Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, of course, there are a couple of interesting distinctions. First of all, in the 2006 census, the machinery behind it was in motion prior to our government taking office, so those would have been decisions made under the Liberal Party. The member talks about the safe

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, this question is about balance. The hon. member talks about ideology and substance. The ideology here is about striking a balance. Certainly we maintain the mandatory nature of the short form census, because I think we all agree to the importance of that fundamental

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would point out that while the hon. member selectively quotes groups that are in favour of his position, the Alberta government has taken a different stand on this. I would say first that there are two debates going on side by side here. If the question is about i

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to join the debate on this significant issue. The minister made an important point that seems lost on the opposition members. Our government has already compromised on this issue. The opposition has chosen to take a position that is not a compromise.

House debate  Mr. Speaker, I have already given the reasons for the decision, but let us talk about clarity. What is clear is that when it comes to funding programs like this one, there is no amount of funding that will satisfy the Liberals, because no matter what program we fund, the Libera

House debate  Mr. Speaker, I do not really know where to begin in terms of the inaccuracies in the hon. member's comments, but let me try. The marquee tourism events program was announced on January 27, 2009 as part of budget 2009. In budget 2010, the government reaffirmed its commitment to

House debate  Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for his input and look forward to working with him in the future on this and other issues of importance to Canadians. The recent passage of Bill C-9, the Jobs and Economic Growth Act, implemented important changes to strengthen federally re

House debate  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to respond to the concerns raised by the member for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek. The government very much understands the value of secure and sustainable pensions and has taken action on a number of fronts. On the narrower issue of bankruptcies

Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act  Mr. Speaker, as this will be the last time I will be on my feet for a question, I will reiterate what I have said. It sounds like the other parties in the House support the legislation. We have gone through the committee process. There is very little difference in this legislat

Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act  Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is referring to Bill C-28 in which there is small mention of the do not call list. I will concur with the hon. member's comments about the do not call list in the sense that a great number of Canadians have signed up for it. I believe 33% have regis

Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act  Mr. Speaker, I do not think there was much about the actual anti-spam legislation in that statement. We learned that he was a big fan of Reg Alcock, on which he may stand alone in the House, but I am not sure. He called me a minister, which I really appreciate, but I am actuall

Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act  Mr. Speaker, that was an interesting question. I am not exactly sure what the question was. I assume that the hon. member does not really have a real question, because of course, the bill went before committee and went through a rigorous committee hearing. Members from all parti

Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate in today's debate on second reading of Bill C-28, Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act, or FIWSA. The online marketplace represents a major segment of Canada's economy, with some $62.7 billion in sales in 2007. That same year, the Inf

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his rant. I have a couple of questions. I am reading the How They Vote Website. I notice the hon. member has more words spoken in the House than the next three members combined. Therefore, I am tempted to ask him if he knows we do not get

Automotive Industry  Mr. Speaker, of course that is a question to be asked of GM, not of the Government of Canada. While I am standing I would point out that the actions taken by this government saved thousands of Canadian jobs in the auto sector. In fact, due to the actions of this Canadian govern