Lost his last election, in 2006, with 34% of the vote.
Petitions June 8th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, my second petition is with regard to right to life. I have the honour to table a petition signed by over 260 petitioners from Cambridge.
The petitioners firmly believe in the sanctity of life and urge Parliament to act immediately to extend protection to those unborn children by amending the Criminal Code to extend the same protection enjoyed by living human beings to those who are not yet born.
Petitions June 8th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, my first petition concerns serial killer cards. One hundred and ten residents of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo have signed this petition. These petitioners feel that these cards glorify violence and show
disregard for the sanctity of human life and offer nothing positive for children and adults alike to admire.
The Economy June 7th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance.
A report being prepared by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development is predicting that the Canadian economy is doing better than the minister predicted in his budget.
Could the minister explain the difference between the OECD prediction that our economy will grow by 3.9 per cent this year and his own budget projection that the Canadian economy will grow by 3 per cent, almost a full percentage point lower?
Petitions May 25th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition which was forwarded to me by Mr. Robert Gerber of Cambridge and is signed by constituents from my riding of Cambridge.
The petitioners pray and request that Parliament not amend the human rights code, the Canadian Human Rights Act or the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in any way which would tend to indicate public approval of same sex relationships or of homosexuality.
I am endorsing and fully supporting this petition.
Government Travel April 14th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, many of my constituents have expressed their displeasure over recent media accounts of parliamentarians and government officials flying first class when travelling on government business. While business class seating is slightly more comfortable than economy, those wider seats carry a higher price tag.
Given that there is a genuine concern among all Canadians about our nation's financial situation, every penny that is saved on government travel will help to eliminate the burden on our country's finances.
I urge all parliamentarians, all civil servants and all others who are required to travel on government business to fly economy class. Let us all do what we can to save taxpayers' money.
Kitchener Prison For Women March 22nd, 1994
Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, March 17 approximately 700 residents of my Cambridge riding had an opportunity to air their views about the controversial site for the Kitchener prison for women.
Much of the controversy stemmed from the fact that the previous Conservative government did not seek input from residents of Kitchener's Doon-Pioneer Park prior to site selection. This Liberal government has made a serious effort to correct the wrongdoings of our predecessor.
The hon. Solicitor General of Canada reopened the file into the Kitchener prison project shortly after the election. He provided the residents of Kitchener with an opportunity to voice their concerns at Thursday's meeting, something that my constituents have been asking for since the site was announced.
The residents of Doon-Pioneer Park and I would like to thank the minister for taking the time to listen. We all hope that his final decision will be a reflection of what was said at Thursday's meeting.
Speed Skating Championships March 16th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, on March 20 the city of Cambridge will proudly host the 1994 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships.
The high speed and aggressive edge of short track have been attracting a worldwide following. What started out as individuals lacing animal bones to their wooden footwear and skating across the frozen canals and waterways of Scandinavia has evolved into one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
Despite its relatively short history, short track speed skating has produced many proud moments for Canadians. We are proud of our skating talent in Canada, including Frederic Blackburn, Marc Gagnon, Nathalie Lambert and especially Cambridge's very own Derrick Campbell, who recently participated in the winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
I would like to extend my best wishes to all participants in Sunday's competition, as well as to the organizers, who have been working so hard to make this event in Cambridge a real success.
Archbishop Of Sarajevo March 10th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, Monseigneur Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo, is with us here today.
After 22 months of living under siege in Sarajevo, Monseigneur Puljic received permission from UNPROFOR on Sunday to leave the war torn capital of Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Monseigneur Puljic has long been an outspoken advocate of a just and peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict in Bosnia-Hercegovina and a harmonious co-existence between all of its peoples.
Despite the threat to his personal safety, the Archbishop remained in Sarajevo to oversee the distribution of desperately needed humanitarian aid to all citizens in need.
I would like to welcome Monseigneur Puljic in Croatian as well.
Home Buyers Plan February 10th, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I have received letters from many of my constituents who work in the real estate and residential construction industry. These constituents have impressed upon me the need for government to extend the home buyers plan which is to expire at the end of this month.
The home buyers plan is a federal program which allows individuals to withdraw funds interest free from their RRSPs to purchase a home. Today over 148,000 Canadians have invested $1.4 billion of their RRSP funds to purchase homes. This program has provided a much needed boost to several industries important to our national economic growth.
While the home buyers plan improves access to home ownership and creates jobs, the best thing of all is that the program does not place a burden on Canadian taxpayers.
The idea of creating this home buyers plan originated in the Liberal caucus over two years ago. It was then adopted by our predecessor-
Taxation February 1st, 1994
Mr. Speaker, I received several calls regarding statements made by the Minister of Finance following last week's pre-budget consultations in Toronto that Canadians would be willing to pay more in taxes.
Many of my constituents, including Arnold Carbiton, Norman Grass, Martin Hawthorne and Peter Krotkey are curious as to which groups suggested to the minister that Canadians would be willing to pay higher taxes. These constituents would like the minister to know that they cannot afford to pay higher taxes, nor do they want to pay more taxes.
My constituents would like the minister to assure them that his February budget will not contain any tax increases which could affect average Canadians.