Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was money.

Last in Parliament May 2004, as Canadian Alliance MP for North Vancouver (B.C.)

Lost his last election, in 2004, with 36% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Health June 6th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, yesterday at the request of the Canadian Alliance health critic, Health Canada officials provided MPs with a briefing on E.M. Power Plus, a vitamin and mineral supplement developed in Alberta which some Canadians claim combats the effects of bipolar disease.

Since Health Canada officials were unable to identify a single harmful effect from the product, could the minister tell the House why she has imposed a ban on the importation of E.M. Power Plus, a product which apparently harms no one but could be helping thousands of Canadians?

Question No. 212 June 4th, 2003

With regard to the fact that the Minister of Natural Resources has been granted permission to bypass the normal public security line-ups at Ottawa airport and to proceed directly to security inspection via the airline staff entrance: ( a ) under what authority was this done; ( b ) does this permission extend to the bypassing of the normal public security lines at other airports in Canada; ( c ) does this permission extend to all other ministers of the Crown; ( d ) does this permission extend to members of the House who are not ministers; and ( e ) if not, why not?

Justice June 3rd, 2003

Mr. Speaker, the parents of the student killed as a result of Mr. Arimi's dangerous driving emigrated from Iran in 1997. They said they could not believe that their new country's legal system would permit people to go free under such circumstances. They asked, and I quote, “How can this decision be fair when my son is dead and that man goes free?”

I will ask the Minister of Justice one more time. Does he actually believe that being grounded for six months is an appropriate sentence for driving dangerously and killing a 17 year old? Is he happy with the consequences of his conditional sentencing law?

Justice June 3rd, 2003

Mr. Speaker, last Thursday in North Vancouver, Judge Rodgers handed down a sentence of six months at home to a 21 year old man for dangerous driving causing the death of a 17 year old student in my riding.

Judge Rodgers said he could not give jail time for this crime because of this government's conditional sentencing law.

Who over there still wants to defend this disaster they call the conditional sentencing law? Does anyone on the government's side really believe that six months at home is an appropriate sentence for dangerous driving causing death?

Points of Order May 14th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, during question period today the government House leader suggested that I do not spend very much time around here. I just want to put it on the record that, apart from one and a half days, I have been here in Ottawa continuously since April 28. Therefore the chances are that I have probably spent more time around here than he has since April 28.

Political Party Financing May 14th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I am disappointed that the minister did not have a decent answer and has to make personal attacks, but his blustering cannot change the fact that large numbers of Liberal MPs are strongly opposed to Bill C-24, and his self-serving contempt for taxpayers on Bill C-24 is completely unacceptable.

What is the story behind the story? Could it be that the House leader's appointment to the Senate is contingent on passing the bill before the June break?

Political Party Financing May 14th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, last night at the round table discussion on the political financing act, a number of Liberal MPs said that they were strongly opposed to the fleecing of taxpayers in order to fund political parties. They even threatened to vote against the bill, regardless of the consequences, if the House leader tried to ram it through before the summer break.

I would like to ask the government House leader this. Bill C-24 is so badly flawed and has so much opposition even from his own caucus, why the rush to push it through?

Agriculture May 6th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, cruise lines will have to pay $68 plus GST for the minister's inspectors to make one of two decisions: either the food is labelled correctly and it can leave Canada; or the food is labelled incorrectly and it must leave Canada. If the minister cannot see the folly of this ridiculous situation, he needs to visit Vancouver and watch the cruise ships come and go for awhile, that is if there are any left.

I ask again, when is the minister going to put a stop to this ridiculous and unnecessary bureaucratic nonsense from his department?

Agriculture May 6th, 2003

Mr. Speaker, amazing but true, cruise ship companies whose food shipments failed to meet the agriculture minister's new labelling requirements “will be required to remove the product immediately from Canada”. Well, duh, that is exactly what they want to do and it is exactly what they have been doing for the last 20 Alaska cruise seasons. What would be the point of leaving the food sitting on the dock?

I wonder if the minister realizes that these ridiculous new rules of his have already driven some cruise ships to relocate to Seattle.

Political Party Financing May 1st, 2003

Mr. Speaker, the government House leader should get an acting school diploma for that performance.

The Prime Minister must know that overburdened taxpayers hate this legislation just as much as most of the Liberal elected members do. That is probably why he is offering a gift of an early summer recess if they will just get it passed before June 12. Is the Prime Minister's goal to be remembered for insisting that overburdened taxpayers be gouged even deeper by forcing them to pay the cost of the Liberal Party's expenses regardless of which party they support?