Steven Blaney

[Bloc Québécois, October 27th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, we recently discovered that some Bloc members are supporting a conference that will be attended by the executive director of an NGO that sanctions hateful stereotypes about Jews.

The spokesperson for the Canadian Islamic Congress claims that all Israelis over 18 are legitimate targets for Palestinians. That organization will be represented at the conference. Those remarks are unacceptable.

Can the Minister of Public Safety comment on the Maclean's magazine article that reports that the Bloc Québécois member for Gatineau is sponsoring this hateful event?

[Business of Supply, October 21st, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I would like to commend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs for his excellent speech, his vision, and his understanding of the issues in Quebec and Quebec's importance in the Canadian federation.

I would also like to tell him that I share his vision and that I am opposed to the motion put forward by the Bloc Québécois today. This motion is based on a narrow, simplistic and ideological vision, which has been keeping Quebec on the backbenches for far too long.

Fortunately, with this government's help, a number of members have been able to initiate major changes for Quebec, such as correcting the fiscal imbalance. This was done here, with Conservative MPs from Quebec like my hon. colleague from Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada. This was done thanks to a government which understands and respects Quebec and its prerogatives, and wants to maintain the kind of spirit of open federalism it has shown in recognizing Quebec as a nation.

I have a very simple question for my hon. colleague. We know that the Liberals slashed transfers to the provinces. They unilaterally patriated the Constitution, which is absolutely scandalous in a country like ours. We in this government are busy working. As members know, on top of Canada's economic action plan, which was supported by the Conservative members but opposed by the Bloc, we have maintained transfers to the provinces at record levels, be it for health or education, at a time when we were going through the worst economic crisis ever.

My question is for the parliamentary secretary. It is true that Quebec has never received as much money in transfer payments from the Canadian government as it has under the current Conservative government?

[Comments by the Assistant to the Hon. Member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, October 7th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, an assistant to the Bloc member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou has posted some disturbing comments on her Facebook page. This House of Commons employee has the nerve to compare the October Crisis to the French Revolution where, I quote, “heads rolled” and she brags about having contact, in 2010, with the Front de libération du Québec.

I would like to remind Bloc members that René Lévesque himself unequivocally condemned the FLQ, which is a terrorist movement.

However, this Bloc Québécois staffer goes even further. She makes fun of the constituents and complains that they speak only English, one of our two official languages.

These statements are totally unacceptable, and I am calling on the leader of the Bloc and the hon. member to condemn these comments and to distance themselves from these unacceptable remarks.

[Justice, October 5th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, today our government is reintroducing the bill to end the reduced sentences for people who commit serial murders.

The new bill will enable judges to impose consecutive periods of ineligibility to apply for parole on people found guilty of more than one murder in the first or second degree.

Under the current system, criminals found guilty of serial murders serve their periods of ineligibility simultaneously, which means that they can apply for parole after only 10 to 25 years, depending on their sentence.

Our government is determined to support the victims of crime, keep dangerous criminals off the street, and keep our communities safe. I very much hope that the opposition parties will support this bill.

[Business of Supply, September 28th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, my question for the hon. member for Chicoutimi—Le Fjord is simple. I would first like to remind him that all Canadians participate in the national census every five years, and that will not change.

However, to hear him speak this morning, one might think the earth would stop spinning because we changed the national household survey. Yet as we heard this morning, that form dates back to only 1971. Canada did just fine for 104 years and it will continue to do so. As we also heard, the census has been changed. Some questions have been added and others removed. The methodology has changed. The census, like Canadian society, is evolving. That is what the minister told us this morning, because, as we heard, the national survey was invading people's privacy.

I was shocked to hear that my colleague wants to place people under house arrest and take away their passports for refusing to answer a questionnaire. I consider that an unacceptable infringement on my freedom. If that is the Bloc's idea of democracy, I say no, thank you.

My question is this: What would he say to people who refuse to answer the questionnaire? Would he send them to prison? And what would he say to researchers—

[Business of Supply, September 28th, 2010]

Madam Speaker, I have a question for the member from Westmount—Ville-Marie. I was very interested in what he had to say, and one word in particular struck me, the word “ridiculous” . I am sure that the member opposite will agree with me when I say that it is ridiculous to put honest citizens in jail for refusing to say how many bedrooms they have in their houses or even what kind of cereal they eat in the morning. That is the issue before the House. How can we collect useful data without infringing on individual freedoms?

I would like to know whether the hon. member is ready to work with the government, as he has done in the past. Two questions have been added to the short form to collect information for validation purposes, information that will be useful to all Canadians.

Is he ready to propose real solutions and to acknowledge that society and individual freedoms have evolved?

[Firearms Registry, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, like everyone else, our government knows that criminals do not register their long guns. We also know that the long gun registry is ineffective, that 98% of crimes are committed with unregistered firearms, and that it was unable to prevent the Dawson College tragedy. We also know that the Liberals and the proposals from the NDP are unconstitutional and infringe upon the rights of the provinces, including Quebec.

I will continue working to give our police forces an effective and reliable tool. Could the Minister of Natural Resources talk to us about measures to remove hunting rifles from the firearms registry?

[Granby International Song Festival, September 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Granby international song festival held recently was a resounding success.

With nearly 50 performances featuring more than 70 artists, this 42nd edition boasted record attendance.

Today we would like to thank the volunteers and congratulate all the participants and finalists at the Granby festival. And what can I say about the authenticity, the talent and the energy of the big winner, Lisa LeBlanc, from New Brunswick.

The person at the helm of this great event, Pierre Fortier, general director of the festival, came up with innovative ideas and took the festival to a whole new level. Pierre, thanks to you, your leadership, your vision and your perseverance, the festival is now synonymous with a celebration of francophone music. Congratulations!

The Conservative government is proud to support this event, which generates considerable economic benefits for the Eastern Townships. That is why CED recently announced $30,000 in funding to promote the festival in France, Switzerland and Belgium.

Once again, congratulations to everyone who contributed to the success of the 42nd edition of the Granby festival. I wish you continued success.

[The Economy, September 21st, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the economy is our top priority, and Canada's economic action plan, which the Bloc Québécois shamefully rejected, is working for all Canadians.

We are lowering taxes for families and businesses, while infrastructure projects are creating jobs to stimulate economic growth in big cities and small towns throughout Quebec and Canada.

Thanks to our Conservative government, Canada's leadership is the envy of the world. For the third year in a row, the World Economic Forum has recognized Canada's banking system as the strongest in the world.

Furthermore, the IMF and the OECD have said that Canada will lead the G7 in economic growth this year and next.

In addition, since July 2009, Canada's economic action plan has helped create 430,000 jobs. The recovery does remain fragile, however. As we begin a new session, jobs and economic growth are our top priorities.

Quebeckers and Canadians can count on their Conservative members and our government to live up to their expectations.

[Justice, June 17th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the brother and father of 16-year-old Aqsa Parvez pleaded guilty yesterday to murdering her.

Why was she killed? Because she refused to wear a hijab, which her father saw as an act of defiance and women's independence that brought shame on him. That is unacceptable.

Will the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism tell the House our Conservative government's position on honour killings like this one?

Is multiculturalism an excuse for honour killings?