International Trade  Mr. Speaker, 25 years ago a visionary Conservative government signed the most ambitious trade agreement the world had ever known. Since the Canada-U.S. trade agreement, nearly 4.6 million jobs have been created and two-way trade with the United States has more than tripled. However, the NDP opposed this partnership and the member for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour even called free trade agreements “job-destroying”.

Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act  Mr. Speaker, the NDP's position on this is not surprising as it has always been soft on crime and criminals and has ignored victims. However, I find it astounding that its members are now soft on foreign criminals also. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, the Canadian Police Association and the Victims of Violence are all in support of the bill.

Wounded Warriors  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the organizers and participants of this year's Wounded Warriors Weekend, which took place in Nipawin, Saskatchewan. Wounded Warriors is an organization that supports soldiers overcoming the physical and mental wounds of combat. The event was the first time that the Wounded Warriors programs from both Canada and the U.S. partnered to show our troops that their sacrifices did not go unnoticed.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, this past week the NDP leader has been making outrageous and incorrect claims about Canada's trade record. It is laughable that he does not grasp the irony that if an NDP's reckless and irresponsible anti-trade agenda were imposed on Canada, there would be zero trade.

Agriculture and Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, according to the Globe and Mail, the president of Shell Canada has endorsed the NDP's carbon tax, presumably because it will let Shell charge more at the pumps. However, a carbon tax will not just raise gas prices; putting a price on carbon will also raise the price of food.

Interparliamentary Delegations  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canadian section of ParlAmericas respecting its participation at the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding between the Organization of American States and ParlAmericas held in Washington, D.C., on February 9, 2012, and a bilateral visit to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from March 18 to 24, 2012.

Canadian Wheat Board  Mr. Speaker, despite the dirty tricks pulled by the opposition, our government passed the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act. This legislation provides western Canadian grain farmers the freedom to escape from under the thumb of the Canadian Wheat Board and sell their commodities to whomever they choose.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act  Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that the member has misconstrued the facts of what is actually going on. I will explain it for him as we go through. The reality is that they had a system that we inherited from the Liberal government that was totally inadequate and not functioning in a way that was appropriate for both the employer or the person trying to come to Canada.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hard work my colleague does in representing constituents in his riding. I also congratulate him on the hard work he has done in bringing that new bridge to his riding. It is something that has been needed for such a long time. I congratulate him for getting that job done.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act  Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate my colleague does not understand how the process will work. As we see it unfold, hopefully she will get a better understanding of why this would be better for all of Canada. I will use the example of what happens on the farm in Saskatchewan and has happened throughout the last 15 or 20 years.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House at third reading in support of Bill C-38, the jobs, growth and long-prosperity act, and the important steps it takes to implement Canada's economic action plan 2012. Specifically, I would like to discuss the many ways that today's act would strengthen Canada's immigration system We all recognize that Canada needs a flexible and efficient immigration system.

Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act  Mr. Speaker, the member is a colleague on the finance committee. We have spent quite a few hours together the last couple of weeks. We have exchanged a lot of ideas and opinions and listened to quite a few witnesses. We had 50 hours of extra committee time for this budget. That is just the finance committee.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, the NDP thought it was not enough to promote policies that will cripple the Canadian economy and kill Canadian jobs, nor was it enough to divide Canadians between east and west and badmouth entire sectors of the Canadian economy. The leader of the NDP now wants Canadians to tighten their belts so they can hand out billions of dollars to Europe to pay for Greece's excessive welfare state and its gigantic debt.

Rodolfo Quezada Toruno  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs) offered our sincere condolences to the government and the people of Guatemala on the death of Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruno today. Cardinal Quezada Toruno led Guatemala's National Reconciliation Commission from 1987 to 1993 and later negotiated the peace agreement signed in December 1996.

Cycling  Mr. Speaker, I wish to join the Prime Minister in congratulating Ryder Hesjedal on his victory in this month's Giro d'Italia. As the first Canadian winner of one of cycling's three grand tours, and only the second non-European to ever win the Giro, his victory is a testament to the world-class athletes Canada produces.