Senate Reform Act  Madam Speaker, the Liberal Party certainly shares some of the concerns with respect to the constitutionality of this legislation. I found it very interesting that the member laid it out as a bit of ruse in saying that the Conservatives probably expect this legislation will never

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by people in Chilliwack and Abbotsford, B.C. who are concerned about the cuts to Veterans Affairs and their impact on veterans. They specifically point out that $226 million in cuts have already been announced, that there will be f

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With respect to additional fees or expenses of Deputy Ministers (DM) of government departments, what is the amount of all additional fees or expenses paid on behalf of DMs or for which DMs are reimbursed, including but not limited to (i) memberships or membership discounts for pr

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With respect to the new federal regulations on water treatment systems, issued by Environment Canada, to be implemented in November 2011: (a) what is the estimated cost, separately, for each municipality and province affected by the need to upgrade infrastructure to meet the new

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With respect to the new federal regulations on tolerance of fecal matter in areas where shellfish are, as issued by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans: (a) what is the estimated cost, separately, for each municipality and province affected by the need to upgrade infrastructur

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to the Last Post Fund and the agreements in place with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) related to funeral expenses: (a) why does VAC not directly take care of the funeral expenses related to the death of veterans; (b) what restrictions exist that prevent a veteran or a

Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act  Mr. Speaker, I listened to my colleague from Crowfoot talk about support from the finance ministers across the country. I talked to one of the finance ministers in this country this morning. What the member for Crowfoot did not say was that this option was not the first choice of

Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciated my colleague's comments and the passion with which she spoke about people in poverty. During this debate, we have heard members opposite say that 60% of Canadians have no plan. The day after this bill is passed, what is in it that will make it more aff

Ending the Long-Gun Registry Act  Mr. Speaker, I was interested in my colleague's constitutional analysis and his analysis of the division of powers. In particular he stated that the purpose of the registry seemed to conflict with the exclusive jurisdiction of the provinces in that it infringed on property right

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by several citizens of British Columbia concerned over the cuts to the budget at Veterans Affairs and over the impending job losses. These citizens call upon the government to restore funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the personal medical file of yet another veteran has been violated for political reasons. Harold Leduc, a veteran and now a member of the veterans appeal board, had his personal records searched by the Conservative government in order to harass him because he fight

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of several residents of British Columbia who are concerned over cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs. In this year alone there have been cuts to the Veterans Affairs budget of $226 million. The petitioners are concerned ab

Florence Green  Madam Speaker, today I want to honour the memory of Mrs. Florence Green. Mrs. Green died this past September. She was 110 years old and the last remaining veteran of the First World War. To say that she lived a full life would be an understatement, for she bore witness to much in

Infrastructure  Madam Speaker, I worked on this question last night on my computer, so I am a little concerned that the Minister of Public Safety may have tipped off the parliamentary secretary. Last November I called on the government to come to the aid of Canadian municipalities, like Charlot

Standing Orders and Procedure  Madam Speaker, I would be interested in hearing the parliamentary secretary's views with respect to in camera meetings at committee. I am the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, one of the committees that most often conducts its business in camera. In fact,