Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition from thousands of Canadians across the country who are concerned about overfishing and the destructive fishing practices that are threatening marine life and the health of our oceans. The petitioners say that 120 million people are dependent on fish as part of their income, but over the last century, wild fish populations have declined.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, my colleague's question raises an excellent point. I did mention youth unemployment in my speech, and the government is going in the wrong direction in not supporting or investing in our youth and in the employment and types of jobs they need. My colleague pointed out that even the Bank of Canada has addressed that point and has said that it is an issue that we need to draw attention to.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the fact that my colleague used Google to find out about my riding, which is New Westminster—Coquitlam and Port Moody. It is a fantastic, urbanized riding just outside of Vancouver. We are a blessed with what we have, but we do have our challenges. Housing affordability is definitely one of those challenges, as is transit.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, this is my first opportunity to speak in the House this year, so I would like to wish you, all those in the House, those in my riding and indeed all Canadians a happy new year. I would also like to acknowledge my mother-in-law, Signe Radelet, who turned 95 late last year, and my parents, Val and Cy Donnelly, who celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary earlier this month.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the minister has misled Canadians and closed regional offices and the Auditor General has reported that he has failed veterans, yet he stands in this place and refuses to take responsibility. What about veterans like Daniel Scott from Surrey, who lost his spleen and has health problems that will plague him for the rest of his life?

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise to present two petitions today. The first petition calls upon the House of Commons to introduce a national sustainable seafood day. It calls upon the government to designate March 18 as national sustainable seafood day. The petitioners are concerned about overfishing and destructive fishing practices in Canada.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, in the second petition, with thousands of signatures, petitioners call upon the government to immediately adopt a ban on the importation of shark fin to Canada.

Canada Shipping Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in favour of Bill C-628, an act to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, and the National Energy Board Act, introduced by my colleague the member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley. Let me provide some background information about this bill. Bill C-628 is designed to fully stop the Enbridge northern gateway pipeline in its tracks.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, this is not complicated. The Conservative government spent over $26 million for the advice in this report. It should not have taken two years for the Conservatives to understand findings that are so clear. Wild salmon are in trouble, and Justice Cohen's recommendations offer a road map to saving them.

Litterless Lunch Challenge  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce the winner of my fifth annual Litterless Lunch Challenge. The challenge, which I hold every year during Waste Reduction Week, encourages students to pack litter-free lunches. With an average elementary school producing over 20,000 pounds of lunch waste annually, it is critical that waste reduction become part of our daily routine.

Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, transit infrastructure is urgently needed in the Lower Mainland to protect and develop the region's economy. TransLink is pushed to its limits and has resorted to telling commuters frustrated with service delays to lower their expectations and simply go for a coffee.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I want to refer to comments made by my colleague, the member for Halifax, who spoke about value-added jobs, ecological integrity and at risk species like belugas. She also spoke about the importance of habitat impacts. The Conservatives have done away with the Navigable Waters Protection Act, gutted the Fisheries Act, especially when it comes to habitat protection, and completely repealed the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, my colleague spoke about the capacity of the Canadian Coast Guard. On the west coast the Conservative government has shut down the Kitsilano station, which was the busiest station in the country. British Columbians were extremely angered about this decision. There was a huge outpouring of support for the station, yet it fell on deaf ears.

New Westminster—Coquitlam Community Events  Mr. Speaker, “Wait for me, Daddy”. These famous words of Warren “Whitey” Bernard were immortalized in a sculpture unveiled this past weekend in the royal city of New Westminster. The bronze statue depicts the iconic photograph of Whitey reaching out for his father's hand, who was a soldier marching with the B.C.

Rouge National Urban Park Act  Mr. Speaker, I listened quite closely to my hon. colleague and his eloquent remarks. He spoke of research that shows humanity is living unsustainably. He spoke of the importance of intact ecosystems and he spoke of the lack of government resources, cuts to departmental budgets, and changes to environmental protections that have been made over the recent past.