Supply  Madam Speaker, I would like to ask a couple of questions of the minister about long term strategies for dealing with older workers. I thank our colleagues from the Bloc for having brought this to the fore, because dealing with an aging workforce is a major issue. However, what I feel needs to be discussed is broadening this issue out into the big picture.

Agriculture  Mr. Speaker, my question is for the trade minister. We are trying to get a sense in Canada whether the government will stand up for our farmers at the WTO. We want to know if it will invoke article XXVIII. We are hearing some prevarications from agriculture, but we want to know where trade stands on this.

Supply Management  Mr. Chair, I have a lot of respect for the member for Leeds—Grenville. We sit in the heritage committee together and we have done some good. The question he asks is a good one. Dairy farmers want to know if there will be protection, if someone will stand up. I have tried to point out this evening that the record of the last nine years has been pretty woeful in terms of the government's willingness to stand up and act on it.

Supply Management  Mr. Chair, I would never want to be accused of being an angry and bitter man. I do not know any dairy producers in my area who can go and sell milk down the street to whomever they want. They are either part of a system or they are not. That is the fundamental pillar of how this thing works.

Supply Management  Mr. Chair, I appreciate the minister's comments. I do not believe article XXVIII is just a symbol. I do not think symbols will help us at this point. We are asking for a commitment. We have not seen the road map of action or any of the criteria that the government will apply to ensure that not only we protect our market but that we start to take back some of the market we have lost over the nine years.

Supply Management  Mr. Chair, it is an honour to speak in the House. Every time I rise to speak I think of the people in my riding of Timmins--James Bay and I am very proud to be speaking here tonight. I am also proud to be speaking as the agriculture critic for the New Democratic Party. Our party requested this debate because we believe that the issue of supply management is a fundamental issue that has to be addressed and the time to address it is now, particularly with the issue of the flood of modified milk imports, our loss at the CITT and with the upcoming round at the WTO.

Supply Management  Mr. Chair, I appreciate the critic's comments. I have absolutely no doubt about her commitment to supply management. My question is about the fact that I have absolutely no belief that the member's leader has any commitment to supply management. As for any Canadians who fell for that, my God, what would they buy at the market?

Supply Management  Mr. Chair, I am sitting in on the Bill C-27 hearings and the New Democrats brought labelling issues forward, as did other members. We have been working on that. The question is, is it sufficient to start to win back the 50% of our ice cream market that we have lost? We are losing serious chunks of our yogourt and cheese markets because we have seen nine years of indifference on this file.

Supply Management  Mr. Chair, I appreciate the minister being here tonight to discuss this. He has been open to discussion with us in the past. The question on which we want a little more clarity is that we have a promise from the government to monitor what is coming over the border. For nine years we have seen what has been coming over the border.

Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased we are having this debate in the House today. I believe this is a non-partisan issue because all of us have been affected by cancer. My question for the hon. member is about the Liberal government's strategy which seems to be very much on making good lifestyle choices and focussing cancer as an issue of perhaps giving our children flags, skipping ropes and little eat right posters and we would be better off.

Budget Implementation Act, 2005  Nineteen members did what 99 of you guys couldn't do.

Budget Implementation Act, 2005  They get zippo.

Budget Implementation Act, 2005  Mr. Speaker, I would like to be able to say that I was absolutely bowled over with enthusiasm by that last speech, but I have to say that I was not. In fact, I would like to tell the hon. member about a little phone-in contest held by CBC North. I know that he represents the north.

Budget Implementation Act, 2005  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on this issue and to ask a question about it. I have noticed in the week that I spent in my riding that Canadians are paying very close attention to what is happening in the House. I came back to Ottawa with two very distinct understandings from the people in my riding.

Public Works and Government Services  Mr. Speaker, four months ago the Minister of Public Works stood up in this House and gave Canadians a promise. He committed that the Liberal government would stop outsourcing the Canadian flag pins to factories in China. In the months following, no action was taken, no tenders were sent out, and more Chinese pins are being shipped to MPs' offices.