Balanced Refugee Reform Act  Madam Speaker, I would like to echo what my colleague from Laval—Les Îles said. We hoped the bill would be sent to committee immediately after first reading so that we could make the necessary amendments to it. On the whole, we support the minister's initiative to change refugee protection.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, new information has surfaced about Rahim Jaffer being at a business dinner in the Toronto area on August 25. The invitations for this event introduced Mr. Jaffer as an intermediary who could help business people access government funds. That is in keeping with information on his website and his relationship with Mr.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, the fact is that despite this information and despite Mr. Jaffer's website, the Conservatives still did not refer his file to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, the Commissioner of Lobbying or any other relevant authority. There are three possible explanations: they are siding with their Conservative friends and giving them special access and treatment; or they have allowed the culture of deceit to take root to the point that they find Mr.

Administrative Professionals  Mr. Speaker, it would be inappropriate if not outright dishonest if this House did not underline the fact that today is international Administrative Professionals Day. Too often, secretaries and administrative assistants are overlooked and their important work taken for granted.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will not take all six minutes, but I will try to pick up from where I left off earlier. I want to come back to the question of what a fair representation from Quebec will be once we have dealt with the government's bill. At the moment, the Bloc is proposing an increase of approximately nine seats for Quebec.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. First I will say that, with Québec solidaire, there are four parties in the National Assembly. My answer will be simply this: if our colleagues are always asking the government and federal entities not to interfere in areas under provincial jurisdiction, I think they should also see that, while the motion by the National Assembly of Quebec is perfectly acceptable—and I was aware that the National Assembly had voted unanimously in favour of maintaining Quebec's political weight in the House of Commons—it is the responsibility of the House of Commons to debate the issue and to have discussions with the other provinces as to how to ensure that Quebec's representation in the House of Commons is fair and politically beneficial to that province.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to continue in the same vein as my colleague from Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe and say that we reject the premise of the Bloc’s motion itself, in that the Bloc is opposed from the outset to any seat for Quebec in the House of Commons. Since they formed a party, their primary objective has been to eliminate all trace of Quebec in the federation.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities still refuses to disclose the three projects Rahim Jaffer submitted to his parliamentary secretary. By all indications, one of the projects involved Wright Tech Systems Inc., which Mr. Jaffer hoped to sell off for a $1 billion profit and which his wife was promoting in her capacity as a minister.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, that does not answer my question. This story goes to the core of the Conservative Party and the Prime Minister must shed light on the dealings between his government and Mr. Jaffer's company. Mr. Jaffer allegedly used government resources to promote his company and we already know that at least two ministers had been in contact with him.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With respect to contracts under $10,000 granted by the Economic Development Agency for the Regions of Quebec since January 1, 2008, what are: (a) the names of the contractors; (b) the amounts of the contracts; (c) the dates of the contracts; (d) the dates of completion; and (e) the descriptions of the services provided?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  Within the constituency of Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, what was the total amount of government funding since fiscal year 2005-2006 up to and including the current fiscal year, itemized according to (i) the date the money was received in the riding, (ii) the dollar amount of the expenditure, (iii) the program from which the funding came, (iv) the ministry responsible, (v) the designated recipient?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regards to the repairs to the Champlain Bridge in Montreal, what are: (a) all repairs conducted from 2007 to 2009; (b) the names of the contractors; (c) the amounts of the contracts; (d) the dates of the contracts; (e) the dates of completion; (f) the descriptions of the services provided; and (g) the contracts awarded on an emergency basis?

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, the minister would have us believe that she knew nothing about this, but there are plenty of examples to suggest otherwise. On March 5, a certain Paul Shaw wrote an op-ed piece condemning the work of the airport staff, and even suggesting that while they were putting the minister through the usual checks terrorists could have had a field day.

Pensions  Mr. Speaker, in last year's budget, the Conservatives confirmed that the retiree issue was so important that they would hold consultations with Canadians within 90 days. They did not respect their own deadline. More than a year later, these consultations had still not produced a concrete proposal for the provinces at the meeting in December and had produced even less for Canadians.

Pensions  Mr. Speaker, there are more than 10,000 retirees in Canada who thought they had sufficient retirement income. They are about to lose 30% to 40% of their income and all of their health benefits at a time when they need them most. We cannot wait for more consultations. The government must take immediate action to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and treat retirees as preferred creditors.