Mr. Speaker, I would like you to clarify something. This is the third time the hon. member has been asked a question and has not answered it. Are there rules about answering?
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 28% of the vote.
Committees of the House November 5th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I would like you to clarify something. This is the third time the hon. member has been asked a question and has not answered it. Are there rules about answering?
Committees of the House November 5th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to ask my colleague a question. He seems to have deliberately avoided the topic we are discussing this evening. My question is quick and simple and has to do with something he has not yet spoken about. I asked this same question earlier and did not get an answer.
Does the member agree with the government amendment to refer the report back to the committee? If so, why?
Committees of the House November 5th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to ask a question. If I understood correctly, the hon. member spoke about recommendations that the government agreed to.
My question is very short and simple: does the hon. member support the amendment of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons that seeks to refer the report back to the committee for further consideration?
Committees of the House November 5th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her speech, which helped us to better understand the issue. Unfortunately, although I would like to be, I am not a member of that committee.
I get the impression that the government is asking the committee to waste its time in the coming months. The committee has already submitted a report, and now, in the amendment that we are debating today, the government is asking the committee to review that report and perhaps change it. It seems that the government is asking the committee to waste its time.
Does the hon. member believe, as I do, that the government should not propose this amendment today?
Jobs and Growth Act, 2012 October 30th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I always enjoy listening to the Conservatives talk about the budget. They often talk about their economic record, but they seem to have a selective memory when it comes to the economy. They often forget to mention that we currently have the largest deficit in the history of Canada because of the Conservative Party. We also have the largest trade deficit in the history of Canada. That is another fact that the government seems to overlook fairly often. In addition, there are 300,000 fewer manufacturing jobs than there were before the recession. The Conservatives seem to forget about all these facts in their speeches.
Can the member talk about these very real facts? Are there any solutions?
Jobs and Growth Act, 2012 October 30th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her speech. I really enjoy asking this member questions about the environment, a subject she knows very well. She makes an important contribution here in the House of Commons.
The Conservatives deleted the word “environment” from their website when the NDP pointed out that the Navigable Waters Protection Act was in fact an environmental law and that the website explicitly said that it protected the environment. A few minutes or hours later, all references to the word “environment” were deleted from the website, as if by chance. I do not imagine it was planned.
What does my colleague think of what the Conservatives did? Does she believe that that legislation helped protect the environment?
Jobs and Growth Act, 2012 October 30th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, my question for my colleague is along the same lines as what was said earlier.
Several elements of this bill have nothing to do with the budget, nor are they necessarily connected in any way. I will go back to what one of my colleagues said. The chair of the Standing Committee on Finance asked a Liberal member if he agreed with a specific measure. Since we agree with some parts and disagree with others, should the bill not be split? We should have an opportunity to vote on specific elements of the bill instead of voting on a huge bill that lumps together many different parts. Omnibus bills prevent MPs from doing their job.
Jobs and Growth Act, 2012 October 30th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I am going to ask more or less the same question I asked the member earlier. Either she did not understand the question, or she did not want to answer. It was about navigable waters.
In her speech, the member said that today's bill was exactly what the government tabled seven months ago: the 2012 budget, a book that several members have shown us. That was the first thing she said. However, changes to navigable waters in Bill C-45 were not mentioned in the March 2012 budget.
Can she explain why Bill C-45 includes references to the Navigable Waters Protection Act even though the March 2012 budget did not mention it? Can she explain why references to the environment were removed from the Government of Canada's website after we pointed out that the Navigable Waters Protection Act is in fact an environmental law?
Jobs and Growth Act, 2012 October 30th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I was surprised to hear the member tell us to read the budget, when we have read it from cover to cover. What she mentioned about navigable waters protection was not even in the March 2012 budget. So it is a bit surprising that she is talking about a subject that was not even in the budget but that appears in this 450-page bill.
How can she explain that a subject that was not in the March budget and that had never been mentioned is now in this omnibus bill?
Sherbrooke Palliative Care Facility October 29th, 2012
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to show the hon. member what a member's statement is supposed to be about.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of participating in a very happy event for the region of Sherbrooke. About a hundred people marched symbolically toward the new Maison Aube-Lumière to show their support for this institution. For 15 years, people in the palliative stage of cancer have been able to count on Maison Aube-Lumière to make their last days more comfortable.
At this facility, caring medical staff and a team of professionals and volunteers work day in and day out to provide end-of-life care and support to the sick while respecting their choices. Over two hundred people stay in this facility each year, and it was becoming increasingly apparent that a larger, more appropriate facility was needed to meet the needs of the Eastern Townships and Sherbrooke regions.
I would therefore like to congratulate all those who contributed directly or indirectly to the success of this project, particularly, Ms. Kirouac, who deserves our recognition. Good years are ahead for the entire team, who bring passion to their work each and every day. Maison Aube-Lumière is an essential institution for Sherbrooke and a true source of pride.
Congratulations and all the best to Maison Aube-Lumière.