The Environment  Mr. Speaker, the holiday season is here, a time of giving and sharing with those around us. However, every year during this season Canadians throw away 540,000 tonnes of wrapping paper and gift bags that are not recyclable. This was brought to my attention by the elementary school students at the Woodroffe Avenue Public School craft fair.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, I do not accept the entire premise of my hon. colleague's question. We heard earlier from the member for Prince Albert that conversation and dialogue are vitally important, and this is precisely what the government has done right up to the level of the Prime Minister.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, as the member knows, I was the chair of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights. I have worked around the world on the right to democratic participation and the right to peaceful assembly. We stand very strongly behind the people of Hong Kong, who are peacefully expressing their right to peaceful assembly and their legitimate aspirations for a true democratic country.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, as this is my first chance to speak in the House in the 43rd Parliament, I would like to thank the constituents of Ottawa West—Nepean for giving me the privilege of representing them in this House. I want to thank my colleagues across the aisle for bringing such an incredibly important issue to the attention of this House and giving all of us the opportunity to share our concern about what is happening to our citizens under arbitrary detention in China.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 29th report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, entitled “Raising Her Voice: Confronting the Unique Challenges Facing Women Human Rights Defenders”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Committees of the House  Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 27th report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, entitled “The Canary in the Coal Mine: Responding to Violations of Press Freedoms in Venezuela and Myanmar”. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.

Human Rights  Mr. Speaker, the women and men who stand up to fight for human rights around the world, often at great personal risk, are today's heroes, and they often go unrecognized and unsung. Today, the Subcommittee on International Human Rights had the opportunity to recognize and give voice to three of these courageous human rights defenders, some of whom are with us in Ottawa today.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to talk about the real and tangible way this government is improving the lives of women and girls. I am talking about the equality fund that our government announced this week. To tackle gender issues, we have to act as a team, because together everyone achieves more.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to table, in both official languages, the 25th report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development entitled “Peacebuilding and Development in Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Recommendations for Canadian Action”.

Flooding in Ottawa West—Nepean  Madam Speaker, the last few weeks have been emotional and difficult for communities along the Ottawa River. Two record-breaking floods have occurred now in three years in my riding of Ottawa West—Nepean. The communities of Britannia, Belltown, Crystal Bay, Rocky Point, Lakeview and many others have been battling historic rising water levels that are threatening our homes.

International Trade  Mr. Speaker, Canadian businesses and consumers know how important the U.S. market is for the Canadian economy. That is why it was so important to negotiate a good new NAFTA deal. However, the Conservatives have repeatedly changed their tune about NAFTA. During the negotiations, they urged us to capitulate to U.S. demands to reduce our access, then criticized the good deal that we got.

Kosovo  Mr. Speaker, this year, Canada and Kosovo celebrate multiple anniversaries together. As we have just celebrated the 70th anniversary of NATO, it is worth remembering that 20 years ago, we started the most successful humanitarian intervention of NATO, in which Canada had a crucial role among our other allies, to liberate and stop the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

Petitions  Madam Speaker, I rise today to table a petition signed by hundreds of people who visited The Body Shop at the Bayshore shopping mall in my riding. The petitioners are calling on the House to support Bill S-214 and ban the sale and manufacture of animal-tested cosmetics and their ingredients in Canada.

Sports  Madam Speaker, sport is fundamental to bringing together a community. All across Canada, we have children involved in recreational sports and every one of them should always feel free to play, coach or participate freely in sport, safely. From her very first day, the Minister of Science and Sport committed to ending abuse, harassment and discrimination at all levels and for all ages in sport.

Dutch Heritage Day  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Chatham-Kent—Leamington for bringing this motion to the floor of the House. It is a tremendous pleasure for me to speak in favour of the motion to make May 5 Dutch heritage day, every year in Canada, a day that I grew up knowing as Liberation Day.