House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2006, with 46% of the vote.
Federal-Provincial Relations April 18th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, in the 905 area where I come from, my constituents have a tax burden that is almost double that of Toronto and seven times higher than in other parts of the province. The amount Ontarians pay in federal taxes is far too much given the services they get back. Ontarians are demanding that services be on par with the rest of the country.
When will the Prime Minister find time to negotiate with Ontario for a fairer deal?
Federal-Provincial Relations April 15th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, the government should stop taking Ontario voters for granted.
Glen Grunwald of the Toronto Board of Trade said that the government's failure to address the Ontario gap has resulted in “crumbling infrastructure, declining service levels and increasing municipal and provincial taxes. It has also seen Ontario squeezed financially towards deficits and tax hikes that kill prosperity”.
When will the Prime Minister meet with the premier of Ontario and address the Ontario gap? When will he give us a firm date?
Federal-Provincial Relations April 15th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, today a CIBC World Markets report says that Ontario's gap now stands at $23 billion, 10 times what it was just a decade ago. It says:
Its sheer magnitude weighs on an already burdened economy, taxing the Ontario government's ability to invest in a strong, vibrant provincial (and hence national) economy.
When will the Prime Minister meet with the premier of Ontario to address the Ontario gap?
Equalization Program April 13th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, the people of Ontario are proud of the role they play in helping to build an even stronger Canada, but Ontario now ranks 10th out of 10 provinces in university spending and 9th out of 10 provinces in federal funding for health care.
We cannot allow the fiscal imbalance to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. When will the Prime Minister sit down with the premier of Ontario to negotiate a fairer and more equitable arrangement for the taxpayers of Ontario?
International Aid April 6th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, this afternoon, Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University and John McArthur of the United Nations will share their views on eliminating global poverty with the foreign affairs committee.
This is a timely opportunity to remind the government of the commitment made over 25 years ago to achieving the level of 0.7% of Canada's gross national income on development assistance.
Canadians proved once again that they are ahead of government when responding to the tsunami crisis both in compassion and in generosity. Canadians would want their government to be showing moral global leadership in the face of 1.1 billion fellow human beings living in extreme poverty.
Tony Blair has shown that leadership pressed by the British people. Germany is expected to announce soon a commitment to reach 0.7%.
The government wastes enough money in its operations to be able to afford this and development assistance has now evolved to be very effective and accountable.
The government should honour its commitment to 0.7% now with a set timetable.
International Trade March 23rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, if truth be told, the Americans are ignoring their own laws and NAFTA rules. The trade priority of the government must be to resolve the irritants because the rest is just two-stepping around the problem.
Does the minister's absence and the Prime Minister's failure to discuss BSE and softwood not prove that the minister has no influence with President Bush?
International Trade March 23rd, 2005
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister did not bring his trade minister to Texas. Either he has no confidence in his cabinet colleague, or he has no interest in really talking trade.
Canada has lost roughly $10 billion to the United States between BSE and softwood alone. Canadian business loses almost another $10 billion a year in border delays. That is a lot of money that has gone down the drain.
Why did the Prime Minister not insist on parallel trade talks between ministers?
Justice March 21st, 2005
Mr. Speaker, the protection of our sovereignty means the protection of Canadian jobs. Border delays already cost Canadian businesses billions of dollars a year. Canadian businesses do not want to hear from the justice minister. They want to hear from the Prime Minister.
Does the Prime Minister recognize and acknowledge the linkage between illicit grow ops proliferating across our nation and the potential for more costly border delays?
Justice March 21st, 2005
Mr. Speaker, President Bush's drug czar, John Walters, recently said that drug trafficking from Canada is a significant problem and is getting worse. U.S. officials have warned the government to expect further delays at the border if it decriminalizes marijuana. The U.S. considers the flow of marijuana from Canada to be a national security threat.
When the Prime Minister meets President Bush on Wednesday, how will he address the billions of dollars of marijuana flowing across the border into the U.S. and will he protect Canadian economic interests and jobs?
Canada-U.S. Relations March 10th, 2005
Mr. Speaker, I am sure those kinds of comments and irritants are not helpful to the good efforts of the Minister of International Trade.
The mandate of the parliamentary secretary for Canada-U.S. relations is to help manage and improve that most critical relationship. Suggesting that Canada should go around the world badmouthing and even embarrassing Americans is nothing but irresponsible.
Why does the Prime Minister accept this kind of behaviour and when will he replace the parliamentary secretary with someone who actually knows what they are doing?