Aboriginal Healing Foundation  Quite simply, it will be disastrous. One of the people I had the honour of working with said that if the community loses the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, in a few months there will be a resurgence of suicide among our young people. In fact, our youth will no longer have somewhere to go to reconnect with their community, to rebuild their identity and to rebuild a healthy community.

Aboriginal Healing Foundation  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the discussions we have had in the past and certainly the responses the minister has given me as we seek support for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. However, I have to share the message that not only I believe but that thousands of Canadians have shared with me.

Aboriginal Healing Foundation  moved: That this House do now adjourn. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to note that I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing. I am honoured to stand here in this Parliament on behalf of the people of Northern Manitoba and across Canada.

Request for Emergency Debate  Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to request an emergency debate on the imminent cut of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. This debate is urgent given that the Aboriginal Healing Foundation is scheduled to lose all of its funding in two days, on March 31. This means the closure of 134 programs in every province and territory across Canada.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin my deliberation on Bill C-288 by setting the stage. I was born in a town called Thompson, Manitoba, a town of 15,000 people. Like most of the people I went to school with who chose to pursue post-secondary education, I had to leave my home community.

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, we have heard a lot from the Bloc Québécois and the NDP about Colombians’ human rights and how this agreement would enable the paramilitaries and some Colombians who support their government to maintain the attitude they have adopted. One of the attacks on human rights we do not hear a lot about is the attack on women.

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, the member for Welland has done a lot of fine work in terms of the importance of the agricultural industry to Canada. Given that a lot of his work has been focused on the way in which the Conservative government has not stood up for the agricultural industry in Canada, I would like him to comment on some of the hypocrisy that we have been hearing.

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, my colleague has expressed very well why his party and mine believe that this is a bad deal for Canada as well as Colombia. The NDP does not believe that the free trade agreement between Canada and Colombia will promote human rights and improve conditions in Colombia.

Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, people of northern Manitoba rely on winter roads to get what they need. Usually the roads are open for over eight weeks. This year, due to a mild winter, they have been open for much less. Despite the Conservatives' denials, climate change is real, and the consequences, especially in Canada's north, are serious.

Telecommunications  Mr. Speaker, first, the government sends letters to groups in rural communities telling them they are no longer getting funding for Internet access. Now we see the government flip-flopping. What is going on? For many in rural and remote communities, the community access program is key for Canadians to access online resources for services, training and jobs.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I would like to make a direct appeal to the Prime Minister. Residential school survivors and their families have looked to the Prime Minister and Canada's national apology as a sign of hope. That hope now hangs in the balance. For 10 years, survivors and their families have looked to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation for support as they try to move forward.

Aboriginal Healing Foundation  Madam Speaker, in 2008 Parliament made history with its apology to residential school survivors. This moment set our country on a new path. Healing has been an integral part of that path for aboriginal peoples. For 10 years survivors and their communities have looked to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation for healing and hope.

THE BUDGET  Madam Speaker, the member across referenced some of my colleagues in the House, colleagues who have stood and fought for their constituents, along with all New Democrats, whether it is in terms of employment insurance or pension. However, if we are talking about seniors, we would like to see a real commitment from Canada's government when it comes to seniors, whether it is looking at support for the guaranteed income supplement, pension plans or standing up for a stronger pension plan in both the private and the public sector.

THE BUDGET  Madam Speaker, I found it interesting to hear the member's commitments, on behalf of his party, to research and innovation in the budget. Over this past year, I have been very involved in working with a number of organizations, certainly students and researchers, regarding the attacks specifically on the social sciences and humanities.

THE BUDGET  Madam Speaker, I heard the hon. member emphasize investments in science and technology and post-secondary education. However, we in the NDP feel that even in the area of post-secondary education, this is a budget that fails to help Canada move forward. One way it fails is by not really helping post-secondary students across the board.