Export and Import Permits Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is indeed important to emphasize that Bill C-47 will not affect gun owners. It is also important to note that the Conservatives are once again trying to strike fear into our communities. This is nothing new, and we are used to it.

Export and Import Permits Act  Mr. Speaker, the only thing that has changed with Bill C-47 is the fearmongering on the other side and the emails sent to their party members so they can fundraise on this particular issue. There will be no amendments to the Firearms Act with Bill C-47.

Export and Import Permits Act  Mr. Speaker, Canada has always had a good relationship with the United States. The United States is not a high-risk country. We have a very good relationship with them. I think this treaty will enable Canada to work with the international community. We must take care not to lump the United States in with other high-risk countries.

Export and Import Permits Act  Mr. Speaker, the Arms Trade Treaty was about Canada participating with the international community. I understand that some of the members on the other side are causing some fearmongering with their communities, and with rural communities especially. However, I want to reassure them that this has nothing to do with law-abiding gun owners in Canada.

Export and Import Permits Act  Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my esteemed colleague from Kitchener Centre. During the course of the first day of debate on Bill C-47, certain members of this House chose to focus their sights on unfounded concerns with respect to the legitimate use of firearms by law-abiding, licensed firearm owners in Canada.

Franco-Ontarian Day  Mr. Speaker, today, September 25, we are celebrating Franco-Ontarian Day. I want to thank the francophone community groups of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell and its francophone population of more than 65,000 people. I would also like to recognize the important work done by the Prescott—Russell branch of the Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario, the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario, and the French-language school boards.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Sudbury for his excellent speech. We are demonstrating leadership. Let us recall that the former Conservative government refused to believe in the existence of bilingual judges. In fact, it told us that it was impossible to find a bilingual judge in Newfoundland and Labrador, but we found one.

National Blood Donor Week  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House today to recognize National Blood Donor Week and the thousands of Canadian blood donors who are the lifeblood of their communities. National Blood Donor Week takes place from June 11 to June 17 and was officially enacted by the House of Commons in 2008.

Canada Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I agree, but I do not necessarily disagree about him leaving in shackles. If people break the law, they deserve to leave in shackles, especially for election fraud.

Canada Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has some very nice golf courses in his area. Smuggler's Glen is a great area to golf. The reason why we are having this debate today is because, to this day, 13 years later, we still do not know who contributed at the fundraisers held by the previous prime minister.

Canada Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, the member should ask the leader from Outremont, because he is still holding cash for access events at $300 per head.

Canada Elections Act  Just in case they did not hear me, Mr. Speaker, I just want to repeat. In 2004, Stephen Harper was the leader of the official opposition. We did not know who donated to his campaign. To this day, we still do not know who donated to his campaign. We do not know which lobbyists or which stakeholders.

Canada Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise to speak to Bill C-50, and to have the opportunity to talk about the importance of providing more transparency on how party leaders and political parties fundraise. I just want to mention a few things about the objective of the bill. It is about fundraising events and applying more transparency to events involving cabinet ministers, including the Prime Minister, which was not there before.

Canada Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I assume the member's memory is very short. Perhaps he was not a member of Parliament when Canadians were paying attention in 2009. Perhaps I should remind him. One of the leadership candidates, the member for Milton, was minister of natural resources at the time. Let me remind him what happened at the time, because they talk about cash for access.

Canada Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague's speech. To hear him say it, one would believe that what happened in Parliament was terrible, and that no one else has ever paid to attend an event. It is funny, because the New Democrats see themselves as political angels. They have never done anything wrong.