Railway Continuation Act, 2007  What about farmers?

Railway Continuation Act, 2007  Mr. Speaker, I do not know if I can get in the comments that I think are important to bring to this debate in just one minute. I asked one question earlier with regard to our farm families and the suffering that is being inflicted on them because of this long term labour disruption and the possibility of a long term strike.

Railway Continuation Act, 2007  The NDP members are now heckling because they certainly do not want to hear what the farm families have to say. Farm families have come to me in the last two weeks, which I spent travelling from one end of my constituency to the other. The NDP members are talking about safety and these types of things, and those things are important, but at the end of the day the people who are going to be affected most, the people who have the most to lose today, will be our farm families if they are unable to ship the products they so desperately need to ship at this point.

Railway continuation Act, 2007  Mr. Speaker, in the last two weeks I spent a fair bit of time in my constituency, particularly in the farming communities. Again and again the one thing I heard was that yes, CN has some issues and CN has to resolve this union issue. The farmers said that we have to get these trains rolling again because their farms are on the line.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, by refusing to support the budget, the Liberals and the NDP have once again put their partisan games ahead of hard-working Canadian families. I will outline just some of the things the Liberals and the NDP seem to be opposed to: the new working income tax benefit that will benefit families up to $1,000; a $2,000 tax credit for children under the age of 18; improvements to the flexibility of the RESP program that will ensure parents can raise money for their children's education; an end to the marriage penalty to help single income families; and a new long term savings plan for parents of children with severe disabilities.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, last Monday the finance minister delivered a balanced budget that will make things easier for working families by making investments in health care, the environment and infrastructure. As well, the budget also reduces taxes for these working families through the working family tax plan.

Anti-terrorism Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell for his work on this and many issues in making Canada truly a safer place for every Canadian and in ensuring that we have the tools necessary to keep Canadians safe. Earlier I questioned the member for Etobicoke—Lakeshore about this whole issue.

Anti-terrorism Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the intervention by the Liberal leader in waiting. Before he becomes Liberal leader, I think it is incumbent upon him to understand how Parliament works and how things have to go forward. There is no question that the Liberals brought this legislation forward.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to ask the question again. The member opposite was asked what concrete things he believed could benefit the issue of human rights in China. Again he just gave fluff, which seems to be the record of the former prime ministers as well, the ones he claims had such success in this field, and yet there was nothing done.

Anti-terrorism Act  Mr. Speaker, just when Canadians wondered if the Liberal leader could be any less reasoned or coherent in his policy direction, several high profile Liberals have come out to denounce the hypocritical and reckless position on the Anti-terrorism Act. The Liberal member for Mount Royal has stated publicly that he not only opposes his Liberal leader on this issue, but reinforces the importance of the extension of the act.

Liberal Party  Mr. Speaker, with friends like the Alberta Liberals, the member for Ajax—Pickering does not need any enemies. This week, on Mike Duffy Live, Alberta Liberal leader, Kevin Taft, criticized the position of the member for Ajax—Pickering by warning him directly that the federal Liberal intrusion into the oil sands could eventually threaten the unity of our country.

Oil and Gas Industry  Mr. Speaker, as one who is opposed to the Liberal leader who claims that working in the oil patch is easy money, I would like to commend these dedicated workers. It is all too easy for the Liberals to assume that there is nothing to do but wait for the oil to spurt out of the ground, like some low budget western film.

International Day of Commemoration  Mr. Speaker, January 27 was International Day of Commemoration to honour the victims of the Holocaust. The Holocaust was the worst of human nature. It was the systematic murder of the European Jewish people by the Nazi regime. The casualty count for this horror is estimated at six million people.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions that I would like to present today. The first one is from 568 people in Manitoba who call upon the government to make it illegal for Internet service providers to allow child pornography on their sites. The second petition is from 209 of my constituents who are asking the government to do everything in its power to limit child abuse, child pornography and child trafficking and to ensure Internet luring does not happen.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, the third petition is signed by 388 constituents of mine who are calling upon the government to raise the age of consent from 14 to 16 years old.