Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member for his question. I am perfectly at ease expressing myself in my native tongue, even though I am of Irish descent. For that matter, I should mention to the member that tomorrow, March 17, is the celebration of the Irish. That is a fine example of the ability of Quebec's and Canada's societies to integrate and accommodate immigrants.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure today to make this statement alongside a woman with whom I have been privileged to sit. The member for Richmond taught entrepreneurship at a technical school in British Columbia. It is women like my colleague who build stronger provinces within a stronger Canada.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I listened to the former minister talk about the present finance minister who is facing a difficult situation in Quebec. Last week, I had the opportunity to remind the member opposite that a $19.3 billion transfer was unheard of. In the whole history of the Canadian federation, such a massive transfer from the federal government to a provincial government, in one lump sum, is a record amount of money.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, how disappointing to see that the leader of the Bloc Québécois and his MPs are the ones, once again, who are abandoning Quebec here in Ottawa. We have before us a budget that offers Quebec unprecedented benefits. I share Bernard Landry's view that Quebec has everything it needs at the moment to develop fully with the Canadian federation and to play a leadership role.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for highlighting the important contribution made by our seniors, who may fall victim to the tough economic times. I can assure him that our government is maintaining all of its measures for seniors, and has implemented a number of measures, for example, support for New Horizons for Seniors.

The Budget  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. In my speech, I said that the project in Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague, a wonderful municipality in my riding, would receive funding for more than one-third of the costs, to take into account the municipal taxpayers' ability to pay.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise in the House today to speak on behalf of the people of Lévis, Bellechasse and Etchemins in order to show my support for the government's budget 2010. This is an excellent budget because it will help solidify a recovery in the Canadian economy and manage expenditures in order to return to a balanced budget.

Points of Order  Mr. Speaker, I would like to go back to the point of order that was raised after question period. My honourable colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, mentioned Mr. Latulippe's appointment to a high-profile position. Mr. Latulippe was solicitor general in Robert Bourassa's Liberal government.

Economic Action Plan  Mr. Speaker, while the Bloc MPs are shamefully abandoning Quebec workers at the height of the worst economic crisis in decades by voting against thousands of infrastructure projects and hundreds of millions of essential infrastructure dollars for Quebec, all the Conservative MPs are standing up for Quebec and working hard to keep their promises and support our economy.

Economic Action Plan  Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government's implementation of our remarkable economic action plan proves to what extent we continue to take initiative and listen to the concerns of the people of Quebec. Again yesterday, we saw the Bloc members express their indignation. Yet the Bloc leader and Bloc members stayed seated in this House throughout the fall, instead of standing up for Quebeckers, which is what the Conservative members have been doing.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you happy holidays. I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, which decided to adopt a motion on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, regarding the publication assistance program and the new Canada periodical fund.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36, I am pleased to present the attached petition, which has been certified correct as to form and content, on behalf of the citizens of Sainte-Sabine-de-Bellechasse, a beautiful community in Etchemins. Of course, the petitioners' concern has to do with keeping rural post offices open, considering the vital role they play within their communities.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages entitled: Impact of Approval and Payment Delays on Department of Canadian Heritage Recipient Organizations.

Quebec Bridge  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take part in this evening's debate, not only as the MP for the communities of Lévis, Bellechasse and Les Etchemins, but also as a civil engineer. It is often said that engineers in Canada wear a ring made from pieces of the bridge that fell during the tragic accidents that took place while the Quebec bridge was being constructed, to remind us that to err is human and that engineers must always be very careful in their design.

Agriculture  Mr. Speaker, we all know that Quebec agricultural producers can count on the Conservative government when it is time to take action for agriculture. Unlike the Bloc members, Ottawa's very own armchair quarterbacks and sideline observers, can the Minister of State for Agriculture explain the government's policy on supply management?