Telecommunications  Mr. Speaker, this government has a record of standing up for greater competition. Competition creates economic growth, innovation and better options for Canadian consumers. I will point out the fact that in terms of foreign direct investment in Canada, while there is a lot of focus on the foreign direct investment happening in Canada, which is good, foreign direct investment by Canadian champions abroad was about $135 billion more in 2008 than the direct investment in Canada.

Telecommunications  Mr. Speaker, again, this issue is about competition. It is about creating economic growth, innovation, better options for Canadian consumers. With regard to competition, a report of the World Economic Forum in the fall said that Canada would lead the way in the industrialized world in competition, being one of only two industrialized countries to come out of this global recession in a more competitive position than it went in.

House debate  Madam Speaker, I will remind the hon. member that, despite the fact that the global economic situation has caused difficulty and hardship for many people who have lost jobs, Canada is the best country in the world in which to live because of actions taken by this government in addressing this issue.

House debate  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in my place to respond to the concerns expressed by the hon. member for Windsor West regarding investment in Canada and its impact on the Canadian economy. In the original question, the hon. member claims that we are selling our companies to foreign speculators.

Industry  Mr. Speaker, I would point out that this government gave FedNor stable five year funding in the 2006-07 budget. Let us also remember that it was this government that created the community adjustment fund which is delivering over $30 million toward economic development projects right across northern Ontario.

Disposition of an Act to amend the Excise Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to the hon. member and actually agreed with much of what he had to say. I did note, however, that he continues to try to dupe Canadians into believing that Canada is the only country facing a recession at this time. I note the stark contrast in what he said compared with what media commentators and experts around the world have had to say about this.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I would just like to, if we could, maybe give the hon. parliamentary secretary the opportunity to explain again for the enlightenment of those Canadians who might be watching these proceedings on television what this concurrence motion actually does in terms of stalling the government's agenda, in terms of the important legislation that Canadians are looking for on EI measures and maybe on criminal justice measures that might be discussed at a future date, because of course when we eat up three hours of time on a political game here that the NDP is putting forward—

Committees of the House  Maybe the hon. member wants to stand up and actually use his time when it is his turn rather than just heckling me. Maybe the parliamentary secretary could just enlighten Canadians who might be watching this on the parliamentary rules, how this works and how this procedure is being used by the NDP to delay the government's agenda.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, after a careful examination of the Nortel-Ericsson transaction, the minister determined that based on provisions of the act, the sale of Nortel's CDMA and LTE assets to Ericsson is not subject to a net benefit review under the Investment Canada Act because it does not meet the economic threshold for review under the act.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to respond to the concerns expressed by the hon. member for Windsor West about the acquisition of certain Nortel assets by Ericsson, a Swedish-based telecommunications company. In the economic action plan, Advantage Canada, and in budget 2007, the federal government committed to undertake a review of Canada's competition policies and its framework for foreign investment policy.

Patent Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to address Bill C-393, which aims to modify certain fundamental aspects of Canada's access to medicines regime. In 2004 members of Parliament and senators from all parties unanimously supported legislation introduced by the Liberal government of the day to establish this regime by amending the Patent Act and the Food and Drugs Act.

Automotive Industry  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his advocacy in this important area. When the prospects for the auto sector in Canada were at their worst, our government stepped up and took action to ensure Canada maintained its share of this important global industry. Now, thanks to our early action, we are beginning to see real and positive results in the Canadian auto industry.

Points of Order  Mr. Speaker, in answer to a question earlier from the member for Hull—Aylmer, it has been brought to my attention that I may have inadvertently, in my haste to list all the good things this government has done for the aerospace sector, used the term “$200” instead of “$200 million” in new investment for the strategic aerospace and defence initiative.

Aerospace Industry  Mr. Speaker, as I just mentioned, the government has taken significant measures to ensure the long-term success and viability of our aerospace sector. From a larger economic standpoint, commentators around the world have commented on the strength of the Canadian situation. Just a couple of months ago France's finance minister, coming out of the G20 finance ministers meeting, said, “I think we can be inspired by the Canadian situation”.

Aerospace Industry  Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult when a Canadian is laid off due to what is going on in the global economic environment. That said, our government's long-term approach to the aerospace sector and our long-term dedication to improving this sector is unquestionable. We have put $350 million toward Bombardier's CSeries program.