Public Health Agency of Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the parliamentary secretary for listening to my speech. Perhaps he missed half of it, I do not know. He arrived almost at the end of my speech. I can say, in answer to his question, that I think he is right; germs, bacteria and so on know no boundaries. This is an undeniable fact.

Public Health Agency of Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate in today's debate on Bill C-5, an act respecting the establishment of the Public Health Agency of Canada. I would like to start by mentioning that I am a social worker by trade. I have worked in the Quebec health and social services network for 20 years or so.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for his speech, which I listened to carefully. I believe he comes from British Columbia. I would like him to tell me whether in his province there is an ombudsman, a public trustee whose mandate is to protect the rights of seniors and other vulnerable persons.

Manufacturing Industry  Mr. Speaker, since 2002, we have noted a downward trend in jobs in the manufacturing sector. There have been some blips in the trend, but the situation has continued to deteriorate. Just last month, 11,800 jobs were lost in Quebec, bringing the total to 31,900 in the past year.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak this morning on the motion introduced by the NDP. This motion proposes to rectify decades of underfunding of programs for seniors and, in the same breath, proposes a set of actions to achieve that. Like my colleague, I am always surprised, not to say astounded, to see how centralizing an approach the NDP takes.

Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food tabled in this House the first report of the committee, which calls on the government to limit imports of milk protein concentrates through regulatory means, namely Article XXVIII of the GATT.

Agri-Food  Mr. Speaker, this is a serious issue. Just this week, the minister was defending supply management in this House. How can he claim to be working with this system while permitting the violation of one of its three basic principles, the protection of borders, by limiting the import of goods that are supply managed?

Huntingdon Textile Workers  Mr. Speaker, on May 18, hundreds of textile workers from Huntingdon came to Parliament Hill to voice their distress. After being victims of international treaties that led to massive plant closures in their industry, these workers saw the federal government terminate the Program for Older Worker Adjustment without replacing it.

Privacy Protection  Mr. Speaker, many EXPRO TEC employees are from my riding. They are very concerned that, as a result of this sale, their records will be sent to the United States. In view of the very special and delicate nature of this problem, should the Prime Minister himself not put the matter to President Bush at their meeting planned for July 6?

Older Workers  Mr. Speaker, it is precisely because the government did nothing for the textile industry that businesses have had to close their doors completely, as Huntingdon was forced to do last year. Given that the federal government is partially responsible for these closures that affect hundreds of workers in my riding, because it did nothing to help the industry, could it not at least immediately implement an income support program for older workers who face particular difficulties when businesses in our region, like Huntingdon, are forced to close?

Older Workers  Mr. Speaker, older workers who are losing their jobs were abandoned by the previous government. They are now desperate, given the indifference of the Conservatives. In a letter addressed to the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, a former textile worker expressed her distress as follows: I worked for 47 years in the textile industry, including 45 years at Cleyn & Tinker and two years at Huntingdon Mills.

Canada--U.S. Border  Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec intends to take a common stand with Vermont on the mandatory passport issue. Does the government finally understand the major impact of this measure, and does it intend to ask the American government to reconsider its position?

Émilie Aganier  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to congratulate Émilie Aganier, a proud representative of the Beauharnois figure skating club, on her wonderful performance. Émilie won a bronze medal at the National STARSkate Championships held here in Ottawa last April. I especially want to congratulate her for the discipline and perseverance she must have shown to win this medal during a Canada-wide competition against eleven other provincial champions.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, time permitting, I will share my time with my colleague from Jeanne-Le Ber. I am pleased to speak today in this House during the opposition day of the Bloc Québécois on the motion calling for commitment to the objectives of the Kyoto protocol, an effective plan and an agreement with Quebec.

Public Health Agency of Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, could the member tell us what exactly would be the role of the Quebec office of this agency? In concrete terms, what would that do to improve and better protect the health of Quebeckers?