Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to participate in this important debate brought on by the May 5 vote by the European parliament to ban trade in seal products. I would like to address some of the important issues underlying this debate, particularly those relating to wild animal hu

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank my colleague. I think there are many misperceptions out there in terms of the seal hunt, the humanity and the sustainability, and what he has done is clearly articulate the regulations and the number of changes that have been made.

Human Pathogens and Toxins Act  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the health committee, I would like to reassure the hon. member opposite that we have had great, lengthy conversations regarding the privacy assessment and privacy issues. At the end of the day, we also know that the regulations will address some of the

Points of Order  Mr. Speaker, after the very important words we just heard from the retiring member for Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley, it reminds us how important respect is in this House and how important it is to be vigilant about respect in this House. Yesterday, the member for Ne

Western Economic Diversification  Mr. Speaker, while western Canadians are concerned that the Liberal leader said that he will raise taxes, the member for Newton—North Delta went one further and criticized our government for investing too much in the west. This Conservative government will continue our investme

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for so clearly sharing the importance of our trade relationships back and forth. I would like to ask her this as someone who is responsible for a city on the border. We had heard earlier in the House that perhaps there are issues w

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for clarifying some of the inaccuracies that were actually within the motion and within the opening speech, and for talking about a lot of the good co-operative work in relationship building that we were doing. I would appreciate hearing a litt

Thompson Rivers University Scholarships  Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to an extraordinary gentleman from my riding, Mr. Alvin Grunert. Mr. Grunert has generously donated $1.5 million to Thompson Rivers University, allowing for the creation of an endowed scholarship for the top students in each of the facult

Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992  Madam Speaker, when members work with a bill intimately, they certainly know all the different clauses. As someone who is responsible for a riding with many transnational highways running through it, I am wondering if the hon. member could clarify how this will impact the safety

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to acknowledge that the forestry industry is struggling throughout Canada. Of course in British Columbia not only do we have issues with the downturn in the market, but we have incredible issues with the pine beetle problem. Having said that, I not

Health  Mr. Speaker, this March is nutrition month. Nutrition in a balanced diet is a critical component to a healthy lifestyle. Proper nutrition aids in health promotion and illness prevention. Would the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health share with the House what our Co

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, this week is International Women's Week, culminating in International Women's Day on March 8. This government has a strong record on supporting women. The Prime Minister recently appointed the highest percentage of women to cabinet, as well as the first Minister of

Olympic Winter Games  Mr. Speaker, today marks the one year countdown to the start of the Canada Olympic Games. As a British Columbian, I can say how excited everyone is back home. Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending a celebration in Kamloops with thousands in attendance. Could the region

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, a number of the constituents of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo are very concerned about the sexual exploitation of children. Therefore, the petitioners are calling upon Parliament to protect our children by taking all necessary steps to raise the age of consent from 14 ye

The Budget  Madam Speaker, to go back to the point that I made in my speech, we truly are in extraordinary global economic times. One only needs to look at the news in terms of Europe and China. In terms of Canada, all the governments of the past need to be particularly pleased at how we fin