House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 64% of the vote.
Government Spending September 28th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, F-35s will replace our CF-18 fighters, whose useful life will end at the end of this decade. This purchase has the strong support of the Canadian Forces and the unanimous support of Canada's and Quebec's aerospace industry, which is one of our largest employers.
The Economy September 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear about the facts. It appears that certain private information regarding this individual had been widely circulating in the bureaucracy and, by the way, before this government came to office.
That is completely unacceptable. Canadians take the privacy laws extremely seriously, especially for those who have served our country in uniform.
I understand the Privacy Commissioner is looking into matters such as this. The Privacy Commissioner will receive nothing but the full co-operation of this government to ensure that these kinds of things do not happen again.
The Economy September 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Canadian economy has created over 400,000 jobs in the past year. That is one of the best performances in the developed world during this economic crisis. The recovery has started, but it is not over. We need to see further progress in the labour market. That is essential.
The way to do that is to support the actions being taken by this government to protect the Canadian economy, to protect our industries and to create jobs. I encourage the NDP not to vote against these measures as it has done in the past.
The Economy September 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, it is important to note to begin with that the Canadian economy has net created over 400,000 jobs in the past year, one of the best performances anywhere in the world.
I am the first to say, and have said repeatedly, that our economy has not yet fully recovered. We need to see further progress in the labour market. However, the way to do that is to support the actions being taken by this government to get projects rolling and also to build the long-term base of the Canadian economy.
If the leader of the NDP is worried about those things and interested in those things, he should start supporting what the government is doing for the economy.
The Economy September 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, we are working with our partners—the provinces, municipalities, the private sector, universities and colleges—to ensure that these projects are completed. It is interesting to note that the Bloc Québécois is attacking the project deadline even though it opposed the program. That is a completely irresponsible position during a recession. The people of Quebec do not need such a party.
The Economy September 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, this government has been taking action on the Canadian economy and the economic crisis for more than two years. That is why Canada has outperformed other nations. We are helping the unemployed and the affected industries, we are funding projects in the municipalities, and we are lowering taxes. The Bloc Québécois voted against all these measures for Canadians.
Firearms Registry September 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the registry does no such thing. What is interesting is that when we bring in measures to actually deal with things like domestic violence, to deal with that kind of crime, the opposition opposes us over and over again.
Unfortunately, it is only interested in targeting its efforts against law-abiding citizens. The vast majority of gun owners in this country support responsible gun control. What they do not support is a registry that is costly, ineffective and targeted against them instead of real criminals. We will continue fighting to abolish it.
Firearms Registry September 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the Liberal Party is trying to suggest that Canadians in the regions are against gun control. On the contrary, our rural constituents support the vast majority of gun control measures, but they do not support measures that target law-abiding duck hunters and farmers. People in the regions are asking for respect from their Parliament and their representatives. Our party respects Canada's regions.
The Economy September 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition cannot pretend to be concerned about those things when the real effect of the things he proposes are deep and high tax increases on the Canadian economy.
Whether it is the GST that he has advocated raising, whether it is business taxes that he has advocated raising, whether it is an iPod tax, for goodness' sake, that he has advocated putting on Canadians, these policies are wrong for the Canadian people. He should have been doing what we have been doing, which is ensuring there are projects across the country that will help the Canadian people.
The Economy September 22nd, 2010
Mr. Speaker, every day, the Leader of the Opposition delivers partisan rants in the House of Commons. We disagree with this policy. The Leader of the Opposition wants to increase all taxes, the GST, corporate tax and income tax. In fact, the Liberal Party has voted against every measure to lower taxes adopted by this government.
That is his own policy and he should be prepared to defend it.