Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I was very relieved and impressed by how much time the parliamentary secretary focused on talking about seniors in our country. This is something that I heard about when I was out canvassing during the last election campaign. Seniors and those getting close to the ag

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Vaughan—Woodbridge for his speech and in particular for his focus on infrastructure. Dduring my time in municipal politics, it was extremely frustrating over the last 10 years when municipalities would go to the federal government to

The Tragically Hip  Mr. Speaker, it was the mid-1980s in Kingston, Ontario, when five boys, linked together by their love for music, decided to form a band. It was nearly three decades later that I had the privilege, as mayor of Kingston, of renaming a street after them. Last Sunday night, for the t

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by hundreds of members of my community. The petitioners are concerned with the Public Service Superannuation Act, and in particular how the Government of Canada is applying the act. It is deducting the Canadian pension plan

Instruction to Committee on Bill C-243  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her passionate interest in my bill. I just happened to be sitting in the lobby when I saw that she was debating it, so I thought I had better get in here to see what was going on. The motion specifically relates to travel in the committee's

Instruction to Committee on Bill C-243  Mr. Speaker, I am really disappointed in the questions that were posed by both NDP and Conservative members. The member for Calgary Nose Hill started off her comments by telling us that this debate was about procedure in the House. No. What this debate is about right now is wheth

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, it is an honour today to present a petition on behalf of retired master corporal Collin Fitzgerald. In 2007, Collin was awarded the Medal of Military Valour for helping wounded comrades in a burning vehicle under enemy fire in Afghanistan. Collin was recognized for h

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I would like to read a quote from a British Army officer, Colonel Chris Vernon, an individual who has no vested interest in this. He said, “Without his input as a critical player, a major player, a pivotal player, I'd say Medusa, you know, wouldn't have happened. W

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I am curious if my colleague is aware that municipalities currently deal with banks. They borrow money for projects. The City of Kingston, for example, currently deals with the Toronto-Dominion Bank. When cities work on larger projects, quite often there are other

Correctional Service of Canada  Mr. Speaker, in 2010, the former government closed prison farms throughout the country. It did this based on ideology, not sound evidence. In my riding of Kingston and the Islands, two prison farms were closed. To this day, community members continue to rally for their reopenin

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I do find something my colleague said puzzling. He talked about the fact that China is currently in competition for the production of oil, yet ironically China is actually the world leader in renewable energy production. As a matter of fact, China produces more than

Italian Day  Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize Italian Day on the Hill. In my riding of Kingston and the Islands, we have a thriving Italian Canadian community, and I am happy to welcome 30 members of the Italo-Canadian Club of Kingston here on the Hill to help celebrate. I

National Maternity Assistance Program Strategy Act  moved that Bill C-243, An Act respecting the development of a national maternity assistance program strategy, as amended, be concurred in. (Motion agreed to)

National Maternity Assistance Program Strategy Act  moved that Bill C-243, An Act respecting the development of a national maternity assistance program strategy, be read the third time and passed. Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak once again to my private member's bill, Bill C-243. I would like to begin with

National Maternity Assistance Program Strategy Act  Madam Speaker, my colleague actually answered the question with her comments. This is a first step, and this is about engaging with the provinces. My objective here has always been to have a dialogue, to get the discussion going. It will never be the responsibility, or no govern