Civil Marriage Act  Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the hon. parliamentary secretary on his speech. I agree with many of his comments. In 1999 the House passed a motion to uphold the traditional definition of marriage and use all necessary means to do that. Also in 2003, when the Ontario court ruling came down, the justice committee was holding hearings across the country and at that point had the opportunity to recommend to the government that there be an appeal of that Ontario court decision.

An Act to Authorize the Minister of Finance to Make Certain Payments  Madam Speaker, many of the beef farmers in my riding are having a very tough time right now. I think it is a matter of priorities. The government has not made agriculture a priority and I think that was indicated in the last election. We saw that government members who came from ridings with large agricultural populations were not re-elected and that message was sent.

An Act to Authorize the Minister of Finance to Make Certain Payments  Madam Speaker, I am having difficulty actually finding a question in there but let us talk about pensions for a second. Let us talk about the seniors, especially in a riding like mine which has a large senior population, who are screaming for more money. They are left with not enough support and the government is not doing anything to help them, other than a few measly dollars here and there.

An Act to Authorize the Minister of Finance to Make Certain Payments  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise this evening in this place to discuss my views on and opposition to the proposed NDP budget Bill C-48. Like many of my colleagues who have already spoken to the bill and the many more who will follow me, I have deep founded, grave concerns about the bill and what it says about how we handle our finances.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to submit a petition signed by citizens of my constituency of Leeds—Grenville. The petition concerns a community access program that is now in its final year. It has been a valuable program in my riding and the petitioners ask that it be continued.

Supply Management  Mr. Chair, as the member for Leeds—Grenville, I have a riding that is heavily dependent on supply management. We have the largest egg producer in Canada in our riding as well as many dairy farms. A lot of our economy in Leeds—Grenville is dependent upon supply management. I just want to get it on the record that I am a former member of the Canadian Alliance and I was a strong member of the supply management system.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to submit a petition signed by members of the Gateway United Pentecostal Church in Gananoque in my constituency of Leeds—Grenville. They request that the government define and recognize marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

Gananoque Remembers  Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of the second world war and around the world people are remembering. It is also the Year of the Veteran here in Canada. I rise today to recognize two people who worked diligently over many months to publish a book that remembers residents of the small town where I live who gave their lives in service to their country.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to submit a petition signed by many members of my riding of Leeds--Grenville who suffer from diabetes, a disease that affects one in every three Canadians. This disease requires a tremendous amount of non-tax deductible spending and many of the sufferers are low income Canadians.

Criminal Code  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-393, an act to amend the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act. Mr. Speaker, I present today this private member's bill for which members of my constituency and people all across Canada have been asking. This act proposes to create mandatory minimum sentences for carrying a concealed weapon and for manslaughter on an unarmed person inflicted with a knife that was previously concealed.

Justice  Mr. Speaker, anyone familiar with justice in Canada, including violent crime victims, must have been shocked yesterday to hear the justice minister say that mandatory minimum sentences did not deter crime. I understand Liberal nervousness about crimes with mandatory jail sentences.

Justice  Mr. Speaker, the minister's academic banter may sound enlightened in the we know best taxpayer subsidized limousine lecture hall, but it rings hollow to people victimized by knife crimes and the police who fight crime on our streets each and every day. Could the minister explain yesterday's answer in light of existing mandatory minimum sentences for firearm homicide, drunk driving and other crimes?

Justice  Mr. Speaker, after another knife killing in Kingston, Ontario, Deputy Police Chief Dan Murphy expressed concern about the growing number of people carrying knives to use as weapons. Statistics Canada says that from 1999 to 2003 guns killed 833 people while knives killed 787. People who kill with knives face no minimum sentence.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the House with three certified petitions from my riding of Leeds—Grenville. The first is from Kemptville Pentecostal Tabernacle. The second is from the Gananoque Calvary Pentecostal Church. The third is from Highway Pentecostal Church in Brockville. They all request that the House define marriage in federal law as being the lifelong union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I come from a riding that has a lot of farmers who are having great difficulties right now. I would like to direct my question to the hon. member for Haldimand--Norfolk who led this party's charge against the cash deposit requirement on the CAIS program just a couple of weeks ago.