Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Nova Scotia, the parliamentary secretary, who talked about the record of our government and the work it has done socially and economically, and the work he is doing for the people in his riding, as well as future Canadians, on the environment file.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 13th report of the Standing Committee on International Trade in relation to Bill C-85, an act to amend the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act and to make related amendments to other acts.

Sydney—Victoria  Mr. Speaker, with the Christmas holiday season and the time for giving quickly approaching, I would like to encourage everyone to give to their local food bank. Whether it be food, personal items or money, or by donating one's time to hand out some meals, every donation makes a difference.

Remembrance Day  Mr. Speaker, this Remembrance Day will mark 100 years since the end of World War One. I rise today to celebrate a town in my riding that has a unique place in the history of the end of the First World War. North Sydney became the first community in North America to celebrate the end of the war.

The Netherlands  Mr. Speaker, today is a special day for us, as we witnessed the first official address to our Canadian Parliament by a Dutch Prime Minister, the hon. Mark Rutte. As a Canadian of Dutch heritage, I want to highlight the importance of Canada's friendship with the Netherlands. In 1945, during the liberation of the Netherlands, more than 7,600 Canadians died and were buried on Dutch soil.

Joe King Memorial Giant Pumpkin Festival  Mr. Speaker, Millville, Cape Breton is a great place to raise a family and to grow crops. Through my life, my wife Pam and I had the great honour to farm in Millville with the late Joe King, his wife Catherine and their son Joey. This Thanksgiving weekend will be the annual Joe King Memorial Giant Pumpkin Festival, named in his honour and hosted by the Millville Community Centre.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 12th report of the Standing Committee on International Trade in relation to Bill C-79, the comprehensive and progressive agreement for trans-Pacific partnership implementation act. The committee has studied the bill and has decided to report it back to the House without any amendments.

Dystonia Awareness Month  Mr. Speaker, September is Dystonia Awareness Month. It is estimated that 50,000 Canadians have this disease, which is the third-most common movement disorder following tremors and Parkinson's disease. Those with dystonia suffer from painful involuntary muscle contractions of any part of their body, including arms, legs, face and vocal cords.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the parishioners of St. Barra Parish, Iona, Cape Breton, who have a petition asking that the government remove the words “reproductive rights” from the Canada summer jobs application form.

Child Poverty  Mr. Speaker, all children are precious. It is very important that we give them not only a healthy and safe environment to grow up in, but also the tools to help them be successful in our society. Over the years, Cape Breton has seen challenging economic times, which has created one of the highest child poverty rates in the country.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, the House is very active this morning on trade. We are a trading nation, and it is good to see the minister tabling his report. I have the honour to present the 11th report of the Standing Committee on International Trade, “Expanding Trade and Investment with Selected Asia-Pacific Countries: Report on a Fact-Finding Mission to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand”.

Inverary Inn  Mr. Speaker, I rise today with truly sad news. A landmark in Cape Breton, the Inverary Inn, was destroyed in a massive fire last night. Many in the House and visitors from around the world are familiar with the inn. The Liberal caucus gathered there just a few years ago and had a wonderful retreat along the Bras d'Or lakes.

Mother's Day  Mr. Speaker, today, I stand to recognize all mothers whom we will be celebrating on Sunday. It will be my first Mother's Day without my mom. She worked side by side with my father for years, building a successful farming operation while sharing the raising of the 10 of us. From the moment we are born, our mothers help us through the difficult times and help us achieve our accomplishments.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Standing Committee on International Trade. It is a very hard-working committee. We are working hard not only for key stakeholders on trade around the world but for Canadians. I am very proud of our team.

Workplace Safety  Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday on our national day of mourning for injured workers, I had the honour of representing our government at a ceremony in Whitney Pier hosted by our local unions. I got to meet not only injured workers, but also families that lost their loved ones at the work site.