Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With respect to crime prevention programs in the province of British Columbia: (a) what crime prevention programs does the government fund, and what are the dates that they were created, (i) what is the budget of each program, (ii) how many spaces do they provide, (iii) who is th

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Madam Speaker, having been a member of the trade committee and having taken a great deal of interest in this free trade agreement previously, I have appreciated hearing the commentary of the various members. Environmental issues were the primary area of discussion and question th

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciated the thoughtful remarks of the member who just spoke, unlike the member for Cariboo—Prince George whose ideological tirade appeared to have absolutely no concern for humanitarian or environmental issues in Colombia whatsoever, and also unlike the comment

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments by the member opposite in terms of the compassion that members of Parliament feel towards those who have lost their jobs and whose families are impacted. I certainly share that view. It was an interesting, contextual and philosophical set o

Employment Insurance Act  Mr. Speaker, it has been interesting listening to the member turn herself into a pretzel to justify voting for the Conservative government at this point. How can the member and her party have confidence in the government given that this proposal was not tabled earlier? The appro

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to join this debate on the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement, Bill C-23. I spent three months on the international trade committee on first becoming a member of Parliament and so I have a great interest in this particular agreement. I have also

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, one of the challenges with the environment right now is an absence of financial ability by the Colombian government to carry out compliance and enforcement, just as in Canada. According to our Auditor General, the Conservative government has not adequately invested i

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, the debate has been providing some guidance as to what areas the committee can look at in order to make some recommendations, if it has any, for modifying this agreement. Really, the key question is this. In a country that is having such a difficult time and humani

Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Perhaps we were in different meetings, Mr. Speaker, but as I said, there were groups that had advice for us and ideas about how to improve a free trade agreement. When the question was posed, “Are you better off with this trade agreement or without it”, the answer invariably was

Health  Mr. Speaker, B.C. is at the centre of the second wave of H1N1, but the Conservatives have failed to have vaccines ready in time. We know that front line doctors and nurses have little confidence in the Conservatives' pandemic plan. Their plan does not even provide for protective

Salmon Fishery  Mr. Speaker, 9 million Fraser River sockeye vanished. That is a tenfold decline. It is a disaster for people, fish-based jobs and biodiversity. Respected salmon biologists believe that this disappearance illustrates the impacts of climate change on water temperature and flows af

Jack Poole  Mr. Speaker, it was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of a truly great Canadian, Jack Poole. Much of the credit for successful leadership of the bid and preparation for Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games rests with Jack, who died last week follo

Health  Mr. Speaker, there are not enough H1N1 vaccines available to complete B.C.'s inoculations even though B.C. will welcome half a million Olympic visitors in just 100 days. Vancouver's health authority has a strong H1N1 preparedness plan, but not a single federal dollar to help it d

House debate  Mr. Speaker, as I take the privilege of speaking to this emergency debate, I am going to begin by adding to what the hon. member for Toronto Centre was saying about the government's low key approach to the issue of H1N1. I am dismayed at how the government is not taking respons

House debate  Mr. Speaker, I see a public health system under strain. I see health authorities in British Columbia and other provinces that are already maxed out with their public health obligations now being asked to deliver mass vaccination programs without a dime of assistance from the fe