Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Madam Speaker, I listened intently to the member's speech. I would say that I am disappointed but not surprised that the NDP will be voting against jobs and economic growth for Canadians. However, I will give the NDP some credit. It has become a liberal think-tank, after all. Principles that are put forward by the NDP within a few short months become Liberal policy.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her interventions, particularly on First Nations University. The budget does not really address jobs, veterans, families, climate change, culture, clean energy and first nations to name a few. The list goes on and on. The member will also know that the government had promised to create 190,000 new jobs, but now it is some 135,000.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, clearly this country has not had a full job recovery. What those job numbers actually cloak is the fact that often those jobs are seasonal, part-time, contract work. They are not the kinds of full-time, full-year jobs that people in this country need in order for families to have that kind of economic security.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  The hon. member will have six minutes to conclude the questions and comments period after oral questions.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague's opinion and get his comments on the lack of vision, the shortsightedness, within the budgetary document and in recent announcements that cutbacks have been made to ACAP, the Atlantic coastal action program. ACAP is a not-for-profit agency that funds and operates a number of different environmental projects throughout Atlantic Canada.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, over the past two years I think this ACAP situation has been ongoing, whether it was below the radar or not. To say I am not shocked by this goes to the heart of the matter. It has been talked about for the past couple of years, but yet the justification has been very limited.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the compliment on me being down-to-earth. I suppose when one is 5 foot 4, one does not have much of a choice. I appreciate the compliment nonetheless. When it comes to the environmental assessments, some of it is buried in red tape, especially when it comes to things like small craft harbours and the like, so I get the gist of the complaints initially.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I know the member wants to talk about fisheries, and we are on opposite ends of the country. The east coast has slightly different issues than the west coast around fisheries, but we have a common interest in preserving our fisheries. The member will be well aware of the fact that on the west coast the Fraser River Sockeye run this year was absolutely decimated.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for bringing up the issue. One of the elements that was being used, I think successfully in some cases as long as there was buy-in, was the marine protected areas. In B.C. there are a couple of good models. PNCIMA I think is the northwest area for ocean management that does a really good job with that.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  The member will not have time to get to the fisheries as his time has expired. Perhaps if someone asks him a question or comment, he will have the chance. We will have 10 minutes worth of questions and comments now. The hon. member for Elmwood—Transcona.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, my colleague is essentially asking me to write a report card for the government. He already knows what grade I would give if I were the professor: “F” for total Failure. This government does not understand that in order to respect our international commitments, we have to focus on two things: reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the source and promoting energy efficiency.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend my colleague from Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie on his excellent speech. And I quite like the name of his riding. He raised a very key point: electric and hybrid cars. An announcement was made today that we will reach an agreement with the U.S. on the number of litres per 100 km that cars can consume a few years from now.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, my colleague is right. If we want an industry to be competitive, we have to promote innovation, research and development. This is true in all areas of business activity, and even more so in the automotive industry. The future no longer belongs to big muscle cars. Unless Canada moves toward more energy and fuel efficient cars, it will inevitably be overtaken and passed by Asian countries.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member for Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie is well known for his expertise on the environment and I would like him to comment on the following. If I understand it correctly, Natural Resources Canada and Environment Canada will be cut by over $150 million over three years.

Jobs and Economic Growth Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. The Standing Committee on Finance has already looked at the problem of credit card companies. Over the coming weeks and months, the committee is expecting to make a recommendation based on its study. In Quebec, however, the consumer protection agency provides significant protection when it comes to credit card issuing and related fees.