The Prime Minister  Mr. Speaker, in public, the Prime Minister says that he does not want an election. However, behind closed doors, he dreams of a Conservative majority. We have all seen the video in which he says he hopes there will be an election very soon in order to teach Canadians a lesson.

Questions on the Order Paper  Concerning the establishment of future permanent full service passport offices throughout Canada: (a) does Passport Canada have a long term plan to increase the number of permanent full service passport offices, (i) if yes, what is the break down and timeline for the establishmen

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, on the subject of employment insurance, the Conservatives seem to be on the brink of a death bed conversion. Under the previous Liberal government, the employment insurance premium rate was reduced 12 times consecutively. Just last July, the Prime Minister was callin

Employment Insurance  Mr. Speaker, this government heard none of our proposals. Employment insurance is a total mess. The Minister of Finance tells us that EI premiums will increase. The Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, however, would have us believe that the changes she says she wa

Manufacturing and Forestry Industries  Mr. Speaker, a Conference Board study showed that medium-sized cities are bearing the brunt of the current recession. In Quebec, cities like Saguenay, Trois-Rivières and Sherbrooke are dealing with it every day, and we are all worried about their weakening economies. Since 2006,

Manufacturing and Forestry Industries  Mr. Speaker, we do not have to look far to find specific examples. In Saguenay and Trois-Rivières, the forestry crisis has decimated sawmills and paper mills. In Sherbrooke, the Conservatives stood by while the manufacturing industry took a nosedive. In every one of those cities,

Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Region of Northern Ontario Act  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to speak today to Bill C-309, which was introduced by my colleague, the member for Nipissing—Timiskaming. It is a bill of great importance to me, as the Opposition critic for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. I fin

Corporal Martin Dubé  Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that we learned of the death of yet another of our brave soldiers in Afghanistan. I would like to express our sincere condolences and sympathies to the family and loved ones of Corporal Martin Dubé, from the 5 Combat Engineer Regiment based

Medical Isotopes  Mr. Speaker, François Lamoureux, president of the Association des médecins spécialistes en médecine nucléaire du Québec, said, and I quote, “This medical disaster was predictable. Everyone knew.” What concrete solutions has the government put in place since these recurring probl

Medical Isotopes  Mr. Speaker, I would like to again quote Mr. Lamoureux, who said, “The ill have been forsaken ... How devastating, how sad this is.” In the meantime, in Trois-Rivières and Quebec City, appointments for testing have already been cancelled. In Joliette, they will have to be cancel

Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, clearly, the Conservatives are still in hibernation, because they have yet to notice the beautiful season that has arrived. Our municipalities are begging us to send them infrastructure money so that they can get projects up and running. To date, all they have receiv

Student Employment  Mr. Speaker, preparing the future of our country is not this government's strong suit. Students are finding it increasingly difficult to find summer jobs. In May, the number of full-time student jobs declined by 59,000. The number of students employed or looking for work also rec

Student Employment  Mr. Speaker, that really is not enough. It is bad enough that students are suffering because of this government's inaction. However, when we learn that there were 11,465 personal and corporate bankruptcies in April, a 33% increase compared to the same period last year, we really

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regards to requests for financial assistance made to the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec for the 2005-2006 and 2008-2009 fiscal years, and by regional office: (a) for requests submitted for the authorization of the Regional Director, how many

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regards to projects for which a contribution was authorized by the Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec Regions in the Capital Fund for Business Succession and Venture: (a) what is the name of the beneficiary; (b) in what region is located the beneficiary; (c) wh