Fair Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to BillC-23, dealing with the reform of the Canada Elections Act. First, I would like to congratulate my colleague, the hon. member from Gatineau for her excellent remarks and for so kindly sharing her time with me, which allows me to contribute as well.

Fair Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague and congratulate him on his excellent speech. He clearly laid out the main issues and weaknesses in the bill, which seems to be a back-of-the-napkin kind of deal drafted by a single party. If the government wants to change the Canada Elections Act, which is fundamental to our democratic life, it should keep Elections Canada and the opposition parties in the loop as well as all citizens.

Health  Mr. Speaker, she does not need to “care for them”; she just needs to obey them, it seems. However, the minister did not answer the question. Levant, Sparrow, Beardsley, Rogers, Wudrick, Rayner, Beatty: all those people worked for our colleagues across the way and are now lobbyists for the tobacco industry.

Health  Mr. Speaker, it is ironic that the tobacco companies got everything they wanted from this government. It is not surprising, though, given who was doing the lobbying: Ryan Sparrow, communications manager for Philip Morris, a former senior spokesman for the Conservative campaign; Keith Beardsley, a lobbyist for JTI Macdonald Corporation and the Prime Minister's former deputy chief of staff; and Chad Rogers, a lobbyist for Benson & Hedges, who is known to have ties to the Conservative Party.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present a petition in support of Bill C-201, introduced by my colleague from Hamilton Mountain, which would allow tradespeople and their apprentices to deduct accommodation and travel expenses. These are people from Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick who support my NDP colleague's bill.

Canada Post  Mr. Speaker, yesterday, by voting in support of the assault on Canada Post that was launched by their $10 million buddies, the Conservatives proved just how out of sync they really are. Montreal's mayor is very angry, and rightly so. Urban centres simply do not have space for community mailboxes.

Canada Post  Mr. Speaker, in December 2013, right after the end of the parliamentary session, Canada Post's head honcho explained that he and his 22 vice-presidents, who together earn over $10 million, would be eliminating home delivery service. To justify his decision, he said this would encourage seniors to get more exercise.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for her speech. I still have a hard time seeing how a society can move forward when it replaces good jobs with lower-paying jobs and full-time jobs with part-time jobs. I have a simple question to ask, but first I would like to share a quote: For international postal operators, the primary new business line being entered is financial services.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her excellent question. She is absolutely right with her first point. People—seniors, but also ordinary people—are very worried about what will happen and about the loss of home delivery. One woman has started a petition in Quebec. She has already collected over 130,000 signatures, which is a significant number.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is about preserving good public services. That is what it is all about. According to the Conservatives' logic, if one-third of Canadians do not have home delivery, then it is only fair that no one get home delivery. That way, everyone is equal. Just because people do not have home delivery does not mean that things are perfect and that the community is well served.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the unending saga of the Conservatives as they continue to lay waste to public services is sadly unfolding before our eyes. This time, it is our postal services that are the target of their ideology. Let us look a little more closely at the magical and extraordinarily brilliant plan that has been concocted to—as they put it—“save” Canada Post and guarantee its future.

Respect for Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. Indeed, this Conservative government has an unfortunate tendency to concentrate power in the hands of ministers or of the Prime Minister. That is what is happening here. This leads to a growing number of situations where they can act arbitrarily and say: “I made this decision.

Respect for Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her excellent question. I am lucky to be the father of a blended family that includes four children aged three to 13. Depending on their age, they are sometimes allowed to play in the alley. We do not let the three-year-old play there alone much.

Respect for Communities Act  Mr. Speaker, this is my first opportunity in 2014 to rise in the House to speak to Bill C-2, which is an important bill. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy new year, Mr. Speaker. Happy new year to all the members of the House of Commons and all Quebeckers and Canadians.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to present a petition from young activists from Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie. They work with Development and Peace and are concerned about certain actions and behaviours on the part of Canadian mining companies abroad, particularly concerning respect for human rights and democratic consultation with local communities.