Aboriginal Healing Foundation  Mr. Speaker, I am still learning. For over 10 years the Aboriginal Healing Foundation has provided support to the survivors and the families of survivors of the residential school system. This good work will come to an end while the need it was intended to address continues. We are well aware that the government made a formal apology to the victims of the residential school system, an apology for the treatment of young aboriginals who were subjected to unspeakable acts of physical, sexual, mental and cultural abuse in that system.

Supreme Court Act  Mr. Speaker, since March 20 was the 40th anniversary of the International Day of La Francophonie, I am happy and very proud to have the opportunity to speak about why the members of the House of Commons should support Bill C-232. The bill proposes that any judge appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada must be able to speak to the people in both official languages.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her speech and for having introduced this bill, which is now in its third reading. In my riding of Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing, there are many rural communities. The fact that many of the youth decide to move to larger cities poses a huge problem.

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, given that my colleague from Hamilton Mountain is our labour critic, I know we can depend on her to bring labour issues forward. She has talked about environmental and labour laws. She has talked about no trade sanctions for violations and for a waiver of labour laws.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to table signed petitions addressing concerns pertaining to the proposed Canada-Colombia trade deal. The petitioners underline the following concerns: the ongoing violence against workers and members of civil society, including that 2,200 trade unionists have been murdered since 1991; and the fact the framework is the same as that of NAFTA, which has basically benefited the large multinational corporations with little benefit to working families.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am presenting petitions that have been signed by numerous Canadians who oppose the cut in funding for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Yes, the government has formally apologized to aboriginals and their families who were victims of aboriginal residential schools, but it seems as though the government believes that simple statements are all that is needed to make up for past wrongs.

Health  Mr. Speaker, tuberculosis is on the rise among aboriginal peoples, while rates of infection are declining among non-aboriginals. The incidence is 200 times higher in the four Inuit regions of Canada than in areas further south in the country. Tuberculosis is a danger to the health of those infected and their families.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be able to join the debate and express my support for Bill C-470, a bill that I feel is of utmost importance in ensuring that Canadians retain faith in giving money to charitable organizations across the country. The bill will provide Canadians with the knowledge that the presidents, CEOs and other executives of the thousands of registered charities throughout Canada are limited in the amount of compensation they are receiving.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for all the information he was able to provide on this subject. I want to talk about corporate tax cuts again because this is one of the big ones. There have been over $21 billion in corporate tax cuts since 2008. Yet the government will add $166.4 billion to the public debt and $60 billion more within the next 10 years.

Harmonized Sales Tax  Mr. Speaker, aboriginal communities in Ontario strongly oppose the HST. The Union of Ontario Indians and the United Chiefs and Councils of Manitoulin have been trying for months to meet with the Minister of Finance to discuss the loss of point of sale exemptions under the new tax.

The Economy  Mr. Speaker, I find it quite interesting that we are talking about the economy and jobs. I come from a riding that has seen a phenomenal number of jobs lost in the riding, especially in regard to our resource industry. I want to ask the hon. member about corporate tax cuts. The fact is that the former Liberal government believed that corporate tax cuts were the answer and the Conservative government has followed in its footsteps.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate the member for all that he has given to Parliament and I wish him well in his future endeavours or retirement, whichever he decides. He mentioned Haiti, which was mentioned in the throne speech, and I certainly want to thank the government for putting forth the resources that were needed to assist the Haitian people.

Health  Mr. Speaker, last week's throne speech indicated that we will improve the conditions of aboriginal women in Canada. When it comes to HIV-AIDS, the infection rate for aboriginal women is running ahead of Canadian averages and is increasing. Aboriginal women are overrepresented in the Canadian epidemic.

Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, like many others today, I would like to comment on today's Speech from the Throne. It is high time the government not only supported but also endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. According to the Speech from the Throne, the government intends to reform and strengthen education in aboriginal communities.

Community Theatre  Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House to pay tribute to Sharon Sproule who is a founding member of the Espanola Little Theatre which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Sharon is a celebrated actress, having won regional, provincial and international awards for her stage work.