Budget Implementation Act, 2008  Mr. Speaker, while I thank the member sitting on this side of the House for the suggestion, I would also like to tell the member that I have consistently opposed the bill and the Liberal Party has stood up consistently against these changes. We will bring in an alternative immig

Budget Implementation Act, 2008  Mr. Speaker, the intervention of the member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine leads me to exactly what I wanted to say. It is the same NDP that for the sake of gaining a couple of seats--

Budget Implementation Act, 2008  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Timmins—James Bay for expressing his opinions. My record on voting is very clear on this particular bill. I consistently have been opposed to the legislation. If the member for Timmins—James Bay was that concerned about Canadians, he should thi

Budget Implementation Act, 2008  Mr. Speaker, almost two months ago, I rose in the House to discuss the serious concerns my constituents had about the proposed changes to Canada's immigration laws in Bill C-50. It is with great frustration that I rise in the House again with the same concerns. The government h

Women of Distinction Award  Mr. Speaker, the YWCA recently honoured a great community leader in my riding with its Women of Distinction Award. Seventeen years ago, Susan Keeping and her children were penniless after fleeing an abusive relationship. It was not an easy time. They did not know how to find hel

Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on Bill C-55, which would implement the free trade agreement that Canada has negotiated with the European Free Trade Association, which is composed of Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein. It marks the successful end of nine years of

Canada-EFTA Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to echo the comments made by the hon. member for Mississauga—Brampton South about the minister. He has done some good work. I had the opportunity to work with him when he was on the Liberal side. I congratulate him on the free trade agreement, which

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, I also am pleased to present a petition on the crisis in Darfur on behalf of nearly 1,000 constituents in and around my constituency of Newton—North Delta. This petition was created by a group of young leaders of the Solutions Society at Seaquam Secondary School in

Public Transit  Mr. Speaker, the government of British Columbia has announced an ambitious plan to double public transit ridership by 2020. It calls for investments in four rapid transit rail lines, nine new rapid bus lines and upgraded clean buses. In my riding, the old inter-urban rail corrid

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, in fact, the candidates who ran against me in the ridings surrounding me spent their money to the fullest. At this point in time, I do not have that information, but we never know. With the investigation going on, who knows what could come out in the next few months.

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I cannot agree more with the member. He already has covered it very well. In fact it is the culture of entitlement of the Conservative Party and that is clearly demonstrated. When we look at the example my hon. colleague gave, the Conservative Party even on that iss

Business of Supply  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Vancouver Quadra. I rise today in shock and disgust over the way the government is attacking Elections Canada, one of the most respected electoral organizations in the world. Elections Canada has become an interna

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to serve on the access to information, privacy and ethics committee with the member for Burlington. He asked about the 13 years. Maybe the hon. member was not aware of those 13 years. Maybe he is not aware that Brian Mulroney left this country

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Mr. Speaker, when it comes to crime with guns, I would refer to the headline, “More youths in gangs. National trend. Drug trade behind gunplay, author says”. In fact, less than 48 hours after Toronto Mayor David Miller launched a national push to have hand guns banned by the fed

Controlled Drugs and Substances Act  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Trinity—Spadina for the statistics she gave with which I could not agree more. If the hon. member was listening to my speech, in fact the numbers she gave, the 73% on enforcement, and 7% on prevention, I also mentioned that there