Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP)

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-292, An Act to change the name of the electoral district of New Westminster--Coquitlam.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce a bill to change the name of my riding to include the vibrant city of Port Moody, known as the “city of the arts”. Port Moody is a city steeped in history, from the gold rush on the Fraser River to the arrival of the first Canadian transcontinental train into British Columbia.

It is very important that the name of my riding reflect all of the diverse communities, which I have the honour to represent in the House of Commons. I urge the government to expedite riding name changes in this Parliament, as previous governments have done, and not ignore them again in the 40th Parliament as it did in the 39th.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP)

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-294, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (luring a child outside Canada).

Mr. Speaker, in an effort to combat child sex tourism, we have laws. I was in Parliament when those laws were first proposed here. We have laws to prosecute Canadians who abuse children while travelling abroad. We know that the first step in abusing a child is the luring or the grooming of that child. That is why I am introducing this bill to add child luring to the list of criminal offences committed abroad.

I look forward to the support of all members of the House in ensuring that Canadians who lure and abuse children abroad can be prosecuted at home for their heinous crime.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to highlight World Cancer Day, a day of action against a disease which, as it has with far too many, has touched me personally. Two of my children have battled cancer, one as an infant and one while in university.

In the 1990s I was proud to be an initiator of a parliamentary study on breast cancer, which resulted in the groundbreaking report “Breast Cancer: Unanswered Questions”. These committee hearings were a turning point. Many of the women who testified are leaders today in the fight against cancer.

We have come a long way. Research funding is up. Every province has a breast screening program. Canada led the way on a vaccine for cervical cancer.

But so much more needs to be done. Cancer patients need a catastrophic drug plan so that they can focus on fighting cancer, not on fighting to make ends meet.

Today I join thousands of Canadians across the country in a call for political action and public engagement in the campaign to control cancer and to beat it.

Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to program reviews, Canadians know they cannot trust that government. They know its record: cuts to the Food Inspection Agency, hidden cuts to status of women, ideological cuts to the Canadian arts and $7.6 billion in allocated spending that never went out the door. Now it is planning hundreds of millions in new spending cuts.

Could the government please outline the programs it ideologically disagrees with and which ones are now up on the chopping block?

Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP)

Mr. Speaker, trust is in very little supply with the government. ThePrime Minister talks tough about crime and law enforcement, but when it comes time to stand by those on the front lines, he leaves them in the cold.

The budget continues the government's betrayal of the RCMP wages by rolling them back after having signed a new contract with the RCMP only in November.

RCMP members are rightly disillusioned by this betrayal by the Harper government. If the RCMP can no longer trust the government, how can Canadians?