Transportation Modernization Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the minister for putting together this important legislation to improve the efficiency of our transportation system in Canada. Having spent dozens upon dozens of hours at the transport committee studying the legislation, I found one issue very difficult, and that was improving safety using locomotive voice and video recorders without compromising the privacy of the workers.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I have seen first-hand the impact of climate change. I was evacuated from my home in Calgary in 2013 during the floods. We have seen reports recently pegging the cost of climate change to Canada in the range of $43 billion by the year 2050. I would ask the hon. member if he thinks that the policies being put forward today are going to help mitigate that cost and also create additional economic opportunities for businesses to put middle-class Canadians to work.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I cannot help but feel that today's motion is an opportunity for the opposition to justify inaction on the climate file altogether. In her remarks, the minister correctly identified that pollution is not free. That is because the atmosphere belongs to all of us, and when polluters degrade the atmosphere I breathe, they ought to pay for it.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague is absolutely correct. The Canada child benefit is a marquee policy of this government. We stopped sending child care cheques to millionaires and put more money in the pockets of nine out of 10 Canadian families. In my riding, the median income is about $21,000.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, implicit in that question is a conversation about the plan of the government to grow the economy. We campaigned on a promise to invest in our infrastructure, among other things. One of the consequences of that plan is that, in the short term, there would be deficit financing.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I cannot say how ecstatic I am to answer the question. Had the member been here yesterday, he would have heard that this was a focus of the remarks I made in the House. I said that the pursuit of ensuring that Canadians have the ability to participate fully in the economy, whether they come from money or whether they come from nothing, is a priority for our government.

Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer a few comments today on legislation that will implement many of the commitments made in budget 2018. While there are many things I would love to touch on that have been canvassed during the course of this debate, I will restrict my comments to two key themes.

Summer Street Industries  Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Summer Street Industries in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. This organization is celebrating 50 years of helping adults with intellectual challenges live full and happy lives, including some personal friends and former classmates of mine.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I know the member for Kingston and the Islands has been a passionate advocate for the prison farms in his riding. From the very first moment we got here he has been in my ear trying to gain support with his caucus colleagues for this important measure. Of course, what we see in the federal budget I would hope has impact beyond one riding.

Fisheries Act  Madam Speaker, before addressing this question, I would like to say that there is important work already happening under the government to restore fish stocks. I know of projects in my own riding to rebuild salmon populations in the West River in Sheet Harbour and the St. Mary's River in Sherbrooke.

Fisheries Act  Madam Speaker, I will take that a step further and say that the importance of the legislation is not just something that the caucuses care deeply about, but in fact something the people we represent care deeply about. The movement towards this legislation has been an incredible exercise in democracy.

Fisheries Act  Madam Speaker, this is extraordinarily important. The measures that the minister takes should be based on facts, science, and evidence in all cases. I am of the view that discretion in certain aspects of decision-making can be a positive thing, so long as the public has faith that the decisions being made when that discretion is exercised are done so in a very public and transparent way.

Fisheries Act  Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon. I am very proud to take my spot today in the House of Commons to bring the voice of my constituents to Ottawa and speak to the proposed amendments to the Fisheries Act. There are several substantive reforms, and I would like to take the opportunity to speak about many of them.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, during his speech, my colleague cited the changes made in 2012 that gutted certain protections in our Fisheries Act, our environmental assessment process, the navigation protection act, and more. I agree that they were very important changes, which we are taking some steps to remedy.

Fisheries and Oceans  Mr. Speaker, Canada's fisheries and marine ecosystem hold economic, cultural, and social significance for many Canadians, including so many living on the coast back home in Nova Scotia. In 2012, the previous government cut the protection of fish and their habitat, leaving significant gaps in protection for vulnerable fish species.