Access to Information  Mr. Speaker, the Information Commissioner is talking about systematic censorship. Entire pages are being censored, which demonstrates the Prime Minister's wilful blindness regarding the torture. He even shut down Parliament in order to duck the issue. Rights & Democracy, the muzzling of scientists, cuts to climatologists' funding, the behaviour of ministers, and the list goes on.

Michel Chartrand  Mr. Speaker, Quebec labour leader and political activist Michel Chartrand passed away yesterday. Born in 1916, he experienced Quebec's development throughout the 20th century. He witnessed the Great Depression, Maurice Duplessis, Quebec's dark ages, and then the Quiet Revolution, Lesage, Bourassa, Lévesque and everything that has happened since then.

Tax Harmonization  Mr. Speaker, once again, the Conservative government has shown its lack of good faith and its contempt for Quebec. The principles of predictability and tax fairness among provinces are fundamental principles of any federation, but the Conservatives have decided to play politics at the expense of Quebec.

Tax Harmonization  Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives refuse to negotiate openly and in good faith with Quebec for purely partisan reasons. Their excuses change from day to day, and their position is as twisted and unpredictable as their position on maternal health. The Conservatives' behaviour is not what we would expect from a federal government.

Quebec Bridge  Madam Speaker, I rise here today to speak to a motion that is of personal interest to me. I am of course referring to the motion put forward by my Bloc colleague regarding the Quebec Bridge. The motions reads as follows: That, in the opinion of the House, the government should purchase the Pont de Québec for one dollar and commit to quickly finishing the repair work so as to respect its importance as a historical monument and vital transportation link for the Quebec City region.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Finance misled Canadians by implying that post-doctoral students were making $70,000 per year. He got that one wrong. The average salary of the 6,000 post-docs in Canada is barely half that amount. Post-docs are often young, have families and still carry student debt.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, that is 140 people out of 6,000. The minister can say what he wants, but the fact remains that he is imposing a new tax on 6,000 post-doctoral fellows. These post-docs do not earn salaries of $70,000, as the minister twice stated yesterday. Post-docs are a very valuable resource.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, the government has just imposed a tax on research by eliminating the tax exemption granted to post-doctoral students. Let us call a spade a spade: the government just imposed a new tax that will negatively affect research in Canada. After creating grants, supposedly to fund post-doctoral research, the government decided to tax all post-doctoral students, supposedly to pay for those grants.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, most researchers recognize that the most productive phase in research begins at the post-doctoral level when a person has acquired the necessary research skills and knows where he or she wants to focus. This is where a researcher has the greatest potential to make important contributions.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, the government speaks about its investment in the three research granting councils. I believe the figure of $32 million was mentioned in the budget. My question for the hon. member is very straightforward, and have I asked the same question of the deputy minister of Industry Canada, so I know the answer.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, as we know, the Conservative government, beginning next year, will start to increase employment insurance premiums and will do so for the next four years. I believe, according to its documents, it expects to raise about $13 billion with what most experts agree is a tax on labour.

Telecommunication  Mr. Speaker, while the Minister of Industry is recovering from whiplash after backtracking on the CAP earlier today, concerning his riding, I would like to quote the minister of state for science, who said yesterday: --that the government put $200 million toward providing broadband to every community in this country.

Telecommunication  Mr. Speaker, the community access program is a visionary initiative that seeks to make the Internet accessible to all Canadians. In 2007, the Conservatives reduced that program's annual budget from $25 million down to $14 million. Today, they are eliminating it almost completely.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today in this House to speak to the motion by my colleague from the Bloc and explain why I will be voting against it. My colleague from the Bloc has quite correctly noted that the Conservative government has not responded to the needs of Quebec.

Citizenship and Immigration  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand in the House of Commons today to congratulate Marika Teakle, a distinguished Canadian citizen from my riding of Westmount—Ville-Marie. Ms. Teakle showed exemplary dedication for 47 years, both as a volunteer in her community, and as a public servant responsible for immigrants.