Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, members from all four corners of the House certainly agree about the importance of the legislation. It reads very blandly, as most bills do, but its impact is significant. We cannot minimize or in any way try to limit the immense significance that it would have over time if we could completely eliminate the blood diamond trade and its impact on civil conflicts such as, for example, the conflict in Angola, where billions of dollars were brought in to fuel that civil conflict and the rebels through the sale of blood diamonds.

Agriculture  Mr. Chair, I would like to congratulate you on your new appointment to this august body. I would also like to thank the parliamentary secretary for his intervention. Both he and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food have been very available this evening. We appreciate that because this is an extremely important debate and these are important issues.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, one of the problems with these late shows is that the parliamentary secretary usually reads from some bureaucratic notes. The parliamentary secretary did not answer the question, so I will ask him again. It is a simple question. Does the government believe in a viable shipbuilding and marine industry in Canada, yes or no?

RESUMPTION OF DEBATE ON ADDRESS IN REPLY  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for splitting his time. I commend the Minister of National Defence not only for his remarks but for the work that he is doing. I would add to his opening remarks and on behalf of the constituents of Central Nova extend our condolences and best wishes to the families and colleagues of our fallen soldiers.

Foreign Affairs  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Clark, of course, has a distinguished record as a former prime minister and a foreign minister. He was a member of the Conservative government of the day that signed the free trade agreement and the historic acid rain treaty. Those are landmark accomplishments that demonstrate the utility of working in a respectful businesslike way with the United States of America to achieve more for the citizens of both countries.

Department of International Trade Act  Madam Speaker, in speaking to Bill C-31, an act to establish the Department of International Trade, I would like to start by expressing my concern about the need for this division into two sectors. In 1982 we integrated Canada's trade commissioner service into the then department of external affairs.

Canadian Livestock Industry  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Timmins—James Bay for his generosity in splitting his time with me. It is very obvious that we are in crisis. It is very obvious, in light of the events of last week relating to BSE and the blocking of exports at the U.S. border, that this key industry is continuing to experience massive financial and job losses.

Industry committee  I would just summarize by leaving you with four recommendations we would like to put on the record. The first is to encourage the Bank of Canada to relax its interest rate policy to reduce the upward pressure on the Canadian dollar. The second is to continue the recent federal practice of offering support for strategic major investments in the auto industry by participation in the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council, which has helped to facilitate that support.

Department of International Trade Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's question. It was very nice of her. The matter is very clear to us. This division does not make any sense because foreign policy and the overall administration of foreign affairs are currently being reviewed. That does not make sense. Also, since there has been no consultation with those more familiar with the community, it is clear that we are opposed.

Supply  Mr. Speaker, I could surmise all kinds of theories as to why the Liberal government would be so disingenuous. We have seen the Liberals on so many occasions say one thing publicly and then negotiate away the interests of Canadians on another. We have seen so many occasions where they have made outright bald-faced statements on the eve of elections, like cancelling helicopter contracts, promising to do away with GST and promising to rip up the free trade agreement.

Supply  Madam Speaker, I am pleased, on behalf of my party, to rise in the House today to say that I agree that this government no longer has the confidence of Canadians. This week in the House, the majority of members from all sides voted for a January or February election. The Prime Minister, who says he wants to reduce the democratic deficit, has done the exact opposite.

Supply  Madam Speaker, I listened to the speech by the government House leader. I now understand just how far and disconnected the government is from reality and what is actually happening on the main streets across this country. I have a series of questions for the hon. member. Where was the government when we found out this year that we now have a record number of poor children in this country?

Supply  Mr. Speaker, I want to begin my debate by acknowledging the wonderful remarks of my colleague from Selkirk—Interlake and the practical hands-on knowledge he brings to this debate. As a rancher, as someone who grew up working in the ag sector, my hon. friend knows of what he speaks.

Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act  Mr. Speaker, I feel very strongly that we need value added on our exports, not only in the diamond sector. I come from British Columbia which is a province where we export raw logs. That is a sore point with many British Columbians. When we export those raw logs, we export job.

Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act  Mr. Speaker, it stems from how we move this process along. Under the Kimberley Process we have moved from a high of 6% of blood diamonds in the world diamond trade down to 1% or slightly lower, as most estimates have it. We are looking at a review on that next year. The question is, how do we move it along more quickly?