Canada Elections Act  Madam Speaker, the goal with that is to achieve consensus, to compromise, because we know there are parties in the House that are bound and determined to keep the current system in place. Essentially, I think this gets us closer to a more democratic, more grassroots way of doing

Canada Elections Act  Madam Speaker, what we are proposing is moot, because essentially the part dealing with the limit in question remains untouched and is still currently in effect, as far as reimbursement is concerned. The response is therefore redundant. We are not changing anything. It is already

Canada Elections Act  Madam Speaker, I hope so. Virtue, good deeds, and good political decisions are not the exclusive domain of a single party. I think that good ideas can come from across the spectrum and that we must draw from what is good and what was good in the past. With regard to the legislati

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, there is nothing in the budget for the 800 Davie workers who are out of a job, but a government that runs an $18-billion deficit can hardly plead austerity. This is a political choice, and the government can take action if it wants to. It is even giving up revenue by

Canada Elections Act  I suppose it is more of a right to wrap it up, Mr. Speaker. Does anyone know what percentage of Canadians support and have confidence in politicians and their promises? It is 3%. I am sure everyone will agree that the people are not exactly giving us top marks. There is definite

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, 800 workers have lost their jobs at the Davie shipyard because Quebec has been hoodwinked by the federal government. Any day now, we are expecting a call for tenders to go out for the maintenance of seven Halifax-class frigates in the current fleet. Curiously, thoug

Public Services and Procurement  Speaking of icebreakers, Mr. Speaker, the clock is ticking for Quebec. The St. Lawrence needs icebreakers now, next year, and for many years to come. However, it seems that Seaspan, currently in Vancouver, has been incapable of delivering the only icebreaker that has been commiss

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, the negotiations between the Davie shipyard and the federal government regarding the conversion of ships have been dragging on because Ottawa cannot make up its mind. The federal government is making Davie beg on its hands and knees for a contract to convert three u

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, that does not sound like a plan to me. The Liberals' plan, if one can call it that, seems to be this: to award $100 million in shipbuilding contracts but not give a cent to Quebec; to say they need four icebreakers converted and then remove the most profitable and p

Public Services and Procurement  Madam Speaker, in January, the government started negotiations with Davie on a contract for four icebreakers. This was the absolute minimum to make up for the job losses caused by this Liberal government, as I have said. Three months later, the only thing that has happened is th

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness announced the construction of new facilities in Lacolle to alleviate the current pressure on Quebec's resources. We understand that Ottawa is expecting the arrival of large numbers of irregular refugee claiman

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to federal spending in the riding of Terrebonne, for each fiscal year since 2010–2011, inclusively: what are the details of all grants and contributions and all loans to every organization, group, business or municipality, broken down by the (i) name of the recipient,

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, we are debating a proposal that would benefit all Quebeckers. We have repeated ad nauseam that Quebec's National Assembly reached a unanimous consensus. There are 78 Quebec MPs from all parties, who represent voters of every stripe and from every walk of life. In the

SNC-Lavalin Employees  Mr. Speaker, the SNC-Lavalin crisis is in its third week. All parties are doing their best to make the crisis last as long as possible, not resolve it. Not once has anyone talked about protecting jobs. Despite its “workers' party” persona, the NDP has not said a word. It is read

Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, the government does not respect francophones, as evidenced by how our armed forces treat them. Specialized career development courses, particularly in intelligence and special forces, are available in English only. If francophone service members want to be promoted