National Philanthropy Day Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address Bill S-203, An Act respecting a National Philanthropy Day. It was very encouraging to hear speeches from my hon. colleagues from across the way. It appears that everyone in the House supports the spirit in which this bill was introduced and supports the bill.

Elizabeth Buhler  Mr. Speaker, on January 23 of this year, Manitobans and Canadians alike mourned the loss of their oldest living citizen. Elizabeth Buhler died just two weeks short of her 112th birthday, in her long-time home of Winkler, Manitoba. Elizabeth was a pillar of the community and active until the very end.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today to present petitions that I have received from Canadians from across the country. The petitioners ask that the long gun registry be abolished. Their primary concern remains the cost of the long gun registry as well as its complete ineffectiveness.

Government Legislation  Mr. Speaker, today eight bills introduced by our Conservative government will be passed into law. This fall our Conservative government's first priority was the economy. That is why today we are pleased to see the sustaining Canada's economic recovery act become law. The legislation implements key measures from the jobs and economic growth budget.

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church  Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, Christians all around the world gathered for the annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church to remember those Christians who face violence and oppression every day. A recent Toronto Star article pointed out that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, last week I had the opportunity to visit the 3M manufacturing plant in Morden, Manitoba, which is in my riding. 3M employs 140 people from the region and has a payroll of almost $9 million per year. We know that because of our Conservative government Canada is on track to having one of the lowest business tax rates in the G7, which helps keep businesses like 3M in Canada.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in relation to Bill C-343, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Employment Insurance Act (family leave).

Employment Equity  Mr. Speaker, this past summer Canadians were shocked to learn that a woman in the Ottawa area was prevented from applying for a job within the federal government because the job was open only to applicants from an identified employment equity group. In July the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism announced that the government would review the rules on employment equity.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the sixth report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities in relation to Bill C-31, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act.. The committee has studied the bill and decided to report the bill back to the House with amendments.

Preventing Human Smugglers From Abusing Canada's Immigration System Act  Madam Speaker, I want to go back to my colleague's personal experience of 18 years as an RCMP officer. Since I have been a member of Parliament, one thing I have seen is any time we talk about mandatory minimum sentences for criminals, no matter what the crime, we just get a tremendous amount of push back, a lot of stalling and walls are always put up.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. Our committee is requesting an extension of 30 sitting days in relation to Bill C-343, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Employment Insurance Act (family leave).

National Family Week  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Family Week. Canadian families are diverse and come in all shapes and sizes. Over the years, we have seen a dramatic shift in what the typical family looks like, but one common goal all families share is the desire to provide love and care and see the health and well-being of each family member flourish.

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader is trying to have his cake and eat it too, but he cannot fool Canadians. By flip-flopping on today's Bloc bill, he thinks that Canadians will forget that he supports a $4 billion, 45-day work year. Yet even though the Liberals admit that the bill is costly and irresponsible, the Liberals' own official critic is in support of it.

Privilege  Mr. Speaker, I rise today on a question of privilege resulting from the outrageous and disturbing remarks made by Mike O'Shaughnessy, a spokesman for the Leader of the Opposition. It was recorded in the National Post today that Mr. O'Shaughnessy wrote in an email distributed to reporters that I “think it is okay to get rid of the life-saving gun registry, because in her mind”, referring to me, “domestic violence committed with a firearm is not a criminal activity”.

Firearms Registry  Mr. Speaker, today is decision day for opposition MPs. They will need to decide if they will stand up for their constituents or if they will bend to their leader's wishes. It is time to scrap the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry that has wasted over $1 billion. We know that the long gun registry does nothing to reduce crime and we believe that taxpayer dollars should be supporting measures that actually work.