Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, the hon. member for Victoria , for her eloquent presentation in support of one of the fundamental features of the Canadian identity, namely the recognition of Quebec's specificity. She spoke not only with words but also from the he

Donald Vézina  Mr. Speaker, during a large and moving family celebration in Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse on November 11, I had the honour of awarding the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal to Donald Vézina. Donald Vézina worked on a United Nations peacekeeping mission as a member of the 22nd

International Cooperation  Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages took part in the Millennium Promise Conference, which was a huge success for its organizers and for the City of Montreal. Our government cares deeply about t

Judges Act  Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my hon. colleague from Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord and to the question that followed. I would like to specify that the income splitting measure announced by our new government last week will give retirees a billion dollars to help

Vancouver-Whistler Olympics  Mr. Speaker, I have an article from Le Droit stating that the new Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Fraser, is concerned about French television coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Games in 2010. Mr. Fraser indicated that “a solution must be found to ensure that broadcasts

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, it will be rather difficult to square this circle in so little time. I would first like to thank the parliamentary secretary for his response. My other question concerns an issue that has not yet been raised this evening. It concerns one's pride in speaking French w

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, Department of National Defence representatives have been, for some time now, affirming the need for greater visibility of the Canadian Forces in the Arctic, given the new transportation corridors, the discovery of large quantities of natural resources and the changing

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I would like to start with a speech, followed by a few questions. Hon. members, I have the pleasure of being with you this evening to take part in debate in a committee of the whole on the 2006-07 estimates for the Department of National Defence. No one doubts th

Public Safety  Mr. Speaker, in Montreal, elsewhere in Quebec and throughout the country, the phenomenon of street gangs is gaining ground and becoming a growing concern. The Bloc Québécois, doomed to remain in the opposition forever, will never be able to do anything to address this problem and

Byelection in Repentigny  Mr. Speaker, the people of Repentigny have been stunned and amazed to learn that the Bloc Québécois candidate in the November 27 byelection apparently urged his fellow citizens to vote for the Liberal Party of Canada in the midst of the sponsorship scandal. That is right, the B

Highway Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, we have once again witnessed another example of the fruitful partnership between the new Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec. Yesterday, the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of Quebec joined together to announce plans for the completion of High

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Robert Gagné, the director of HEC Montreal's Institute of Applied Economics and co-chair of the Council of the Federation Advisory Panel on the Fiscal Imbalance, wrote today that the Le

Softwood Lumber  Mr. Speaker, for many years, Canada's softwood lumber industry suffered from the Liberals' inaction and from the inability of the Bloc Québécois—the party perpetually in opposition—to take any action. In four years, the former government spent more than $40 million in legal fees,

Witness Protection Program Act  Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to thank the hon. members who spoke to the bill: the hon. member for Ahuntsic, the hon. member for Welland, who asked a pertinent question concerning royal assent—and I think that the speech by the hon. member for Leeds—Grenville will comfort him—

Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act  Mr. Speaker, I wish to salute the work of our Minister of Finance, who is doing a great job for Canadian taxpayers. His excellent work helps them, while also allowing us to fight money laundering. My question for the hon. member, who made an excellent speech, is: what does he se