Employment Insurance Act  Madam Speaker, the fundamental question, as I said in my remarks, is this. Do we have confidence in the government? I gave a litany of examples of why we have lost confidence in the Conservative government. I raised a second point that we had an EI working group. We put meaningful proposals forward.

Employment Insurance Act  Madam Speaker, I have a lot of respect for my colleague and I can understand why he is upset. I can understand why he is frustrated. He is now supporting a government that he has not supported in the past. I would like to quote again because I want to ensure it is on the record.

Employment Insurance Act  Madam Speaker, last time I checked, I thought we were debating Bill C-50, a bill that the Conservatives have brought forward. Speaking to that bill, the flaw that we have seen and clearly demonstrated is that it lacks regional representation. It does not deal with regional fairness, fairness that would help forestry workers in the province of Quebec and fairness that would help seasonal workers across this country.

Employment Insurance Act  Madam Speaker, I can understand why NDP members are so frustrated. They are supporting a right wing government. They are supporting a bill in which they do not believe. That is clearly reflected in a comment that I made earlier, and I will repeat it once again. I hope the NDP members understand.

Employment Insurance Act  Madam Speaker, I am very proud of our track record when we were in government. We extended paternity and maternity benefits under EI. Not only that, we fixed the fiscal house that the Conservatives had left in complete disarray when Mr. Mulroney left a $42 billion deficit. We worked hard with the rest of Canadians to balance our books.

Employment Insurance Act  Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak to Bill C-50, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act . This enactment seeks to amend the Employment Insurance Act until September 11, 2010, to increase the maximum number of weeks for which benefits may be paid to certain claimants. It also seeks to increase the maximum number of weeks for which benefits may be paid to certain claimants not in Canada.

Prime Minister  Mr. Speaker, he called Canada a second tier socialist state. Now he wants to rule this country with absolute power. After the most disastrous fiscal management in Canadian history, the Prime Minister is doing whatever it takes to hold on, even entering into a coalition with groups he brands as “separatists” and “socialists”.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regards to Transport Canada’s Ecomobility program: (a) what are the total number of contracts awarded, their value, and the names of those organizations that received contracts all broken down by both province and constituency; and (b) what are the details of each contract that was awarded and whether the contract was tendered or sole-sourced?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  What is the total amount of government funding, allocated within the constituency of Mississauga—Brampton South since fiscal year 2005-2006 up to and including the current fiscal year, listing each department or agency, initiative, and amount?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regards to government spending on communications for each fiscal year since 2005-2006: (a) what is the total amount of government spending on communications per fiscal year; (b) how much does each department or agency spend on communications in general per fiscal year; (c) how much is spent by each department or agency in the following categories: advertising (broken down by television, radio, newspaper, internet), web design and maintenance and the printing of publications per fiscal year; (d) what is the total amount of money spent on backdrops used at press conferences per fiscal year; (e) detail total government spending by department or agency on any other communications products not covered by the above categories; (f) how much is spent on communications staff in each department or agency per fiscal year; and (g) what is the total number of communications staff in each department or agency?

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regards to Citizenship applications: (a) what is the processing time for applications broken down by Immigration office and provided for each calendar year since 2006; (b) what are the geographic areas those offices serve; (c) how many full-time, part-time and temporary staff are employed in each of these offices; (d) how many full-time, part-time and contract staff specifically handle citizenship applications; (e) what is the budget allocated to each of those offices for each fiscal year since 2005-2006; (f) how much of the budget is committed specifically for the handling of citizenship applications per fiscal year; and (g) what information was provided to the Minister on Citizenship processing times since 2006?

National Blood Donor Week  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to celebrate our second National Blood Donor Week, which became official following the royal assent of a bill I sponsored in the House last year. The demand for blood is constant. Hundreds of thousands of donors are required every year to meet the needs of Canada's health care system.

Immigration  Mr. Speaker, according to the last census, the proportion of Canadians born outside the country is at its highest level in 75 years. In fact, two-thirds of our population growth comes from immigration. In my hometown of Mississauga, 52% of the population is foreign born, the third highest among Canadian municipalities.

Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act  Mr. Speaker, I know I only have a few seconds so I will be very brief. I believe this bill is a positive step in the right direction. That is why we are supporting the bill. That is why we feel that the amount in the bill is much better than the current amount which is inadequate.

Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act  Mr. Speaker, that is one of the key questions we have. As to the criteria itself, I do not know specifically what number would be deemed to be adequate. That is why we need expert testimony. That is why we in the Liberal Party support sending the bill to committee, to find out what the criteria is, how it compares with other jurisdictions, whether it is adequate and whether it meets the legitimate concerns raised in developing the bill.