Jeremy Harrison

[Abandoned Mines, October 22nd, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to an issue of great concern to my constituents of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, namely the cleanup of the abandoned uranium mines near the community of Uranium City in northern Saskatchewan.

The Lorado and Gunnar mines have sat abandoned for nearly 40 years and over that time millions of tonnes of unconfined radioactive tailings have leached into Lake Athabasca.

Last January the Minister of Natural Resources said that the federal government would review the situation with an eye toward taking action. Since that time nothing has happened. The Saskatchewan minister of northern affairs has said that the provincial government is having a difficult time even contacting the minister.

It is time for the federal government to step up to the plate and take action on this important issue.

[Supply, October 21st, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to the comments of the hon. member opposite, particularly with regard to the mobile gun system, otherwise known as a Stryker. This is a system being brought in by this government to replace the Leopard tanks.

I find it disingenuous at best and a joke at worst to equate the Stryker with a main battle tank such as the Leopard. It was not all that long ago that I myself was in the Canadian Forces. I still talk with my friends in the forces and they are very upset with the loss of our heavy armoured capability.

Would the hon. member comment as to how he sees a Stryker mobile gun system, as the Liberals call it, being in any way an adequate replacement for a heavy tank unit?

[Ethics, October 20th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, today we learned that the public service is being trained in ethics by a former senior RCMP member who was convicted of fraud in 2002. Maybe the Prime Minister will start sending his federal cabinet to similar ethics courses. I can see it now: “How to win friends and influence people 101”, taught by Alfonso Gagliano.

When will this government admit it does not know the first thing about ethics, taught by fraudsters or otherwise?

[Agriculture, October 7th, 2004]

Mr. Chair, this is my first intervention in this place. I would like to thank the people of Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River for sending me here. I hope I am able to live up to the trust they have shown in me.

My question is very short and straightforward. I would like to ask the hon. member how he can square his words of support for our agricultural producers with the lack of support shown for our agricultural producers by the NDP government in Saskatchewan which has repeatedly shown that it just does not care about rural Saskatchewan?