Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, one of the things the hon. member brought up was the fact that this particular bill does not seem to draw a lot of attention nor, most likely, will it reach a lot of headlines. On that note, the scrutiny of regulations committee, with both senators and members on it, operates on a consensus basis, meaning that when an issue comes forward, the chair will ask what path we should take, and it goes around the room until we find something on which everyone can agree.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his speech. He currently serves on the scrutiny of regulations committee, and he is doing a great job there. His presentation tonight was very precise as well. There has been a lot of discussion on the subject of Bill S-12, particularly on the importance of certainty to business.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, I am interested in the area of regulations, that is for sure. I would suggest he read Cass Sunstein's new book because I firmly believe there can be smart regulations that decrease costs to both the industry and the consumer if they are written well. Getting back to my question, this bill does not change the gazetting process, where there is open consultation with Canadians and people can write in.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Legislative tools.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's previous support of my changes to the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act. One of the challenges we have is there is a not very well understood point that the House, Parliament, has sovereignty over what treaties it becomes part of to what standards are chosen.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, I certainly appreciate the concerns that the member might have. Let me be clear. Parliament would still continue to put forward statutes, statutes which would then say whether it was static or dynamic form of regulation, incorporation by reference would take place if any and then those regulations still would have to go through The Gazette process, where there would be an open process that anyone could submit to.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, I really welcome a question from a fellow member from B.C. today. Specifically I will start with the first question: to which industry should this apply? Again, as the hon. member mentioned in his preamble, the devil is in the details. That is one of the reasons Bill S-12 proposes to allow us to use the tool in either static or dynamic form.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, there is an obligation by government to make sure that regulations, especially federal regulations, are available in both French and English. That is well established by the courts, and this government has honoured that in all that it does. The second part I would like to focus on is that this is a changing world.

Incorporation by Reference in Regulations Act  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House today to speak to the incorporation by reference in regulations act. I feel I must pause for a moment and start from the very beginning. When I first arrived in Ottawa as a newly elected member of Parliament, scrutiny of regulations, or regs, as many call it, was the first committee that I served on.

Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I appreciated the member opposite's speech. I have a couple of questions for him, but first I have a comment. The member mentioned victims' rights. Obviously, there has been no government in Canadian history that has supported victims as much. The member had a chance, through some legislation that passed through this House, to assist victims by doubling the victim surcharge.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, first I would like to ask the hon. member a question on preferential tariffs. Preferential tariffs were given in 1974, the last time the program was reviewed, specifically to aid developing countries. I mentioned Brazil, Russia, India and China. It is in many of these countries that we see the most economic growth.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, certainly, this is a topic that I am very engaged on and I am glad to ask a question of the member. In her speech she referenced some changes to the preferential tariff of $330 million. This is an area on which the government has been transparent. There is a preferential tariff that is given to certain countries, such as Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member for Toronto Centre and his speech. Certainly it is good to have a thorough discussion about the issues that face our country. The member seems to be critical about the changes to the tariffs, which amount to about $330 million, I believe. Many of these tariffs have not been looked at in 40 years.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, simply put, this government has provided millions of dollars to the investment in Lake Winnipeg and continues to work with local stakeholders to get the most out of that investment. I would like to take a moment, though, to talk about my riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, there has been no government that has worked as hard as ours on lowering tariffs. One of the things manufacturers have spoken most in favour of is how out of all the countries in the G7 we went tariff free on the importation of manufacturing goods. When we talk about our national interests, it is important for the federal government to lead the way.