John Reynolds

[Foreign Affairs, October 2nd, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question on the passports. The minister just said a couple of minutes ago the words “other people have seen the passports”. Who are the other people?

[Immigration, September 29th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The minister has revealed that a year ago she set up an organized crime unit in immigration which, as she has said, has thousands of names on file, has a well staffed operation and has good international contacts.

Can the minister tell the House how Lai Tong Sang, the Macao Triad leader who received landed status in Canada, slipped through the stranglehold the minister has on organized crime?

[The Late Alistair Fraser, September 26th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the Reform Party of Canada to pay tribute to a beloved servant of the House of Commons.

Alistair Graeme Fraser was born in Toronto in January of 1923 into a family distinguished for its political service. After graduating from the University of British Columbia in law and practising for a short time in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, he moved to Ottawa and worked for 27 years in this place, serving as executive assistant to several Liberal ministers, after which he was appointed Clerk of the House of Commons for 12 years.

Mr. Fraser presided as Clerk over some revolutionary developments in this House: the creation of the parliamentary interns group, the reorganization of the role of pages in the House and most important, the introduction of this Chamber to all Canadians through live television broadcasts.

He possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of the complex rules and procedures of this place, so much so that he co-authored several editions of Beauchesne's Parliamentary Rules and Forms, the commentary on the standing orders of the House that all members consult almost daily. In Beauchesne's we can discover something of the personality of its author. It is the codification of common sense. It tries to strike a balance between the freedom of the member to speak and the member's responsibility to abide by the rules of decorum and procedure intended to benefit all members. It combines firmness with good humour and Mr. Fraser was well known for his keen sense of humour.

Pierre Trudeau, who was leader of the opposition on October 9, 1979, a couple of weeks after Mr. Fraser retired as Clerk said this about him:

When paying homage to someone, one often speaks of “selfless devotion”. That expression has been used so often as to become almost meaningless. Yet I believe it to be an accurate description of the way in which Mr. Fraser served the House of Commons as an institution and its members as individuals— Those who accept the position of Clerk of the House of Commons are not allowed to display the range of opinions and emotions which so delight the heart of a politician—Rather, they are teachers, conciliators and friends. They do not think of self but bend on their will and their stamina to making the House of Commons work.

On a personal note, when I was elected to this House in 1972, Mr. Fraser was in the House. As a 30-year-old member in this Chamber it was very nice to have somebody sitting at that table who could fill me in on the rules that everybody else knew. It was nice to have somebody to assist me in preparing my private member's bills and my questions. I always found that Mr. Fraser and all those he taught, many of whom are here today, had that fairness and respect for all members of Parliament no matter what their politics.

We would like to pass on to Mr. Fraser's family our wishes and comfort for the honourable life and tradition of service that he brought to this House. I would like to tell them that we all remember him very well.

[Immigration, September 25th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I assure the minister that this party is just as happy with all the immigrants who come into this country legally as her party is.

Could the minister confirm, after she checks out what she is doing with the Government of Vietnam, that the federal government is greasing the wheels with the Vietnam government for acceptance of these deportees, that it is using an $8 million CIDA contract in Vietnam headed up by Marc Lalonde, a former government minister? Could she make sure the former minister is not part of what is going on to solve the problem she has with these Vietnamese deportees who are in Canada?

[Immigration, September 25th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

As the minister is aware, there are in excess of 30,000 illegal immigrants in Canada today. Can the minister confirm that there are in excess of 200 citizens of Vietnam in Canada under deportation order mostly for criminal activity? Can the minister confirm that the Canadian government is negotiating with the Government of Vietnam to take back a handpicked 100 of them?