The Environment  Mr. Speaker, the record of the Liberals on the environment is all over the map. Their last environment critic voted against Kyoto and said that the agreement was basically written on the back of an airplane napkin on the way to Kyoto. The current critic says that we will not be able to meet our Kyoto targets by the deadline for compliance.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more. It is very important for a government to have a strong understanding as to how it wants to assist our cultural communities and it does have a very important role to play. What I am concerned about is that the motion, however well-intentioned it may be, would take us back a step and would not allow us to make the important investments that were expressed.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would go back to what I stated at the end of my last response which is that we should be careful of what we ask for because we just might get it and it might be exactly the opposite of what we wanted. This is probably what the motion would bring forward. It is a call to have the status quo remain.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Beauport—Limoilou. I appreciate the opportunity to address the House with respect to cultural heritage in Canada, but I have to admit up front that I am against the motion as it is written. I think that the motion is well intentioned, but the motion as it is written causes me great concern.

Spirit River Academy  Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to recognize a group of students who are visiting our national capital today from my constituency of Peace River. The students from Spirit River Academy are participating in a musical exchange with the Carleton Place High School band. While on the exchange, the students have had the opportunity to participate in two concerts and experience some of the local attractions.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the Liberals dismiss the value of helping families with the expense of enrolling their children in sports activities. The government values the benefit of sports and that was evident in last week's budget. Could the Minister for Sport explain the value of the sports tax credit to Canadians and Canadian families?

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I certainly count it as a privilege to serve in this House alongside the hon. member. Her question was about choice and where there is no choice. I will tell the member that there was no choice in the proposed Liberal program that was cast as a universal benefit to all Canadians.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I certainly appreciate the opportunity to sit with the hon. member as well. I am glad the member used the word “dumb” because I would like to talk about the dumb things we saw in the previous administration. We saw good money being spent on a sponsorship situation.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister of Transport for his speech and for his willingness to split his time with me. I appreciate the opportunity to stand in this House to offer a speech for the very first time since my election to this legislative body. I am humbled to serve with so many individuals from across this country who are similarly passionate about working together to build a strong Canada for future generations.

RESUMPTION OF DEBATE ON ADDRESS IN REPLY  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my fellow member for his first speech in the House. He did a wonderful job of highlighting some of the important things that were put forward in the Speech from the Throne. Would the member give the House a little clarification on the child care program?

Farm Families  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to have the opportunity to speak in the House for the first time since my election. I would like to thank the constituents of Peace River who have bestowed on me the responsibility and the privilege of representing their vision for the future. This week many farmers in my community will begin field work in preparation for spring seeding.