Raymonde Folco

[Arts and Culture, February 27th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are aiming at the wrong targets. They are washing their hands of the shortfall at Radio-Canada and CBC. In addition, they are cutting funding for the National Arts Centre.

Experts continue to say that cultural activities create economic activity, but the Conservatives do not care.

What do the Conservatives have against arts and culture?

[Broadcasting and Telecommunications, February 26th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I hope that the $1 billion the parliamentary secretary has just mentioned is not just a promise in the wind but that CBC and Radio-Canada will actually see the money.

The economic crisis has not spared the media. Advertisers face sharply lower revenue. They are reducing their advertising budgets and this translates into revenue shortfalls for networks. The CBC and Radio-Canada are also affected by this situation. The decrease of ad revenue increases the risk of service cuts.

I want a promise from the parliamentary secretary that the money will effectively flow very quickly.

[Broadcasting and Telecommunications, February 26th, 2009]

Mr. speaker, our national broadcaster has a special role to play. The CBC and Radio-Canada are real showcases for Canadian content. They are a key instrument of support for diversity of sources of information and one of the pillars of our system of democracy. They also provide an income for thousands of artists, craftspeople, technicians and journalists across the country.

What specific action will the minister take so Radio-Canada and the CBC may continue to provide Canadians with quality content?

[International Cooperation, February 24th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of International Cooperation chose to abandon Francophonie countries, most of which are in Africa.

Why did the Minister for La Francophonie not intervene to continue to provide assistance to Burkina Faso, for example, which, according to Human Development Reports, ranks amongst the last countries in the world in terms of human development?

[Committees of the House, February 11th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in relation to supplementary estimates (B).

[Income Tax Act, February 6th, 2009]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-296, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (tax credits for dependants).

Mr. Speaker, today I am very pleased to be able to rise in the House to introduce a bill that would amend the Income Tax Act to help those who take care of families abroad by allowing them to benefit from the same tax credit as Canadians who have family in Canada. I would like to thank the member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca for seconding this bill, which will bring justice and equality to our Income Tax Act.

According to a 2008 report from Statistics Canada, in the two years after arriving in Canada, immigrants begin taking care of their family by sending anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000. Many of these newcomers have modest incomes. We are talking about after-tax dollars. The World Bank estimated that in 2005 $167 billion American was sent to developing countries.

I am asking for justice and equality in our laws for all Canadian citizens who are responsible for aging members of their family. Even if their family is overseas, they still have obligations and commitments.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Canada Pension Plan, February 6th, 2009]

moved for leave to introduce C-295, An Act to amend the Canada Pension Plan (episodic disability)

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to rise in the House to table, once again, a bill to protect individuals affected by an episodic disability. I wish to thank the member for Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor for supporting this bill, which will allow these individuals to qualify for benefits provided under the Canada Pension Plan.

An episodic disability is one related to, for example, a mental illness, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV-AIDS, or sickle-cell anemia.

The bill that I am re-introducing will eliminate the systemic barriers that prevent people with episodic disabilities from integrating, in every sense of the word, into the labour force, the community and society.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Employment Insurance, February 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, that is not enough. The minister was so insensitive that she said she did not want the employment insurance system to become “too lucrative” because she wants to encourage people to go back to work. How would she feel if her income were taken away for 40 days? Would she find that situation lucrative?

Will the hundreds of families whose homes were seized in January, these Quebec families, benefit from an employment insurance system that is too lucrative? I would like to hear what the minister has to say.

[Employment Insurance, February 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the minister can talk about adding resources, but in January, 26,000 workers in Quebec joined the long lineups at employment insurance offices. The Conservatives are simply not prepared to address the situation. Everyone who calls to make employment insurance claims tells the same story: the phone lines are busy and there is a 40-day waiting period for processing.

How can a family whose livelihood has just disappeared make ends meet when it has no income for over a month?

[Aerospace Industry, February 4th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, those are empty words. In Quebec, aerospace is a $12 billion industry that employs tens of thousands of people. And the Conservatives have no plan. I am not hearing any figure from the ministers. When we ask them how they plan to protect this industry, all they do is trot out platitudes.

Will the minister admit that the Conservatives' plan is to sacrifice the aerospace industry in Quebec? We want figures.