Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House of Commons a petition signed by a number of constituents of the riding of Beauséjour—Petitcodiac. It concerns rural route mail couriers. I met with these people on a number of occasions and they have a valid point. They are

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition signed by residents of Markham, Ontario, who are very concerned about the deteriorating situation in Bangladesh, particularly the latest series of violent attacks on Hindus. The petitioners call upon the Government of Canada t

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the member for giving me an opportunity to respond to my first question in the House as a parliamentary secretary. The Department of National Defence is looking at the American decision with respect to compensation. The Minister of Vetera

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, the minister has been very clear that JTF2 represents a very important strategic asset for the Canadian forces, both to support our allies in missions abroad and to protect Canadians domestically. That is why we announced a sizeable increase in the budget for JTF2.

Pearson Peace Medal  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to congratulate Alex Morrison, the founder of the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre on being named the 23rd recipient of the Pearson Peace Medal. This medal is awarded annually by the United Nations Association of Canada to a Canadian who has ma

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure for me today to have this opportunity to congratulate the Government of Canada and the Minister of Finance on the 2003 budget. Our government has responded to the urgent needs of our Canadian Forces, particularly by eliminating the DND budget

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present a petition on behalf of the member for Markham, signed by many Canadians who are very concerned with the situation in Iraq and calling upon the government not to participate in any upcoming military invasion by the United States.

Atlantic Canadian Artists  Mr. Speaker, Canadians do not always agree on every issue, but one thing on which I believe we can find common ground is that some of the most talented artists and performers in the world originate from Atlantic Canada. Next week the National Arts Centre will unveil the artists

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, the Maritime helicopter procurement project has been a priority for the Minister of National Defence and for the government. We have said that our goal is to obtain the best aircraft as quickly as possible. To simply make outrageous allegations about unsafe aircraft

National Defence  Mr. Speaker, surely the hon. member is not suggesting that the Maritime helicopter project proceed by way of an untendered contract.

Report of the Canadian Forces Housing Agency  Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, two copies of the 2001-02 annual report of the Canadian Forces Housing Agency.

Questions on the Order Paper  Madam Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 45 and 105.

Question No. 105  I ask, Madam Speaker, that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.

Business of the House  Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Battlefords—Lloydminster for giving me the opportunity to participate in my first adjournment debate as parliamentary secretary. Canada has long been a country dedicated to peace and security, and an important part of that security obvi

Business of the House  Madam Speaker, I share the hon. member's concern and support for the men and women of our forces but on this side of the House we strongly support the decision of the minister and the outstanding job that the minister is doing in accelerating this procurement process. We recogni