Paul Martin

[Sponsorship Program, October 31st, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, both the government and the commission have logistical needs which must be followed. The government has always received reports of this significance in advance because it is in the unique position of having to act.

For instance, the precedent is clear. In the case of the Somalia inquiry, the government received the report three days ahead of time. In the case of the Krever inquiry on contaminated blood, the government received the report five days ahead of time. In the case of the Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, it was 20 days.

In this case, the government has given itself the shortest time period, 12 hours.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 27th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I cannot tell you the number of times that I have sat in this House with this Minister of Indian Affairs as another initiative taken by this government to improve the quality of life of aboriginal Canadians was done and I have watched the Leader of the Opposition and his party vote against it. I cannot tell you the number of times I have seen aboriginal leaders in the gallery looking down at this House while the opposition voted against an improvement to their quality of life. We take no lessons from those members.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 27th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, as I have already stated in the House, our first priority is in fact the well-being of members of the community. We are very concerned about this totally unacceptable situation. It is for that reason that the Minister of Indian Affairs has already stood up in the House and said that he will be announcing, after he has had a chance to talk to the aboriginal leadership, the government's action plan.

[The Environment, October 27th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, I have just said that the Minister of the Environment is certainly prepared to sit down with his counterpart to discuss this, and intends to do so.

I would, moreover, like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Minister of the Environment on receiving the International Fund for Animal Welfare Animal Action Award yesterday. This is a Minister of the Environment who has the environment of Quebec and all of Canada at heart.

[The Environment, October 27th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of the Environment has already said that his door is always open to his counterparts in Quebec or the other provinces. As a Quebecker, I know that we are all proud of the progress made in Quebec.

We do, however, have a greenhouse gas emission problem and we must all work together to achieve the necessary results.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 27th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, for well over a year and a half this minister has devoted 24 hours a day to aboriginal Canadians. We have had cabinet meetings with aboriginal leaders. We have had round tables. He has done everything to build up toward the first ministers meeting.

Day after day the opposition has said nothing in support of aboriginal Canadians. Day after day those members have voted against every single measure we have brought forward for aboriginal Canadians. That critic and that opposition ought to resign.

[Aboriginal Affairs, October 27th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, it is clear the Leader of the Opposition thinks that insulting the mayor of Toronto, insulting the chief of police of Toronto or in fact insulting the Minister of Indian Affairs is the answer to the question. It is not.

What is required is policy. What is required is action and that is what the government intends to take. That is what the Minister of Indian Affairs intends to take. We are concerned about the people on the reserve and that is what we will deal with.

[Justice, October 27th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, what I said is that this is what I had been told. Perhaps the hon. member should do his research a little better. On August 10, 2005, the Toronto Star said:

Mayor David Miller and Police Chief Bill Blair said this week that more has to be done to prevent the flow of guns across the border, since 50% of the firearms used in crime here come from the United States.

[Sponsorship Program, October 27th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the leader of the opposition must know that the appropriate process will be followed in keeping with the needs and requests of the commission.

We do not intend to interfere in the procedures recommended by the commission. Justice Gomery decided on them and we will follow his recommendations.

[Iran, October 26th, 2005]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs has been quite explicit on this issue.

I just want to speak on behalf of all Canadians in vigorously condemning the remarks that were made by Iran's president. This is the 21st century and Canada will never accept such hatred, such intolerance and anti-Semitism of that kind. We believe that kind of an example does not reflect the opinion of the Iranian people. It certainly does not reflect the opinion of the Canadian people, and we vigorously condemn what the Iranian president said.