Food and Drugs Act  Mr. Speaker, before I begin my remarks, I want to mention that I have been talking about the bill with the member for Niagara Falls. We are not splitting time because there is not enough time, but we have consulted on bringing forward this thought process. Not discounting the serious nature of the bill, which is the reduction of impaired driving and the health risks associated with too much alcohol consumption, I ask the House to consider whether labelling is the most effective way to address this issue.

Millennium Partnership Program  Mr. Speaker, the millennium fund operated much like the sponsorship fund. The Prime Minister claims that he knew nothing as the finance minister about existing slush funds that had no transparency or accountability to taxpayers: $725 million in the unity fund, $250 million in the sponsorship scandal, and now another $150 million in the millennium bureau.

Hamilton International Airport  Mr. Speaker, I call on the government today to provide the appropriate support to Hamilton International Airport and halt the unnecessary Pickering airport proposal. There is no need for a new regional airport east of Toronto when Hamilton International is operating under capacity and provides a more economical and competitive option.

Agriculture  Mr. Speaker, as I have made the Minister of Agriculture and the House aware, the greenhouse industry in my riding and around Canada was jeopardized this fall as a result of inspection issues caused by border delays. I have advised the minister, on behalf of the greenhouse industry, that a preclearance program for cut flowers is imperative for the survival of this industry in the future.

Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would agree with that. In terms of a phase in period, one of the things we want to be clear on is what type of timeframe we are talking about. I guess that is not what is a part of this motion. I want to ensure that we have enough time to consult, as the member for my party has mentioned, with all the key stakeholder groups.

Supply  Mr. Speaker, the first question he asked was in terms of this not been proven through technology and in other countries. I think once again we understand that this is happening. We have examples of where this is already happening in the industry right now. I guess the concern that I would have would be the fact that although we do have this technology and we are able to see that it is happening in some companies so far, the real challenge that remains is that we do not have the ability all the way through to ensure we have the kind of supplies that we need for a whole industry.

Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to once again reiterate my support for the intent of the motion. As we move forward as a society and we find things that are harmful to us, it is important to take the time to debate the issues, to figure out what it is that we can do to make our food supply and those kinds of things safer.

Tlicho Land Claims and Self-Government Act  Mr. Speaker, I believe everyone in the House shares the belief that the government has the responsibility to negotiate and settle outstanding comprehensive claims according to the principles of both fairness and practicality. The Conservative Party believes giving aboriginal governments the power to raise their own revenues will reduce the cycle of dependency and that the performance and accountability of aboriginal self-government is enhanced when those who receive services contribute to the cost of those services.

Sponsorship Program  Mr. Speaker, in an open letter from Mr. Gagliano, which has nothing to do with the Gomery inquest but everything to do with the Prime Minister's knowledge of the sponsorship scandal, he said that all ministers supported the strategy and the direction of the sponsorship program, including members of cabinet.

Justice  Mr. Speaker, without commenting on the specific case, could the minister explain why repeat violent offenders are being let out on the street? Will the government admit that the current system is simply not working? How many more tragedies have to occur before the Liberal government realizes that we need to be tougher with violent offenders?

Agriculture  Mr. Chair, we understand that at this point in time the government doing everything it can. The real answer here is that it has been reactive, not proactive. Like so many other things that have happened with this government, what it is doing is reacting to issues that should have been dealt with 17 months ago and not recently.

Agriculture  Mr. Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member for Brandon—Souris. We have spent the last couple of days talking about BSE and all we have heard is one excuse after another, and we still have no answers. The fact remains that after all this talk our farmers are still hurting and something needs to be done about it.

Agriculture  Mr. Speaker, it is truly an honour to stand here today. I am grateful to the people of Niagara West--Glanbrook for their faith in electing me to express their views in this Parliament. I trust that I will be a worthy representative. The future of the greenhouse industry in my constituency is at risk because of delays and complications at select border crossings.