Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to funding decreases at the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) detailed in the 2012-13 Main Estimates: (a) since 2008, what is the purpose, cost and timeframe of all current, ongoing, or completed (i) programs, (ii) commitments, (iii) agreements, (iv) expenditures, rel

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to the 2011 General Election, for every federal electoral district in British Columbia and for the province of British Columbia as a whole: (a) how many contacts has Elections Canada received, including all contacts lodged directly with Elections Canada, forwarded by

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to the Centenaries Program funded under the program authority of Western Economic Diversification (WD) and delivered by WD and Canadian Heritage: (a) what is the purpose, cost, and timeframe of all current, ongoing, or completed (i) programs, (ii) commitments, (iii) a

Housing  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate in the debate on affordable housing. This is a major issue in British Columbia. In fact, it is a major challenge. Many B.C. families do not have adequate housing. The high cost of housing is undermining the social and economic structure of

Immigration  Madam Speaker, tens of thousands of international students flock to British Columbia every year, bringing in over $0.5 billion of direct revenues for our communities and our small businesses. Canada-wide, this industry is worth $8 billion. However, the government is eliminating v

TD Scholarship for Community Leadership  Madam Speaker, it is with immense pride that I congratulate Vancouver Quadra student Leah Bae, from my alma mater of Lord Byng Secondary School, for receiving the prestigious TD Scholarship for Community Leadership. Worth up to $70,000 each, the scholarships recognize Canada's

Statistics Canada  Mr. Speaker, apparently the government just does not like facts. First, it cut the long form census and compromised years of data collection. Now, it is slashing half of the jobs at Statistics Canada. StatsCan provides unbiased demographic data that is essential for small busines

Asian Heritage Month  Mr. Speaker, May is Asian Heritage Month recognizing the rich history of Asian Canadians and their important contributions to the settlement, development and character of Canada. Canadians of Asian roots are a critical gateway for Canada's connection and trade with fast growing

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased as the member for Vancouver Quadra to also be presenting petitions that were collected by Dogwood Initiative. Many people in Vancouver Quadra are concerned about potential oil spills on the Pacific north coast. They know that, since 1972 when a Li

41st General Election  Mr. Speaker, were the members opposite laughing when their own government contracted Ekos to the tune of $10 million in research? In just the seven ridings it has examined, Ekos said that up to 50,000 non-Conservative voters were targeted by this widespread fraud. When will that

41st General Election  Mr. Speaker, today's shocking news of the extent and nature of the election fraud scandal was released by Ekos, a non-partisan polling firm the government—

Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Certainly there are elements in the bill that would be violations of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but that is not the key issue here. However, a second key issue is the absolute lack of consultation, such as when Bill C-

Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her comment. The combination of the two elements she just mentioned is exactly what is so disturbing. On the one hand, there are injustices toward refugees, and on the other, more powers are being given to Canadian ministers. It is a toxic

Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to enter the debate on Bill C-31. The Liberal Party believes that it is very reasonable to review, consult on and update refugee and immigration laws from time to time in order to address ways in which they may no longer meet the public interest, address

Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act  Mr. Speaker, In her speech, the member opposite recognized that the Liberals also have the view that the refugee system can be improved so that it is faster, fairer and better. However, she then took issue with the fact that the Liberals disagree with some of the details of how t