Victims Bill of Rights Act  Mr. Speaker, I get the sense from the minister that there is a lot of urgency in this matter going forward. In fact, numerous constituents have contacted me with regard to their concerns about restitution for victims. They do not feel included in the system and they do not feel t

Red Tape Reduction Act  Mr. Speaker, I certainly appreciate that the member gets really jumpy when we ask him to make a decision. Does he support a reduced burden upon small business? The previous member who asked him a question gave him the biggest softball I have ever seen. Does the member realize th

Red Tape Reduction Act  Mr. Speaker, I have to say to the member opposite that I really enjoyed his speech. He was all over the map, just like his party is on this issue. On one point, we had a member get up previously to say how filling out EI forms is red tape, yet the NDP is constantly saying that i

Access to Information  Mr. Speaker, our government treats taxpayers' money with the utmost respect. Sometimes professional services are needed to acquire special expertise or to meet unexpected fluctuations in workload. In some cases, the government contracts with private sector companies to deliver or

Access to Information  Again, Mr. Speaker, our government treats taxpayers' dollars with the utmost respect. Professional services costs are down $200 million since 2010-11, and temporary help services costs are down $11 million since last year and by $75 million since 2010-11. In 2013-14, our governm

Access to Information  Mr. Speaker, our government treats taxpayer money with the utmost respect. Professional services are needed to acquire special expertise and to meet unexpected fluctuations in workload. In come cases, the government contracts private sector companies to deliver or improve service

Red Tape Reduction Act  Mr. Speaker, I am a bit confused on the position of the NDP on Bill C-21, the red tape reduction act. Earlier, members said that they would not support anything that would not help small business, yet the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, with members from coast to coa

Red Tape Reduction Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite, a fellow British Columbian. I always appreciate hearing his input. The one-for-one rule has been in place in British Columbia for a long time. The government is showing leadership by saying that we will make it into law, and we will be t

Red Tape Reduction Act  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague on his new portfolio for small business. I am sure he will be up to the task. My question is relatively simple. Bill C-21, the red tape reduction act, is premised around working on administrative burden, not compliance burden. The

Protecting Taxpayers and Revoking Pensions of Convicted Politicians Act  Mr. Speaker, I am happy to be here with all my colleagues. I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak in support of Bill C-518, an act to amend the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act (withdrawal allowance). This is a laudable bill put forward by an hon. member wh

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand.

Government Response to Petitions  Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 13 petitions.

Rouge National Urban Park Act  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the minister being here to explain many of these things today. Earlier I heard some comments by a Liberal MP who said this was being pushed down people's throats. It is my understanding that there was extensive consultation before this bill was presented

Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act  Mr. Speaker, with regard to studies, I would point out what the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice mentioned this morning with regard to correct jurisprudence. Through the study of case law, we have seen more and more that both the bar associations and judi

Tougher Penalties for Child Predators Act  Mr. Speaker, on the subject of mandatory prison sentences, I would suggest that the member consult his own Liberal colleague, the member of Parliament for Mount Royal. When he was the justice minister he brought in more mandatory minimum sentences than any previous justice minist