Yasmin Ratansi

[Infrastructure, October 29th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the committee agenda is focused on the impact of infrastructure spending on the economy.

Numerous witnesses have stated that the minister is not providing concrete information. It is very hard for the committee to do its work. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has also been denied the information he needs to do his job.

On the agenda today in committee, we will be hearing from the minister responsible and we trust the minister will provide the exact and complete amount of dollars that have flowed to projects so that the committee can conclude its study.

[Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, October 29th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the ALS Society of Canada is a leading not-for-profit health organization working nationwide to fund ALS research and to improve the quality of life for Canadians affected by the disease.

Can anyone imagine not being able to walk, write, smile, talk, eat and sometimes even breathe on one's own? Yet the mind remains usually intact and the senses unaffected. This is what it is like for 3,000 ALS victims across the country.

Along with ALS, neurodegenerative diseases include Alzheimer's, Huntington's and Parkinson's disease. According to the World Health Organization, neurodegenerative diseases are predicted to surpass cancer as the leading cause of death in Canada by 2040.

There is no effective treatment for ALS and no known cure. Eighty per cent of people diagnosed with ALS die within two to five years. It is a disease that bankrupts families emotionally, physically and financially. It is high time the government and the public committed sustainable funding for research.

[Infrastructure, October 21st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the minister buys his own propaganda.

The Prime Minister falsely claimed that nearly half of all projects, including the largest one in the RInC fund, have gone to opposition ridings. Yet, the government's own propaganda shows that this is simply not true. In fact, the top five ridings that received infrastructure funding are held by, guess who, the Conservatives.

Is this discrimination what the Prime Minister meant in Sault Ste. Marie when he said he was going to teach Canadians a lesson?

[Infrastructure, October 21st, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, clearly there is no limit to the depths to which the Conservatives will sink in order to buy-off taxpayers with their own money. Kids playing hockey in Ontario are being denied improvements to their rinks simply because they do not live in Conservative ridings.

Could the Prime Minister explain why two-thirds of all RInC funds will only help the one-third of Canadians who voted Conservative?

[Canada Post Corporation Act, October 9th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has outlined how important Canada Post is, not only to urbanites but to rural communities and how the previous Liberal government had protected it.

Canada Post is competitive. It provides excellent service. It covers coast to coast to coast. Why is the government introducing a bad bill, which is on a slippery slope to privatization of Canada Post? What is the government's ideological agenda?

[Employment Insurance, October 7th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, starting in 2012, employers' premiums will ramp up to an extra $884 per worker.

In the words of Dale Orr, the Conservatives' own economist, “this is a tax”. This tax increase is economically harmful, it is perverse and it will kill jobs.

How can the government justify imposing a payroll tax that it knows will kill jobs?

[Economic Recovery Act (stimulus), October 6th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, I was listening intently to the member's desire for supporting and representing her constituents and her desire for social justice. She has supported the government when it suited her constituents, but why did she not support the early learning and child care strategy? Why did she vote against aboriginal health and well-being under the Kelowna accord? Why did she vote against the environment?

If she is truly concerned about social justice, can she explain why she voted against those very major issues, social justice agenda issues that would have made a difference in the lives of a lot of Canadians?

[Eid ul-Fitr, September 18th, 2009]

Mr. Speaker, on September 20, Muslims across the world will be celebrating Eid ul-Fitr, which loosely translated means “a festival of charity”. This Eid commemorates the end of the fasting period of Ramadan. The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection and generosity toward those in need.

During Eid ul-Fitr, Muslims are required to give charity and extend friendship to all, regardless of colour, creed, race or religion. Islam teaches Muslims that all human beings are one humanity and therefore should be respected.

In a time of economic recession with the challenges facing so many families, it is even more important for governments and citizens alike to practise the values of generosity, solidarity and pluralism that Islam teaches.

On behalf of the entire Liberal team, I would like to extend to all Muslims a happy and joyous celebration of Eid ul-Fitr. Eid Mubarak.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 14th, 2009]

What is the total impact on government revenues due to the 2006 new tax on income trusts?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, September 14th, 2009]

What is the total amount of government funding since fiscal year 2004-2005 up to and including the current fiscal year, allocated within the constituency of Don Valley East, listing each department or agency, initiative, and amount?