Resumption and Continuation of Railway Operations  Mr. Speaker, I would ask my friend across the way a question as it relates to rail service, specifically the rail service for those communities that are very dependent on lumber revenues. I am hearing this morning from a number of the mills in my riding that they are fearful they

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to stand in this House this morning and speak to this private member's bill. I want to thank my colleague from West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country. The hon. member has brought forward this private member's bill which in many ways resemb

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's involvement in our committee. He brings forward a lot of good points, especially today when he is talking about cutting taxes. I hope the next time we bring forward a budget that cuts taxes he will divert from his usual practice of votin

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I hope that the hon. member did not take my earlier comments as a slight. I do apologize if the hon. member took any offence. I think what she has brought forward is important, in terms of concerns that she has, and I think this is something that we, as government

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, it is interesting to be in the House to hear what is in fact quite a rehash of what the committee heard and the recommendations that were brought forward. It almost seems the hon. member from that time forward has not kept up with what has happened in this area. I

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, there were a number of things the member brought up. I know the hon. member has concerns about the availability of the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises. She should be encouraged that 23,000 small and medium size businesses across this country were directly

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I think that is an excellent question. As a matter of fact, I do recall the testimony of small and medium size businesses about their access to capital, and I will just address that first. I know this government has actively worked to ensure that capital is availa

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I am a little at a loss as to how the hon. member can stand in the House and talk about EI. I know that is a bit of a segue from what we are talking about today. We are talking about procurement and small businesses, the latter being the engine of growth in all o

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to speak, and maybe during my time I can rebut some of the information that the member opposite was trying to put forward. I notice that this is a concurrence motion. It might be of some interest to members of the House and people who

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, just bridging from what the hon. member, my colleague from our committee, was speaking about regarding the difference between the American experience and the Canadian experience, I think it is interesting that in Canada, every year for the last number of years, we

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, our government has a proven track record in providing opportunities for young people. Aboriginal youth, in particular, are one of the fastest growing and youngest population groups in our country. Could the Minister of Canadian Heritage please tell this House about

National Association of Friendship Centres  Mr. Speaker, today is a historic day for the National Association of Friendship Centres here in Canada. As MPs we all have aboriginal and non-aboriginal constituents who benefit from the services provided by aboriginal friendship centres. My constituency is served by three cent

House of Commons Security Services  Mr. Speaker, this afternoon I stand in the House to pay tribute to some of the often overlooked heroes in this place. Every day we as members of Parliament come to work knowing that we are safe because here on Parliament Hill, we are protected by a well-trained security team tha

Grande Prairie  Mr. Speaker, today I rise in the House to pay a special tribute to the city of Grande Prairie. This past week the city was recognized as the second best city in all of Canada for small business to succeed. The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses lauded the city's pro

Kenya  Mr. Speaker, this summer, I travelled to Kenya, Africa with a group from Grande Prairie to witness the devastating effects that a worsening drought was having on the population. It was clear that the most vulnerable people in these dry conditions were the children, especially th