House debate  Let me address the one point raised by the member opposite regarding a per head payment. Let me be clear. Per head payments run a high risk of trade retaliation, not only against the hog industry, but against all other livestock and agricultural sectors. Is that what the member wants? Additionally it would be very counterproductive to our current COOL challenge.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, on May 6th, my question to the Minister of Agriculture was quite direct and clear: will the minister commit today to cash payments to Canadian hog producers so they can have some financial security? Sadly, the minister's answer was the usual mishmash of misinformation and hyperbole and of course no commitment to the ad hoc payments.

Italian-Canadian Recognition and Restitution Act  There has not been any contradiction of whether the internment ever occurred, so at least that is clear in everybody's mind. We do not have the actual numbers of how many times they were actually interned because the record keeping was never properly controlled. We are not really sure how many were interned.

Italian-Canadian Recognition and Restitution Act  This bill provides an opportunity to do what should have been done long ago with dignity. To be clear, there have been steps taken to make amends for the disgraceful treatment of Italian Canadians. In 1990, the National Congress of Italian Canadians outlined the injustices in a brief sent to then Prime Minister Mulroney.

Health committee  More inspectors need to be hired, and experienced inspectors on the brink of retirement need enticements to stay on. This needs to happen very soon. A clear Health Canada strategy is needed to deal with imported products at the border. Recurring problems are known to exist with some commodities. These need to be seized before they enter the Canadian market or need to be prevented from being imported.

Health committee  The bulk of the money, about $8 million of it, is going to go to the natural health products directorate so that we can clear the backlog by 2010, which is what the minister talked about. We have a variety of business process improvements in place—the natural health product online system—whereby industry can come in with pre-cleared information.

Italian-Canadian Recognition and Restitution Act  In English, we talk about Italian Canadians having been victims of the War Measures Act, while references to this in French make it clear that the Canadian government of the day felt that Italian Canadians should be treated as enemy aliens. They were Canadians. What does it mean to be Canadian? To be considered as subjects of another country, an enemy country?

Health committee  But at that point, in response to the concerns of natural health product practitioners, a number of amendments were proposed by the government that I think would have assuaged the concerns of those practitioners. I think they would have made it quite clear that we are not treating natural health products in the same way that we're treating pharmaceuticals. We made quite a clear definitional distinction between natural health products and pharmaceuticals.

Health committee  We have discussed this issue with Health Canada, which recognizes this need for balance. However, CTA believes that Bill C-6 itself should at least provide clear guidance to better inform Health Canada's implementation. As to preserving confidential business information, Health Canada unquestionably must have the power to disclose information as necessary to protect consumers from danger.

Industry committee  Just for clarification, I want to determine, through you, Chair, whether we can receive, if it's at all possible, one way or another, the fees received from acquirers versus the fees that the banks get from acquirers. I'm not sure that was made clear. If I'm mistaken, I apologize. I would make that request, if it's at all possible, through you, Chair.

Finance committee  Just for clarification, I want to determine, through you, Chair, whether we can receive, if it's at all possible, one way or another, the fees received from acquirers versus the fees that the banks get from acquirers. I'm not sure that was made clear. If I'm mistaken, I apologize. I would make that request, if it's at all possible, through you, Chair.

Budget Implementation Act, 2009  The industries of Alberta depend on that water, yet there is not one cent, despite the fact there is a clear regulatory mandate on the government to manage water for the benefit of Canadians. My colleague who spoke earlier asked a question of our colleague from the Bloc about the issue of the intrusion into the budget, nefariously, of amendments to laws.

Senate Ethics Act  Rather, I was questioning the decisions, the integrity and the transparency of the Conservative government. I want to be very clear on that. I understand from your judgment that this practice is discouraged, but I am not necessarily being called to order. Can you confirm this?

Transport committee  I think you had made a statement somewhere in there that this was going to help with respect to economic stimulus. I just want to be clear: I don't think any of you presupposed that this could be embarked upon within the next couple of years. In other words, it's not going to affect the current downturn.

Health committee  I look forward to meeting with my colleague later today to perhaps discuss some of these in more detail without the time restriction. The government has demonstrated very clear leadership around HIV/AIDS federal initiatives. Last year we invested more than $84 million towards HIV/AIDS research initiatives, and that is the most that has ever been spent in the history of this nation.