Municipalities in Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to welcome the municipal elected representatives, city managers and staff from my riding who have come here to participate in a series of sessions to learn more about resources and programs for municipalities. There are two RCMs in the riding of Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, namely Maskoutains and Acton.

Global Warming  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question, which allows me to remain optimistic because the Liberals have a majority. This report was written by scientists who are suggesting solutions, describing the problem and telling us what to do. During the three years I have been in the House, I have heard the government say that we must make evidence-based decisions.

Global Warming  Mr. Speaker, I come from an area that fought against shale gas production. At the time, our intent was not just to oppose it, but also to change how we do things. That is why we got involved in a renewable energy project, and that is also why my riding was very much against the pipeline and decided not to support it.

Global Warming  Mr. Speaker, we are having this debate this evening because the IPCC report tells us that we need to do twice as much and fast. We are here this evening to say that we have to have political courage. We are not here this evening to say that we are doing enough. We are here this evening to say that we have to change course.

Dairy Industry  Mr. Speaker, across the country, people are not happy with the agreement signed by the Liberals. Yvon Boucher, the president of the Producteurs de lait de la Montérégie-Est, told me how angry dairy farmers are at being betrayed by a government that broke another promise. This bad agreement and the previous breaches will cost dairy farmers one month's salary every year.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. Like Guelph, Saint-Hyacinthe is a major centre for agricultural education and research. I represent a riding where agriculture is very diversified. My colleague named the various sectors that will benefit from the TPP and some of those are in my riding.

Health  Mr. Speaker, 3.5 million people in this country, including our seniors, cannot afford their prescription drugs. As a result, they have to make a tough choice between buying medicine and buying groceries. No one should have to make that choice. The government should already be working with its partners, the provinces and territories to lower the cost of prescription drugs.

Women Farmers of Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot  Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to the women farmers of Saint-Hyacinthe and Acton Vale who have always made our regions more vibrant and supported our agriculture. My riding is home to a number of very dedicated women farmers. I want to acknowledge their exceptional contribution.

Health  Mr. Speaker, not only does the agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada fail our agricultural producers, but it is also going to increase prescription drug prices for some chronic diseases such as arthritis. This is a really tough pill to swallow, especially considering that this is Seniors Week.

Divorce Act  Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to Bill C-78, an act to amend the Divorce Act. Let me begin by saying that we will support this bill, which makes substantial changes to the existing Divorce Act. The NDP supports the objectives set forth in this family justice bill, especially when it comes to promoting the best interests of the child and taking family violence into account in making parenting arrangements.

Divorce Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada for introducing this important piece of legislation. As she pointed out, the Divorce Act has not been amended in over 20 years, so there was certainly room for improvement. It is only right to support amendments based on principles like the best interests of the child, the fight against family violence and poverty reduction.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that 15 weeks is just not enough. Mélanie told me that 15 weeks barely gave her enough time to undergo testing to confirm her diagnosis. Her treatments had not even begun yet. It has gotten to the point where doctors in my riding are contacting me to say that the patients under their care have to go back to work in the middle of their treatment and that is unacceptable.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, on April 24, I rose in the House to once again remind the government of its commitments regarding EI sickness benefits, which are currently limited to 15 weeks. Nine years have already passed since Marie-Hélène Dubé brought this to the attention of members of the House with her petition entitled “15 weeks to heal is not enough!”.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, before I became an MP, I was a municipal councillor and chaired an environmental advisory committee for six years. In Saint-Hyacinthe, we gave serious consideration to the possibility of allowing shale gas development on our land. I realized then that the people I represented were very concerned about the environment, and the same is true in my role as member of Parliament.

Child Care  Mr. Speaker, how can the Liberals claim to be progressive and feminist when they are forcing women to make the difficult choice between paying exorbitant amounts for child care or staying at home? Here in Ottawa, women pay $65 a day for child care. At that price, child care is not a service; it is a barrier.