Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to debate Motion No. 400, which asks the Government of Canada to include equality in the mandate of the women's program at Status of Women Canada. As hon. members know full well, our government has already included the word “equality” in the mandate of the women's program at Status of Women Canada.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to stand in the House today in support of our government's motion on the future of Canada's mission in Afghanistan. This motion is not a Conservative position nor a Liberal position. It is a motion that represents the values and goals of a vast majority of thoughtful Canadians.

Tourism Industry  Mr. Speaker, Canada's tourism industry is a $67 billion a year economic engine for Canada, employing some 1.6 million Canadians in over 200,000 businesses. It is a great industry. Unlike our Liberal members opposite, we are treating the tourism industry as the economic enabler that it truly is.

Medal of Bravery  Mr. Speaker, on February 29, I had the great honour of attending a commemoration at Rideau Hall that recognized a number of outstanding Canadians, including a constituent of mine from the village of Lafontaine, Ontario: Randy Smith, the Fire Chief of the Township of Tiny. Fire Chief Smith and 10 others were awarded the Medal of Bravery for the courage and determination they displayed on August 27, 2004.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada made a commitment to child care across the country, which would put choice in the hands of parents. I point out that the amount is some $10 billion, virtually double what the former Liberal government committed to this same end. In addition to that, we are working together with provincial and territorial governments to create new child care spaces.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, in my remarks I certainly indicated some of the key initiatives where the Government of Canada continued to work with aboriginal groups, in a cooperative fashion, to address all the concerns. The government dedicated and committed record amounts of dollars in support of housing, not only on reserve, but off reserve, working together with leaders in the aboriginal communities to have these things come about.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Sarnia—Lambton. I am pleased to rise in the House today to highlight the significant accomplishments of the Government of Canada toward increasing women's participation in the life of our country. We are justifiably proud of these accomplishments.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to my hon. colleague across the aisle in respect to some concerns he had with respect to gender-based analysis being conducted on a number of measures. I know that the member, being a former minister of the Crown himself, will know that the work that is done in the public service or the Treasury Board for the PCO, in respect to the kind of gender-based considerations that are carried out on programs, that these are issues and considerations that are continuing to be advanced as we heard even recently in testimony before our own Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, the member had a lot of things to say about the previous government's commitment to women. I wonder if she could explain why it was that her government in fact made systematic reductions to funding for Status of Women, and it was this government that actually increased it.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely right. The budget measures will help all citizens of Ontario. Now all we need to do is get provincial corporate taxes down and we will be away to the races.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is absolutely right. We hear time and time again from citizens in our ridings who are over the age of 65, who have a tremendous capacity to help and who continue to serve in our communities in the ways that they so choose. The nice thing is that because of the measures introduced in budget 2008 they now can have that little bit of extra income that will help with their expenses and they will not have to be concerned about it being clawed back out of GIS.

The Budget  As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, I had a conversation with the representative of our local Legion just days before the budget. We discussed that very same and important veterans independence program. There is nothing more important than supporting the families of our veterans.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to speak in the budget 2008 debate. Our budget builds on the strong performance of our country and its government in recent years. It also prepares us for the realities of slower economic growth. The measures that we took in the fall economic statement ahead of the curve are helping to cushion the country's economy in a responsible and balanced way that will keep our economic fundamentals strong.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to the hon. member for Leeds—Grenville. I know that he is in a very important community for eastern Ontario, particularly for tourism. I know that this is an area of the province where we have a lot of U.S. visitors coming across. In the past this has been an area that has enjoyed tremendous growth, but in recent years, we have had some challenges, particularly in eastern Ontario.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, some of the comments we have heard from members opposite in regard to contempt were nonsense. This government has pledged and is actively listening to comments from Canadians right across the country on the re-examination or re-entry of an official languages program.