. In fact the Leader of the Opposition was actually going to cut equalization in Nova Scotia. We on the other hand have increased equalization for all the recipient provinces.

[Infrastructure, December 14th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, once again I want to thank the hon. member for giving me the chance to really speak about the government's program. The fact is that the minister involved has made substantial progress in discussing it with the cities, municipalities and communities. We have been discussing it with the provinces. Those discussions are ongoing and we are very much on schedule.

I appreciate the Leader of the Opposition giving me this opportunity to say just how we are changing the face of Canada for the better.

[Child Care, December 14th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, let me reciprocate by wishing to the Leader of the Opposition and his family, and to all members of the opposition, to the leader of the Bloc, to members of the Bloc, to the leader of the NDP and to his party, and most certainly to all of the people on this side of the House, a very merry Christmas, a happy new year and best wishes for the holidays.

To respond to the hon. member's question, the negotiations are underway with the provinces, as the Leader of the Opposition might know. I can assure the hon. member that we will fulfill all of our obligations because it is a commitment that we feel is very important for the families of this country.

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 9th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, questions can be answered in the House, but the whole purpose of setting up the Office of the Ethics Commissioner is so an independent officer of Parliament can determine the facts. It is on the determination of those facts that further questions can be answered. It is all about that.

[Citizenship and Immigration, December 9th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, we are working with the provinces. We are working with the professional associations. We are working with all the bodies across this country so that we can bring in the needed measures to ensure that when new Canadians come to this country with skills, they can put those skills to work.

The leader of the NDP should be under no doubt that we are breaking new ground. It is not the NDP, not the Bloc, not the reform. It is the Liberal Party, the Liberal government, and we are going to do it.

[Marriage, December 9th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the government has made it very clear that we are dealing with an issue of fundamental rights, that the charter is a pillar of our democracy. We will be introducing legislation as soon as possible in the new year.