Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee  At times these underlying conditions undermine our ability to come to agreements, to partner and to develop together. Not surprisingly, for many first nations, respect and recognition of their rights and secure tenure are preconditions for their support for and interest in natural resource development on their traditional lands. We need only look at the pipeline negotiations and some recent controversies between first nations communities and exploration projects to see what can happen when rights are not recognized and land claims are not settled.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, before expressing the position of the Bloc Québécois, I would like to come back to the motion we are debating. It is the motion presented by the Liberal Party, which reads as follows: That this House regret that the party now forming the government has abandoned the principles respecting the Atlantic Accords, equalization and non-renewable resource revenues as articulated in the motion it put before the House on Tuesday, March 22, 2005.

Olympic and Paralympic Marks Act  Olympic Games in the United States, Australia, Greece and, most recently, in Italy were all successful by having strong legal protections in place for their intellectual property rights. The coming games in Beijing and London already have passed similar protections into law. Canada can and must provide the same kind of protection through Bill C-47. People in Vancouver, Whistler, throughout British Columbia and across Canada are looking forward to 2010.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to take part in this debate. Once again, because of the Bloc Québécois presence in this House, I feel that we can represent the views of Quebec as a nation. Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have debated this issue. It seems that finance ministers—whether we are talking about the ministers in the former Liberal government or the minister in the current Conservative government—all have the same obsession.

Sales Tax Amendments Act, 2006  Mr. Speaker, I must say that I have already had an opportunity to speak to Bill C-40 at second reading. I find it to be a useful bill but, at the same time, it is so technical that we are sometimes not too motivated to participate in the debate. This bill amends the the Excise Tax Act, the Excise Act, 2001 and the Air Travellers Security Charge Act and other Acts.

Canadian Heritage committee  Finally, as announced in the Speech from the Throne, our government is committed to protecting intellectual and cultural property rights in Canada. I'm working with the industry minister, Jim Prentice, on a bill to amend the Copyright Act. The bill will be introduced in Parliament very soon. Besides providing opportunities for Canadians to engage in rich and diverse cultural activities, my department strengthens the connections that bring us together.

Human Resources committee  When I travel the country and see a human face on the results that we achieve, I know we are on the right track. We are reaching people; we are helping them fulfill their potential. I would be pleased to welcome the committee's questions. Thank you.

Sales Tax Amendments Act, 2006  Mr. Speaker, we have before us an extremely technical bill. It contains a whole series of measures. In terms of necessary adjustments, as well as the collection of GST and the various excise taxes, it is definitely a bill that makes sense. And this is why the Bloc Québécois will support it.

Criminal Code  Producers receive support from public organizations; however, private capital is also invested. Therefore, in cinematography, in the film industry, the issue of intellectual property is important. I will digress briefly. Counterfeiting, not just of movies but of other products, is a reality that should concern us. I see my colleague from Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, who was on the committee.

Senate Appointment Consultations Act  Do they seriously think that a constitutional negotiation process—which would be necessary, as I said—makes sense right now when the government and Parliament should focus their attention on far more important issues? Just consider reintegrating Quebec into the Constitution that Pierre Elliott Trudeau unilaterally patriated.

Criminal Code  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak today in support of Canada's new government's decision to raise the age of sexual protection from 14 to 16 years old. This, in my view, is a step toward the kind of civility in our criminal justice system that Canadians expect. For me and for my constituents this decision was quite easy.

Human Resources committee  Moreover, new subsections 94(2.3) and (2.4) of Bill C-257 state, in the French version, which is clearer than in the English version, that the application of subsection (2.1) does not have the effect of preventing the employer from taking any necessary measures to avoid the destruction of the employer's property or serious damage to that property. Here we're perhaps talking about food and refrigerated trucks. Incidentally, subsections 94(2.3) and (2.4) are virtually identical to what's written in the Quebec Labour Code, apart from a few words.

Bank Act  Mr. Speaker, before I begin my remarks on Bill C-37, I would like to add a few comments on the issue of public finance. The Liberal finance critic who just spoke reminded hon. members that the Mulroney years were extremely disastrous as far as public finance was concerned, with major deficits including the last one of $42 billion.

Settlement of International Investment Disputes Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take part in this debate on Bill C-53. Although the bill is extremely technical, it does not change much for Canada. However, it still offers an opportunity to ask ourselves about the nature of the investment agreements that have been signed by the Canadian government, and more specifically the bilateral agreements, and about the content of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Business of Supply  Speaker, the member made reference to the just society. I now want to go through a few things. Pierre Trudeau was the person who brought in the War Measures Act and imprisoned hundreds of innocent Canadians without reason. It was Mackenzie King who interned thousands of Japanese Canadians and took away their property rights and every civil right they ever had.