House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2000, with 44% of the vote.
Haiti December 4th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, Canadian armed forces personnel are due to be withdrawn from Haiti. Unarmed RCMP officers will be left in Haiti without Canadian military support. This will significantly increase the chances that they will be attacked and injured or killed. RCMP staff relations officers have told me that there is a much greater danger now that the military is gone.
My question is for the prime minister. Why is this minister courting disaster and disregarding the safety of the RCMP left in Haiti?
Postal Services Continuation Act, 1997 December 2nd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the railroads had a lot of contracts in the fifties, sixties and seventies which ended up with very high rates of pay and other union-type clauses in them. This has resulted in rail lines in Manitoba being abandoned due to the high cost of operation. The postal service has to ensure that it does not end up in the same situation of pricing itself out of the market.
I would ask Bloc members to advise me and other members of the House how long they would have allowed this strike to continue. Indefinitely?
Supply November 25th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I would ask for that because I have made the point that I fully support this motion and I will certainly share my time with my hon. colleague.
Supply November 25th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I was not slated to speak, but I would like to say a few words about this unity issue.
I fully support the motion.
In the riding of Selkirk—Interlake, we have a very significant number of French-speaking people. Manitoba has traditionally had a large French-speaking population and we have always supported national unity.
I guess there are no provisions for me to allow the alternate speaker to speak.
I would like to take this opportunity to give the House an example of what has gone wrong in the unity debate over the years and get back to the idea that consultation—
Canadian Wheat Board Act November 20th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I do not feel the Bloc member is speaking to the matter at hand either. I would like to have the references to useless Churchill investments and whatnot stricken from the record.
Firearms November 19th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the firearms act is being implemented in 1998. Manitoba and three other provinces will not use provincial resources to force law abiding citizens to register their recreational firearms. This leaves the federal RCMP.
How does the solicitor general expect an understaffed, underfunded RCMP to register millions of dastardly duck hunters?
Petitions November 5th, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition from concerned Manitobans with regard to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Canada and all state parties to the 1968 United Nations treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons reaffirmed their commitment in May 1995 to undertake to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date.
The petitioners simply would like the House and the government to enter into a binding timetable for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.
Supply October 23rd, 1997
From the west?
Supply October 23rd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, the FFMC board is compromised of an appointed president and four appointed members by the government, along with five elected members by fishermen. These elected members and fishermen in the boats are coming to me expressing concern about the appointment and the qualifications of the appointee.
Problems have been brought to the attention of the provincial government of Manitoba. I understand one of its minister has been in contact with the federal fisheries minister. I have not spoken to the provincial minister, but it is my understanding that he too is expressing concern about the appointment and the negative impact it will have on the management of the corporation.
We could end up in a situation with two presidents in effect arguing with each other. Being a smaller fishery there is not the money for the kind of waste that will be created by the appointment.
Supply October 23rd, 1997
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.
Problems have arisen out of this appointment. I refer to a comment made by the hon. member for Malpeque who stated that bread and butter on the table was the important part for fishermen. Mr. Fewchuk will be receiving a president's salary. Mr. Dunn will not work for less than the salary he was already receiving, no no doubt in the hundred thousand dollar range. We will have the FFMC, an unsubsidized corporation, paying two salaries out of the profits of fishermen on the lake.
These fishermen are not wealthy by any means. Native fishermen on the lake have no alternative employment. The problems we are talking about transfer to their families. It is actually a matter of sustenance and living an acceptable lifestyle.