Address in Reply  There is still time to prove that the system works, not just for politicians and special interests but for everyday Canadian workers, families and businessmen. I ask everyone to consider this and to come forward to ensure that we can all succeed together. Canada is on a strong financial footing today.

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  He has engaged a great many Canadians on this front. He can tell members that the response he has received from everyday Canadians is nothing like proponents of this deal would hope to see. It is a tidal wave of disapproval. Although most Canadians are not concerned with the ins and outs of trade policy right now, due to being preoccupied with the economic crisis, when they are it is usually because of problems such as we have seen with our dysfunctional softwood lumber agreement and not trade with deals flying under the radar.

Environment committee  Do you have anything you can offer to this committee in terms of what that would do to the price of energy for everyday Canadian consumers? How much would a litre of fuel be in 2030? How much would a cubic litre of natural gas be in 2030?

Transport committee  How many Canadians will be directly advantaged by a high-speed rail system? Public transit touches the lives of everyday Canadians, and your constituents, in an exceptional number of ways. We have the young couple who take the bus or train to work every day. There are families who depend on transit to access health care.

Environment committee  Finally, with respect to the guidelines for eating fish at Fort Chip and the suggestion to eat fish no more than once per week, can you help me understand, as a lay person, as a Canadian, what the differences are in terms of the guidelines for me eating fish on a weekly basis? I believe those guidelines exist for everyday Canadians as well. What are the differences?

House debate  Now the CBC is obviously experiencing the same economic downturn that regular Canadians are facing. Everyday Canadians are saying that these are tough economic times. People are being forced to make tough choices. The CBC has seen its advertising revenues drop, but not because of the Conservative Party.

Environment committee  Can you help everyday Canadians understand what you mean by compensation? What are the implications of compensation now? Are we talking about rural Canadians here, taking certain actions that are in support of SARA and the protection of species at risk, being compensated?

Settlement of International Investment Disputes Act  In fact, we are waiting on the government to give some sense that it is there to help everyday Canadians, but it has said only if we pass its budget. These kinds of treaties, the SPP kind of process, are a clear indication to Canadians of where the present government, the previous government and opposition parties stand on this bill.

Business of Supply  We are keeping our communities strong by focusing on real help on the hardest hit. This government is taking good ideas from everyday Canadians to make sure Canada weathers the storm. Young families and new farmers want a way of life, some want what mom and dad and grandma and grandpa had, and some really want a special way of life.

Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992  Some of the chemicals enable, for instance, municipalities to provide safe drinking water to their citizens, doctors to provide their patients with access to vital and important nuclear medicines, manufacturers to produce plastics that are used in our clothes, homes, cars, boats and cottages, and everyday Canadians, on those beautiful summer days, to cook their favourite meals on their backyard propane or gas barbecues. That is one of my personal favourites. The Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act is criminal law and has serious consequences as a result.

Natural Resources committee  Or it was put up the smokestack; that was also noted to be containment by the minister. Definitions that everyday Canadians would understand to mean one thing were beginning to mean another. As well, around the notion of treatment, what is it to treat heavy water that has been contaminated with tritium, which has severe adverse health effects?

The Budget  The Minister of Finance's team crossed the country and consulted widely with some of the leading economic and financial minds in Canada, not just the people on Bay Street or the car manufacturers in southern Ontario, but everyone from coast to coast to coast. I myself met with community leaders and constituents and everyday Canadians in my riding of Saint Boniface. They are concerned about the future of our country if action is not taken immediately, yet at the same time they feel a sense of confidence in knowing that the Prime Minister and our Conservative government are the ones to see us through this uncertain time.

Budget Implementation Act, 2008  The NDP is the only party consistently opposing this wrong-headed Conservative agenda. We are listening to everyday Canadians and ensuring their voices and their choices are part of the national debate about the kind of Canada we want. I would also like to talk about a growing crisis in this country, that of poverty and homelessness.

The Budget  We invited the ideas of provincial and territorial governments, economists, academics, labour and non-governmental organizations. We sought out the input from everyday Canadians through online consultations and town halls. We formed an economic advisory council of private sector business leaders, some of Canada's pre-eminent business minds and most successful business leaders, who unselfishly gave of their time out of a desire to help their country in a time of tremendous need; a desire I believe that is shared by most members in the House.

Address in Reply  The most disheartening thing about this point is not that MPs of different persuasions are more divided than everyday Canadians. It is that if we are not careful we will increasingly become divided from Canadians. This risk does not just extend to MPs. It extends to staff members, lobbyists, journalists, academics, interest groups and even public servants.