Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I did not get the entirety of the comments by the member opposite on this question of the court challenges program but this is a subject that has been covered in considerable depth by numerous committees of the House over the last year, including the committee on whi

Canadian Content in Public Transportation Projects  Mr. Speaker, following along the same line of questioning, I may have shared with the hon. member that my riding had a small producer of seats for public transit projects, which closed not too long ago. Therefore, I take great interest in this topic. Is the member looking to man

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, taking action in the fight against climate change is certainly something that Canadians want to see from their government, but we know that Canadians also want a share in that fight and in those actions. Sadly, the previous government did not understand that. Can th

Canadian Environmental Protection Act  Mr. Speaker, first, I have a general reminder. I realize tomorrow is a great day. It is Valentine's Day. Maybe those tuned in watching tonight may not have realized the day has crept up on us rather quickly. There is still time to get out and perhaps get something for their loved

Points of Order  Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. On February 8 during oral questions the member for Beaches—East York asked a question that was the subject of the committee's proceedings, not just its agenda or schedule, as would normally be allowed. In the question, the member asserted

HIV-AIDS among Aboriginal People  Mr. Speaker, I also wish to commend those members of Parliament who made interventions this evening and participated in this debate on an issue that is gripping the world and countries right across the globe. Certainly Canada has been dealing with it the best way it can. We hear

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for London West for her comments today and her presentation. Clearly, she is an advocate and standing up well for the rights of women in Canada. These are important questions, questions I must say that the government takes very seriously.

Prebudget Consultations  Mr. Speaker, we are engaging in these budget deliberations and we honestly believe this is the right thing to do. Canadians need to be heard. However, a member of the Liberal caucus, and in fact it might even be the member across the way who just spoke, has been quoted as sayin

Prebudget Consultations  The short answer to the question, Mr. Speaker, is we are on track to get the corporate taxes down to 15% and we advanced the small business tax to 11% even one year quicker than we originally intended to. This puts us at the lowest corporate tax rates of all of the G-7 and the ri

Prebudget Consultations  Mr. Speaker, first, on the GST, the GST was in fact reduced to 6% last year and to 5%, which is where it is right now. We welcomed members opposite to support us in that decision, but if I recall, they voted against that. They were against reducing the GST. I assume from that the

Prebudget Consultations  Mr. Speaker, it is a great honour and privilege to join the prebudget debate today and, I understand, for the next few days. I commend my colleague, the parliamentary secretary and the member for South Shore—St. Margaret's, with whom I share space over in the Justice Building, f

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act  Mr. Speaker, I have heard from a number of constituents in my riding of Simcoe North on this very important topic. Often they are alarmed and seized by the notion that the process for security certificates involves secret trials. I am sure Canadians would be interested to know wh

Robbert Hartog  Mr. Speaker, a week ago Sunday, my riding lost one of its most celebrated community leaders and builders. Born in the Netherlands and schooled as an economist, Robbert Hartog helped to rebuild the economy of the Netherlands after the second world war. Soon after, he came to Can

Justice  Mr. Speaker, in the last session the government passed Bill C-59, which makes the unauthorized recording of a motion picture in a movie theatre a criminal offence. The bill was passed at record speed, just before last summer's blockbusters came out. This was in an effort to prot

Budget and Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2007  Mr. Speaker, while I appreciate the comments of the member for Miramichi, I was quite surprised by the claims made by the member and the previous speaker with regard to a lack of support for municipalities. In the previous government, the support for municipalities was lacklustre