Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my friend on his victory in October. My friend spoke about a business plan. The Canadian public has given us a mandate to put together a business plan, and the throne speech delivered by our government last month speaks to that. It speaks to the volume of work that needs to be done in order to get the country back on track.

Human Rights Day  Mr. Speaker. today is international Human Rights Day, a day to celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration outlines the basic rights of each and every citizen of this world. We have collectively agreed that certain rights need to be protected, yet we have failed to give life to these rights.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my friend for his submissions and congratulate him on his re-election. Investment in infrastructure is a critical component for Canadians. As we know, our roads are broken, our transit system is in dire need of a boost, and the economy is in tatters.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, the cost of resettling the refugees and bringing them here has already been spelled out by our Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. I am quite confident that the entire program has been costed out and we are doing it in a very responsible way. What is important is that refugees are given the opportunity to succeed here because any cost that we may incur today will be repaid to our country over their lifetime.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my friend on his election. The middle-class tax cut, as announced by the Minister of Finance yesterday, is a very important part of our platform. I am very confident that this will give direct benefit to thousands of families in the riding of Scarborough—Rouge Park and across the country.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my friend on his election. The issue of refugees is very important to Canadians. Our government has taken very responsible steps to ensure that those with the highest risk of vulnerability are permitted to come into Canada. I am very confident of the work of the United Nations Human Rights for Refugees and I am confident that the people who are coming here are those with the highest level of vulnerability, as defined by the UN.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for South Shore—St. Margaret's. I am extremely humbled and honoured to stand here as the first member for Scarborough—Rouge Park. I want to thank my constituents for entrusting me to represent them. I want to congratulate all of my colleagues for their election or re-election, and I wish to congratulate you, Madam Speaker, on your selection as Assistant Deputy Speaker.