House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 64% of the vote.
Government Policies December 13th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, let us be clear. What the hon. member is talking about is not any programs that ever actually existed. What he is talking about is a bunch of promises that the Liberal government made year after year and never delivered on.
That is why this government did not cut those things. There were no such programs to cut in the first place.
Government Policies December 13th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, again, these were not phantom cuts, as the opposition leader and leader of the Liberal Party would have us believe.
Nonetheless, I can quote his member for Markham—Unionville, who promised in 2004 to strike a committee that would find $12 billion in cuts. In February 2005, the hon. member said:
“There's no doubt you can't find $12 billion or even a chunk of it without affecting jobs”.
This government did not cut $12 billion. This government did do some budgetary reductions and did them without cutting any jobs.
Foreign Affairs December 12th, 2006
Once again, Mr. Speaker, I was introduced to Mullah Naqib, and in fact at the Glyn Berry room, at the provincial reconstruction team in Kandahar. He was introduced to me as an individual who was assisting Canadian and Afghan government officials.
Foreign Affairs December 12th, 2006
Very briefly, Mr. Speaker, I met Mullah Naqib when I visited the Canadian provincial reconstruction team in Kandahar, where he met me as part of a delegation of Canadian and Afghan officials. He was introduced to me as an individual who had been involved in the insurgency and was now working on our side.
I would point out that if the hon. member reads the rest of the story carefully, she will see that much of the allegations in there are speculative.
National Defence December 12th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence just pointed out the errors in the hon. member's question. We see here once again the Liberals opposing new equipment for our military under all circumstances, just as they did for 13 long years in office when they starved the military. However, it is amazing to what extent they are prepared to go to do it, saying that the White House and the Pentagon should pick Canada's planes. We are going to pick our own planes.
The Environment December 12th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, actually just like the framework bill that the hon. member presented, this government's clean air act outlines a plan to have targets in the next few years all the way to 2050, not starting in 2050 but ending in 2050, short term targets, medium term targets and long term targets.
We want to make sure we have targets. We are in discussions with industry to make sure we have targets that are attainable and that will achieve results. I think this government has made absolutely clear in the Minister of Finance's tax fairness package that we will have tax fairness for all industries, and all industries, including the oil and gas sector, will pay their fair share of taxes.
The Environment December 12th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, we recognize the threats posed by these problems and that is why we are the first government to propose a national law to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants. It is vital that the parties in this Chamber work hard to pass this bill and to have effective legislation that will give real results.
Afghanistan December 12th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, this government is in Afghanistan for a military mission, for economic development and for humanitarian aid. The Bloc Québécois changes its position just to play games at the expense of our military. That is unacceptable.
Afghanistan December 12th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, NATO statements clearly indicate that there can be no security without development and no development without security. There is no separating the two.
Once again, the Bloc is being opportunistic. I would like to quote the House leader of the Bloc Québécois. In September, he said: “Even though the mission is difficult right now, immediate unconditional withdrawal would be irresponsible toward our soldiers, toward Afghanistan and toward the other nations to whom we promised we would do this work. We must support our soldiers.”
Afghanistan December 12th, 2006
Mr. Speaker, our soldiers in Afghanistan have a very dangerous mission. They are involved in economic development and humanitarian assistance, but the fact is that the security situation is dangerous. Therefore, their resources are needed. Some soldiers have even been killed recently while engaging in development activities. We must help our soldiers in Afghanistan for the sake of their security.
The only problem here is the Bloc Québécois leader's political opportunism. He is using our soldiers to play political games.