Mr. Speaker, with regard to the community access program:
House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2015, with 43% of the vote.
Questions on the Order Paper May 28th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, with regard to the community access program:
Government Programs May 12th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, as a result of this more regional distribution, of course, events like the PNE in Vancouver and the International Jazz Festival were chosen. But the World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler, Crankworx in Whistler, the Festival Series in Fort Langley and Interior Provincial Exhibition in Armstrong, they also received funds. Is the hon. member saying that she is against those funds being allocated in B.C.?
Government Programs May 12th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, last year over 50% of the funds were shared by just three great cities in the country, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. This year we decided to make sure that other major urban centres also had access to the funds.
This meant that over 19 additional marquee events are funded by this fund. We think we are being fair and equitable to cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, but also fair and equitable to other parts of the country. This is good regional distribution. It is good for the tourist economy throughout the country and we are in favour of that.
Government Programs May 12th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, that is not true; that is not correct. In 2009, more than 50% of the funds were given to Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. Here in 2010, the regional and national distribution fund ensures that all parts of Canada can benefit from this stimulus program. It is a major victory for the entire country.
Space Industry May 11th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is indeed right. The budget did commit $397 million to develop the RADARSAT Constellation mission to continue the legacy in space that Canada has.
One of the astronauts who has done most particularly well is Dr. Robert Thirsk, the first Canadian to launch aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule and play an integral role on a six-month expedition at the international space station. With this mission he has surpassed the total number of days in space of all the other Canadian astronauts combined.
It is my pleasure to recognize the great accomplishments of Dr. Thirsk, a true Canadian hero.
Copyright May 11th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member knows, we are in the midst of drafting a bill that will be put forward in the House in this session. I encourage the hon. member to wait until the bill is presented before he critiques it.
The hon. member has been out on these issues already. He is the guy who proposed the tax for iPods, for MP3s, for BlackBerry devices. That is his solution. That is not our solution.
Broadband Access May 11th, 2010
It is quite the opposite in fact, Mr. Speaker. I was happy to announce on Mother's Day the first 52 projects as part of our $200 million broadband strategy, the first 52. Two are in northern Ontario, as the hon. member said. There are projects throughout nine other provinces and territories. That is just a start, because other announcements will be coming forward in the next few weeks.
I do not know why the hon. member is asking the question. He voted against that. He voted against our budget. Why is he standing here saying he is the king of broadband now?
Pensions May 11th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I can tell the hon. member that this is a complex issue but we are seized of the issue. We are carefully studying the issue with our friends in the provinces and the territories. As the Minister of Finance has realized, there are several bills in this place. Some of them are relevant, and some have some problems with them. We are studying all of these bills and we will do the best thing for the people of Canada.
Pensions May 10th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance and his parliamentary secretary have been hard at work, working with the provinces and territories, which are where 90% of the pensions were in fact regulated. To make sure we have a more comprehensive view on this, we have asked the NDP members to be part of the process. We have asked them to be constructive. They keep voting against our budgets, so that is not helpful.
Telecommunications May 10th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, we in fact have made a series of investments for broadband. These were announced yesterday, Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to every member of the House who is in that position. This was a serious 52-project start to rural broadband, making sure that Quebec and other areas of the country were covered. The response from the province of Quebec has been uniformly positive.