Lost his last election, in 2004, with 5% of the vote.
Age of Consent December 13th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the justice minister has refused to listen to police and parents. He insists on allowing pedophiles the legal opportunity to prey on 14 year old and 15 year old children. The government has been unable to defend its position and its failure to raise the age of consent.
How can the minister justify keeping this legal loophole open to criminals and to pedophiles?
Petitions December 12th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the third petition calls upon the Parliament of Canada to ban embryo research and direct the Canadian Institutes for Health and Research to support and fund only ethical research that does not involve the destruction of human life.
Petitions December 12th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from a number of citizens who call upon Parliament to protect our children by taking all the necessary steps to ensure that all materials which promote or glorify pedophilia or sado-masochistic activities involving children are outlawed.
Petitions December 12th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege today to rise on behalf of a number of citizens of Canada who have chosen to exercise their right to petition Parliament when they feel there are deficiencies in legislation.
I have three petitions. The first one calls upon Parliament to modify legislation to ensure that both parents are actively involved with their children after divorce through specifically defined shared parenting, and to modify the support guidelines to make sure that the support goes to the child.
Health November 29th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, Romanow's former finance minister, Janice McKinnon, is quoted today as saying, “If we are struggling to fund the health care system now, how can we afford to expand it?” She also argued that present spiralling medical care costs threaten to divert money from other important programs.
The Romanow report suggests a massive expansion. Given the finance minister's Peace Tower promise of no new taxes, what cuts will he make to finance the spiralling costs and the proposed Romanow expansions?
Justice November 22nd, 2002
Mr. Speaker, the Sharpe decision by the Supreme Court opened the door for pornographers to legally produce child pornography by filming themselves in consensual sexual activity with 14 year olds. They can later break off the relationship and use the legally produced pornography for illegal distribution.
I ask the government, how will the Minister of Justice make both ends of this activity illegal if he continues to refuse to raise the legal age of sexual consent?
Petitions November 20th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by over 500 fine citizens of Saskatchewan who are appalled at this nation's inability to protect our children from child pornography. They call upon Parliament to take all the steps that will ensure that any of those kinds of materials would be, indeed, against the law in this nation.
National Child Day November 20th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate National Child Day. On this special day we honour our country's most precious resource, our children. I rise to speak on their behalf.
Often it is easy for elected officials to ignore those who do not exert direct influence on the democratic process. Since children do not vote, often their opinions are not valued.
Today, in the name of all children of divorced parents I want to plead with our justice minister to heed the call of thousands of children across this country who want to access both parents and both sets of grandparents. For too long the adversarial winner-take-all model of our family law justice system has robbed children of their right to access both parents. Most children of divorced parents could care less about their mommy's and daddy's squabbles, but they love mom and dad in spite of their differences.
Today I ask the justice minister, for the sake of the children, to ensure that the concept of shared parenting becomes the premise on which all judgments in custody and access disputes are based.
Supply November 19th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I believe the hon. parliamentary secretary of state for ALCOA referred to the desire to treat people fairly. Another parliamentary secretary earlier today said that the government wanted to ensure that all who reapplied would be treated fairly and consistently.
Under section 118.4(b) it states:
an individual's ability to perform a basic activity of daily living is markedly restricted only where all or substantially all of the time ,even with therapy and the use of appropriate devices and medication, the individual is blind or is unable...to perform the basic activity of daily living;
It goes on to list things such as “perceiving, thinking, feeding, dressing”, et cetera.
My question is about the line that says “even with therapy and the use of appropriate devices and medication”.
Many times people have to spend their own money to buy those things which then disqualifies them for credit. Does the member believe that this is an item of unfairness that needs to be changed?
Supply November 19th, 2002
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the hon. member what he thinks of some of the requirements that are in the legislation. People are required to be evaluated on perceiving, thinking, remembering, feeding, dressing oneself, speaking, hearing, eliminating, walking, et cetera.
The committee recognized that the government had left out one of the most vital functions of living and that is breathing. What does the member think about the government saying no, that it is not a vital function it would want to add to the list?