Arts and Culture  Mr. Speaker, each year, the Governor General and the Canada Council for the Arts collaborate to honour the finest in Canadian literature. The Governor General said, “These artists, through their passion, ignite our love of reading with every new book”. I wish to especially cele

David Lam  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the memory of the 25th Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, the Hon. David Lam, who died Monday at the age of 87. David Lam was an inspiration for all Canadians. His intelligence, generosity, passion for life and love for his community are

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, Canadians can count on their government to oppose protectionism and defend free trade on the world stage. Today the Minister of International Trade was in Delhi to launch the first round of negotiations towards a Canada-India free trade agreement. Protectionism con

Canada Labour Code  Madam Speaker, the provisions of Bill C-386 are being debated in the House today. This proposed legislation, if enacted, would result in substantial changes to key sections of the Canada Labour Code. It would prohibit the use of replacement workers at federally regulated workplac

Commonwealth Games  Mr. Speaker, as we speak, the 19th Commonwealth Games are moving into day four in Delhi, India. Already, Canadians have been winning medals in events. Among them, in the men's team artistic gymnastics, Robert Watson and Jason Scott, both members of the Richmond Gymnastics Associ

Canada-China Relations  Mr. Speaker, next month marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Canada and the People's Republic of China. Our ties are strong in business and education and in cultural exchanges. Bilateral trade is a good example. Currently, China is our

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition regarding the implementation of recommendations made in the B.C. SPCA's report to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Audrey Paterson  Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to honour the late Audrey Paterson, founder of the Canadian Women Voters Congress and the Western Businesswomen's Association. She passed away in Vancouver last week at the age of 82. My condolences go out to her husband, Ron Castner, her

Earthquake in China  Mr. Speaker, on April 14, an earthquake of 7.1 magnitude struck Yushu, a town in the Qinghai province of China. As of today, the death toll has climbed to 2,183 and 84 people are still missing. A week after the devastating quake, the Chinese government has designated today a nati

Persons with Disabilities  Mr. Speaker, today I would like to honour two extraordinary individuals from my riding, Mr. James Armstrong and Mr. Darryl Neighbour. Both gentlemen are phenomenal wheelchair curlers and were an integral part of Canada's wheelchair curling team that won the gold medal in the Par

Economic Action Plan  Mr. Speaker, our government is now implementing year two of Canada's economic action plan. This plan has helped Canada cope with the effects of the global recession better than nearly every other industrialized country. Our plan cut taxes for families. We extended EI benefits t

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, helping people who are struck by unfortunate disasters is the priority of Canadians. However, sometimes we have to do one thing at a time. Canada definitely shows sympathy for the Chileans and their troubles. I am sure CIDA is constantly monitoring the situation an

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I think in difficult times we had special measures to tackle the economic downturn caused by the international recession. However, there is a time when we have to plan for the exit. Now that the economy is getting better, we should also plan ahead to tackle the big

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, I am proud to say that Canada is the first to help many nations when there is a disaster. Our nation is working very closely. I am sure the minister responsible for CIDA is watching our Chilean friends closely so that we can give them whatever help we can.

Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply  Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure today to speak to the Speech from the Throne, delivered by Her Excellency the Governor General. I will be splitting my time with the member for St. Catharines. The throne speech described t these times of both “great uncertainty and great optimism