Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I wonder where the Liberal motion was for the last four and a half years to make improvements. Where were those suggestions? He said that he was in committee. Why did he not bring those suggestions at that point in committee? They did not. The reality is that the Liberals want nothing to do with accountability.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak today to the motion from the Liberal Party. Given the hour, I suspect that my remarks may be the last during today's debate. We have heard arguments from the opposition members today, some more informed than others, on the reality of the situation when it comes to lobbying in this country.

Firearms Registry  Mr. Speaker, the Liberal leader continues to show Canadians that he is only in it for himself by politicizing everything he touches, including the long gun registry. The Liberal leader is whipping his members to ignore their constituents and support the wasteful long gun registry.

Interparliamentary Delegations  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34(1), I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the following reports of the Canadian delegation of the Interparliamentary Forum of the Americas, FIPA, respecting its participation at the meeting with the General Secretary of the Organization of the American States; the 19th meeting of the FIPA executive committee held in Washington, D.C. on June 23 and 24, 2009; and the sixth plenary meeting of the Interparliamentary Forum of the Americas held in Ottawa, Ontario, September 12 to 15, 2009.

Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I cannot think of any country in this world that did not have a rocky start. If we look at the U.S., it had assassinations of presidents, for example, when it had its start. Looking at what we can do as Canadians to help Colombians, I think it is a lot better to encourage them, work with them and bring them forward instead of poking a stick in their eyes and saying that they are doing everything wrong.

Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I come from a province that has had an NDP government. It was a government of have nots and a government that could not do. It was a flat earth society in Saskatchewan until we realized that we could, would and did change that. If people look at my province today, they will see the examples of those types of benefits.

Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, the one thing we have been doing is listening to Canadians about this agreement. In the agriculture committee alone, we talked about the importance of the Colombia free trade agreement. For example, Mr. Jurgen Preugschas from the Canadian Pork Council stated: We need to pass the bilateral free trade agreements that are in there right now, such as with Colombia.

Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak in the House today to the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement. This is an important agreement for Canada, Canadian workers and our farmers and producers alike. Farmers need trade to survive. Now more than ever, we need to be doing everything we can to open doors for Canadians, to create new commercial opportunities around the world and to work beyond our borders to help Canadians to succeed.

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada  Mr. Speaker, this coming weekend, Liberals will gather in Montreal for their spenders' conference, and make no mistake, they are planning big expensive programs that will come with high taxes and a big price tags for Canadian families. However, I could not help but notice that out of the more than 50 guest speakers at the spenders' conference, not a single one of them is from my home province of Saskatchewan.

Fire Chief of the Year  Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to congratulate, on behalf of all members of the House, an honoured servant of the people of Prince Albert. On September 23 of this year, Prince Albert Fire Chief Les Karpluk was chosen Fire Chief of the Year by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs.

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, it is a good question. However, the reality is these benefits are available to all Canadians. If someone has been working, let us say, in an auto plant or another industry for a number of years and for no reason of his or her own the plant shuts down, the amendment to the bill would allow that individual to access unemployment insurance for an extended period of time, to allow the person to go into workforce, to find a job that fits his or her needs and helps the family.

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, those are two good questions. One thing about being in government is that one wants to be responsible. When I speak to people in my riding, they want to ensure we treat unemployed people responsibly. They actually like the idea that if people have been paying EI premiums for 15 years, they should get a little more benefit.

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak to the House about a technical amendment we would like to make to Bill C-50. We are seeking to establish a fixed date of January 4, 2009 for eligibility. This is our government's proposed legislation to temporarily extend employment insurance regular benefits for unemployed long-term workers.

Canada Grain Act  Mr. Speaker, again, members can address those questions in committee. I would be happy to work with them in committee on some of the issues they have brought up. I have to represent my constituents. I represent western Canadian farmers. They need changes to the act. They cannot afford a delay.

Canada Grain Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to educate my colleague about some of the changes that have happened in the grain industry in the last 20 years that make the act no longer relevant. The member talked about the lowering of standards. There is nothing in this bill or the changes that would have any impact on lowering the standards of the good quality grain we grow in western Canada.