Access to Information  Mr. Speaker, today is the International Day for the Universal Access to Information, whose objective is to make people aware of their right to access information held by government institutions and to promote freedom of information as the basis for democracy and good governance.

Standing Orders and Procedure  Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the opportunity, today, to speak to the House regarding the debate on standing orders and procedures. As times change, I believe so should the rules governing the functioning of one of the greatest institutions: our own Parliament of Canada. The Fat

Standing Orders and Procedure  Mr. Speaker, I can tell the member that, frankly, during the summer months I truly had an opportunity to engage with the constituents on a very regular basis. I had the opportunity to have 10 town hall meetings, for example. During those conversations, those meetings at the const

Standing Orders and Procedure  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his question and his comments. The suggestion that the House not sit on Fridays is not being tabled to accommodate us, but rather to accommodate our fellow citizens. In the end, they are the ones who want local access to their members o

Standing Orders and Procedure  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his comment. Clearly, if we were not here on Fridays, that might also lighten the workload of the people who work in Ottawa, because they are always ready to support us.

Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, having worked with the Codiac Regional RCMP for over 23 years, I have seen the brave women and men in the RCMP put themselves in harm's way to keep Canadian communities safe, and they deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace. Sadly, we know that there ha

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his very moving speech. I think every member of the House agrees that the Yazidis are in a horrible situation. Could my hon. colleague elaborate on the importance of humanitarian and development assistance, as well as stabilization and

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her very thoughtful speech. All members certainly agree that the situation of these women and girls is just horrible. Could my colleague tell us more about why it is important to develop short-term and long-term plans to help these women in

Canada Pension Plan  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his speech. Could he tell us more about the personal benefits to Canadians of the increase in additional contributions to the Canada pension plan?

Immigration to Atlantic Canada  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me to speak today to this motion that has been brought forward by my friend and colleague from Fundy Royal. This has such an enormous impact on my riding of Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, as well as neighbouring ridings in Atlantic Canada. I want to

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I arrived here today to speak to the opposition motion on fundraising and federal cabinet ministers. Canadian politics is governed by some of the strictest political financial regulations found anywhere in our country and across North America, and the Liberal Party o

Business of Supply  In May of last year, the former minister, Chris Alexander, was the main attraction at a $3,000-a-head reception—

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, in May of last year, former member and minister, Chris Alexander, was the main attraction at a $3,000-a-head reception and dinner at the $27-million home of two wealthy Conservative supporters. The donor list for those attending this event was never made public. To

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, once again, as we have heard time and time again today, no laws have been broken. All members of Parliament are following the laws that have been put in place. We are following all of the information that has been given to us by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics C

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. First of all, Elections Canada is responsible for enforcing the law when it comes to elections. We followed all the laws that have been established. We also complied with all the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's r