Forestry  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has made a very important point about Kyoto, the importance of adhering to it and moving forward with it. I do not buy the proposition that somehow there is something better, something hidden away that we will hear about some time from the members in one corner of the House.

Forestry  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments from the hon. member opposite who first said that we should not be talking about provincial politics and then proceeded of course to support the position of the B.C. Liberals. It is very clear in the House that we have a responsibility to question the inadequate response from the federal Liberals.

Forestry  Mr. Speaker, I would like to compliment the member for Burnaby—Douglas. He brought forward very concrete suggestions and was very well prepared for the debate this evening. It is an extremely important debate for British Columbia. The hon. member for Burnaby—Douglas has certainly seen the cutbacks in the reforestation budget that has come from the Liberal government in British Columbia.

Forestry  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this important issue this evening. I would like to thank the member for Burnaby—Douglas, both for the skill with which he spoke to the issue a few moments ago and for his generosity in sharing his time with me this evening. We know that the pine beetle infestation is devastating British Columbia.

Forestry  Mr. Speaker, I appreciated much of the presentation by the hon. member from Kamloops. She mentioned, and I agree with her wholeheartedly, that she is sick and tired of people talking about praying for cold weather as if there is nothing we can do about this crisis that is devastating communities throughout British Columbia.

Forestry  Madam Chair, we have comments from the hon. member talking about people playing politics with this issue. It is not playing politics to show that very clearly funding is insufficient. It is not playing politics when we show that the devastation is increasing, not decreasing. The federal government has put very little into an industry that is worth $16 billion every year.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights  Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, December 10, is the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the founding of a new world that advocates equality for all. Our Canadian charter is an important example of such ambition, and we heard this morning a landmark decision from the Supreme Court reinforcing the right to equal marriage for gay and lesbian couples, one proud step forward for Canada.

Credit Cards  Mr. Chair, I would like to praise the member for Vancouver East for her work on poverty issues and housing issues. She has been a fearless advocate for these issues. She has brought to the House an important perspective and once again is raising important issues here in the House which we hope will echo in all four corners of the House.

Credit Cards  Mr. Chair, there is no question there at all, but I am certainly reminded of the words of Marie Antoinette when she was told that the peasants could not eat bread just prior to the French revolution. She said, “Well, let them eat cake”, because her reality was just as disconnected as the hon. member's reality.

Credit Cards  --and they were not present at the breakfast because no member of the Liberal caucus bothered to show up. The poverty rate among aboriginal children is now 40%. The poverty rate among children with disabilities is now 30%. Fifteen years ago, this Parliament voted to eliminate child poverty in this country by the year 2000.

Credit Cards  Mr. Chair, I would be remiss if I did not start by responding to comments that were made in the House just before I rose to speak. The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance talked about running a tight ship and not wanting to have big government. We know that if we take the 20 year period from 1981 to 2001 and compare political parties across the country, both provincially and federally, we find that the Liberal Party actually has the worst record of deficit financing.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, that is no reassurance at all. It is not just transportation where things are getting worse. It has been nearly 3,000 days, in 1996, since the federal task force for persons with disabilities brought forward recommendations aimed at empowering Canadians with disabilities.

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, but in Canada access for people with disabilities is moving backward, not forward. This week the Council of Canadians with Disabilities has withdrawn from the Minister of Transport's advisory committee because the government has refused to restore regulatory standards.

Auditor General Act  Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to rise in support of the bill put forward by the hon. member for Repentigny. It is important that he brought the bill forward today because Bill C-277 really touches the heart of why we are here. We are in this place to manage the finances of our federal government effectively and to make sure that taxpayers across this country, all Canadians, are aware that their money is being managed effectively.

Supply  Madam Speaker, as I mentioned at the beginning of my presentation, I do not doubt the sincerity of the minister. However the government has not acted to the extent it must given the size and scope of the crisis. I made reference in my speech to band-aids. Given what 100,000 farmers are living through and given the loss of jobs in the Canadian economy, the measures have not been to the extent they must be to match the size and scope of the crisis.