Information & Ethics committee  As an investigative body we also feel the impact it has on the conduct of our investigations when the professionals within the federal institutions are not properly trained, or there are not enough of them in the various institutions. In our office we've needed to have a clear recruitment strategy in order to fill the gaps within our own ranks.

Finance committee  However, traditionally, the different regimes are harmonized to a great extent to facilitate exchanges between the provinces, and the movement of workers from province to province. Therefore, it's not a case where measures can be imposed. However, it is clear that Canada-wide measures will have a significant impact on the choices that the Government of Quebec will eventually make, particular in terms of making people poorer. I am concerned about regulatory changes with respect to actuarial assessments and how this might translate into a loss of authority over the plan for the Government of Quebec.

Finance committee  Denison, laid out a number of facts that could be considered by policy-makers, making it very clear that policy matters are to be decided by federal and provincial legislators. We are an investment management group, but given that we were created by the successful reforms of the CPP more than ten years ago, we have some experience with one of those models.

Information & Ethics committee  The minister has basically thrown our report out--work that all of us agreed to, pretty much unanimously, 12 recommendations for quick fixes. It's clear there's no intention on behalf of the minister to address any of this. Ten sessions were spent to work quite meticulously on those recommendations. Is it time to say, okay, enough of this, let's just overhaul the whole system?

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm hoping that we end today and that by the time we finish dealing with this bill, all of us understand it better and we can clear up all of the misconceptions out there about so many things. If you paid less, you get less. If you merge the CPP.... Someone who chooses to take the CPP at 60 years old, to get them to 65, has to expect that their....

Finance committee  It also benefits governments through higher tax and other revenues that would otherwise be lost to the underground economic activity. I will conclude my comments with a caution. It's clear that the HRTC is having a very positive impact on the level of home renovation activity in Canada. This initiative will end by early-2010. A few months later, harmonized sales tax will be introduced in both Ontario and British Columbia, resulting in a tax increase on home renovations in the amount of $1 billion each year.

Employment Insurance Act  I have not seen any academic, social policy expert, anybody, suggest that the answer to the crisis was to further provide benefits and then to limit those benefits to only a few people. In the spring the leader of the Liberal Party made his point clear, that we would call for a national standard of 360 hours for employment insurance eligibility. That was the call of the Leader of the Opposition, supported by many people across the country.

Information & Ethics committee  In fairness, right in the last sentence in paragraph one, after the word “sadly,” it's clear that you have some...and you mentioned that in your discussion about some of the technological challenges we face moving forward in this dynamic environment. Certainly it changes rapidly, that's for sure.

Foreign Affairs committee  Well, I have a question here where he is talking about the denial of consular services. He talks about high-profile cases, and in those cases, I want to make it very clear, so that you and I know, there were no consular services denied. There were other issues denied, but not consular services. He was talking about consular services. What we have here are consular people to talk about it.

Information & Ethics committee  The data we have here are similar in nature, so if we look at complaints against PCO in 2006-07—I did use percentages—they were 6.5%, and once again, if we exclude crown corporations, they've gone up to 11.6%. So it's a doubling. And there's a clear trend here that coincides with what I believe are new approaches to dealing with these matters. Now, I had finished off my last round by noting that we've gone from 30 days to 60 days to 150, 250, 300 days for requests, and when people call to find out what's going on, most often the response is that it's in PCO consultation.

National Defence committee  If the eventuality of commercial use of the Northwest Passage is to come, we want to be involved in how it happens. But first of all, we want to make it very clear to everyone that, as we said from the beginning, the Northwest Passage is internal waters. That is a position we are not prepared to compromise on. The issue for us as far as the passage is concerned is to make sure the international community recognizes that Canada is responsible for that passage and has the responsibility for putting in regulations and measures to make sure that if commercial passage of ships does take place, it has to happen under conditions that are acceptable to the people living up there.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's good that we've cleared that up for the record. My second question is on the costing of your bill. You stated in the House that the Parliamentary Budget Officer and the Library of Parliament were unable to provide a reliable estimate to you.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  The wait times were about 58 months and the system was fully clogged. Now the wait times are less and we are clearing up the backlog. I want to talk about fake marriages, marriages of convenience. I represent an ethnic riding, and almost two dozen people have come to my office to say their spouses left when they got to the airport.

National Defence committee  Premier Williams apologized, on behalf of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, for the forceable move south of two Inuit communities to a place where they did not wish to be. I can tell everybody here that it was an extremely moving apology, and it was very, very clear from the reaction of the people involved how important it was to them and what a striking reaction--an emotional, physical reaction--resulted from that. So I understand that, and I support your request for an apology.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Likely it'll be mom, but if the mom is overseas, then the child will be separated from the mom for five years. Let me see if I have this clear on the recommendations from both of you. There's a need for faster application. The turndown rate should be lower, especially in some visa offices. If a case is rejected, the immigration appeal division process now takes a year and a half, so we need more board members in the appeal division in order to process these cases faster.