Air Canada Public Participation Act  Madam Speaker, this issue was first brought to my attention because of a constituent who specifically lost his job as a result, in his view, of Air Canada's failure to live up to its obligations under the Air Canada Participation Act. We have not heard anything from the government in terms of what the economic benefits are to this measure.

Air Canada Public Participation Act  Madam Speaker, we know the bill would cost Canadian jobs. The member talked about 150 new jobs in Manitoba, but she did not mention the 400 jobs that were lost as a result of Air Canada failing to comply with its obligations under the act. The member talked about a condition that is holding Air Canada back, allegedly, a condition that does not apply to other companies.

Situation in Indigenous Communities  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her work on this, and certainly for her passion as well. Yes, the circumstances in residential schools, most would suggest, were a significant contributing factor to high levels of suicide in aboriginal communities. The report that I referred to earlier identified community challenges as well as individual factors that can lead to higher rates of suicide.

Situation in Indigenous Communities  Mr. Speaker, I think the point the member makes is right to suggest that really there is a lot of resilience and a lot of hope within aboriginal communities. In my speech I talked about identifying aboriginal communities where things are going relatively better and looking at ways that we can help build those connections.

Situation in Indigenous Communities  Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for the opportunity to speak to this critical issue. All of us know in the House that there is an urgent need for action. There are many challenging parts to this issue. There are no easy answers. I think it is important that we do not wrap this particular issue exclusively in just the broader question of the challenges facing aboriginal communities.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, the Liberal Party told Canadians that a Liberal government would run a deficit of $10 billion, but that was not true, since the deficit projected in this budget is nearly $30 billion. How does the government explain this large difference to the Canadian people?

Human Rights  Mr. Speaker, Burma's Rohingya Muslims are heavily persecuted, but the minister was just in Burma and did not even mention the Rohingyas. When the government killed the office of religious freedom, it said it was just about doing the same work a different way. Well, so much for that, because the office is gone.

Income Splitting  Mr. Speaker, income splitting is a basic tax fairness measure. It means that two families with the same family income pay the same amount of tax. Our government believed that all families deserved tax cuts and deserved equal treatment under the tax code regardless of their child care choices.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives have many disagreements with the NDP with respect to aspects of budgetary policy, but I appreciate that we both at least agree that it has to be paid for eventually. We have different ways of doing that, but the government seems to think it can keep borrowing and borrowing.

Public Service Labour Relations Act  Mr. Speaker, there are certainly areas of agreement when it comes to the bill. Where I would disagree is when she says there are pros and cons to secret ballots. I have not heard any cons to secret ballots. This is the system we use for democratic elections everywhere, in every other context.

Public Service Labour Relations Act  Mr. Speaker, especially as we are in budget week, I am reminded of the fact that I am a very ardent defender of the record of our government when it comes to budget policy and other areas. Specifically with respect to the member's question, there is perhaps some debate about the kind of process that should exist when it comes to collective bargaining in the RCMP.

Public Service Labour Relations Act  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to participate in this debate. I will be splitting my time with the member for Cariboo—Prince George. On a slightly different vein, I know this has been a tough week for many of us here. I want to express my personal condolences to the Hillyer and Ford families.

Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act  Madam Speaker, I am clearly not speaking enough, as it were. It is amazing that here in the 21st century there are still some people who do not think we should have a secret ballot. We give secret ballots in every other situation. We, on this side of the House, would say that they should be available for working men and women as well.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the member cites this tired talking point about allegedly more of the money going to one religious group or the other. For clarification for the hon. member, many of the projects of the office are not public because it is working in very sensitive countries or it cannot release details of the project.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the last two speakers have really put their fingers on the central point, that the government wants to make this about process. However, it is not about process, but it is about priorities. We have seen from the current government that it is going to kill the Office of Religious Freedom.