Petitions  Second, Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by citizens from Vancouver Kingsway and across the lower mainland calling on the government to press for an urgent review of NATO's policies regarding nuclear weapons. The petitioners note that the continued presence of 25,000 nuclear weapons around the world poses a constant threat to all life on earth.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for a very thoughtful and well prepared speech on HIV and AIDS with many principles that we all should agree with. However, I want to bring up that when her party was in power, the former Liberal government promised to meet its target of contributing 0.7% of gross national income to international aid.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, what is interesting is the government's refusal to acknowledge that contraception and family planning played a role in maternal health drove a rift in the House. It took that position for days on end. Finally it changed its position and did an about-face because of the public pressure from Canadians across the country.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, one thing we can all agree on in the House is that the health of women and children, not only in this country but also around the world, is of paramount importance to all of us. The key to the member's comments and the comments of everybody in the House is to try to agree on what the most effective measures and means for ensuring that health really are.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his very thoughtful, well-reasoned and consistent message. I emphasize the word “consistent” because, as we have found when we talked about commitments to women or to alleviating the effects of poverty or the health impact on people that is caused by poverty in this country, words are cheap and hollow.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate my hon. colleague from London—Fanshawe and thank her on behalf of all Canadians, particularly women, for the wonderful work that she does on behalf of the women of this country and, in fact, around the world. We in the NDP of course welcome this interest, however new-found it may be, in the health of mothers and children in the developing world by the current government.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, when we talk about foreign aid and development, words are cheap, but what really matters is whether governments put their resources, financial and otherwise, behind it. When the former Liberal government was in power, it promised its famous target of contributing 0.7% of GNP to international aid, but never met that.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, according to the World Health Organization, “The first step for avoiding maternal deaths is to ensure that women have access to family planning” and reproductive health choices. Family planning, it states, could prevent 25% of maternal and child deaths in the developing world by preventing risky births that are too close together, too early or too late in a woman's life, and modern contraception helps fight the spread of HIV and AIDS by allowing HIV-positive women to space births for optimal health and access services to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, last Thursday I had the opportunity to go to a breakfast in Vancouver sponsored by the West Coast LEAF, a wonderful organization in Vancouver that focuses on women and the issues facing them. They spoke about the continued inequality facing women, not only in Canada but also around the world.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I heard references to manufacturing, jobs, young people and, in particular, to hope and optimism. The young people who live in British Columbia are very concerned about the environment and what kind of world they will inherit and live in for their generation and for the generations to come.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The question I just asked the member dealt with the Speech from the Throne, which is the matter under debate. The Speech from the Throne dealt with taxation policy. My hon. colleague stood up and impugned my reputation in the House by stating that my question had nothing to do with the topic under discussion and then he proceeded to talk about the gun registry, which has nothing to do with the Speech from the Throne.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I congratulate my learned colleague on his speech. I want to focus on the budget's transfer of corporate taxation on the backs of the citizens of this country. The government will be implementing the HST in British Columbia and Ontario which will add billions of dollars to the tax obligations of our citizens.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination  Mr. Speaker, my great riding, Vancouver Kingsway, is one of the most diverse in Canada. It is a wonderful blend of cultures from every continent. Men, women and children of every race, religion and ethnicity join together to seek happiness and prosperity and to live in peace and harmony.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present. First, I rise to present a petition signed by individuals from all across the country calling on the government to initiate a judicial inquiry into the state of aviation safety in Canada. They note that the government is intent on reducing aviation oversight and cutting back on inspections.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the second petition is signed by residents of Vancouver Kingsway urging government support for a universal declaration on animal welfare. This declaration calls for states to take all appropriate steps to prevent cruelty to animals and to reduce their suffering. It calls for the development of standards for animal welfare governing the treatment of farm animals, companion animals, animals in scientific research, and animals in recreational uses and wildlife.