Ruth Ellen Brosseau

[Yukon and Nunavut Regulatory Improvement Act, June 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his speech in the House on Bill S-6. He spoke at length about real consultation.

In committee, the people of Yukon asked for meetings, hearings and more consultation. Obviously, senators failed to listen and did not ask the committee to go to the Yukon to hold real consultations.

According to my Liberal colleague, why did senators not hold more consultations with the people of Yukon?

[International Trade, June 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, they can reassure us all they want, but the Conservatives are sending us mixed signals.

The Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec is telling farmers that they will have to make concessions, and the Conservative member for Edmonton says that supply management in Canada simply has to go.

Can my colleague tell us what the Conservatives have in store for supply management? Are they going to sacrifice it, yes or no?

[International Trade, June 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, many agricultural businesses in Quebec and Canada have designed their business models around supply management. That is what enables them to supply quality foods while ensuring their own financial stability.

However, when we try to find out exactly what is happening with supply management in the trans-Pacific partnership free trade negotiations, nothing is clear.

Can the Minister of Agriculture assure us that supply management will not be sacrificed during the trans-Pacific partnership negotiations?

[World Environment Day, June 5th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, today, June 5, is World Environment Day, which was established by the United Nations in 1972. This year's theme is “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care”, which will be celebrated in over 100 countries.

People around the world are encouraged to undertake any number of environmental initiatives, whether as individuals or with others in their communities. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about overconsumption and the finite nature of resources, because what happens tomorrow depends on what we do today. Together we can make a difference. For instance, we can reduce water consumption, limit our use of cars and recycle our old electronic devices, because every action counts and forms good habits.

In the NDP, we believe strongly in innovation for a sustainable economy based on renewable energy, because we respect future generations. That is what an NDP government will be committed to in October 2015. Happy World Environment Day to everyone.

[Trans-Pacific Partnership, June 4th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, farmers in Quebec and across the country are very concerned, and rightly so. Behind closed doors, without any transparency, the Conservatives are trading away the economic future and livelihood of thousands of families.

While the minister of state claims to be defending supply management, the Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec is telling farmers that the government will have to make concessions in order for the trans-Pacific partnership to work. One Conservative member is simply saying that supply management should disappear, and the Prime Minister is saying that Canada has to make difficult choices.

As for the Liberals, influential members, such as former ministers, are pushing very hard to get rid of supply management.

There is no doubt that only one party is clear and is defending supply management. Only one party is standing up for farmers. That party is the NDP.

[International Trade, June 3rd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the minister responsible for Quebec said that concessions would have to be made for the trans-Pacific partnership to work.

The minister of state is playing word games by saying that he will promote supply management without guaranteeing that he will maintain it.

For his part, the Prime Minister said that Canada will have to make difficult choices.

Farmers deserve honesty.

My question is simple. Will the Conservative government preserve supply management within the context of the trans-Pacific partnership, yes or no?

[International Trade, June 3rd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday another Conservative gave farmers yet more reason to worry about whether our supply management system will be protected.

In committee, the member for Edmonton Centre said that supply management should disappear. Negotiations are going on behind closed doors, and farmers are in the dark. This will jeopardize 3,500 farms in Quebec alone. The industry is worth $3.2 billion per year.

Have the Conservatives decided to sacrifice supply management, yes or no?

[International Trade, June 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, do the Conservatives understand that their refusal to protect supply management could result in the disappearance of 3,500 farms in Quebec alone?

A total of 7,000 farms in Quebec actively produce such products as milk, chicken and turkey under the supply management system. This represents approximately $3.2 billion in revenue. The supply management system has never been so threatened.

I would therefore like to repeat my simple question: have the Conservatives sacrificed supply management in this agreement?

[International Trade, June 2nd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are continuing to negotiate the trans-Pacific partnership behind closed doors. They are still refusing to tell us whether they are really going to protect our supply management system. The meeting with the Conservative minister responsible for Quebec that took place over the weekend had a chilling effect on farmers: the minister told them that his government would have to make concessions for the trans-Pacific partnership to work.

Have the Conservatives decided to sacrifice supply management, yes or no?

[Agriculture, May 28th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, that is nonsense.

We lost over 25% of our bees last winter. In Quebec alone, losses have doubled in the past 10 years. All of our crops rely on pollination. The problem is that bee populations are shrinking at an alarming rate in North America.

The United States has a plan. The European Union has banned insecticides and pesticides. Even Ontario has reduced the use of those products.

My question is simple: Where is the government's plan to protect the health of our bees?