Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question. We awarded 17% of the national shipbuilding strategy contracts to Quebec companies. Last summer, we awarded a $610-million contract to Davie for three icebreakers. Last week, we awarded part of a $7-billion contract to Davie

Canada Post Corporation  Mr. Speaker, we absolutely understand the impact that work disruption is having on employees and their families. That is why our government has been encouraging both parties to reach a fair deal for everyone. Unfortunately, when a strike occurs, the expiry of the collective agree

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, we absolutely agree that contractors deserve to be paid promptly and we are absolutely committed to bringing forth legislation before the election to remedy this.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has determined that we do not need a second Asterix or Obelix while Seaspan is building the joint support ships. We appreciate Davie's excellent work on the Asterix, but we do not need a second ship.

Accessible Canada Act  moved that the bill be concurred in.

Accessible Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, on day one, Canadians with disabilities will know that there is a system there for them that will proactively address barriers to inclusion. We know, as a matter of fact, that the best way we can develop standards is with the community and with industry and by puttin

Accessible Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, with the amendments brought forth at committee, the obligated entities would have to create their first set of regulations within two years. Thus, the CRTC, the CTA and the accessibility commissioner would have to put forth their first set of regulations within two y

Accessible Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, I am very happy that we took the time we did to consult with Canadians, particularly those with disabilities, on what their accessible Canada would look like to them. I will not apologize for the efforts we took to do a nationwide consultation to ensure that the voic

Accessible Canada Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question and her passion on issues related to people with disabilities. We built the system contained in Bill C-81 on the existing system. This system was not drawn up on a whiteboard. We have existing regulators. We are trying to be

Postal Services Resumption and Continuation Act  Mr. Speaker, our government has gone to considerable lengths to bring about the renewal of Canada Post. We believe it is a uniquely important national institution that will continue to serve all Canadians from coast to coast to coast while also helping small, medium and large bus

Postal Services Resumption and Continuation Act  Mr. Speaker, I can assure the member that our government is very committed to workers' rights and the labour movement itself. We have demonstrated through a number of initiatives that we are absolutely committed. I think of our groundbreaking pay equity legislation recently and w

Postal Services Resumption and Continuation Act  Mr. Speaker, we heard clearly two things from Canadians. First, we heard that they really loved Canada Post. If we politicians had the same approval ratings that Canada Post has, we would be in very good stead. The other thing we heard was that Canadians did not want to pay fo

Postal Services Resumption and Continuation Act  Mr. Speaker, the impact of the rotating strikes on the Canadian economy is very real. We have heard concerns from many small business owners and from many Canadians. Some of these small businesses earn up to 25% of their annual revenue in the months preceding Christmas. Consequen

Postal Services Resumption and Continuation Act  Mr. Speaker, I can assure you that I understand and respect the hard work of our postal workers. That is not at all what we are talking about today. I can also assure you that we are concerned about the occupational health and safety of postal workers and that Canada Post is ab

Canada Post Corporation  Mr. Speaker, our government expects all employers to provide safe workplaces. As Canada Post works to reduce the backlog, the health and safety of its employees will continue to take the highest priority. However, the labour dispute has taken its toll on Canadians, including wor