Veterans  Mr. Speaker, veterans are not buying the minister's excuses. Our Conservative government expanded the permanent impairment allowance and created the retirement income security benefit to provide lifetime financial support to injured veterans. We struck an agreement with the Equitas Society upon its lawsuit.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, in our criminal law, we recognize indecency toward a dead body as a crime. Our criminal law respects a life that was. Today I present petitions representing nine Ontario communities of Windsor, Essex, Milton, Hamilton, Alban, Sudbury, Dandurand, Woodslee, and Tilbury.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, as a new member of Parliament I had the privilege of presenting a private member's bill, Bill C-225, in this House. I am honoured and amazed by the people in this country who are sending in petitions in support of protecting a woman's choice to carry her child to term, and calling on our Parliament to put into place laws that protect that right and that privilege.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Madam Speaker, this is of deep concern to me as well. Prior to being here, I was a small business owner. I still am, but I am not involved in the business. Watching our employees and the amount of money they are earning, they are certainly not what the current government deems the middle class.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I certainly would have liked some answers to some of my questions followed by a question in regard to our veterans, as that is the area about which I am especially concerned. Being on the committee and being deputy critic for Veterans Affairs, I know these issues are very serious and a deep concern to them.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to stand today in regards to Bill C-15, the 2016 proposed Liberal budget. I am beginning, actually, by expressing my disappointment and confusion as to why Bill C-12, an act to amend the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act was initially tabled in this House to deal separately with budget items that specifically apply to veterans, only later to be pulled from debate and buried in Bill C-15.

Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1  Madam Speaker, earlier on in a debate on this same topic, I believe it was the member for Winnipeg North who expressed to me that the small business owners in his riding were very happy with this budget. They were happy because there were so many dollars being put back into the pockets of everyday Canadians in the middle class that suddenly small businesses were going to have all of this additional cash coming in their doors.

Petitions  Madam Speaker, people across Canada hear that all of the members in this House have the backs of women and believe in their rights. More and more petitions continue to come to this House from those people, calling on the current government to realize that forcing upon a pregnant woman the death or injury of her preborn child is a violation of a woman's right to protect and give life to her child.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, our friends in Newfoundland and Labrador are suffering from the provincial Liberal's tax increase on gasoline. Rather than provide a plan to grow the economy, Newfoundland and Labrador's Liberal government has chosen to raise taxes. The old Liberal tax-and-spend approach only succeeds in lowering the standard of living for hard-working Canadian families.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, we have criminal laws that protect animals from being abused, and animals are not humans. We have laws against indecency toward a dead body, which is in that case no longer a living human being. I have a number of petitions that call on the government to put forward a law to protect pregnant women for their choice to carry their children to birth in their womb.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I also have three petitions that call on our Parliament to hold a referendum on any proposed changes to the Canadian electoral system.

Veterans  Madam Speaker, it is clear that the Liberals are reversing their position from two years ago and forcing veterans into court. Again, in the campaign, the Liberals promised not to fight the veterans in court. As late as two weeks ago, one of the Liberal members claimed, in reference to Equitas, that the Government of Canada over the decades had had a social covenant with all veterans and their families.

Veterans  Madam Speaker, I hope you will give me an extra moment today to take the time to thank the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs across the floor for her quick response to my question on Friday. Veterans were concerned there was nothing on their website in regard to the budget.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I do not think coming across strong means I am partisan. I want the same things the minister wants. I just want to make sure we have what we need to actually succeed. There is something close to my heart, and the minister talked about it already tonight. I am from Saskatchewan, and we have this wonderful thing called CFB Moose Jaw, which is a huge part of our economy and sense of pride.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I do not think there is any question that we all want the best for our veterans. The question is this. Why is there not any new money, from a government that is going to spend billions, toward the purposes that are so important to us all? I know that a great deal of time and money is invested in conditioning our soldiers for combat, and I understand why that is necessary and how important it is that they function really well, doing things that, believe me, I am so grateful they are willing to do.