Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Madam Speaker, I thank the member opposite for her hard work on this file. I cannot speak for our government with respect to what is going to be in the budget, but I can say that our government has already promised to advance $5 billion over the next 10 years for health issues.

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Madam Speaker, we have to keep in mind that the Conservative government in the last 10 years did all it could to close these centres and made it so difficult that it was unachievable. This bill would allow us to move forward quickly and get it done. The debate has been going on for years and it is now time to move forward.

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Brampton South. The bill before is an extremely important one. We have a health crisis, and we need to respond quickly. Our government, with the support of many members in the House, is doing just that. I would like to begin by extending my sympathy to all those who have lost a friend, neighbour, family member, or co-worker through this crisis.

Black History Month  Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for me to stand today in recognition of Black History Month. It is a time to reflect and to celebrate their contribution to our culture, to our institutions, and to our society. I was delighted for Nova Scotia with the Senate appointment of Wanda Bernard, PhD, from East Preston, and the selection of Viola Desmond as the first Canadian woman to appear on the $10 bill.

Youth in Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook  Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to stand today to speak about the youth in my riding of Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook. Whether it be the inaugural meeting with the youth constituency council that we had last month, whether it be the visits I made to classrooms since the election, or whether it be my 30 years of experience in education, I can tell members that the young people of today are very engaged and involved and are contributing to our communities.

Holidays Act  Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to rise in the House today to speak to the proposed bill. I would like to thank the hon. member for West Nova for his initiative in bringing forward this very important private member's bill. This bill would make Remembrance Day a national legal holiday.

Canada Pension Plan  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. Obviously, this is an investment. Canadians will benefit from it for years to come. It is one of many extremely important social initiatives that our government has put in place to help Canadians. It is another part of our government's plan to ensure success in this area.

Canada Pension Plan  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. This agreement was put together by the provinces, the territories and our government. It is not perfect. However, our minister has already indicated that he intends to raise this issue with the provinces and the territories at their next meeting, which is coming up.

Canada Pension Plan  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. It is important to remember that we want to tell Canadians about the CPP enhancement and how it will help them. It is our responsibility to speak and move things forward so that we can implement these measures. Our government made promises, and we must work to pass this bill.

Canada Pension Plan  Madam Speaker, I am extremely pleased to rise today to speak to our bill on the Canada pension plan. I am from Nova Scotia and represent the riding of Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, which surrounds the two cities of Halifax and Dartmouth. This is federalism at its best. I am shocked that the Conservatives are not on board with this important initiative.

National Strategy for Safe Disposal of Lamps Containing Mercury Act  Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure as the member of Parliament for Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook to speak today to this important bill, Bill C-238, a national strategy for sound disposal of lamps containing mercury. I would like to speak about the leadership of my colleague from Dartmouth—Cole Harbour.

Nathan Lloyd Smith  Mr. Speaker, on Remembrance Day, I attended a memorial service in my riding in honour of Private Nathan Lloyd Smith, who died in service to Canada on April 17, 2002, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, at the young age of 26. Private Smith graduated from Eastern Shore District High School, and later with honours from Seneca College.

Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, in my riding and across Canada, Canadians are concerned about the application of the official languages regulations on communicating with and providing services to the public and the loss of services provided in their language. These services are very important for the development of francophone and anglophone minorities across Canada.

Canada Pension Plan  Mr. Speaker, my colleague touched on some important topics. He also talked about himself, his family, and how his community is extremely important. I really liked the part of his speech when he mentioned how our government was successful in collaborating with all the provinces to make this happen.

Canada Pension Plan  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for a very well-delivered speech on Bill C-26. I have to say that when we look at young Canadians today, they are not living in the same situation we did, and do, meaning that today, most of us at my age, anyway, including my colleague across the floor, have had the benefit of having a pension at the end to help us and to ensure that the golden years are golden.