Draguignan Bar Association  Mr. Speaker, this year is the 25th anniversary of the twinning of the Laurentides-Lanaudière bar association, of which I am currently a member, and the Draguignan bar association in the south of France. Some of my colleagues from Draguignan are here with us today in the gallery.

Justice  Mr. Speaker, the recent incidents involving runaways from a Laval group home have drawn attention to the plight of vulnerable young girls who are under the control of pimps and have emphasized the urgent need for action. Bill C-452 was unanimously passed by the House, passed by the Senate and given royal assent by the Governor General, but it is still waiting for a government order to come into force.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, successive governments in recent years lied to workers, telling them that they were taking money off their weekly paycheques and contributing it to an employment insurance fund when that money really went to the government's general budget to balance the books. The question that my colleague from Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie asked the Minister of Finance seemed clear to me.

Canadian Heritage  Mr. Speaker, Ottawa wants to use Canadian Heritage program criteria to dictate the identity of Quebec public affairs programs. BazzoTV is going to pay the price. This public affairs program will disappear because of a new interpretation of the federal tax credit criteria, even though the program's format has not changed in 10 years.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, in Paris, the Prime Minister promised to help fight climate change. Yesterday, the government said that it wanted to consider the increase in greenhouse gas emissions related to the TransCanada pipeline project. In addition to putting more than 800 Quebec waterways at risk, this project would increase the production of oil from the oil sands and the associated greenhouse gas emissions by 40%.

Natural Resources  Mr. Speaker, as opposition to TransCanada's energy east pipeline project grows, mayors in and premiers of western provinces are attacking Quebec, calling this pipeline Quebec's contribution to the Canadian economy and threatening that they will demand that Quebec pay back equalization payments.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I hope everyone knows that I agree entirely with my colleague from Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel. Indeed, in this age of democracy and at this time of change, which the Prime Minister promised when he was elected, recognizing a party that represents over one million voters should be a no-brainer.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, the fact that the Minister of Finance is consulting people before getting ready to invest in infrastructure is commendable. What the Bloc Québécois is saying is that investment in infrastructure should not depend on the Minister of Finance's interpretation of his visits to the provinces.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that we wholeheartedly agree, and that we are committed to lifting children and Quebec families out of poverty. That has been our objective for a long time. What I was pointing out in my previous speech was that we found the UCCB to be more beneficial for poor families and the middle class than the program that the federal government wants to implement.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, since I did not talk about infrastructure investments, although this is a major concern for the Bloc Québécois and all of Quebec. Equalization payments and the energy east pipeline have been front-page news in the newspapers as of late.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking the voters in the riding of Rivière-du-Nord for placing their trust in me during the last election. During my time in office, I will represent them with humility, wisdom and dedication. I would also like to thank the hundreds of thousands of Quebeckers who decided to put their faith in the Bloc Québécois to speak on their behalf in the House.

Business of the House  Mr. Speaker, the government is creating a committee to examine one of the most emotional issues in Quebec in recent years, and that is dying with dignity. The Quebec National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on this issue. In the mandate letter to his Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister asked him to ensure that parliamentarians are able to properly represent their constituents.

Health  Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Prime Minister. In the Speech from the Throne last week we heard that the Liberal government intends to start working with the provinces and territories on developing a new health accord. During the election, the Prime Minister sent a letter to his counterpart in Quebec that referred to the 2004 10-year plan to strengthen health care, where Quebec had the right to opt out with full compensation.

Election of Speaker  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all members of the Bloc Québécois caucus, I want to congratulate you on being elected to the prestigious office of Speaker of the House of Commons. I also want to pay respect to Ms. Ratansi, Mr. Paradis and Mr. Stanton for putting their names forward. That is always touching to see.