Atlantic Accord  Mr. Speaker, in March 2005 the current Minister of Fisheries and Oceans said about the Atlantic accords, “You cannot ever turn your back on your province on an important issue like this”. It seems the principled stand he flirted with at that time is a distance memory. How can he and the whipping, flipping, hiring and firing minister from Nova Scotia explain why they turned their backs on their provinces when they voted against the accord two nights ago?

Africa  Mr. Speaker, what the Conservatives do not understand is that nobody believes them anymore. Day after day they preach about real decisive action but they do not even have a clear plan of how they will achieve these targets. Some leader. What is the government planning to do? We had a pledge of $2.8 billion.

Africa  Mr. Speaker, when it comes to hitting international targets, Conservatives shun greenhouse gas reductions but have no qualms about giving us foreign aid reductions. Instead of a firm commitment to Africa, we are getting nothing but cookbooks, monopoly money and now international obstruction from this good for nothing Conservative government.

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, I am glad that this question has been asked. There are two ways of looking at this bill. Yes, it is going to cost the EI program. The cost varies. As we realize, a study was done by HRDC, and also by the committee, I might add. It could vary from $300 million to $500 million so it is probably around $400 million.

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Malpeque for being here this afternoon and raising that question. Yes, the Conservatives asked questions. They asked questions at committee. They said there were other programs, but there are no other programs. There are no other government programs.

Employment Insurance Act  moved that Bill C-278, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (benefits for illness, injury or quarantine), be read the third time and passed. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to begin the third reading debate on my private member's bill, Bill C-278, an act to amend the Employment Insurance Act.

Africa  Mr. Speaker, at the upcoming G-8 meeting, aid to Africa will be discussed because it is widely agreed that not enough is being done. The previous Liberal government had a comprehensive plan responding to the new partnership for Africa's development and money was flowing out. The government has yet to act on its promises to Africa and is no doubt set to make more empty promises.

Africa  Mr. Speaker, that is not so. The government makes announcements but the money is not actually going out. At the 2006 G-8 meeting, the Prime Minister committed $250 million in new funding for AIDS but only $50 million was allocated in the estimates. We do not even see if the money is flowing.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the foreign affairs committee we heard shocking expert testimony about the failures of the government dealing with aid in Afghanistan. The CIDA minister is bungling Canadian initiatives in development abroad by not delivering the proper aid. Her pitiful response yesterday was an embarrassment to Canadians and to our troops.

Fisheries Act, 2007  Mr. Speaker, I have to apologize. I should have mentioned, because it is very important, our inland fisheries and our recreation fishers. They will be greatly impacted by the bill. What I saw in their eyes was concern and fear. They are looking at their MPs and saying that we have a big opportunity to make right things happen for them and for the next generations.

Fisheries Act, 2007  Mr. Speaker, I do not know if there was a question there. The minister talks about all the provincial ministers, but the PEI people have chosen. They have shown what kind of confidence they have in the Conservative government of PEI. Maybe that is why the Conservative governments are having problems in these provinces, because they are rubber stamping what is happening here.

Fisheries Act, 2007  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Sackville—Eastern Shore for his comments and his vision for the industry. He is a member of the fisheries committee, as are many members sitting here today and they do a good job. The committee does a great job and the members do a lot of hard work.

Fisheries Act, 2007  Mr. Speaker, I want to speak a little bit about my riding and the problems I have with Bill C-45. My riding is Sydney--Victoria in Cape Breton. It is substantially a large riding and fisheries is a big industry in my riding. I have what I call two bookend harbours: Pleasant Bay at one end of my riding and at the other end of my riding is New Waterford.

Summer Jobs Program  Mr. Speaker, students in my riding are being denied opportunity. The Canada summer jobs initiative has eliminated the chance for hundreds of students to gain work experience. In my riding of Sydney—Victoria previous governments have assisted thousands of students with summer jobs.

Sydney Harbour  Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize today the many friends of Sydney harbour. My constituents of Sydney--Victoria have worked endlessly on cleaning up the harbour and making it a major tourist attraction, from installing a state of the art sewage treatment plant to the makeover of Wentworth Park and the waterfront boardwalks, and the biggest challenge of all, the Sydney tar ponds cleanup.