Safer Railways Act  Mr. Speaker, I think it is best to start our remarks in the House of Commons on this or any subject by addressing first principles. I believe the first principle is the government should only do what only government can do. Public safety is one of those areas that the citizen or the enterprise cannot simply manage all by themselves.

Copyright Modernization Act  The NDP is looking to strike a balanced approach. Our party is seeking a balanced system between the rights of creators and those of the public. I hope that all the members of this House want to ensure that the public has access to as much information as possible while protecting copyright, which goes without saying.

Copyright Modernization Act  Madam Speaker, here we have another bill to modernize copyright, the same bill that was introduced by the industry minister on June 2, 2010. The short title of the bill is the Copyright Modernization Act, but I do not think this is the right title; it should have been called the digital lock act or the padlock act, based on what happened in the past.

Finance committee  I want to underline that great progress is being made in Health Canada, but I think this area has to be addressed. Let me focus my comments on the issue of IP, intellectual property, because that's the cornerstone, the pierre angulaire of our industry. There's a huge opportunity for Canada right now during the CETA negotiations, and frankly before they're even concluded, to create, number one, an effective right of appeal mechanism for innovators.

Safer Railways Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House on the third reading of Bill S-4, the safer railways act. Before I begin, allow me to congratulate my colleagues across the entire chamber for the successful manner in which this bill has been discussed, debated, analyzed and moved to this point.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, close enough. “Curator”, okay. As I said, I am the director-curator of the Musée des maîtres et artisans du Québec and have been for more than eight years. Founded in 1962, the museum specializes in handcrafted objects made by Quebec masters and artisans. The museum is one of 42 that are recognized and supported by the province's ministry of culture, communications and the status of women.

Justice committee  Good morning. My first question is for Mr. Tom Stamatakis, of the Canadian Police Association. I'd like to know what training your members get. Are there consistent rules? Do your members have mandatory training? Is there ongoing training for your members in terms of the number of hours and topics?

Keeping Canada's Economy and Jobs Growing Act  Let us not forget that the government's proposed Canada-wide securities commission does not respect Quebec's responsibility for property and civil rights. Authority over securities is given to the provinces by virtue of their jurisdiction over property and civil rights under subsection 92(3) of the Constitution Act, 1867.

Bill C-11 committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Our goal with this bill has always been to reflect the reality as closely as possible. And obviously, when we talk about photographs, clear factors come into play in terms of the distinction between commercial and private use. The New Democratic Party would like clause 38 of Bill C-11 amended in order to clarify the term “personal purposes” by replacing it with the term “private or non-commercial purposes”.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  We will continue to be “here for law-abiding Canadians” since “the Government of Canada has no more fundamental duty than to protect the personal safety of our citizens and defend against threats to our national security”. Victims have a right to be safe from the people who have done them harm, and our children have a right to be safe from sex offenders, which is why I am very proud that our government passed legislation to strengthen the national sex offender registry and the national DNA databank so that all sex offenders are registered with the police.

Safe Streets and Communities Act  We will continue to reverse the shameful trend which began under the Trudeau regime where former solicitor general, Jean-Pierre Goyer, stated that the protection of society was a secondary objective to protecting the rights of criminals. Our Conservative government completely rejects that premise and will continue to work to return common sense to the correctional system.

Government Operations committee  Our first group of witnesses is with the Department of Public Works: Mr. Alex Lakroni, chief financial officer, and John McBain, assistant deputy minister, real property branch. Welcome back, Mr. McBain. We also have with us from the department Pierre-Marc Mongeau, assistant deputy minister, parliamentary precinct branch. It's a very interesting selection of witnesses that we've compiled today.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, your ruling was so short that I was still caught up speaking with a colleague. Before I begin my speech on our opposition motion here today, I would like to extend my sympathies to all the families affected by the serious accident that took place on Highway 158 near Joliette, in Sainte-Geneviève-de-Berthier.

Business of Supply  Those with very strong ties to this region wanted to stay in the Gaspé region, in the town of Gaspé in particular. However, property and home prices had risen because of the anticipated increase in development. These people had to find other pieces of property to purchase, and that with very little money. They had to spend substantial sums of money to purchase another piece of property and a home.

Bill C-32 (40th Parliament, 3rd Session) committee  Chairman, ladies and gentlemen members of the committee, thank you for inviting us to appear today. My name is Pierre-Emmanuel Moyse and I am a professor at McGill University and member of the Intellectual Property Policy Centre at that same institution. My comments will be limited to a fairly theoretical point which is at the heart of international trade concerns—namely, exhaustion and, primarily, international exhaustion.