Supply  Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank my colleague for his question and comments on the issue of day care and jurisdiction. In fact, he is correct. The delivery of child care services and early childhood education is a provincial jurisdiction. The provinces are currently delivering this service in a variety of different programs across Canada.

Supply  Mr. Speaker, my speech really related directly to the intergovernmental perspective. I raised the issue of Quebec and Manitoba in relation to renewable resources within the equalization formula and in conjunction with the issue of non-renewable resources. As the hon. member knows, the Conservative Party's position on this issue is that non-renewable resources should be removed from the equalization formula.

Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to speak on this motion which originally read as follows: That the House call upon the government to immediately extend the expanded benefits of the recent Atlantic Accord to all of the provinces since the existing equalization claw-back on non-renewable resource revenues severely curtails the future prosperity of Canada by punishing the regions where the economy is built on a non-renewable resource base.

Conservative Party of Canada  Mr. Speaker, it is a great day to be a Conservative. This past weekend the Conservative Party held the most successful national gathering of Conservatives in two decades. Three thousand Conservatives from coast to coast to coast gathered in the beautiful city of Montreal to debate policies and prepare for the next federal election at the founding policy convention of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance's cynicism is contagious. Quebeckers long ago lost confidence in this nation's accounts, after so many years of the Liberals cooking the books. Year in and year out, the surplus grows more and more gigantic, and the cover ups more and more heavy handed.

Taxation  Yes, Mr. Speaker, but there is only one taxpayer in this country. Instead of sidestepping the question, the minister should depend on some competent economists. All the real experts say that the surplus will exceed $30 billion over the next three years. He is encroaching on provincial areas of jurisdiction, while shamefully condemning the provinces to oppressive taxation of the middle class.

Civil Marriage Act  Madam Speaker, I want to let my colleague across the way know that I would never consider the competing interests in this debate to be un-Canadian on either side. Nor would I ever consider views coming from gay advocacy groups and gay and lesbian couples who are interested in participating in the institution of marriage to be un-Canadian.

Civil Marriage Act  Madam Speaker, I agree with the member. It is very concerning that this is one of the only pieces of legislation we have seen introduced by the government in this session. It is particularly concerning because it is not legislation for which Canadians have asked. It is not legislation for which any of the opposition parties have asked.

Civil Marriage Act  Madam Speaker, it is my view that our proposed amendments reflect the fact that gay and lesbian couples should be accorded all the same rights and benefits under the law as marriage rights are accorded under the traditional definition of marriage. That is my view.

Civil Marriage Act  Madam Speaker, it is the opinion of the Conservative Party and myself that the government has not substantively protected religious freedom in its draft legislation, particularly in reference to reference case. The court ruled that the clause of the draft bill that was designed to do this was unconstitutional.

Civil Marriage Act  Madam Speaker, in regard to the member's first question, it is important to remember that we have been tasked with the issue of defining the definition of marriage. The Supreme Court of Canada has not ruled on the traditional definition of marriage and the court has handed the issue back to Parliament.

Civil Marriage Act  Mr. Speaker, this is a very important public policy issue and I am privileged to have the chance to enter the debate today. I am honoured to be the second speaker for the Conservative Party. I thank my fellow caucus members for their support. I also congratulate the Leader of the Opposition on his forthright speech on Wednesday.

Civil Marriage Act  Madam Speaker, many countries and states have extended or are considering extending the same rights in law to same sex couples. Some countries in fact have established provisions to recognize partnerships as civil unions with some or all of the same rights in law that married couples have.

Child Care  Mr. Speaker, my point is that $5 billion is not enough. We need more options to be able to afford child care. There are also other ways to help Canadian families with young children. It is called tax relief. The Liberal tax system gouges families for every penny. This child care program does not meet the needs of shift workers, part time workers and stay at home parents.

Child Care  Mr. Speaker, under the current Liberal child care scheme, the money promised will only increase the number of regulated child care spaces from 7% to 10%. That does not even begin to scratch the surface of child care needs in this country. It would cost $10 billion a year to fund this program for every child that needs it.