Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I do agree with my colleague on the fact that the Conservatives seem to want to divert the whole focus of this motion. This motion would cover a loophole in the act. It is nothing more than something that respects an electoral promise made by the Conservatives. I do not think we are asking for too much.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, even in French, my answer will be the same as my colleague's. The government has the opportunity to introduce these kinds of bills. If it wants to do so, it should introduce one in the House and we will take a look.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I do think that this loophole was left on purpose in the act, so that other friends and sympathizers could approach well placed government officials, in this case cabinet members, to do their lobbying without necessarily being registered. I agree that it was probably an intentional loophole.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleague from St. John's South—Mount Pearl to close what seems to be a serious loophole in the Federal Accountability Act. Over the past four years, we have seen that the Conservatives are great at talking but are completely ineffective when it comes to implementing real solutions.

Regional Development  Mr. Speaker, in all regions of Quebec, the local decision-makers, like Mayor Meilleur in Mirabel, are telling us how important the regional development agencies are. That is as true in Quebec as it is in the Maritimes. But according to the Prime Minister, these agencies provide social assistance.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, we have been told for a month that Rahim Jaffer did not have any privileged access to cabinet. And yet, one minister after another is coming forward. A new series of documents clearly shows that the office of the former minister of public works pushed to have Mr. Jaffer's files given priority.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, listen to this. “Hello Sébastien, thanks again! I just spoke to [the minister] and we are going to try to get together for a beer next week”. That is my translation of an email from Rahim Jaffer to Sébastien Togneri, who was the minister's director of parliamentary affairs at the time.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, one of the documents submitted by the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities has a handwritten note that says “From Rahim, submit to department”. My question is simple. Who wrote that note on the top of the page of one of the proposals submitted by Rahim Jaffer?

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, we had the courage to call for an inquiry, which the Conservatives refuse. It is a simple question, so I ask it again. On the documents the minister submitted to the committee, who wrote the note, “From Rahim, submit to department”?

Quebec Bridge  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to speak to the motion introduced by the member for Louis-Hébert. I thank him for bringing this issue to the attention of the House. When I saw this motion on the order paper, I was immediately intrigued by its purpose and potential utility.

Forestry Industry  Mr. Speaker, after years of crisis and years of laissez-faire policy, the Conservatives have made a great show of announcing a program designed not to help Quebec's forestry industry, but to bury it. It is too little, too late. The Conservatives simply written off the Pontiac, Mauricie and Abitibi.

Forestry Industry  Mr. Speaker, in 2006, the Conservatives trumpeted a bogus deal with the Americans and, ultimately, they killed the industry and tied their own hands. The Conservatives killed the forestry industry in 2006, and they decided to bury it yesterday. Clearly, that did not prevent them from taking credit for a historic agreement.

Balanced Refugee Reform Act  Madam Speaker, it actually had little to do with that. Yes, I recognize that the government is proposing to increase the number of refugees that will be accepted in Canada yearly. However, it has very much to do with the vocabulary the government often uses around the question of asylum seekers.

Balanced Refugee Reform Act  Madam Speaker, the hon. member will understand that I am not going to make any comments on the behaviour of my colleagues with respect to what happened before the holidays. However, I can say a few words about the appeal process presented in the bill. It is a start, but it is not a complete response.

Balanced Refugee Reform Act  Madam Speaker, I most definitely agree that legal counsel should be available at all stages, especially at the appeals process where the refugee claimant must be given enough time and elasticity to present when that appeal goes through.