Quebec Nation  Madam Speaker, “the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada”. Two years ago today, the House of Commons unanimously passed this motion, a motion that the Bloc Québécois opposed until the last minute, but one that was fiercely defended by Conservative members from Quebec and across Canada.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment. You are the member for Victoria and you are also bilingual. It is a pleasure for a Quebecker like me to see a bilingual woman heading the business of the House. We are very proud of your appointment, Madam Speaker.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the new member for Etobicoke North on her presentation. In her speech, my colleague touched on three issues covered in the throne speech, the first being the environment. In the throne speech, the government committed to ensuring that 90% of the energy produced in Canada is clean energy.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate you on your re-election. I would also like to congratulate the member opposite on his. I listened carefully to his speech. Today, we will have the chance to support a throne speech that will position the Canadian economy. The steps we have been taking for over 30 months have put our country in a better position to face the economic crisis.

Riding of Lévis—Bellechasse  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the people of Lévis—Bellechasse and Les Etchemins for their vote of confidence, renewed on October 14, 2008. Together, we have made considerable progress with the Davie Shipyard, which has grown from three to 1,000 employees, the new congress centre—which some Conservative caucus members visited—the Patro de Lévis, as well as investment projects in Buckland, Sainte-Justine and Saint-Anselme, to name a few.

Regional Economic Development  Mr. Speaker, Mont Tremblant is a first class tourist destination and the future of the Laurentians is very promising. The Mont Tremblant airport plays a key role in the economic development of that region. Since the Bloc Québécois always comes up empty-handed and cannot do anything to encourage industry in the region, the airport's representatives have recently asked the Canadian government to help them provide services to clear passengers and their luggage through customs.

Income Tax Act  The member had opportunities to support real measures for workers and apprentices, but he chose not to stand up for those measures. While we all believe it is important to provide our young people with the training and education opportunities they need to compete in a knowledge economy, it is important we do that in a responsible and effective manner.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C-207. Unfortunately, I cannot support this bill, because it is flawed and expensive. However, I supported a bill that created a fund for the manufacturing industry and I supported a budget that creates a package through which manufacturing businesses throughout Quebec can expand and create good, well paying jobs.

Income Tax Act  Mr. Speaker, you can hear them, too. I would like the members to listen to me. I had enough respect to listen to them and I would like them to do the same. This is yet another in a slew of disappointing and really poorly thought-out economic proposals coming from the Bloc Québécois, proposals that really do not address the priorities of Quebeckers in any meaningful way.

Interparliamentary Delegations  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 34, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the report of the Canadian delegation of the Canada-France Inter-Parliamentary Association concerning the standing committee meeting held in Paris, France, from March 6 to 10, 2008.

Cadman Affair  Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party's position on the Cadman affair has been contradicted not only by Chuck Cadman himself and the RCMP, but by specialized independent legal analysts, who confirmed yesterday that Tom Zytaruk's audio tape had been doctored. In light of everything that has happened and how events have unfolded, the Liberal Party owes Canadians an honest explanation of its involvement in this affair.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, the minister has just enlightened me. He has pointed out that before the measure introduced in the 2008 budget, Canadians were penalized for saving. Savings were taxed. Now, I understand that there is the tax free savings account. A tax measure exists now so that the average Canadian can set money aside, money that will be sheltered from taxes.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I have another question for my hon. colleague and I would like to hear his comments. The Canadian Bankers Association spoke about tax reductions in the order of $200 billion. That is historic. We have never had tax cuts of this magnitude in this country. We are talking about $140 billion in personal income taxes and $60 billion in tax cuts for manufacturers.

Business of Supply  Absolutely not, Mr. Chair, quite the opposite.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I wanted my colleagues to react. However, some facts remain. We lowered taxes and the economy is actually performing quite well. I would just like to point out that, in Quebec, more than 150,000 jobs have been created since the minister was appointed. We must also acknowledge that it is due to our long-term vision for the Canadian economy, which applies to every budget.