Elections Canada  Mr. Speaker, the Conservative candidate in Compton-Stanstead, Gary Caldwell, confirmed that the Prime Minister and his team cheated during the last election. Mr. Caldwell said that the money was supposed to be spent on local advertising, but that did not happen. He advised the Prime Minister to accept Elections Canada's decision, as he has.

Canada Water Preservation Act  moved for leave to introduce Bill C-535, An Act respecting the preservation of Canada’s water resources. Mr. Speaker, I rise with great pride and pleasure to table this bill. The object of the bill is to prevent transfers of bulk water from one major drainage basin in Canada to another, thereby protecting the environment, which is damaged by such transfers, and thereby at the same time also preventing the transfer of freshwater outside of Canada.

Darfur  Mr. Speaker, on the eve of the Global Day for Darfur, we all need to be aware of the conflict raging in the Darfur region of Sudan. The region is in the throes of a conflict pitting the Sudanese government against militia groups. But it is civilians whose basic rights have been violated who are suffering the most.

Canadian Multiculturalism Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague on his very eloquent speech. My question is, in concrete terms, what does he mean by “multiculturalism”? Does the concept not defy definition? Are there federal or provincial programs in Quebec—concrete, reality-based programs—that the member feels are obstacles to integration?

Drinking Water  Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Medical Association Journal states that as of March 31, 1,800 communities could not count on the quality of their drinking water, because they were under boil water advisories. Since the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Health and the Minister of the Environment were provincial ministers during the Walkerton tragedy, how can we count on these Conservatives to take the necessary measures to ensure that all Canadians have access to safe drinking water?

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to water-monitoring stations: (a) how many stations does the government own or operate across Canada; (b) for what purposes does it use these stations; (c) how does the government monitor the quality of surface water in watersheds across the country for toxins and other pollutants; and (d) does the government have a clear picture of the types and levels of contaminants present in Canada’s lakes, rivers and streams?

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to industrial development at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport: (a) what data was used by Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service to conclude the absence of colonies of migratory birds, species at risk listed under the Species at Risk Act, or wetlands in the vicinity of an area slated for industrial development at the airport and currently used as a golf course; and (b) when and how was this data collected?

Budget Implementation Act, 2008  Mr. Speaker, I listened with a certain amount of amusement to the hon. member's speech about the virtues of the Conservative Party. I have three questions for him. First, if the government is being so transparent and if these directives will be so transparent, will the government commit to put in legislation that directives should be submitted for review simultaneously to a committee of the Senate and a committee of the House, even if it is time limited consultation to preserve the flexibility for the minister?

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his speech but it sounds like the speech that should have been given for the Bloc opposition day on the national securities regulator. I understand that the government rarely takes any public initiative without significant polling and strategizing, so I would like to ask the hon. member what the goal of the finance minister's series of sorties against the Government of Ontario was.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, when the previous member spoke, she brought in the idea of photographs and what she had seen in photographs. A little red light went on for me, because photographs can be used to justify one or both positions. However, in relation to the hon. member's comments, he made a lot of comparisons that I am not sure I agree with.

Afghanistan  That's what people think.

Fay Bland  Mr. Speaker, the West Island of Montreal recently lost one of its most caring and dedicated advocates for the mentally disabled. Fay Bland was the visionary founder of AVATIL, a non-profit organization that promotes independent living for the mentally disabled, and was the recipient of many awards, including the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award for her decades of volunteer work.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am sorry, I thought the period for questions was over, since I had been signaled that I was out of time.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, if I believed that this proposal would deprive Quebec, my native province and the province where the riding I represent is located, of the financial tools needed by the Quebec business community, I would be against it. I think that this will give Quebec corporations better access to equity from elsewhere in Canada.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his comments. Obviously, I understand the difference between repatriating powers and respecting the powers granted to the provinces by the Constitution. I thought I made that distinction, but perhaps I did not emphasize it enough. It is a matter of law.