Nortel  Mr. Speaker, less than a month ago, those same employees from Nortel stood on the front lawn of Parliament Hill and asked the government to help them retrieve their hard-earned pensions and severance packages. The Conservatives were remarkable for their silence. We now hear that current Nortel senior executives have just rewarded themselves another round of huge bonuses.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I think I have clearly explained the Liberal Party's position regarding this report. We object to recommendation No. 7, and our objections are explained in our minority report. Of course we will support the report overall, with the exception of recommendation No. 7.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, we were in fact under a Liberal government and it was that government that established rules regarding the presence of consultants in all immigration cases. Of course we support the idea that an individual must be authorized in order to become involved in a case on behalf of an applicant.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, my colleague just reinforced the message I was trying to convey earlier, namely, that it was a Liberal government that introduced the process involving immigration consultants. We created that professional corporation, if you will, which established guidelines, a code of ethics and code of conduct.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Vaughan for his initial comments. For the record, I would like to point out that we voted in favour of the report and are preparing a minority report. We supported and continue to support a number of the recommendations in this report, as my colleague already mentioned.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  Concerning the length of time it takes to apply for permanent residency under the immigration sponsor program with the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, what is the average wait time, in days, from the day an application is submitted until permanent residency is awarded to an applicant in each year during the period of 2005-2009?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  Concerning the length of time claimants wait for a refugee claim and appellants wait for an immigration appeal to be heard by the Immigration and Refugee Board, what was: (a) the average wait time, in days, for claimants to have their refugee claims heard before the Board in each year during the period of 2005-2009; and (b) the average wait time, in days, for appellants to have their appeals heard before the Immigration Appeals Division in each year during the period of 2005-2009?

Jacques Saada  Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the hon. Jacques Saada for being made a Commandeur de l'Ordre de la Pléiade, which promotes the Francophonie and cultural dialogue. None could be more deserving of this honour awarded by the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie.

An Act respecting the Health of Animals Regulations (animals in transit)  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-468, An Act respecting the Health of Animals Regulations (animals in transit). Mr. Speaker, today I am honoured to table this bill that aims to make significant changes to the Health of Animals Regulations in order to reduce transit times for farm animals.

Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, a senator got his hands dirty. Instead of punishing him, the government removed all traces of dirt from its website and pretended that nothing ever happened. Why is the government spending its time politicking instead of governing?

Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, I cross the Champlain bridge in Montreal several times a week. It is a major thoroughfare in my riding. The government has come up with a program to patch it up over a ten-year period. Ten years. And it just recently awarded a million dollar contract that reeks of corruption.

Business of supply  Mr. Speaker, I just want to repeat that the Liberal Party voted against the agreement submitted to Parliament. We voted against it.

Business of supply  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's support, but perhaps he was not in the House the day the agreement was adopted. The Liberal Party voted against the softwood lumber agreement and the Liberal Party has always been against that agreement. We do not support it and we maintain that the agreement does not benefit the industry.

Business of supply  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his question. I cannot speak for the minister or try to define her concept of stability. It is clear that an industry that has lost 20,000 jobs in the past three years is not a stable industry. It is an industry that continues to see entire communities disappear, or just about.

Business of supply  Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague. The government's inaction with respect to the forestry industry has been disastrous. There was absolutely no initiative to help the industry when it would have made a difference. Obviously the decisions of the international court in London have made it even worse for the whole of the industry.