Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, my colleague works with me on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, where we talked about this issue many times. Does he not find it shameful that the Liberals once again waited until the last minute, when they could have been much more effective in helping our media outlets make more money?

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her speech and excellent work at committee, where we discussed these issues at length. I will not ask her why we had to wait until the last minute because I have already asked that question many times today. A lot of people are wondering if they are going to pack up next weekend because the parliamentary session is almost over.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his important speech, particularly since, in his riding, the Franco-Ontarian fact is, of course, very vulnerable and must always be promoted and protected. I would like to know where small newspapers and local weeklies stand. Did the people who run them feel reassured by the government's announcements?

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I will focus on the second part of the member's comment, so that my answer is as constructive as possible. In the second part of his comment, the member asked me what we would recommend. First, we would recommend that the government take things seriously and acknowledge that information promotes a better democracy.

Business of Supply  That will not be easy, Madam Speaker. I thank my colleague. I know he means well, and I appreciate his province taking the lead. He is absolutely right. This definitely demonstrates how pathetic it is that this government does not to have the guts to do the obvious and just apply the GST to a service like this.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the fact is, we are here in a Parliament where the opposition is supposed to be able to propose things and take a constructive approach. I have been fighting for the media for eight years now, and the NDP has been working tirelessly to protect our stories and our journalism, to ensure a level playing field for everyone.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my colleague, the member for Elmwood—Transcona. I am happy that the masks are coming off today, because we are talking about something that the NDP has been concerned about for a long time. For around eight years, we have been standing up for Canadian news media and cultural content, and particularly in Quebec, where there is a great deal of provincial investment in businesses that offer such content.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I am beginning to feel like a parrot and it is getting tiresome. Why does another four years have to go by before something gets done? He is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague a question. The first point in their motion reads: (a) take note of the importance of a free and independent press to a healthy democracy; The Conservatives want a “free and independent” press. Do they also want a sustainable press or do they want a dying one?

Public Transportation  Mr. Speaker, Longueuil is two kilometres away from Montreal. If a person from Longueuil needs to take public transit to Montreal for a job interview or a doctor's appointment, for example, it will cost them $13 to get there and back. It makes no sense to pay $13 to travel two kilometres.

Criminal Records Act  Madam Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague opposite why the NDP's position is drawing so much ridicule today. The fact is, the people we are talking about today are the ones who are being unfairly penalized. Our position was that their criminal records should be expunged. The Liberal government told us it wanted to make marijuana legal in Canada.

Accessible Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, this morning I heard the member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan talk about the importance of caring for the most vulnerable members of our society as well. Unfortunately, disabilities often contribute to this very economic vulnerability. My colleague was a member of the previous government, which created a disability savings plan.

Media Industry  Mr. Speaker, for four years, the media industry has been floundering. Thousands of journalism jobs have been lost. Our information and democracy are in jeopardy. Last week, the Conservative leader basically announced that he will do nothing to address the media crisis. Come to think of it, nothing is exactly what the Liberals are doing.

Oceans Act  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech. I gather there are many big lakes and waterways in his riding. I am sure this issue hits home for him and his constituents. I would like to know his thoughts on what a number of members have said about how certain marine protected areas would be excluded from the list under this bill.

Canadian Heritage  Mr. Speaker, when the government asks regular folks to pay their taxes but gives tax breaks to billion-dollar companies, there is clearly something wrong. Canada is the only G7 nation that applies sales tax as if the Internet did not exist. The NDP will shortly be introducing a bill that will finally extend tax compliance to Facebook, Google and Netflix.