The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague on a very thought-provoking and encouraging presentation of budget 2011. I am wondering if he could expand for us the effect that our economic action plan has had in terms of creating jobs in his riding. We know now that 580,000 jobs have been created since July 2009.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I will begin by congratulating you on your election as the Speaker of this House. I also want to congratulate all members of Parliament, those who are newly elected, as well as those who have been re-elected to Parliament. I also give a huge thanks to the people of Portage—Lisgar.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by very sincerely congratulating my colleague on his re-election. It is good to see him in the House. One of the parts of the budget that has been very popular and very well supported in my riding is our ending of political subsidies. My hon. colleague has been involved in politics for a very long time.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague for being re-elected and for being able to avoid the NDP wave, obviously. I was actually quite shocked when I listened to my colleague speak about what has been done for families under the Conservative government. Under the Liberal government, social programs were slashed, funding for provinces for health care was slashed, and every program that Canadian families used was slashed.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my hon. colleague on being elected and on her comments today. One of the reasons that Canadians gave the Conservative government a strong mandate in the election on May 2 was the fact that we are keeping taxes low. This morning one of my colleagues from across the way talked about a carbon tax, which is very disheartening.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, it appears to me that the opposition have quite an aversion to trying to raise funds on their own to support their election campaigns. I am wondering if my hon. colleague could just talk a little bit more about what it is like to travel around his riding, talk to people and have people tell him that they support what he is doing and give him a cheque for $10 or $20, as opposed to forcing taxpayers to support parties they do not believe in.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 11th and 12th reports of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in relation to Bill C-304, An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians, and Bill C-481, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Canada Labour Code (mandatory retirement age).

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I can see my Manitoba colleague from Winnipeg Centre has had a little chamomile tea since yesterday, when I debated with him. He personally attacked and attacked me. It was shameful and disappointing. However, let me proceed to what the issue is and what has the opposition parties so angry.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the NDP's national bookkeeper, Lucie Ladouceur, sent this email to an NDP candidate. It has all of the characteristics that the Conservative transaction had. This email was in the possession of Elections Canada. I am sure we will now see some investigative reporting by some of the media, who will also realize that these same practices were commonplace and paralleled by other parties.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the Liberals are very familiar with their own party operatives being in jail for criminal charges. We were never so. Sadly, in the sponsorship scandal, criminal charges were laid and in fact people were prosecuted and put in jail. The member brings forward an interesting point about local versus national ads.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time today with the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles. I rise to take part in the debate on the motion presented by the Liberal member for Beauséjour. I have to wonder if he wrote the motion himself or if it was just handed to him by the office the Liberal leader.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the ninth report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in relation to the 2011 census. I also have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, which pertains to Canada summer jobs.

Abolition of Early Parole Act  Madam Speaker, I was somewhat confused by the comments of my hon. colleague. Maybe she can clarify this for me. In one sense I hear the member speak about victims and that we need to stand up for victims of white-collar crimes. At at the same time, she says that the bill should not be retroactive.

Abolition of Early Parole Act  Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I join in the debate on Bill C-59, the Abolition of Early Parole Act today. Like many of my colleagues, the hon. members in this House, I have spent quite some time talking to Canadians about the need for this legislation. I am confident that all of us are hearing the same thing; that it is time to take action to crack down on white-collar offenders and we need to do it now.

Curling  Mr. Speaker, on January 26, Altona, Manitoba played host to the 2011 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts. The event was held at the Millennium Centre, Altona's state-of-the-art recreational facility. All week curling fans were treated to top-notch play by the 64 athletes as the crowds filled the stands to cheer on and support their teams.