Mauril Bélanger  Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour for me to rise in the House to celebrate the life of our friend and colleague, the man from Mattawa, the Hon. Mauril Bélanger. I want to recognize his exceptional work on behalf of cultural communities, especially the Haitian community in the Outaouais and Ottawa.

Port of Churchill  First, Mr. Speaker, my heart goes out to the people and the employees who have been affected in Churchill. I am deeply disappointed in the decision by OmniTRAX to issue layoff notices. My minister has been in direct contact with local leaders in the northern delegation, and our government has been in ongoing discussions with provincial and municipal leaders, businesses, and the community as we monitor and evaluate the situation closely.

Statistics Canada  Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, we would like to thank the former chief statistician, Wayne Smith, on his long, 35 years of service to Canada and to Statistics Canada. We promised Canadians in the last election that we would reinstate the long-form census, and by golly, they responded in great numbers, historic numbers.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development  Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question. The Government of Canada supports the principle of a neutral and open Internet where Canadians can freely innovate, communicate, and consult the content they want in accordance with Canadian laws. We are aware of these laws and are monitoring their enforcement closely.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Richmond Hill for his substantive speech. One of the great things about being in the House of Commons is getting to know different people from all across the country. The member for Richmond Hill has a rich history and experience in the business community.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will try my best, but every so often we come up with a fundamental difference of perspective. I know the hon. member from British Columbia, a former minister, supports free trade, so does our government. Not only do we support free trade because it brings jobs and creates growth, we also support having negotiations between the federal government and the provinces and territories.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot for her question. I want to remind her that this is the first time that Canada's ministers of innovation and economic development, all of the federal, provincial, and territorial ministers, have met in 12 years.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I want to assure my hon. opposition colleague that I am here to discuss an option, an alternative to the Supreme Court reference. It is about having discussions with the provinces to negotiate in good faith. I digress. I will come back to my speech and continue. We cannot stop here.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate in today's debate on the Conservative motion on Canada's internal trade. I would also like to say that I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Surrey Centre. I am pleased to share my opinions on this topic with the members of the House of Commons.

Foreign Investment  Mr. Speaker, foreign investments are a major economic driver for Canada. That is why the minister approved the application by Lowe's to acquire RONA. Lowe's made firm commitments to Canada. These commitments are legally binding, including those to set up the headquarters of its Canadian companies in Boucherville, to keep Canadians in senior management positions, and to maintain a high level of jobs in its businesses in Canada.

Manufacturing Industry  Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to providing an innovation agenda to help grow the economy and create prosperity. We will be working with all members of the House by shortly announcing this innovation agenda. We will be taking a look at different aspects of where Canada's economy should be, whether that is in the clean tech sector, in incubators, or in the manufacturing sector.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his question and his important work in support of Canadian entrepreneurship. The 2016 budget shows how committed we are to promoting Canadian innovation. We are investing about $4.5 billion as a down payment to start the innovation agenda, with investments in initiatives such as strengthening business clusters, building post-secondary infrastructure, and extending broadband service.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am a Quebecker. I passed my entire life in Quebec. I believe in my country and I believe in my province. I have had the great privilege, as all of us have had, of being elected by my fellow citizens to represent their concerns here, so has the hon. member from Sarnia, and so have the hon. members from the Bloc Québécois.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley who has a lot more experience than I do in the House and as a parliamentarian. He spoke quite eloquently. It would be a very sorry development for the wealth and diversity of our country if we were to start regulating who could or could not have the legitimate right to represent their electors, if their electors so desired to be represented by that person by expressing their vote in that manner.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the House of Commons, a powerful symbol of our democratic processes, to talk about the opposition motion on appointing a special committee on electoral reform made up of representatives from all parties. I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands.