Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I have still four points to make, based on what the Leader of the Opposition said. I will continue after question period to respond to the Leader of the Opposition.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, the initiatives I proposed are spelled out in our platform, which is there for everyone and every Canadian to see.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House today to respond to the speech from the Leader of the Opposition. One of the things we have listened to and heard from Canadians over the past number of months of the election campaign and subsequently is the need for us to collaborate in the House, a need for us to work together.

École Polytechnique in Montreal  Mr. Speaker, 30 years ago today, 14 women were murdered in an anti-feminist attack at École Polytechnique in Montreal. It has been 30 years since Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau and Barbara Daigneault were killed in cold blood, 30 years since the lives of Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair and Anne-Marie Lemay were tragically cut short, 30 years since we lost Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.

Speech From The Throne  moved: That the speech of Her Excellency, delivered this day from the Throne to the two Houses of Parliament, be taken into consideration later this day. (Motion agreed to)

Oaths of Office  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-1, an act respecting the administration of oaths of office. (Motions deemed adopted and bill read the first time)

Election of the Speaker  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the government and all of our colleagues in the House, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to you on your election. Today's vote speaks to the confidence the members have in you. I would also like to begin by thanking our esteemed colleagues who ran for the position.

Canada Summer Jobs Program  Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House we are unequivocal. We will always stand up for a woman's right to choose. The fact of the matter is that we have seen around the world women's rights eroded by conservative governments, by conservative leaders, by conservative politicians.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, there are still politicians who believe that we have to choose between the environment and the economy. The reality is that the only way to move forward as a society is to protect jobs and the environment at the same time. That is exactly what we are doing by safely accessing new markets for our resources while investing historic amounts in the transition to green energy.

Housing  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Nepean for his question and his hard work. With the first-time homebuyer incentive, we are helping middle-class families achieve the dream of home ownership by increasing the RRSP withdrawal limit and reducing their monthly mortgage payments without increasing the amount they need to save for a down payment.

Government Priorities  Mr. Speaker, it is always interesting to hear the Conservatives pretend they stand up for the middle class. We know their approach has always been to give advantages and benefits to the wealthiest in the hope that it will trickle down to growth for everyone else. The first thing we did as a government was lower taxes for the middle class and raise them on the wealthiest 1%, and the Conservatives voted against it.

Government Policies  Mr. Speaker, while the NDP works hard to come up with catchy slogans, we actually moved forward on delivering for Canadians. We have lowered the prices of drugs by taking an approach that includes creating collaboration with provinces as we move forward toward pharmacare. We are also moving forward on a $40-billion national housing strategy, because we know that Canadians need to have affordable homes and the security that comes with it.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Montarville for his tireless work. We have always been partners with rural regions. We created an infrastructure fund especially for rural communities. We are currently crafting a strategy for rural Canada based on the ideas of the very people who live there.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, speaking of empty gestures, the NDP have put forward targets with no plan to reach them. On the contrary, we are going to be reaching our targets to protect marine and terrestrial areas. We have worked very hard on that. We recognize that protecting our environment is not just about growing the economy; it is also about fighting climate change.

Carbon Pricing  Mr. Speaker, the members opposite continue to mislead Canadians. The reality is that the climate action incentive and our plan to put a price on pollution actually get more money in the pockets of middle-class Canadians than without a price on pollution. This is in fact an environmental tax break for middle-class families.