Fair Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, the member clearly did not listen to the final moments of my remarks where I showed that Elections Canada's move to the 39 forms of identification, with specific attestation letters for those on first nations reserves, would actually allow a template that could be us

Fair Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to offer my voice in this House of Commons on Bill C-23. I did have the privilege of spending a lot of time, as I said, with colleagues on the procedure and House affairs committee. I also had the ability, particularly as a by-election winner,

Fair Elections Act  Mr. Speaker, I know the hon. member wanted me to get up and ask a question after her impassioned speech earlier, so I will certainly oblige. I enjoyed my time on the procedure and House affairs committee with her, and everyone who spent a lot of time on Bill C-23. My question st

Offshore Health and Safety Act  Mr. Speaker, I could not resist but to get up for two reasons. I thank my friend and colleague for his remarks, particularly talking about the tragic Cougar helicopter crash. A good friend and former air force colleague of mine, Tim Lanouette, was on that aircraft, which had a c

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, what we see today, sadly, is the true NDP. In some circles NDP members praise trade because they know one Canadian job in five is directly attributable to our exports, yet when they are in other places or at national meetings of unions, they bash trade and try and op

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for that question. Our government has negotiated a historic agreement with the European Union, a market of 500 million consumers, as announced last fall, with the final agreement to come before this place in the coming months. Today

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, as the member knows as a colleague of mine on the trade committee, this agreement is historic, and all of the fundamental principles, including reduction of tariff lines, including phase-in years, including a region-by-region breakdown on how beneficial this agreemen

First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act  Mr. Speaker, my concern with the remarks by the member for Western Arctic, and even his responses to his colleagues, is that the NDP's typical approach here is to delay, suggest more talking, and not address the issues. We are hearing from first nation leaders across Canada who

Mental Health Week  Mr. Speaker, next week is Mental Health Week. On May 6, Senator Roméo Dallaire and I will host the Sam Sharpe breakfast, exploring veteran mental health and wellness issues. We will hear from Tim Laidler, a young Afghanistan veteran who struggled with his mental injuries before

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak for a few moments. I am not sure how to respond, because most of those were general statements. It is clear that members of the opposition, both in the Liberal Party and the NDP, have not even done the basic level of research on the bill or on

Democratic Reform  Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to stand in this House to speak to the fair elections act, which I did at the procedure committee for several weeks, and in the media, to make sure that Canadians understand the modernization and reform we are bringing to our elections law. T

Vimy Day  Mr. Speaker, today is Vimy Day. Like many members of this House, I wear my Vimy pin to recognize the sacrifice of those who fought at Vimy but also the unique achievement the Battle of Vimy Ridge represented for a young country. Last night at the Canadian War Museum, Canadian Fo

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for her work on that committee, and I hope she is listening, because the question gives me an excellent opportunity to show members why this fund is actually structured in a way that targets those in need. As a veteran, I do not

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, this is another great question from my Liberal colleague that allows me to explain to him as well how this works, because being from Charlottetown, he too likes to play a few games on this subject, although I know his heart is in the right place. When it comes to th

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to rise in the House of Commons to speak on economic action plan 2014 and the budget implementation act flowing from it, because in many ways they complete a very important journey. That journey, in the next year, will see a return to balanced budg