Philip Toone

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 30th, 2013]

With regard to the libraries at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute and the St. Andrews Biological Station: (a) what were the operating costs for these two libraries over the last 10 years, broken down by year and library; (b) what were the projected operating costs for these two libraries over the next five years, broken down by year and library; (c) what are the costs, including the actual and projected costs, associated with closing these two libraries, broken down by year and library; (d) what studies show that closing these two libraries will allow the government to save money, and what are the results of these studies; and (e) how is the government planning to replace the French-language services offered by the Maurice Lamontagne Institute library?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 30th, 2013]

With regard to funding for national parks: (a) how much did the government allocate to national parks between 2000 and 2012, inclusive, broken down by year and by park; and (b) how much does the government expect to allocate to national parks between 2013 and 2017, inclusive, broken down by year and by park?

[Canadian Museum of History Act, May 28th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome everyone to this, the 36^th time allocation motion. This is a record. It makes you wonder how the government justifies once again invoking time allocation.

In October 2002, when referring to the number of times that the Liberals had invoked time allocation, the Prime Minister said the following:

“The government has used closure and time allocation more frequently than any previous government.”

The government has beaten this record, a record that the current Prime Minister denounced approximately 10 years ago.

Professor Ned Franks, an expert in constitutional matters, stated a little earlier this year that no government in Canada's history had invoked time allocation as frequently as this government. It is a record. It is thoroughly undemocratic.

I would once again like to quote the Prime Minister. On December 9, 2002, in reference to the then-Liberal government, he said the following:

He said that the government invoked closure because “...there are no plans”. He added “...the government is simply increasingly embarrassed by the state of the debate and it needs to move on”.

We are faced with a similar situation today. The Conservatives are so ashamed of what is occurring in the Senate that they want to cut short debate as quickly as possible, and prorogue the House, once and for all. It is, quite simply, undemocratic. When a time allocation motion is invoked, there is no opportunity to properly and fully discuss prospective legislation. Bill C-38 is a prime example of this.

The government has amended so many bills that it is now trying to fill in the gaps left by the dearth of debate. For example, the Fisheries Act was amended to change the definition of fish habitat protection. Last month, Fisheries and Oceans Canada called on stakeholders across Canada to help it define fish habitat protection because it was unable to do so itself. Had we debated Bill C-38 last year, we would have found a solution.

Invoking a time allocation motion is undemocratic and leads to second-rate legislation that will end up before the Supreme Court. It really is a waste.

[Search and Rescue, May 23rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it has been almost a year since the report came out. I would like the government to stop studying the report and start implementing its recommendations.

The commissioner confirmed what the NDP has been saying all along. Unless proper language services are provided, the Quebec City centre should remain open. The Conservatives did nothing to ensure the safety of francophones at sea after they made the irresponsible decision to close the Quebec City centre.

Will they keep the Quebec City centre open permanently, yes or no?

[Search and Rescue, May 23rd, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, in his follow-up report, the Commissioner of Official Languages concluded that the Conservatives did nothing to implement his three recommendations regarding bilingualism in rescue centres. They did nothing to guarantee bilingual service or to ensure the safety of francophone maritime users. In short, Halifax cannot take over the activities of the Quebec City centre.

Instead of jeopardizing the lives of francophone mariners, fishers and recreational boaters, when will the Conservatives finally commit to keeping the Quebec City centre open?

[Committees of the House, May 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the speech by the hon. member for Okanagan—Shuswap, and I have two questions for him.

The Conservatives have not yet discussed the impact of the Canada job grant with the provinces. Does the hon. member think that the provinces are partners when it comes to employment in Canada, or does he think they get in the way more than anything?

Moreover, the Conservatives have spent thousands of dollars to advertise a program that has not yet been implemented. My colleague from Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher asked the question previously, but the hon. member did not really answer, so I will repeat it. Why spend thousands of dollars for a program that does not even exist?

[Peace and Friendship Awareness, May 21st, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, today, the Peace and Friendship Awareness Walk arrived in Ottawa.

Adam Barnaby, Christianne Bernard, Tina Caplin, Doris Martin, Richard Martin and Ryan Papineau all walked from Listuguj First Nation in the Gaspé all the way to Ottawa, starting 21 days ago, meeting many first nations along the way. They are calling for the respect of treaty rights and better environmental protection.

Their initiative is just the latest example of the leadership the Mi’kmaq Nations have taken in the Gaspé and across Atlantic Canada. From employment insurance to the Navigable Waters Protection Act, from wind energy production to salmon river protection, the Mi’kmaq are leaders in the many issues that impact Eastern Canada.

Their leadership is a perfect example of the benefits of working together.

I thank all of the walkers for reaching out to us. Now it is up to us to reciprocate.

[Government Expenditures, May 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, it is not surprising that they do not want the process to be transparent. They seem to have a hard time with basic accounting principles.

Earlier this week, the Conservatives avoided the issue when we asked them to explain the part of the Auditor General's report detailing money that was tracked. Part of the money went to “services of a security expert to advise a host country on security matters related to the staging of an international sporting event”.

My question is simple. What event was this? Who was the expert? Who approved the spending?

[International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, May 10th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, May 17 marks International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Created in 2003 in Quebec, this initiative is now commemorated throughout the world.

Even today, homosexuality is still a crime in many countries. Cyberhomophobia is a growing problem. Transgendered people are being refused access to medical care and denied marriage and family rights. Violence and murder are still tragically frequent in this community.

In Canada and throughout the world, from Russia to Cameroon, from Lebanon to Vietnam, LGBT activists are fighting with passion and conviction for their safety, integrity and equality.

With the largest LGBT caucus in the history of this House, and the staunch solidarity of the Leader of the Opposition, the NDP is standing up for and standing proud with our diverse, vibrant and determined lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans communities.

Successfully passing the gender identity bill was just one more step on the way to the dream and the goal of a society free of homophobia and of transphobia.

[Tourism Industry, May 8th, 2013]

Mr. Speaker, the minister's plan is not working. The number of tourists coming to Canada has dropped in recent years.

His colleague at Fisheries and Oceans is ignoring the importance of Rocher Percé to the tourism industry in Gaspé. Thus, I would like to ask a minister from Quebec to answer my question.

Some 400,000 people travel to Rocher Percé every year. This creates hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in economic spinoffs. Busloads of tourists will soon start arriving.

The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans is out of touch with the Gaspé. Could his colleague responsible for tourism answer my question, and tell me his plans for reopening the Percé wharf—