Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, thank you. As I was indicating, we have today what is the last day of supply where opposition parties are afforded a wonderful opportunity to be able to set the agenda for the day. I know that there are many issues that Canadians have taken quite an interest in and there is no shortage of ideas.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, how silly of the member. If I get his answer correctly, he is saying it was not Stephen Harper who said it, it was the department that wrote the speech for him, and that is the reason it is okay. The real tragedy of this whole debate today is that we should be advancing what is in the best interests of the Cuban people.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am quite disappointed in the members of the official opposition. There is no way they could justify or explain to me how this motion is in the best interests of the people of Cuba. The Conservatives have chosen a rather peculiar issue on which to actually spend a day of debate.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed in the opposition motion put forward today. It is very important to emphasize that we have a Prime Minister and a government that have never shied away from raising the issue of human rights, both here at home and abroad. Listening to the debate thus far, and reading the motion, one has to ask how it is that the Conservative Party believes it is advancing the interests of the people of Cuba by introducing such a political, partisan opposition day motion.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, we should acknowledge that Canada has had a unique relationship with Cuba for decades now. There is a substantial difference between the United States and Canada in terms of how that relationship has worked over the past decades. Could the member illustrate, from a New Democratic Party perspective, how she sees that relationship as positive, as opposed to Cuba's relationship with the United States?

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I believe that the major priority for us should be the Cuban people. To antagonize or ratchet up the rhetoric now in an effort to score political points, I would suggest would not advance the Cuban society today or the Cuban society we are working to achieve for the Cuban people tomorrow.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would ask that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 537, 538, 539, 540, and 541.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  Mr. Speaker, if the government response to Question No. 542 could be made an order for return, this return would be tabled immediately.

Business of the House  Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move: That, notwithstanding the provisions of any Standing Order, for the duration of 2017, when a recorded division is to be held on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, except recorded divisions deferred to the conclusion of oral questions, the bells to call in the members shall be sounded for not more than 30 minutes.

Business of the House  Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties and I believe you will find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move: That, notwithstanding any Standing Order or usual practice of the House, (a) any recorded division demanded in respect of an item of private members' business from Thursday, December 1, 2016, to Monday, December 5, 2016, shall be deferred until immediately before the time provided for private members' business on Tuesday, December 6, 2016; (b) any recorded division demanded in respect of an item of private members' business from Tuesday, December 6, 2016, to Monday, December 12, 2016, shall be deferred until immediately before the time provided for private members' business on Tuesday, December 13, 2016; (c) any recorded division demanded in respect of an item of private members' business on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, shall be deferred until immediately before the time provided for private members' business on Wednesday, February 1, 2017; and (d) any recorded division in respect of an item of private members' business deferred to Wednesday, December 7, 2016, pursuant to Standing Order 93(1), shall be deemed deferred anew until immediately before the time provided for private members' business on Tuesday, December 6, 2016.

Government Response to Petitions  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to two petitions.

Canada Pension Plan  Madam Speaker, at the beginning of the debate, I was quite encouraged by the NDP's indication that it would support Bill C-26. I understand today that it will continue to vote in favour of Bill C-26. However, I would express some disappointment, in the sense that New Democrats do not seem to realize that if we were to follow their advice on this, first, it would put into jeopardy the pension proposal, the legislation itself, for the simple reason that the Conservatives have made a commitment to kill the bill.

Canada Pension Plan  Madam Speaker, as the debate winds up, it is important to recap that in Bill C-26 we are debating the ability of today's generation of workers to have adequate retirement money through the CPP, one of the fundamental pillars of our social pension programs. The CPP, the OAS, and our guaranteed income supplement are things that Canadians truly believe in.

Canada Pension Plan  Madam Speaker, why are the Conservatives out of touch with what Canadians want? Different provinces of all political stripes have recognized what Canadians want. We have seen strong national leadership coming from Ottawa, from the Minister of Finance, where we actually have an agreement.