Lou Sekora

[Petitions, March 27th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, today I have two petitions to present. One is from the Canada Family Action Coalition. The petition calls upon parliament to make sure that the possession of child pornography remains a serious criminal offence.

[Fisheries, March 23rd, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, last week the hon. Minister of Fisheries and Oceans announced that Canada's exports of food and seafood products reached a record high of $3.7 billion in 1999.

I want to congratulate the hardworking men and women in our fishery industry.

[The Late Lyal Holmes, March 21st, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, my good friend Lyal Holmes passed away on March 16. I knew Lyal Holmes even before I began my political career some 27 years ago.

Lyal was actively involved in the Burquitlam Lions Club in British Columbia. He will be remembered as a loyal and dedicated hard worker. My heart goes out to his loved ones and his friends.

[Petitions, March 21st, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, today I present a petition from the Breast Cancer Society of Canada. Canada has the second highest incidence rate of breast cancer in the world, second only to the United States.

Early detection remains the only known weapon in the battle against breast cancer.

[Petitions, March 20th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, I present a petition today signed by many B.C. residents concerning the high level of child poverty in this country. One in every five children live in poverty. We must work together to improve the lives of these children who live in poverty.

[Petitions, March 13th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, today I present 277 signed ribbons from the annual white ribbon against pornography campaign. This campaign was held from October 24 to October 31, 1999 by the Catholic Women's League of Canada. The use of pornography must be stopped.

[Chief Joe Mathias, March 13th, 2000]

Mr. Speaker, Chief Joe Mathias passed away unexpectedly on Friday, March 10. He was a strong advocate and defender of the treaty process.

I knew Chief Mathias personally. He was a man greatly respected by his people, myself and many other people. Our blessings are with him and his family.

[Organ Donation Act, February 8th, 2000]

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-420, an act to establish a National Organ Donor Registry and to coordinate and promote organ donation throughout Canada.

Mr. Speaker, today I am reintroducing a private member's bill which I tabled last fall. The purpose of this bill is to create a national organ donor registry and to co-ordinate and promote organ donations throughout Canada.

The bill is very important because it would provide the opportunity to save lives by co-ordinating organ donors and needy recipients across Canada.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

[Kiyoshi Takahashi, November 30th, 1999]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me a great deal of pleasure to announce the accomplishments of Mr. Kiyoshi Takahashi who is one of my constituents.

Mr. Takahashi has recently returned from working for 16 weeks in Bangkok, Thailand for an organization called the Canadian Volunteer Advisers to Business.

He provided technical assistance and introduced new techniques for quality control as well as new products for development in the field of mineral compounds.

[Organ Donation Act, November 16th, 1999]

Madam Speaker, I am delighted to have support across the House. It makes me feel very good. The fact is that I did make this presentation to a subcommittee that was not made up of Liberals only. The fact is that there were other members who must have voted against this bill being a votable bill. Otherwise it would have been a votable bill. It could not be defeated just by members on this side of the House.

I am delighted. The fact is I knew the bill had great support from all sides of the House. When I asked for 100 signatures I could have got 100 signatures on either side of the House. It was supportable. The good doctor in the Reform Party has made some great comments. He is a physician and knows what he is talking about. I was delighted to hear those comments. I was delighted to hear all the comments that have been made, especially those from the Progressive Conservative member who had a transplant. I did not know he was a recipient of a transplant.

We talked about price tags and costs today and everything else, but we should keep in mind that if we save one life we cannot put a price tag on it. A good friend of mine who was a council member with me in Coquitlam before I was elected as a mayor lost his wife after five years on kidney dialysis. Can we imagine the cost of that? Finally they could not find a transplant and she died.

Many provinces probably think about the cost of transplants, but as the good doctor across the floor said the fact is the cost is very cheap compared to the cost of keeping people on dialysis, waiting for a transplant that may never happen. We can only imagine the trauma families must go through, waiting and hoping that their little child or some other loved one will get a transplant so that he or she can lead a normal life.

I have spoken to the health minister and will continue to speak to him and to all members of the House. I am not giving up on this one. I have never given up on the many things I have brought before the House as the new member for Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam.

I brought before the House the leaky condo situation. I am not giving up on that and I am not giving up on this one. The fact is that it is an issue with me which I will be fighting every day of the week. I ask all members on all sides of the House to give me a hand and come forward in this discussion, this debate and this fight. We will win.