Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today, and correct the record on many of the inaccuracies being advanced by the opposition benches. The absurd theory suggested that this is a debate on values or religion is simply ridiculous. This is simply a matter of reading a definition on a publicly available website.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I know this issue raises a lot of concerns. It becomes an issue of passion. It becomes an issue of faith. However, there is a lot of misinformation that has been put out there by the opposition. They call it the “ideological views” of the Liberal Party of Canada. What this gets behind is the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, Canadians' confidence in our electoral system is vital for our democracy. They know that one of the best ways to build and maintain that confidence is with openness and transparency. Five years ago our party led the way by being the first to disclose our members' expenses online.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, it has been interesting to sit here today and listen to the opposition bring forward this motion. I brought this up before. Why can the opposition members not take yes for an answer? This is a project the government and the Prime Minister are pushing that will create lots of jobs.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I have been here all day listening to the debate, and it is interesting. It is almost as if the Conservatives are not listening to this side of the House. As the hon. minister said, why can they not take yes for an answer. This project is in the national interest. The Prime Minister and minister have consistently said that it is going to get built.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the hon. member and I agree on one point in his speech, which is that this project is in the national interest, something that has been said by the Prime Minister, something that has been said by the Minister of Natural Resources, who I am sure will expand on that shortly.

Brock University President  Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Black History Month, we take the time to highlight the important contributions of black Canadian leaders in our communities. I would like to take a moment to highlight a leader in Niagara, Dr. Gervan Fearon. In St. Catharines, Brock University is a fundamental part of our community.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I have been hearing this all day, the allegations that the Prime Minister has somehow taken $200,000. This is just a preposterous notion put forward by many members of the opposition. Could the hon. member tell the House about what this really represents? It is RCMP security costs.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, when the former conflict of interest and ethics commissioner was asked whether more stringent penalties should be imposed, she said, “I'm not of the view that more stringent penalties are required.” It seems that the NDP and the Conservatives purport to have respect for the integrity commissioner except for the recommendations that she requires.

Business of Supply  Yes, Mr. Speaker, it was a search and rescue helicopter. Could the member point to the time when he condemned that and called it out and demanded that Peter MacKay pay that money back?

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, in putting down the Prime Minister, the member built herself up as a member of the working class, which is impressive, making $180,000 per year. That being said, I am wondering if the hon. member could comment on the fact that the former conflict of interest and ethics commissioner was specifically asked if she saw the need for greater penalties in the legislation, and she said no.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member suggested that monies be paid back. I was wondering if he could speak to the $122,000 that the hon. member owes. The Prime Minister took immediate responsibility, listened to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and abided by all of her recommendations.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I was encouraged to hear the hon. member talk about homelessness. He must be pleased to hear about the government's $40 billion plan to tackle that. However, that is not the issue before us. As my hon. friend for Kingston and the Islands has asked a couple of times, I will ask the hon. member whether he can point to the time when he got upset at Peter MacKay who spent $32,000 an hour to fly a government helicopter to a private fishing lodge.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I will direct my comments specifically to what the Ethics Commissioner said. When she was asked by the hon. member for Thornhill whether there should be more penalties, she said, “I’m not of the view...that more stringent penalties are required.” She went on to say that the Prime Minister was entitled to vacations and if he had gone somewhere else, the same cost would have been incurred.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, the Prime Minister engaged with an officer of Parliament, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. The investigation took a period of time. The Prime Minister presented his belief of what happened. Others were asked for their evidence in that case. Then a finding of fact was made.