Beth Phinney

[Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, February 24th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, next month Hamilton Mountain mom Sharon Babineau will attempt to climb over 19,000 feet to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Her journey is a tribute to her late husband, Stephen Babineau, who died of ALS.

Sharon is also acknowledging the hard work and dedication of caregivers who work tirelessly for patients of ALS, or what is known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Sharon has been a champion for the cause for over 14 years. She and her husband were co-recipients of the ALS volunteer of the year award in 1995. Currently she is a regional manager of the Hamilton--Niagara ALS Society, helping other families affected by ALS deal with their grief.

I want to commend the courageous and fighting spirit of Sharon Babineau. Her journey to one of the world's highest peaks will be long and arduous, but she has proven that she can overcome difficult obstacles.

[Ray Lewis Elementary School, February 17th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, the trustees of Hamilton--Wentworth District School Board recently named Hamilton Mountain's newest elementary school Ray Lewis Elementary School.

Ray Lewis passed away last year at the age of 93, but his legacy will last a lifetime. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Vivienne Lewis. Raised in Hamilton, Ray attended Hamilton Central Collegiate, and went on to become the first Canadian-born black athlete to win an Olympic medal. As a member of the 4x400 relay team, he brought home a bronze medal for Canada.

Ray spent considerable time talking to school-aged children about racial prejudice and overcoming adversity. Ray has been immortalized on the Hamilton Wall of Fame, and received the Order of Canada in 2001.

I am proud to announce that 700 students will be entering this new school in September, with Ray Lewis as a constant reminder and example of how all challenges can be overcome.

[Auditor General's Report, February 10th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Chief Government Whip and Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

The Auditor General's report was tabled in the House less than an hour ago. We all agree that this report is very important to parliamentarians and Canadians.

According to our practice, the Auditor General's report is carefully considered by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts which reports back to the House with its findings.

Would the Chief Government Whip tell us whether this committee has been reconstructed so that it may begin its study of the Auditor General's report?

[Rotary Club, February 9th, 2004]

Mr. Speaker, on February 18 the Rotary Club of Hamilton Mountain will be honouring the recipients of the Paul Harris Community Service Award. This award is the highest award Rotary International can bestow on a person.

Dianne Jackson will be honoured for her tremendous 28-year record of volunteering. Dianne has held numerous executive volunteer positions and helped negotiate the amalgamation of the Chedoke-McMaster and Civic Hospitals Volunteer Associations.

Sandeep Sehgal, a grade 10 student from Westmount Secondary School, will also be honoured for her contribution to the community and school.

I am sure all hon. members will join me in congratulating the recipients of this year's Paul Harris Community Service Award, and in thanking both Dianne Jackson and Sandeep Sehgal for their dedication to the Hamilton Mountain community.

[Seniors, November 7th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, one of the Canadian government's greatest achievements has been its retirement income system for seniors. However, there are still areas of concern.

Seniors who live alone, particularly women, continue to experience higher rates of poverty than other older Canadians.

The current federal support for a senior with no dependants is a maximum of $13,176. However the current income level in Ontario that is used as a marker to measure poverty is $18,849. This is a shortfall of $5,673 annually.

I am asking the seniors in my riding of Hamilton Mountain to fill out a brief anonymous survey indicating the adequacy of their federal financial assistance.

I congratulate the Prime Minister for creating a caucus task force on seniors to assess the federal pensions and the provincial and municipal services to ensure that our seniors are not just getting by, but are living their lives with dignity.

[Committees of the House, November 6th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 25th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on chapter 5, Citizenship and Immigration Canada--Control and Enforcement of the April 2003 report of the Auditor General of Canada, and the 26th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on chapter 4, Correctional Service Canada--Reintegration of Women Offenders, of the April 2003 report of the Auditor General of General.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109 of the House of Commons, the committee requests the government to table a comprehensive response to these two reports.

[Bertram Brockhouse, November 3rd, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, Dr. Bertram Neville Brockhouse, who taught in the physics department at McMaster University, died recently.

Dr. Brockhouse won the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physics for his research conducted at the first nuclear reactors in Canada during the 1940s and 1950s. He also invented the triple axis neutron spectrometer which is still used all over the world to better understand the atomic structure of matter.

While teaching at McMaster from 1962 to 1984, Dr. Brockhouse was regarded as a brilliant professor who had high expectations for his students, but who had a humourous self-deprecation about his own achievements.

Only 10 Canadians have received Nobel prizes. Dr. Bertram Brockhouse was a remarkable Canadian, a brilliant scientist and a World War II hero.

Today, I wish to pay tribute to this remarkable man for all that he has contributed to Canada and the world in the field of physics.

[Petitions, October 29th, 2003]

Madam Speaker, the Bishop of Hamilton, the Most Reverend Tonos, has asked me to present a petition of over 30,000 member signatures to the House of Commons. It has been signed by these 30,000 members of the Roman Catholic diocese of Hamilton, Ontario. They call upon Parliament to take all necessary means to maintain and support the traditional definition of marriage in Canada.

[Broadcasting, October 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Ministers of Industry and Canadian Heritage for bringing Bill C-52 to the House.

Many of us have been in discussion with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and are well aware of the financial and cultural damage that illegal satellite dishes and the piracy of intellectual property have caused in our country.

Would the Minister of State and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons assure the House that the legislation will pass expeditiously. Further delay would mean that there would be hundreds of millions of dollars lost in revenue to the provincial and federal governments?

[Canadian Women's Soccer Team, September 30th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, last Saturday the Canadian women's world cup soccer team scored a crucial victory over the team from Japan to become the first Canadian team, men's or women's, to make it out of the first round of a world cup. The Canadian team played a fast paced, hard-hitting game to win three to one over Japan.

The women's world cup team has now won nine out of its last ten games. Now that they have advanced to the quarter finals of the world cup, the Canadian women's team will play China on Thursday.

Veteran player, Charmaine Hooper, thinks the team can go all the way. As she said after the game on Saturday, “If we have such a great goal in our minds, I feel we can go far”.

I am sure the House will join in wishing the players and coach, Even Pellerud, the best of luck for their second round game on Thursday.