Susan Kadis

[Petitions, January 30th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, it is also an honour to present today a petition signed by citizens across Ontario who call on the Prime Minister to urge Canada Post to commission a special issue stamp in honour of Diwali.

[Petitions, January 30th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to present two petitions in the House.

The first is from residents in my riding of Thornhill who are eager for federal investments in mass public transit. Today I am presenting a petition calling on the Prime Minister to commit to providing federal funding for the Yonge Street subway extension, which is critical to the quality of life of residents.

[Industry, January 30th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservative government continues its laissez-faire “I don't care” approach to the manufacturing crisis. The industry minister tells laid-off Canadians it is just a structural adjustment and they should wait for new jobs in high technology. Yesterday, we learned that high tech computer giant Dell is cutting call centre jobs in Ottawa and reversing plans to hire another 1,200 people.

Will the minister now admit that the government's do nothing approach is not working?

[Infrastructure, January 28th, 2008]

Mr. Speaker, our urban communities are overcome with gridlock. The amount of people who drive everywhere by car has risen by 6% over the last decade. The provinces understand this problem. Both B.C. and Ontario have recently announced substantial investments to get citizens out of their cars and into public transit, yet the government looks the other way and throws roadblocks toward delivering funding.

The residents of my riding of Thornhill are eager for transit initiatives. Residents are facing longer commutes, widening roads, an increased population. Meanwhile the government evades its responsibility to deliver new funding for critical initiatives like the Spadina and Yonge Street subway extensions.

We need serious investments in mass public transportation to meet the needs of our expanding urban population. We need a transit plan now to get more people out of their cars. It is time the government got onboard.

We need a national transit strategy that includes new, permanent funding. We need a federal government that supports, not obstructs, funding public national transit.

[Business of Supply, December 6th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, could the member for Richmond Hill explain why it is so critically important that the federal government invest in much needed mass transit infrastructure like the extension of the Yonge Street subway north to Highway 7, Langstaff, for growing communities like Thornhill and Richmond Hill?

[Violence against Women, December 6th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark our National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Violence against women is a significant, persistent social and economic problem in our country. For hundreds of thousands of women from all walks of life, it is a terrifying reality. Statistics Canada reports that 51% of all Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of violence since the age of 16.

There is a strong correlation between equality and violence, but instead of advancing women's equality, the government slashed funding for equality seeking organizations, even unbelievably removing the word “equality” from the mandate of the Status of Women.

In recognition of all Canadian women and girls who are victims of violence on a daily basis, I ask all members of the House to reflect on what we can do to help heal the victims and build a safe and secure tomorrow for all our daughters, wives, sisters and mothers.

Please remember that silence is complicity.

[Justice, December 5th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the justice minister, who last week did not know what powers he possesses under the Extradition Act, is now making life or death decisions for Canadians facing execution abroad.

For clarity, who will make the final decision to seek commutation of a death sentence? Will it be the foreign affairs minister, the justice minister, the public safety minister, or will the Prime Minister himself decide whether or not Canada will be complicit in executing its citizens?

[Justice, December 5th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the government has decided that it will pick and choose which Canadians will face the death penalty abroad.

What criteria are the justice minister and the foreign affairs minister using to make their decisions about whether a Canadian lives or dies?

[United Nations, November 28th, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, the United Nations General Assembly has lost its way in the Middle East. Its agenda has become politicized and its authority weakened.

Again this year, some 20 resolutions are dedicated to singling out one member state, Israel, for discriminatory treatment, without even a semblance of balance, undermining the UN's very legitimacy.

Why does the government continue its incremental approach, acquiescing and indulging in this flawed, one-sided process that does nothing to bring about a peaceful resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict?

In November 2005, the previous Liberal government proposed a comprehensive review of these one-sided resolutions being rehashed every year, with a goal of moving instead to a Canadian-initiated omnibus resolution at the General Assembly of the UN that would restore balance and fairness into the process and be conducive to peace.

I call on the government to introduce a Canadian resolution on the Middle East that will move to restore the credibility of the UN so that it can perform true to its mission of fairness and the rule of law.

[Justice, November 21st, 2007]

Mr. Speaker, for at least 30 years, Canadian governments have had a policy of seeking clemency for Canadians on death row in foreign countries. Why has the government decided to ignore that long-standing policy? What credibility do we now have in fighting for Canadians who are facing the death penalty in places like China and Ethiopia when the government says it is okay in Montana and Mississippi?